In the world of startups, getting the right talent on board is mission critical. You need to have the right team to get that early momentum and ultimate success.

The challenge is, in a fast-paced environment, companies struggle to distill their vision in a way that connects with people outside of the organization. On top of that, in those early stages, it’s hard to dig for the intangible skills your company needs, and create a value proposition that attracts the talent you want.

Startups need passionate employees to drive them forward, but that’s not always easy to spot in a speedy interview and hiring process. There is a way…

If you can find someone with a passion for something in their lives, and their skills align with what you do, you’ve found a great hire! Don’t listen for a canned answer to a classic interview question. Look for a spark when they’re talking about something that they’re passionate about outside of work.

How can startups make the hiring process easier? How do you create a compelling reason for people to work with you outside of a paycheck?

In this episode, I’m joined by the head of Talent at Labelbox, Elena Stefanopol. She reveals the secret to a successful startup on the talent side, Labelbox’s semi-hybrid model, and how to set people up to their best selves at work.

Guest Bio

Elena Stefanopol is the Head of Talent at Labelbox. She is an architect of people systems and she connects the dots across Talent - Acquisition, Management and Development. Elena is adding performance management, leadership coaching and L&D to the mix to power high performing teams at Labelbox. She is also one of HIGHER's Global Top 100 TA Leaders and ex-Airbnb team member.

Connect with Elena on LinkedIn and visit https://www.higherhq.com/video-content/v/3mw67hebc2lbnb8gskzskwpkhl465f.

About Your Host

Vince Holt is the founder and CEO of Management Recruiters of Mercer Island. With 35+ years industry experience, he is the only MRINetwork team member to win CSAM of the Year, Person of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards. In addition to spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren, Vince has raced motorcycles for over 50 years, winning 5 National Championships.