

What is the best way to find engineers to recruit for a project running stealth? - merterdir


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davismwfl
Generally referrals from existing engineers is the most common.

Outside of that I have seen a couple of stealth startups create a separate
corporation and use it to recruit people. In some cases there are some
advantages to having a separate corp to employ people and have its sole client
be the stealth startup.

EDIT: Fixed some grammar.

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merterdir
This is a pretty good idea actually, thanks a lot for taking the time to help
me out!

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davismwfl
your welcome, good luck.

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JSeymourATL
Hire a 3rd party headhunter on a project retainer. A seasoned search guy will
have the ability to connect with the right level talent quickly. He should
also have the business acumen and diplomatic skills to insure confidentiality.
Serious candidate conversations covered with a mutual NDA.

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merterdir
Thanks a lot, I appreciate your answer!

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dwayne_anderson
Hey,

I'm an Associate consultant at VenturePact - a New York-based, invite-only
marketplace that connects companies with pre-screened developers and designers
based on their specific needs. I would be happy to help you find the
developers which fit your budget and location to help you execute your
requirements. Plus, our development partners pay us to be part of our network
- so we won't charge you anything.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Really looking forward to
hearing from you. :)

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miguelrochefort
Have you considered, you know, to stop the stealth mode bullshit?

I mean, really?

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merterdir
Hahahaha actually I completely agree that for most situations running in
stealth is highly disadvantageous. I'd explain why it seems to be the right
choice for us but I'll save us our time. We're trying to go public as fast as
we can though.

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littlewing
It's just like any other kind of recruiting except you don't state anything
about the product or company you are uncomfortable about, only the technology.
Early stage startups have a much harder time recruiting experienced
developers/engineers, so aim for junior/mid-level or just outsource it.

To recruit rather than outsource, and do it for free:

1\. Use word of mouth referrals.

2\. Network with others in local tech gatherings. Sites like meetup.com and
your local entrepreneurial support groups are good places to start.

3\. Browse around and contact directly via linkedin.

4\. Post onto mailing lists via meetup.com, google groups, etc. for lists that
allow job postings. Be sure to follow all the rules.

To recruit when you have cash to spend, in addition to above methods- first
create a good site with a careeers section. You don't need to say anything
about the product but you need presence to show validity and seriousness.
Then:

1\. Post job on sites that focus on startups like HN and
[http://careers.stackoverflow.com/](http://careers.stackoverflow.com/) or post
job on sites that manage resumes for you and also post to
[http://indeed.com/](http://indeed.com/) like
[https://www.workable.com](https://www.workable.com)

2\. Use recruiters/head hunters.

However, the fastest way to get started is to either:

1\. Spec it out, learn to develop it yourself, and set it up. It will probably
be terrible if you don't know what you are doing, but you'll thank yourself
that you tried later, if for no other reason than you better appreciate the
engineer and what skills are necessary. Don't assume you hack-ass project will
be sustainable though and it may even detract developers/engineers from coming
aboard. But if you have something, that's better than nothing.

2\. Farm it out. Outsource development and hope what you get in return is not
really terrible. Bet on it being terrible though, and expensive.

