When you do prospecting, you’re selling a solution to your customer's problem.
When you hire people for your company, you’re selling them an opportunity for a better future.
In both cases, it’s all about sales.
A few months ago, I wrote this post about it 👇
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Tl;dr: Most people want to avoid sales - but if you want to be successful, you must learn sales.
And once you’re good at it. This is when you’re gonna be able to build a dream team.
Here’s the harsh truth when you get started, people will have 0 clue about who you are, what your company does and what you stand for. Therefore, there’s not gonna be a queue of top talents who want to come on board.
You actually have to sell them the opportunity to work with you.
They need to understand your vision, what exactly is required from their roles, and what’s in it for THEM.
And let me tell you, 90% of job descriptions I see on the market aren’t doing that.
To give you some numbers, over the last six years, I’ve hired over 200 people and interviewed over 1700. I’ve lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in bad hires, and it took me years to realize that hiring starts long before the interview process.
In this article, I’ll share my best strategies for hiring top talent and avoiding wasting money and time.
Inbound hiring
When hiring people, you can take two approaches: inbound and outbound. Yes, just like in sales!
And of course, it’s best when they’re combined.
I talked about the importance of having a strong personal brand for building trust with potential customers and increasing your outbound opportunities in one of my videos.
But your personal brand is an incredible asset to attract top talents.
I’ve been building my $150M company in public since day one, sharing all the ups and downs, my strategies, and funny moments, and I’ve been receiving lots of emails from people who liked the authenticity and wanted to join us.
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Because at the end of the day, it’s people working with other people.
And if you show your personality and what you do online, you increase the chances that more like-minded people will find you.
In the video I’ve just mentioned, you can find my step-by-step strategy on how you can do it, so make sure to check it out.
The second step to improve your hiring experience and the quality of the candidates applying is to write a really good job description.
There are two reasons to do it:
1. It will force you to define your expectations clearly. And it’s only when you know what you’re truly looking for that you can find it.
With clear expectations and a defined role, you'll be ahead of 99% of people hiring for the same position.
2. The quality of your job description determines the quality of the people you attract.
Your job description gives a candidate the first peek into your mission, your company, and the managing team.
You need to show them how exactly they will be thriving in your company.
To write a job description that will attract top talents, we’re gonna use ChatGPT. I’ll show you my favorite prompt and how to adjust it, so you will receive this kind of email 👇
Using the right prompt
Many people like to say that ChatGPT’s responses are “meh” or “average and very generic”. I agree. And that’s because most people are “meh” and “average and very generic” when they prompt (ask) chatGPT something.
All you need to remember with ChatGPT is that input = output.
So the moment you aren’t satisfied with the response, it means that your prompt wasn’t specific enough and that you should tweak it and refine it.
Here’s the framework that I use, so ChatGPT generates the response I need 👇
Give context
- Define the role
- Define a specific goal (use SMART framework:
- Specific (what exactly needs to be achieved: e.g. You need to hire a Chief of Staff (or for any other role)
- Measurable (what KPIs need to be achieved? What does success look like in this role?)
- Attainable (the responsibilities should be realistic. For example, don’t put in the job description that your Chief of Staff will need to achieve a 100% employee satisfaction rate within the first month of employment)
- Relevant (the responsibilities should match the role. Don’t make a Chief of Staff write code.)
- Time-bound (provide clear deadlines for the KPIs: 30, 60, 90 days, for example)
Give a straightforward task
- To write a job description
Define the format
- Providing examples or explaining what “good looks like?”
- Leveraging existing frameworks for more precision
- Define tone/voice/style
Here’s the prompt that I used that you can copy-paste and tweak to your case 👇
{{copy1}}
This is what ChatGPT proposed 👇
{{copy2}}
Iterating for more precision
Now that you have your base, you need to give the right feedback to make it more precise. You can copy-paste this request 👇
{{copy3}}
Here’s the response I got:
{{copy4}}
I guarantee you that with this description, your job offer is going to stand out!
And the prompt that you can copy-paste and adjust in 5 mins will save you half of the day that people usually spend creating something shat is not as good.
Now let’s talk about the outbound approach to hiring.
Hiring with outbound
The most talented people are often NOT looking for a job.
The only way to try to get them interested in working with you is by reaching out directly with a message interesting enough to make them curious to hear more about the role.
Just like in sales prospecting the goal of your first cold email is to book a meeting with a potential customer, in the case of headhunting, the goal of your message is the same - get them in a meeting with you.
But how do you find these top performers? How do you make sure that someone is already a fit before you reach out?
ChatGPT can help you be 10x more productive in this task. And get this kind of reply from top candidates 👇
As usual, it starts with the prompt.
We’ll use the same Context-Format framework that I introduced earlier.
But this time, we will also transform it into LinkedIn search criteria.
Here are the LinkedIn search filters we'll use in our prompt 👇
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This is my final prompt. You can copy it 👇
{{copy5}}
(Don’t forget to add your job description at the end 😉)
What’s cool is that each search is targeting a specific range of functions, interests, and profile types I wouldn’t have thought of.
However, the answer is not yet specific enough as it’s putting things like “Top startup with $100M+ in funding”.
That’s why we need a follow-up prompt:
📝 Please generate these searches by giving real company names and school names for each search
This is the updated response from ChatGPT:
Now you can use these search criteria for your LinkedIn outreach.
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Then I used lemlist’s chrome extension to scrape these profiles and push them into my lemlist campaign. Here’s how you can do it 👇
Duplicate my lemlist campaign. It has all the follow-up messages. All you need to do is edit the role you’re hiring for and why you’re doing it.
Click “Next step”
Download lemlist’s Chrome extension
Apply the criteria that ChatGPT gave you to your LinkedIn search
On the LinkedIn search results page open the extension
Select the campaign you need
Select “Find verified emails”
Click on “Import these leads”
You’re good to go!
Or you can do it manually. Here’s the copy-paste version of the message you can send 👇
Hey {{firstName}},
I hope you're doing great!
I'm currently looking for {{position}} to {{the main goal of your hiring process}}I found your profile really interesting!
Would you be free for a chat to discuss this opportunity, or are living your best life with {{their current company}}
Cheers,
{{signature}}
It will help you receive this kind of reply:
After one month, we interviewed 20 candidates for the Chief of Staff position, and we hired a superstar to join lempire 🚀
Here’s the thing with outbound hiring: just like in sales, if a prospect doesn’t trust you, they probably won’t respond to you.
This is why it’s important to combine the inbound outreach with the outbound under the sauce of the personal brand.
If tomorrow Tim Cook reaches out to you with an opportunity to join Apple, will you spare some of your time to chat with him?
That’s why you need to spend time and energy building your company in public and sharing your learnings, so the potential candidates know who you are when you send them that “Hey, I’ve got an opportunity for you” message.
So make sure to check these videos 👇
- How to create and optimize your LinkedIn profile to build trust
- How to go from zero to a thought leader on LinkedIn
And here's my free Notion document where you can copy-paste all the necessary templates:
Chapter 14: Find the best talent for your business
And if you want more explanations and examples, you can watch this video I've made. 👇
Every week I’ll publish new articles on how to build and grow a B2B business that generates millions of dollars.
Without any BS and giving you practical templates that you can steal.
Peace, love, and profit 💰
G. ✌️
You are the CEO of lempire, a fast-growing SaaS scale-up.
You went from $0 to $20M in ARR in less than 5 years without raising a single dollar, and you want to build a billion-dollar company in the next 3 years. To do so, you need to hire the best talents on the planet, and you know that your job description is critical for that. You’re looking to hire your next Chief of Staff. You want that person to be extremely sharp, driven, and ambitious so the job description should be attractive for people who love to work in challenging environments.
Your company’s mission is to help people and businesses grow. On top of having built multiple SaaS to help companies around the globe grow you also leverage Al to grow your business a lot faster.
Your goal is to create a job description that is so engaging that you will attract the top 1% of the chief of staff on the market. The job description should be unique and showcase clearly the expectations for the first 30, 60, and 90 days. For the expectations part, add specific examples for each bullet point. You will also add clear and measurable OKRs for the first 30, 60, and 90 days.
The goals and objectives should reflect the fact that lempire is a fast-growing and ambitious SaaS company. Please use markdown to define clearly the different sections of the job description. You will use bullet points for each section so it’s easy to read for potential candidates. You can use well-known copywriting and behavioral psychology frameworks to make the reader go through the entire job description.
Your tone of voice should be:
- Actionable
- No-fluff
- Approachable
- Storyteller
Chief of Staff - Join the SaaS Empire and Help Us Reach $1B in 3 Years
Are you ready to step up, embrace challenges, and lead a fast-growing SaaS scale-up to the pinnacle of success? At lempire, we're looking for a Chief of Staff who is as ambitious and driven as we are. If you love to work in a high-octane, rewarding environment and share our mission to help people and businesses grow, this is the opportunity you've been waiting for.
About lempire
- We've skyrocketed from $0 to $20M in ARR in less than 5 years without raising a single dollar
- We're on a quest to build a billion-dollar company in the next 3 years
- Our secret sauce? A combination of cutting-edge SaaS products and AI-driven growth strategies to help companies around the globe thrive
- Our core values: growth, ambition, impact, and innovation
Your Role as Chief of Staff
You'll be the linchpin that holds everything together, working closely with the CEO to drive growth and optimize operations. You'll wear many hats, from strategist to executor to confidant, ensuring lempire stays on track and continues its meteoric rise.
Expectations for the First 30 Days
- Immerse yourself in our business, products, culture, and strategy
- Develop a deep understanding of our organization's structure, departments, and key stakeholders
- Establish relationships with leadership and cross-functional teams
- Identify opportunities for improvement and present them to the CEO
Expectations for the First 60 Days
- Co-create, implement, and track initiatives to drive growth, improve efficiency, and increase profitability
- Manage and drive key projects with cross-functional teams, ensuring deadlines are met
- Collaborate with the executive team to refine our strategic priorities and align the organization around them
- Develop a system for monitoring and reporting on progress toward strategic objectives
Expectations for the First 90 Days
- Become a trusted advisor to the CEO, providing counsel, insights, and recommendations
- Continuously optimize our internal operations to ensure we're always ready for the next growth phase
- Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and high performance across the organization
- Be the go-to person for problem-solving, troubleshooting, and driving critical initiatives to completion
The Top 1% Chief of Staff We're Seeking
- Exceptionally sharp, driven, and ambitious, with a track record of excellence in previous roles
- Strong business acumen, able to quickly grasp complex concepts and make data-driven decisions
- Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, able to build relationships and influence at all levels of the organization
- Resilient and adaptable, thriving in a fast-paced, ever-evolving environment
- Committed to our mission of helping people and businesses grow
What We Offer
- The chance to shape the future of a rapidly scaling SaaS company with global ambitions
- A pivotal role in our quest to reach $1B in revenue in just 3 years
- The opportunity to work with and learn from a talented, passionate, and driven team
- A competitive compensation package, commensurate with your experience and expertise
Are you the top 1% Chief of Staff we're looking for? If this sounds like the challenge you've been waiting for, we want to hear from you. Apply now and embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
For the expectations part add specific examples for each bullet points.
Add clear and measurable OKRs for the first 30, 60 and 90 days.
Expectations for the First 30 Days
- Immerse yourself in our business, products, culture, and strategy
→ Participate in product demos, attend key meetings, and review business metrics
- Develop a deep understanding of our organization's structure, departments, and key stakeholders
→ Create an org chart, set up one-on-one meetings with department leads, and establish a communication plan
- Establish relationships with leadership and cross-functional teams
→ Join weekly leadership meetings, attend team stand-ups, and engage in team-building activities
- Identify opportunities for improvement and present them to the CEO
→ Analyze current processes, identify bottlenecks, and propose potential solutions to optimize efficiency
Expectations for the First 60 Days
- Co-create, implement, and track initiatives to drive growth, improve efficiency, and increase profitability
→ Launch a customer retention program, streamline onboarding processes, and implement a data-driven sales strategy
- Manage and drive key projects with cross-functional teams, ensuring deadlines are met
→ Oversee the development of a new SaaS product, coordinate marketing campaigns, and lead process improvement initiatives
- Collaborate with the executive team to refine our strategic priorities and align the organization around them
→ Facilitate strategy workshops, develop OKRs, and establish a clear roadmap for success
- Develop a system for monitoring and reporting on progress toward strategic objectives
→ Implement a performance dashboard, design KPI reports, and present updates to the CEO and leadership team
Expectations for the First 90 Days
- Become a trusted advisor to the CEO, providing counsel, insights, and recommendations
→ Conduct market research, analyze competitive landscape, and propose strategic partnerships or acquisitions
- Continuously optimize our internal operations to ensure we're always ready for the next growth phase
→ Introduce automation tools, implement agile methodologies, and champion a culture of continuous improvement
- Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and high performance across the organization
→ Promote cross-functional collaboration, recognize top performers, and develop a company-wide innovation program
- Be the go-to person for problem-solving, troubleshooting, and driving critical initiatives to completion
→ Mediate conflicts, address unforeseen challenges, and ensure the successful execution of key projects and initiatives
OKRs for the First 30 Days
Objective 1: Develop a comprehensive understanding of lempire's business, products, culture, and strategy
Key Results:
- Attend at least 5 product demos to gain hands-on experience with our offerings
- Review and analyze key business metrics, achieving at least 90% understanding of our current performance
- Create a comprehensive org chart detailing all departments, roles, and key stakeholders
Objective 2: Establish strong relationships with leadership and cross-functional teams
Key Results:
- Schedule and complete one-on-one meetings with 100% of department leads
- Attend at least 4 weekly leadership meetings
- Participate in 3 team-building activities to foster collaboration and rapport
OKRs for the First 60 Days
Objective 1: Drive growth and efficiency through strategic initiatives
Key Results:
- Launch a customer retention program that improves retention rates by at least 10%
- Implement a streamlined onboarding process, reducing new customer ramp-up time by 20%
- Increase sales revenue by 15% through the implementation of a data-driven sales strategy
Objective 2: Manage and drive cross-functional projects to completion
Key Results:
- Ensure 100% of deadlines are met for the development of a new SaaS product
- Coordinate 2 successful marketing campaigns that increase inbound leads by at least 30%
- Lead 3 process improvement initiatives that reduce operational costs by a minimum of 10%
OKRs for the First 90 Days
Objective 1: Become a trusted advisor to the CEO and drive strategic decisions
Key Results:
- Conduct market research and present at least 5 key insights to inform strategic decisions
- Analyze the competitive landscape and propose 3 potential strategic partnerships or acquisitions
- Provide the CEO with at least 10 actionable recommendations for business growth and improvement
Objective 2: Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and high performance
Key Results:
- Implement a company-wide innovation program that generates at least 20 new product or feature ideas
- Promote cross-functional collaboration on at least 5 projects involving multiple departments
- Recognize and reward the top 10% of performers in each department, driving a culture of excellence
You’re an experienced talent acquisition manager, who hired thousands of people for the most disruptive and innovative companies.
You specialise in finding top talents in unusual ways.As an experienced head hunter who has worked on LinkedIn for more than 15 years to find the best talents you know the importance of the following filters:
* location
* talks about
* current company
* past company
* school
* industry
* profile language
A typical search should look like this:
* location: {LOCATION_NAME}
* talks about: {TOPIC}
* current company: {CURRENT_COMPANY_NAME}
* past company: {PAST_COMPANY_NAME}
* school: {SCHOOL_NAME}
* industry: {INDUSTRY_NAME}
* profile language: {LANGUAGE}
Your role is to come up with 10 different searches that would be the perfect fit for the following job description: {INSERT JOB DESCRIPTION}
You’re an experienced talent acquisition manager, who hired thousands of people for the most disruptive and innovative companies.
You specialise in finding top talents in unusual ways.As an experienced head hunter who has worked on LinkedIn for more than 15 years to find the best talents you know the importance of the following filters:
* location
* talks about
* current company
* past company
* school
* industry
* profile language
A typical search should look like this:
* location: {LOCATION_NAME}
* talks about: {TOPIC}
* current company: {CURRENT_COMPANY_NAME}
* past company: {PAST_COMPANY_NAME}
* school: {SCHOOL_NAME}
* industry: {INDUSTRY_NAME}
* profile language: {LANGUAGE}
Your role is to come up with 10 different searches that would be the perfect fit for the following job description: {INSERT JOB DESCRIPTION}
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