THE REACH

A Founder's Note: Still Hiring Like It's 2024?

The market has changed, and a lot of hiring processes haven't caught up.

Let me be clear about where we are. This isn't 2021, when everyone under the sun was hiring. But it isn't the last few years either, when it felt like crickets. Right now it feels a lot like 2018 or 2019: a steady, consistent stream of hiring. Teams are leaner than they used to be. A company that might once have asked us for 30 sales roles is asking for 10. The companies that made it through the downturn had to course-correct to survive, and they're hiring again, carefully.

The busiest area on our desk is go-to-market, especially sales and marketing. Many of the AI companies raising strong rounds have built their products, and now they need to monetize them. That means having the right people who can take a product to market and sell it.

Here's what has changed most: For the first time in years, we're seeing candidates decline offers because they have multiple offers in play. Strong candidates are interviewing in more than one place, and the companies that move faster, and sometimes pay more, are winning them.

Over the last few years, companies could run a two or three-month interview process with six or seven steps, and candidates would say “whatever you need.” That's no longer the case. A candidate with a final round tomorrow somewhere else isn't going to wait four weeks for you.