
How we've attracted top talent to our early-stage bootstrapped startup - a13n
https://canny.io/blog/startup-attract-top-talent/
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spudlyo
Something about this article doesn't sit right with me. Perhaps it's the self
congratulatory tone, or maybe it's all the talk of brand building, "culture",
or using social media to show off their company's "personality" \-- but
whatever it is I found it mildly nauseating. It's great they like their new
hires, but how did they quantify that they're "top talent"?

I may be too old and jaded for this sort of thing.

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whttheuuu
lol, everyone thinks they are hiring "the best in the industry". When in
reality, they are not.

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duxup
And really, how many people "need" "the best"?

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justfor1comment
I have the same reaction when companies say we only hire the best. Why should
the best people in the world be working on this problem? There are profound
problems we need to solve as a species like tackling global warming and
building a sustainable economy. Should the best and brightest we working on
CRUD apps?

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ctvo
The social proof on IG being what several applicants stated as what drew them
to the company is unfortunate. Now even more companies will feel the need to
project zany and fun.

I'm just getting too old for this.

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coupdejarnac
I too am getting too old for this.. Whenever I see a company tout how fun it
is to work there (ping pong tables, etc), my gut instinct is that engineers
there are underpaid.

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ummonk
Self-congratulatory promotional posts are very common in the startup industry,
but even then this seems unusually cringey. I can't put my finger on what
exactly makes it worse. Maybe it is the Instagramy nature of their self-
promotion.

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duxup
The very first image is a very staged photo that seems like it is sort of
supposed to seem like it is not staged.... and yet obviously is. The text
really isn't about what the title implies. The whole thing feels fabricated to
give a very specific vibe, and finishes up with "Come backstage, where we
share an honest look into building Canny."

Nothing about it seems honest...

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huangc10
I remember meeting the co-founders through Startup School back in 2017 and
they were pretty genuine and enthusiastic about their product. I think they
had just started development. I'm glad to hear Canny is doing well.

These types of articles are nice to read but maybe not for posting onto HN
because it's a little fluffy and non-technical/non-quantitative as can be seen
from the critical responses.

As a side note, I personally think it's difficult (but not impossible) to use
social networks as a way to determine a company's culture. Everyone should be
mindful that IG/Facebook captures only the moments someone wants to share.

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Sujan
> With some beer in her system, she’s a master with words and the numbers that
> drive them.

What does that mean? Does she have to be drunk to be able to work?

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elenveenpere
Appreciate the comment! No, it means that after a few beers I'm a master with
words and the numbers that drive them, without a few beers I'm also a master
at everything else in life. Hope that answers your question!

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Sujan
Hi there.

Honestly, not really. But maybe it just doesn't translate in my head, as "I'm
a master with words and the numbers that drive them" alredy doesn't really
make sense to me :shrug:

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duxup
This reads like some branding / self promotional thing rather than someone
sharing something of value about hiring.

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deedubaya
They're reading into this too much. Top talent likes

\- Remote work

\- Ability to contribute to "moving the needle"

\- Profitable, which probably means decent pay

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dclaysmith
I'm a big fan of what Sarah & Andrew have done at Canny and how they have done
it.

This article (humbly) omits the role that having a _really great_ product
plays in recruiting. Canny is well designed and built and delivers instant
ROI. To a degree, job applicants can sense what working at a place will be
like, based on the care the existing team puts into what they are building.

~~~
duxup
There's something about people's ability to attribute doing something to
everything .... except what actually allowed for someone to do that thing ;)

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creaghpatr
They do each other's laundry??

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jarsin
Top talent = working for a big four or unicorn = leetcode 24/7.

