H
H

hrsaas

Head of Business Development

Fire Starter
Contributor

What is the best way to recruit an experienced AE into a recently funded startup?

We recently secured funding for our HR tech startup (product is built and we're already in market). I am looking to hire two AEs who have experience selling into HR / talent acquisition.


I have reached out to people on LinkedIn but half of my messages don't get read.


Where is the best place to recruit? (happy to post on Bravado if I someone can send me a link)


How do I attract more seasoned AEs?


Thanks!

☁️ Software Tech
👥 Hiring
🤝 Networking
14

18 comments

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RealPatrickBateman
Politicker
9
🔪Amateur Butcher🔪
M-O-N-E-Y
ultrarunner
Opinionated
0
Account Executive
MONEY and a great product would get me interested! 
braintank
Politicker
4
Enterprise Account Executive
Posting on LinkedIn and Indeed. That's where candidates are.

What's your pitch? Why should I come work for you vs anywhere else? 

The hiring market is red hot right now, so you need  compelling outreach to woo seasoned sellers.
CuriousFox
WR Officer
3
🦊
LinkedIn would be the best shot at getting my attention.
TennisandSales
Politicker
4
Head Of Sales
pretty much DONT do what every other recruiter does to me. 

" you experience is really impressive! You would be a great fit for this role (that 2 levels lower than where you currently are" 

Post on linked in go looking for the AEs you want. 

if I got a personalized video message from a recruiter that SPECIFICALLY talks about WHY my experience jumps out to them id be very likely to take a call. 

also be sure to mention that this is a newly funded start up and you are willing to pay to get the right ppl. 
hrsaas
Fire Starter
3
Head of Business Development
Thanks for your help everyone. 

I'm not getting much traction on LI and I think it's because Inmail just gets lost in the mix. Here are the points I'm hitting:

- VC funded HR tech startup
- creating a new category in the interview intelligence space
- greenfield environment for anyone with a network in HR
- interview intelligence software that is well ahead of its competitors
- CEO with a successful track record - 2x exit
- OTE well above market with uncapped earning potential

And then I say the usual "we love your background etc." which is very true of everyone I am reaching out to

I like the video idea ... how do I get in touch with Sahil haha?
ounceoz
WR Officer
1
US Sales Director
Also buzz words I always hear from recruiters with their associated red flags:
- Needs someone with a Hunter mentality: "We have no pipeline and you will chase and fight for every lead"
- Competive pay with uncapped commission: "prepare to take a market rate base with the possibility of making commission which is totally unproven"
- A startup in the ___ space: "GIve the company name, what are you afraid of"
- I am impressed with your background: "Your Sales Navigator search pulled my name from a relevant keyword and you have never looked at my profile personally"
ounceoz
WR Officer
1
US Sales Director
Some thoughts on improving your approach:

-  VC funded HR tech startup: How much have they raised? When is the next round?
- creating a new category in the interview intelligence space: Not bad.. list competitors if possible
- greenfield environment for anyone with a network in HR: This is a redflag, sounds like there is no current pipeline or existing leads.

- interview intelligence software that is well ahead of its competitors: Again who are the competitors how do you define "ahead"? More specifics Gartner rankings etc.

- CEO with a successful track record - 2x exit: Not relevant unless there is equity as part of the comp plan

- OTE well above market with uncapped earning potential: Be specific. Good OTE is relative. Provide a range if you can $200-$300k OTE for the right experience.. Will they consider a ramp or signing bonus for a successful rep hitting their numbers??
Rallier
Politicker
2
SDR Manager and Consultant
what makes you different than all the other AE roles out there? It's a competitive market right now. LinkedIn will have the most qualified people, but you'll have to bring something good to the table
Alex
Executive
2
Account Executive
Hi! I'm an AE at a HR tech that did both our A and B in 2021, and is in a hot space (global employment). Get a lot of recruiter messages that are in general bad lol.

Happy to chat about this and how to stand out among all the noise of subpar recruiter messages. I think the company starts with a P and domain ends in .hr - that correct? If so, I'll add who I think is you on LinkedIn and we can chat there or via email.
edis
Old School Bravo
0
AE (Account Executive)
Alex - thank you! I just pinged you on LinkedIn - looking forward to chatting!
DungeonsNDemos
Big Shot
1
Rolling 20's all day
Are you able to leverage your network at all?
edis
Old School Bravo
1
AE (Account Executive)
I'm leaning on my networks for sure - but I want to move faster.
bandabanda
Tycoon
1
Senior AE Mid Market
Like everyone else on here, I’d say LinkedIn is your best bet.
Nail your value prop, be upfront about how early the company is, and be upfront about comp (base, OTE, and equity). You might need a higher LinkedIn subscription if you don’t already have it to target people with the AE title and narrow in on ones already working in the HR tech space.
Also, just my 2 cents, but I’d be looking for people who “can do” vs. people who “have done.”
Aspireship has a killer training program for AE’s. They may not have as much experience or been working in the HR tech space, but Aspireship vets them very well. They can probably get you some great people that have completed their certification but MAY not have as much AE experience.
Justatitle
Big Shot
1
Account Executive
Recruiting agency, Bravado, Sahil probably knows someone.
ounceoz
WR Officer
1
US Sales Director
Learn a bit about the company sales process, sales cycle, recent deals they have landed and success/failures of recent hires. I am always surprised how few real questions recruiters can answer about what the company is doing today or even how the product works or what problem it solves.
Beans
Big Shot
0
Enterprise Account Executive
Dolla dolla bills y’all.
meetalk
Good Citizen
0
Account Executive
It depends if the product and company are interesting. A lot of startups fail even when well funded and I won't go to one unless I believe in it regardless of OTE.

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