Lessons from one of the world’s top executive recruiters | Lauren Ipsen (Daversa Partners, General Catalyst)

1. Maintain Market Pulse

Continuously monitor the market to understand which companies are thriving and which individuals are building great things, whether you’re hiring or seeking opportunities, to always know “what good looks like.”

2. Proactive Talent Engagement

Founders should proactively chat with high-caliber individuals to understand benchmark profiles, staying close to great people and involving them in an advising capacity or product involvement before a specific hiring need arises.

3. Clarify Role Mandate

Before hiring, founders must get granular about the specific outcomes and mandate for the role, defining what success looks like for the individual in 90 days, a year, and two years, rather than hiring just to fill a title.

4. Hire for Specific Fit

Focus on identifying the candidate who is the best fit for the specific role and current stage of the company, rather than simply pursuing the “best talent in the world” who may not align with immediate needs.

5. Don’t Chase Big Names

Founders should avoid being distracted by big names from large companies, as these individuals may be too far removed from hands-on work and not suitable for early-stage companies with limited resources that need executors.

6. Cultivate Career Breadth

To maximize future opportunities, especially for product leadership roles, focus on gaining broad experience across many different product components rather than specializing in just one area.

7. Network Continuously

Always maintain a pulse on the market and build your network, even when content in your current role, to ensure you have options and can be selective about future opportunities.

8. Deliver Tangible Impact

Ensure you make a clear, tangible impact that you can point to and be proud of, as recruiters look for specific accomplishments and “fingerprints” on products, not just short stints.

9. Ensure Visible Impact

Beyond making an impact, ensure your contributions are recognized and can be spoken to by cross-functional leaders and your team, as this provides a strong “stamp of approval” for your accomplishments.

10. Depart Gracefully

Always strive to leave a company better than you found it and as seamlessly as possible, regardless of circumstances, because the tech world is small and positive references are crucial.

11. Impactful Hiring Focus

When actively hiring, dedicate significant, concrete time, focusing on impactful actions like leveraging a strong pre-built network for referrals rather than blindly cold-messaging on LinkedIn, to differentiate your approach and find top talent.

12. Utilize Trusted Referrals

Tap into a strong, trusted network of industry leaders for high-quality referrals and introductions, as this ensures quality and saves time compared to cold outreach and blind reference checks.

13. Probing Reference Questions

When conducting reference calls, ask hard, specific questions like “Why would I not hire this person?” or “Would you hire them again?” to uncover genuine weaknesses and potential red flags, looking for any hesitation in their answers.

14. Master Your Career Story

Regularly practice articulating your career story, including your accomplishments, impact, and reasons for transitions, so you can naturally and effectively communicate your value in interviews.

15. Recruit with Empathy

Recruiters must treat candidates as human beings, building genuine, long-term relationships and trust by showing care for their career and life beyond work, rather than viewing them as commodities.

16. Data-Driven Conflict Resolution

As a product leader, navigate disagreements and make changes by presenting data-backed arguments rather than emotional ones, which allows for impactful decisions without alienating colleagues.

17. Prioritize Career Longevity

While loyalty is good, avoid staying at a company too long if it’s clearly declining; be selfish about your long-term career, working hard while remaining open to new opportunities.

18. Show Resilience

Avoid leaving a company as soon as challenges arise, as demonstrating resilience and commitment through difficult periods (e.g., internal disputes, market volatility) is a valued trait in the startup and tech world.

19. Value Impact Over Title

Don’t let fancy titles or company valuations derail you from a role where you are making an impact, learning, and growing, as true fulfillment comes from meaningful work, not just a prestigious title.

20. Resume Honesty

Always be honest and transparent on your resume about all past roles, even short ones, as omitting them can be a bigger red flag than addressing them directly and explaining the circumstances.

21. Accurate Employment Dates

Ensure your LinkedIn and resume accurately reflect start and end dates for all roles; misrepresenting current employment or past tenures is a significant red flag.

22. Address Short Stints

While multiple short job stints (less than a year) are a red flag, be prepared to honestly and gracefully explain the reasons behind them, as context matters and recruiters understand market volatility.

23. No Blaming in Interviews

In interviews, never speak negatively about past colleagues or blame other teams for failures, as this reflects poorly on your ability to collaborate and take accountability.

24. Strategic Career Alignment

If you have a clear long-term career goal (e.g., CEO), strategically choose roles that build relevant skills, such as moving from product leadership to a GM role with P&L ownership, to inch towards that objective.

25. Early-Stage Title Strategy

For early-stage startups, use “Head of Product” rather than C-level or VP titles to avoid over-promising long-term role stability, as talent needs and company direction can change rapidly.

26. Proactive Recruiter Engagement

Founders should engage with recruiters or talent advisors proactively and informally, even before a formal hiring need, to gain insights and bounce ideas, especially leveraging resources from venture firms.

27. Evaluate Recruiter Expertise

When evaluating a recruiter, test their listening skills by asking them to summarize your needs, and then immediately ask for real-time candidate ideas to assess their network and expertise.

28. Network with No Agenda

If you don’t have a network, it’s worthwhile for founders to cold message impressive individuals on LinkedIn for open-ended conversations, as people are often flattered and more receptive when they don’t sense an immediate recruitment agenda.

29. Beyond Company Brand

While market mapping for top companies is a good start, always dig deeper to identify the truly exceptional individuals within those organizations, as not everyone at a successful company is a top performer.

30. Envision Role Trajectory

CEOs and founders should think beyond immediate tasks, considering the product direction and how a hire’s role might evolve over 12-18 months, potentially growing into a CPO role through IPO.