How Startups can Compete with FAANG Companies when Hiring Employees

Harj says big tech hiring can take weeks or more than a month, from the first call to a formal offer. Startups can move faster: at Triplebyte, the team often called candidates the same day and sent offer details by the next morning.

Harj recommends asking everyone who met a candidate, including interviewers and people who joined them for lunch, to send a personal follow-up. Each email can mention something they appreciated, express interest in having the candidate join, and offer to answer questions.

Harj says big companies sometimes cancel projects after employees have spent a year working on them, which can leave people feeling their effort was wasted. Startups can explain that their work is intended to affect real users from day one, and connect candidates with someone who has experienced a project cancellation.

Harj summarizes three ways to compete: make the offer and answer questions quickly, follow up personally as a team, and explain how startup work can reach users directly. He contrasts this with slow hiring processes, less individualized attention, and projects that may be canceled at large companies.