How to Hire Engineers Without a Recruiter
Hiring engineers without a recruiter is not only possible. For early-stage startups, it is often better. Recruiters slow you down, inflate costs, and send the wrong seniority. Here is the clean, trial-first playbook.
Recruiters work for volume. Early-stage hiring is about precision. You do not need 200 candidates. You need 3 strong ones. This article explains the founder fast hiring system: one-sentence clarity, senior shortlist, trials over interviews, and fast decisions.
The 4-Step Founder Hiring System
Define the job in one sentence. Use a small senior shortlist. Use trials instead of interviews. Make decisions fast.
Why Recruiters Fail Early-Stage Startups
Recruiters optimize for resumes not builders, inflate time, misunderstand early-stage needs, do not test for 0-to-1 ability, and are expensive with 20-25% fees.
Common questions