Making initial engineering hires as a ClimateTech Founder...

Making initial engineering hires as an early-stage climatetech start-up founder can be a daunting task… Let's face it, the reality is you’re likely:

• A relative unknown without the power of a recognized brand or a track record to showcase to prospective candidates.
• Pitching an opportunity that will only appeal to a select few who are comfortable working at an early-stage start-up with less direction, structure and process than a more established co
• Having to battle against the misconception that start-ups are ‘riskier’ (a notion I oppose).

Oh, and throw the current economic situation into the mix.?Mass redundancies mean an oversaturated market which makes finding those gems that will be capable of building an MVP or V1 of your product taking you from 0 to 1 a) extremely difficult and b) extremely time consuming.

But fear not! With the right approach and mindset, it is possible to make these pivotal hires successfully.

Here are a few tips to help you on your way:

+ Be clear in your mind what you want from this person – This is super important. If you go into the hiring process with a half-baked idea of what you are looking for it’s going to take twice as long. Be clear on what your prerequisites are, your desirable skills, logistics (location/working arrangements etc), what sort of person you want to join the team from a cultural/personality perspective.

+ Write a super compelling advert – A well written advert posted in the right places will help you start to attract talent. While it’s not fool proof and reviewing applications will take time, this is an opportunity for you to showcase your vision and to appeal to your ideal candidate pool. Be sure to be clear about what you are looking for in terms of experience and skillset.

+ Write an EVP (Employee Value Proposition) – Essentially this can accompany a JD to give more detail around what employees can expect working at the company. What the culture is like, tech stack used, what the plan is over 6-12 months and beyond.

+ Post this stuff in the right places – For Climatetechs the obvious ones are Climatebase , Work on Climate , MCJ ClimateTechList , Ycombinator, LinkedIn and indeed.

+ Build networks – This might mean attending one of WoCl’s fantastic virtual onboarding events (or a virtual climatetech event), it could mean attending SF Climate Week (or a climatetech event local to you) or just engaging in conversation with other climate aligned folk on the WoCl slack channel.

+ Be patient – Foundational Engineers are pivotal hires that can drive your vision forward and ensure your product or service has the desired impact. Don’t rush and push the button on someone unless you are certain. Sometimes a contract-to-hire arrangement works well for this level of hire (particularly if you’re working with someone who isn’t in a role right now), essentially this means you pay a prospective candidate as a day rate contractor for a week before committing to a permanent contract.

+ Engage an experienced recruiter – A good recruiter can add a lot of value in your quest to make your first, or an early-stage engineering hire. A good recruiter who operates in the domain, is highly networked and has experience of recruiting early-stage engineers will be able to bolster your shortlist of talent with referenced, qualified folk. As a minimum this can give you reassurance that you’re actually hiring the best person for the job and aren’t just relying on the candidates your direct efforts yield.

Still feeling unsure – email me at [email protected] and I’ll happily help you make a clear plan that will have you hire an accomplished founding engineer in no time.

Good luck!