I joined Streamline as the first marketing and growth hire. Today, we are used by most Fortune 500 companies and have won the best graphic resource award in 2022.
Streamline's 100% bootstrapped so I learned to do more with less.
Hiring a growth marketer / growth PM isn't easy
I've failed miserably at hiring growth marketers and growth PMs. I have the scars to show for it. It's a tough job.
After a few tries, I finally figured out how to hire for growth roles.
Our talent pipeline has never been stronger and some of the best people in the industry applied to our roles. I continue to source, filter, and hire every single candidate myself. No HR team, and without spending a single dollar.
The things that worked for me:
1. Mention what they won't work on
Get clear on what skills you want and, more importantly, what you don't want.
In the JD, I explicitly stated what channels we won't be working on. That meant people could rule themselves out. Job posts usually rule out by age, experience, location. But, as a candidate, knowing what you won't work on is also a great way to help niche down.
2. Create a persona of your ideal candidate
Go beyond the obvious elements.
Who are they? What do they like? What have they done in the past? Where do they hang out?
Are they entrepreneurial? Are they able to work in isolation? Have they built something in the past? Are they humble, kind and have no ego? Are they a manager of one?
As you get your first few applicants, evaluate how closely they match to the goals with your team. So when the right one comes along, you're already aligned with your team on what are the red flags and green flags.
3. Distribution is key.
You just need to be in the right places. Not on Upwork.
I had great success with pallet.com, Lenny's, Reforge, ALLIN, GrowthMentor and so many more top-tier slack communities.
4. Make the company sound sexy
Every company is flaw-esome. You can be sales-ly and yet stay classy in the JD.
And boy, did I hype Streamline up :)
5. Save a conversation. Ask for salary upfront
I ask for the exact salary they are looking for. I'd specify the currency too as well as the timeline (monthly / annual).
Some people will evade the question. But if we liked their candidature, we would reach out over email and have them share their salary expectations before hopping on a call.
6. Good rejection emails
Rejection emails are the hardest to write because I've been on the other side.
So instead, I share a curated list of job search resources.
It's better than ending with a tasteless sorry. And, look, the responses from applicants have been incredible too!
Tech is a small world, so you're bound to run into the same people. Who knows? Maybe they are the ones that hire me someday in the future. Or recommend our open roles to a friend.