If you missed our Lightning AMA with Daniel Morris, you are in luck! Daniel is giving us some more in depth answers to some of the questions we didn’t get to at the event. If you want to check out the recording, find it here! Check out our upcoming events here. What advice would you give to very early stage companies when it comes to screening potential candidates? 1. Define and align the role early and develop a structured interview process for candidate assessment and selection. 
A growing team needs to be fully aligned on the details in order to make informed hiring decisions quickly. Both on technical skills (to fill skill gaps on the existing team), but also what communication and work styles are key to compliment the team. Typically bad hires are due to misalignment of values. 2. Focus on team (culture) fit How someone does their work is just as important as what they’re doing to build the company. Commit to the process of defining values, vision, and mission. The questions you ask should be behavioral by design. Ask about past projects, their contribution, the result, who was on the team, etc. 3. Assessing technical ability can be challenging for early-stage teams. Make sure you have lined up your best technical advisors/investors who are willing to step in when needed. Always meet people in person. Invite top candidates in for a working session - think of a prompt, share it with them earlier, work with them for 2 - 3 hours on that prompt to get a sense for how they think, communicate, and relate to you. 4. Remember to always be selling. At this stage, they’re assessing you and may have other options to choose from. Have a tight interview schedule, organized questions, stay in touch, communicate clearly, share company updates along the way, and make sure everyone on the interview team is as energetic and passionate about the work as you are. Tips on how to attract talent if you are an underfunded startup at seed level. 1. Attract people who viscerally believe that the work you’re doing is important (to them). Work on your founder/origin story - this is a crucial narrative. Emphasizing the mission, vision, and problem you’re solving in a succinct and compelling way. 2. Be strategic about where people with start-up DNA might be. Find communities and reach out early. 47% of tech are open to changing companies so your goal is to let the ecosystem know about your mission. An example that I’m affiliated with is the nextplay.so community where start-up operators join to network and explore what’s next. 3. Work your network. It will take time to convince people to join so plan for that. Start building relationships over LinkedIn and social with the 20 people you’d most like to work with (within reason). --- This post was migrated from connect.com and was originally published at an earlier date.
Thank you for sharing these invaluable insights, Allie Kerr ! At Robin Lee Innovations, we resonate deeply with the emphasis on aligning roles early and fostering a cohesive team culture. As we continue to grow and expand our team, we prioritize defining our values, vision, and mission to ensure that every member aligns with our overarching goals. Your emphasis on behavioral interview questions and inviting candidates for working sessions resonates with our approach to assessing both technical abilities and cultural fit. Additionally, your tips on attracting talent at the seed level are incredibly valuable. We’re committed to crafting a compelling founder story and leveraging our network to connect with individuals who share our passion for our mission. Your advice reinforces our dedication to building a team of individuals who viscerally believe in the work we’re doing and are eager to contribute to our journey. 
Thank you for sharing your expertise with the community! --- This post was migrated from connect.com and was originally published at an earlier date.
Thank you Robin Lee ! The behavioral interviews are such an important aspect of the process to assess abilities and cultural fit but can be difficult to find the right strategy as its not a one size fits all solution. I’d love to hear more about how you approach this! --- This post was migrated from connect.com and was originally published at an earlier date.
Absolutely, Allie Kerr ! Behavioral interviews indeed offer valuable insights into a candidate’s abilities and cultural alignment. At Robin Lee Innovations, we approach behavioral interviews with a tailored strategy that revolves around understanding not just what candidates have done in the past, but also how they’ve approached challenges and collaborated within teams. We focus on crafting questions that elicit specific examples of past experiences, accomplishments, and problem-solving approaches. By delving into these details, we gain a deeper understanding of a candidate’s thought processes, communication style, and ability to navigate various scenarios. Additionally, we emphasize active listening during interviews, allowing candidates the space to fully articulate their experiences and perspectives. This approach helps us assess not only technical competencies but also soft skills and cultural fit, ensuring that we assemble a team that not only excels individually but also collaborates harmoniously towards our common goals. I hope this sheds some light on our approach, and I’d be happy to discuss further if you have any specific questions! How do you do it at HubSpot? --- This post was migrated from connect.com and was originally published at an earlier date.