Hiring your first engineer
Eugene Hauptmann
11 replies
Hey folks,
I'm writing a guide on how to hire your first engineer, especially as a non-tech founder.
Let me know what questions should I address first?
Replies
Maxwell Davis@maxwellcdavis
As a non-tech founder too I'd think about the following:
1) Something about the terms! Frontend, backend, full stack etc.
2) Scoping out the work
3) Something on the tools that are used - ERDs, Wireframing etc.
Share
LLC Toolkit
@maxwellcdavis Great points Maxwell! I'll feature your questions in the FAQ section!
Hiring becomes extremely important when you're starting a company or you are building a different vertical in the same business. Also, If you're hiring your First engineer, then, please consider assessing through some assessment just to filter out some candidates. We're using Questy.xyz for a majority of assessments such as technology assessments and behavioral assessments.
LLC Toolkit
@rushikesh_kavathekar Great points Rushikesh! I already have sections about sourcing and screening. I'll add a section about assessments, love the EQ assessments too, that's the key driver.
Good job.
LLC Toolkit
@robiul_haque Thanks Robiul, working on my 2nd draft already!
My two cents, if you're a non-technical founder, you don't hire your first engineer, you find yourself a technical co-founder.
I've seen people wasting literally millions of dollars thinking they can build the product without having a technical person behind the idea. Sometimes it's just your partner, friend, uncle, ... doesn't matter, you need a technical person you can trust and usually that person becomes your co-founder or at least CTO with some equity
LLC Toolkit
@m_kamrani great insight Moshen, I've seen that happen too, and it usually speaks about founder's ability to manage the team/product, not only the technical capacity to understand the product/problem they're solving.
I'll quote your paragraph in the FAQ section in the guide!
Going through this now, and these were the questions we had originally:
- Where to find engineers?
- How to write a job post that accurately reflects the requirements (assuming non-tech managers)?
- How to future proof hires in early stages of company to reflect dynamic requirements?
- How to optimize the scope of skills targeted in a potential hire relative to supplementary roles in the form of short-term contracts?
- What will engineers expect to be available to them in terms of hardware and software resources that may not be obvious?
What website will you visit to do that
LLC Toolkit
thank you @walkervank! I'll add it to the list in the FAQ section.