Secrets to Hiring Engineers, Designers, and Product Managers at the Early Stage

Welcome to Season 2 of the Technical Recruiting Playbooks podcast! In this season we’re exploring what it takes to hire and empower three company defining positions at the early stage of development - foundational engineers, designers, and product managers. Whether you're a founder looking to make these pivotal early hires, or a leader seeking insights into shaping your teams, this podcast series is your guide. Season 2 will include nine episodes, and today we are unveiling the first three focused on Engineering (view the blog post here).

We’ve interviewed experts who have been foundational hires themselves, hiring managers who have built out early teams, and founders who have lived through the pain (and joy!) of early-stage companies. Our guests give us practical and applicable advice, as well as lessons learned from their wins and mistakes. 

Engineering (launching today!)

• Systematic Team Building with Tido Carriero: Tido shares a systematic approach to hiring and team building. Get ready to uncover his strategies for hiring before and after product-market fit, and the impact of effective hiring practices.

• Engineering Team Excellence with Adam Jacob: Adam tells candid stories about the missteps he’s made and lessons learned in early engineering hiring. Tune in for his insights into building world-class engineering orgs, and fostering motivated and happy team members.

• From Founding Engineer to Founder with Vicki Cheung: Discover Vicki’s secrets to finding engineers with strong ownership mentality and adaptability to early-stage startup environments.

Product 

• Navigating Product Leadership with Charles Zedlewski: Charles discusses the challenges of hiring product people for early-stage companies. Explore the different profiles of product managers and the attributes that define successful product leadership.
• Insights from Product Expert Chrix Finne: Chrix discusses the qualities that make an exceptional product manager. Get ready to dive into the timing and considerations for hiring your first product manager and common mistakes to avoid.
• The Evolving Role of Product Managers with Denise Hemke: Denise highlights the core responsibilities of successful Product Managers and how these evolve with company development. Discover her tactics for effective interviewing, maintaining clear communication with your PMs and company, and successful product scaling.

Design

• Early-Stage Design Leadership with Joshua Goldenberg: Joshua talks about the importance of open-mindedness, resilience, and conveying commitment to design excellence when building your team.
• Designing Impact at DoorDash with Kathryn Gonzalez: Kathryn shares how she shaped the company’s design infrastructure, tackled greenfield projects, and made a significant impact on a category defining business.
• Crafting Creative Collaborations with Phil Sheffield: Phil uncovers the magic of collaboration between design and engineering teams, and the power of design hackathons in fostering innovation.

Whether you're a founder, a hiring manager, or simply curious about the intricacies of building successful teams from scratch, this season promises to be packed with insights, tips, and practical advice. Enjoy!