Why recruiting is a big problem?

In early startups people wear many hats. My titles have included BD, Marketing, Sales, Strategy, CRO, etc. The only jobs recruiters would pitch me, at any given time, would be those of my current title. If I’m currently a Head of Sales, recruiters will only pitch me a Head of Sales gig, never Strategy.

Startups’ recruiting teams are filled with sourcers (an entry level sales job), with minimal experience. They rarely push back on hiring managers about the best ways to fill their roles (flexible requirements, stretch roles, diverse backgrounds, giving people a shot) and they tend to look for CAPITAL LETTERS patterns.

If the hiring manager asks for sales experience, a sourcer will look for just that, in a similar size co. They are quite literal in their interpretations, spending seconds on a resume and rarely take chances.

This isn’t a condemnation of recruiters. They are rockstars with a tough job. We need to fix the signaling mechanisms (I’ve tried this with Scoutible). I haven’t seen anyone really make a dent in the problem of identifying people’s super powers and helping them signal those characteristics to best fit companies.

Linked’s Projects is trying to be that signal, but not very well.