Two Years at Rooser: Reflecting on Progress and Setting the Course for the Future

I joined Rooser to build a recruitment engine that could support our mission to eliminate waste in the incredibly fast-paced world of seafood. Looking back, I’m proud of how far we have come (although my fish filleting skills remain horrific). With over 35 new crewmates across multiple teams, including growing our product and commercial teams and building our customer support team from scratch, we’ve hired incredible talent into the business. Things change quickly in the startup world, but setting a high bar for talent has remained constant.

But more than the numbers, what stands out to me is seeing these people grow and thrive. It’s been a fulfilling journey and the part of hiring I enjoy most. However, we’re still just getting started, and the need to be relentless like a salmon (one of our values) has never been greater.

As I mark this anniversary, it feels like the beginning of a new chapter. The 'hiring ship' has left the harbour on its next journey, and our approach needs to evolve. We’re focused on three key areas to keep pushing the bar higher.

Sourcing and Attraction: Sharpening Our Focus

One of the biggest areas of progress is building our understanding of what makes someone a great fit for Rooser. Whether expanding our sales team or filling unique one-off roles, we’ve developed a strong sense of the skills and behaviours that lead to success here.

Our industry is dynamic, challenging, and unlike anything else in tech. We need to ensure this is clear to potential candidates from the outset. It’s about finding people who resonate with our mission and are ready to take on the challenges we face. Building more awareness of our brand will be vital in attracting the right talent, especially for complex roles that require a particular type of person.

Streamlining Our Recruitment Operations

Our recruitment process has come a long way. The reintroduction of values-based interviews has been a turning point, ensuring that every hire aligns with our culture and long-term goals. In terms of efficiency, we’re making solid progress too, with an average of 17 interview hours per hire and an offer acceptance rate of 94%. But there’s still lots of room to improve!

Not every role demands the same level of time and effort. Some positions require a more in-depth process, while others can be streamlined. We’ll focus on fine-tuning our approach to maintain the same high standards while optimising our time and resources.

Onboarding: Setting New Hires Up for Success

Our work as a hiring team covers the entire candidate journey. We put a lot of effort into pre-hiring activities, like defining job scopes with measurable outcomes. We can now focus more on the experience new hires have.

As Talent people, I believe we can play a significant part in the onboarding process, ensuring crewmates are given the tools and guidance they need to hit the ground running and perform at their highest level. This is especially important for maintaining the standards critical to our mission.

Shared Responsibility and Looking Forward

None of this progress would be possible without the incredible team at Rooser. We have a saying: “There’s no such thing as your side of the boat is sinking.” It’s a reminder that we’re all in this together. When one team faces a challenge, it’s everyone’s responsibility to help. That sense of shared accountability has been vital to our growth and will continue to drive us forward.

As I look ahead, I’m excited about what the future holds. Our recruitment machine is still a work in progress, but with a strong foundation and clear priorities for improvement, I’m confident we’re on the right course.?

The next chapter promises to be as challenging and rewarding as the last. I've always been grateful for the oppor-tuna-ty to work in tech, particularly for a business that aims to positively impact the planet. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together.