#24 — All Jobs Are Open?
I recently asked an early-stage startup CEO what roles he’s hiring.
His answer: "All jobs are open." But his job board just had a handful of positions listed. 🤷♂️
This is common for early-stage companies. They will have some "listed" jobs. You can find those on the careers page. And that's a great place to start. But it's not the only way in. IF the company is growing, there are always jobs to be done. And the right candidate can find a way in.
Ambiguity can create opportunity. It's a blessing and a curse in the early stage.
Related P.S. I’m trying to get better coverage of early-stage companies in the Seattle startup tracker. If you know any that are missing, can you recommend them?
Built in Seattle Podcast
🎙 NEW EPISODE:
Elissa Fink (Board Director and Former CMO at Tableau) talks about thinking in bets, teams that last, and building brand.
On the interrelatedness between people, culture, and brand:
“For me, I think the Tableau brand had a lot of attributes and qualities that I aspire to. So it was easy for me to espouse those. […] I think when it's natural to you it makes it easier. So I encourage companies to think about the people that they're hiring, especially in the early days, and how they will shape the culture and the culture shapes the brand and the brand shapes the culture. It's all connected.”
On “good” CMO vs a “great” CMO:
“I'd say a good CMO listens. He or she listens to the market, listens to sales, listens to executives, listens to customers. But a great CMO will take that listening and not just learn from it, but act on it. I think that's a big difference. The days you're good are when you're listening and learning, but the days you're great are when you've listened, you've learned, and you're doing something about it.”
On hiring teams that last:
I remember Christian, our CEO co-founder, he told me about the best piece of advice he’d ever been given. […] And I think he did this. He hired people whose best years were ahead of them.