A recruiter’s view..
I’m not sure why, but I was recently thinking about a chat I had with Mitch King a while back, so I went and rewatched the interview (link here). In his spare time, away from being a serial LinkedIn talent comedian, Mitch has a day job in the tech world, currently with Fleet Space.
He’s spent years in the startup trenches, building TA functions from scratch and watching companies scale from scrappy teams to something resembling actual organisations. The conversation was one of those rare ones where someone just tells you how it actually is, not how the LinkedIn posts make it sound.
In reflection, I think what struck me most wasn’t any single huge insight, but the cumulative weight of all the small things he shared. The kind of stuff you only learn by doing it, failing at it, then figuring out what you should have done differently.
The Maturity Problem
Mitch talked about hiring maturity, and not in the usual “let’s implement a framework” way that consultants love. He was talking about something more fundamental. When you’re a small business trying to hire, you’re basically learning to swim by jumping in the deep end. There’s no way around it.
His point was simple enough.
Identify what you need, work out what resources you’ve got (usually less than you’d like), and start educating yourself and your team on the basics.
Things like giving quality feedback, responding to candidates at a decent pace, and actually having legitimate reasons when you reject someone. Not rocket science, but apparently hard enough that most companies don’t do it well.
The bit that made sense to me was about prioritising. You can’t perfect everything at once when you’re small. Pick the areas that need the most work, make a plan for headcount, figure out where people will actually sit in your org, and then, critically, slow down when you need to. Rushing hiring rarely ends well, even when the pressure’s on.
Building hiring maturity isn’t necessarily linear. You’ll make mistakes. The key is learning from them and not making the same ones twice. Easier said than done.
The Transparency Advantage
When we got onto engineering hiring, Mitch brought up something I’ve seen play out badly too many times. Companies trying to attract quality engineers whilst being cagey about where they actually are as a business.
His advice was straightforward. Be upfront about your engineering culture and process, even if it’s still being figured out. Emphasise that engineers will have a say in what you’re building, because in early-stage companies, they absolutely will.
Give them context about your growth stage so they know what they’re walking into.
The bit about transparency really stood out. Use it to attract engineers who actually share your values and goals, not just people who want a job. And as your TA team grows, make sure everyone’s aligned on the messaging. Nothing undermines hiring faster than mixed messages about what you’re actually like to work for.
The Startup Misconception
We talked about people joining startups without really understanding what they’re signing up for. Mitch has seen plenty of folks come from big companies, frustrated with the pace, thinking a startup will solve all their problems. Sometimes it does. Often, it creates new ones they weren’t expecting.
Before anyone jumps into startup life, there are some honest questions they should ask themselves. Are you actually comfortable with ambiguity and constant change, or do you just think you are? Do you have a genuine tolerance for risk, or is this just you being frustrated with your current role? Can you handle not having a clear career path? Are you self-motivated enough to work independently when needed? Can you pivot when things change, which they will?
Startups aren’t all the same either. Each one has its own structure, culture, and set of challenges.
Do the research. Ask the hard questions. Figure out what you’re actually getting into before you get into it.
Myths That Won’t Die
Mitch spent time unpacking some of the myths that just won’t go away.
First one: startups are always young companies. Not true. Age doesn’t define a startup. A company can be around for years and still be operating like a startup.
Second: working at a startup means sleeping under the table and grinding 24/7. Sure, startups can be tough, but there’s nothing glamorous about sleeping under a table. It’s a grind, and it’s definitely not for everyone. The myth makes it sound romantic when it’s usually just exhausting.
Third: equity is a guaranteed path to riches. The reality is that the odds of making serious money from equity are low. Really low.
Understanding this before you get starry-eyed about share options is important.
These myths matter for talent attraction and retention. If you’re selling people a fantasy, they’ll leave when they realise the reality doesn’t match up.
The Unicorn Distraction
This bit surprised me a bit. Mitch talked about his time at a rapidly growing Australian startup and how many people were attracted purely by the idea of working at a future unicorn. Valuations as a recruitment tool, essentially.
His take was measured. Sure, achieving unicorn status can have a positive impact on your reputation and make hiring easier. But valuations are just guesses, and chasing that status at the expense of your values is a mistake.
The steps he outlined made sense.
Focus on creating a strong brand that attracts high-quality people. Maintain a positive culture and prioritise employee wellbeing.
Stay true to your mission and values as you grow. Find investors who align with those values. And don’t let the pursuit of unicorn status distract you from building something actually successful and impactful.
Status is nice. A solid business is better.
Maintaining Quality at Scale
When we got into hiring at scale, Mitch was adamant about one thing: you can’t sacrifice quality just because you’re growing fast.
His approach was interesting. Hire the right people in the early stages, because they set the tone. When you’re interviewing candidates, follow up with them and ask for feedback on their experience. This helps you figure out if you’re hiring good interviewers, not just good employees.
Then, and this is the bit that often gets skipped, actually onboard your interviewers properly. Reduce your recruitment capacity if you need to, but make sure the training is robust. Co-create with them a document or Notion page outlining what you’re looking for and, just as importantly, what you’re not looking for. This aligns everyone’s understanding.
And maintain honesty throughout. Don’t settle for candidates you’re not comfortable with just because the pressure’s on. Let your quality interviewers sell the company, not you desperately trying to fill seats.
The process might differ depending on your stage, but protecting quality matters at every stage.
Culture Isn’t Accidental
Mitch spent time on culture alignment, which I found interesting because it’s one of those things everyone talks about but few do well.
As a company grows, culture gets harder to maintain.
Different people interpret values differently, teams form their own subcultures, and suddenly you’ve got three different versions of what your company culture actually is.
His advice was practical. Hire for values alignment, meaning find people who embody your values and are comfortable stepping outside their job description when needed. When you’re making senior hires, be clear about the growth trajectory and lay the foundations for the team’s culture from the start.
Early on, being an individual contributor is essential. You need to be comfortable coaching and getting your hands dirty. Your role will change as the company grows, so being adaptable is non-negotiable.
And if you’re heading up talent, you’ll be interviewing constantly, so you better be comfortable building relationships with hiring managers.
Culture alignment takes time and effort, but it’s how you build something that actually grows with your company rather than fracturing as you scale.
Building Strategy Without Burnout
When you’re expecting growth, planning your people strategy needs to be the priority, not an afterthought.
Mitch’s steps were sensible. Make a plan covering headcount, budget, and structure. Don’t let external pressures dictate your hiring process, even when investors or leadership are pushing. Take the time to get everyone on the same page.
Allow your leaders to have shared hiring targets so they can dedicate proper resources to interviewing and hiring. Ensure alignment between your hiring goals and your team’s KPIs or OKRs, otherwise, you’ll burn people out. And remember that onboarding takes time and coordination. Don’t sacrifice quality for speed just because someone wants seats filled yesterday.
This is about avoiding the trap of growing so fast that you break your team in the process.
The Junior/Senior Play
The last thing Mitch mentioned was something I’ve seen work well but rarely see discussed. Instead of only hiring mids and seniors, consider hiring juniors and pairing them with senior engineers who can onboard and train them properly.
This allows for faster, more affordable hiring whilst maintaining quality. Many seniors would actually love this opportunity because it lets them mentor and develop their own leadership skills. It’s a genuine win-win.
He suggested it might be worth running an A/B test between hiring juniors and hiring mids or seniors. The results might surprise you. I think he’s probably right about that.
What I Took From It
The conversation with Mitch wasn’t about revolutionary new approaches or secret hiring hacks. It was about the reality of building hiring functions in startups and what actually works when you’re in the middle of it.
What stayed with me was the emphasis on honesty. Be honest with candidates about where you are. Be honest with yourself about what you can handle. Be honest with your team about what’s realistic. Most hiring problems seem to come from people pretending things are different from what they actually are.
The other thread running through everything was intentionality. You can’t just hope your hiring process, culture, or strategy will sort itself out as you grow. It won’t. You have to be deliberate about building it, protecting it, and refining it as things change.
Startups are hard enough without adding the extra complexity of bad hiring practices. Mitch has done it enough times to know what matters and what’s just noise. Worth listening to.
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