Harj Taggar: How Can Startups Compete With FAANG Companies When Hiring Employees?

TL;DR

Startups can compete with FAANG companies for employees by moving faster, giving candidates personalized attention, and emphasizing work that directly affects users. Harj Taggar says big-tech hiring can take longer than a month, while his startup Triplebyte often shared its decision that day and offer details by the following morning. Read on for practical ways to make candidates feel valued and excited to join.

Transcript

hey everyone i'm harj i'm a partner at y combinator and i'm gonna answer the question of how do i hire someone who has competing offers from the big tech companies there's two ways i think you can compete with someone who has an offer from a fan company and the first is on just process so if you've ever received an offer from facebook apple or goog... Read More

Key Insights

• 🕰️ Startups have an advantage over big tech companies in terms of speed during the hiring process, which impresses ambitious candidates who fear slow-moving bureaucracy.
• 🤝 Providing individualized attention and personalized follow-up from multiple team members makes candidates feel valued and like a real member of the startup team.
• 🚫 Big tech companies often shut down projects that employees have worked on for a long time, leading to frustration and wasted efforts.
• 💪 Startups offer the opportunity to directly impact real users and customers from day one, providing a satisfying feeling compared to potentially wasted time at larger companies. ⏩ Moving quickly to make an offer and answer questions helps candidates see the faster pace of startups compared to big tech companies.
• 📧 Personalized follow-up emails from team members create a special culture and highlight how a startup values its potential employees.
• 🔄 Startups always work on projects that directly impact users, whereas big companies can have projects cancelled at the last minute, which can be demotivating for employees.
• 🤝 Connecting the candidate with someone who has experienced a project cancellation at a big company can effectively communicate the potential downsides of joining a large tech conglomerate.

Questions & Answers

Q: How can startups compete with FAANG companies when hiring employees?

Harj Taggar recommends competing through speed, personalized attention, and the promise of direct impact. Startups can deliver offers quickly, involve multiple team members in thoughtful follow-ups, and explain how the candidate’s work will affect real users and customers from day one.

Q: Why is hiring speed an advantage for startups?

Taggar says the big-tech process can take longer than a month from the initial call through interviews, the decision, offer details, and a formal letter. A startup that moves quickly demonstrates the pace candidates can expect and addresses concerns about slow decisions and bureaucracy.

Q: How quickly did Triplebyte respond to strong candidates?

Triplebyte often called strong candidates at the end of the day to say the team thought they were excellent. The startup usually provided offer details by the following morning and made itself available to discuss the offer and answer questions.

Q: How can a startup make a candidate feel valued?

Give the candidate individualized attention from multiple members of the team. Taggar asked everyone who interacted with the candidate to send a personalized follow-up email mentioning something they appreciated and expressing hope that the person would join.

Q: What should team members include in candidate follow-up emails?

Each email should mention one specific thing the sender liked about the candidate or their interaction. Team members should also say they hope the candidate joins and offer to answer questions or speak by phone.

Q: What concerns might ambitious candidates have about joining a big tech company?

Taggar says candidates may fear slow-moving processes, excessive bureaucracy, difficulty shipping work, and feeling like a cog in the wheel. A startup can reinforce the contrast by handling its offer process with noticeably greater speed and personal attention.

Q: How can startups discuss project cancellations when recruiting candidates?

Taggar suggests explaining that large companies may cancel projects after employees have worked hard on them for a long time. He contrasts that experience with startup work that directly impacts real users and customers from day one.

Q: How can another person’s big-tech experience help persuade a candidate?

A startup can connect the candidate with a friend or network contact whose project was cancelled at a large company. That person can directly describe the frustration of investing time and energy in work that was ultimately abandoned.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Startups can compete with big tech companies by offering a faster hiring process, impressing candidates with swift offer details and availability for discussions.

• Providing personalized attention to candidates and showcasing a special culture can differentiate startups from big tech conglomerates.

• Emphasizing the frustrating nature of project cancellations in big companies and highlighting the satisfaction of impactful work at startups can sway candidates in favor of joining.