For an early-stage startup, the best hires usually come from the founders' own network. After that, in order: a platform that matches you with already-interviewed candidates, such as The Qualidex, then a good specialist recruiter, and last, LinkedIn.
This ranking is based on what we see at startups in Stockholm and the Nordics. It weighs three things: how good the candidates are, how much founder time it takes, and how much it costs.
1. Your network
If a founder already knows someone good, hire through that. You know how they work, they know you, and the process can take days instead of months. It is also free.
- Ask each founder and early employee to list the best people they have worked with.
- Ask your investors and advisors for introductions. Many will expect to be asked.
- Ask for specific referrals, not general applications.
The limit is size. Most networks run out after the first few hires, and they tend to bring in people who are similar to the founders.
2. A matching platform like The Qualidex
We run The Qualidex, so we are biased. Here is the case for it. When your network runs out, the next best thing is a small number of candidates who have already been interviewed and who match your role. On The Qualidex, candidates build a record from real interviews, and we match them with roles that fit. You meet a few relevant people instead of screening a hundred.
You can run the first interviews yourself on the platform, or have our interviewers run them. We also source candidates for hard roles. Read how the matching works.
3. A good recruiter
A good recruiter can save you a lot of time. A bad one will send you a stack of CVs you could have found yourself. Recruiters usually charge a percentage of the first-year salary, so it is worth knowing the difference. A good recruiter:
- Specialises. They focus on one field and one region, for example engineers in Stockholm, and know the market salaries.
- Has a real network. They know candidates personally and do not only search LinkedIn.
- Understands the role. They can ask real technical questions, or bring in someone who can.
- Sends few candidates. Three strong profiles are worth more than twenty weak ones.
- Is honest. They tell you when your salary is too low or your role is hard to fill.
- Stays through the offer. They help close the candidate, not just introduce them.
4. LinkedIn
LinkedIn has the largest reach, but a job post there brings in a high volume of applications with low relevance, many of them written by AI. Screening them takes a lot of founder time. If you use it, a few things help:
- Write a specific job post and include the salary range.
- Post from a founder's own profile. It usually gets more attention than a company page.
- Search for people and message them directly, rather than only waiting for applications.
A simple rule
Start with your network. When it runs dry, use the channels that send you fewer, better candidates. For a startup, founder time is the most expensive part of hiring, so the channel that saves the most of it usually wins. See the employer page if you want to try The Qualidex.
Back to the blog