Acquiring talent in a hot space
Our startup is having a real hard time getting AI talent (like everyone else). We do have a great team with all the boxes checked; ex-Google, MIT & Berkeley PhDs, multiple paying customers, business growing fast, visionary CEO who can deliver ...etc. Any advice/best practices on getting good eng talent in a hot space like AI? This is really our number one problem now!
I read this as acquiring talent in a hot sauce
Hehe
Offer more $$$ and make a name for yourself
Start with referrals and people your founders or current engineers know well.
Is the problem not getting good enough applicants, or no one accepts your offer? If it’s the former, than you just have to teach your HR to reach out to the right people. Candidates with desire skill sets don’t reach to you unless you are big name. If it’s the latter, than you just have to make a better offer.
What are you doing in AI, which part do you need experts on?
Computer vision / deep learning
I was thinking of joining Udacity’s Deep Learning course. Do you consider people from those backgrounds? (I completed a PhD in another CS area in the past, but I see myself as an engineer).
I joined a startup (my previous company) in very early stage.. we had similar issues in hiring talented employee.. To solve that issue, we started looking for fresh graduates and mid level engineers with great potential but there were not at their best at that time....(in doing that we hired bad engineers as well) ...We couldn't afford to pay higher salary so in few occasions we gave them position that were two level above thier current grade..
What kind of skills are you guys looking for? I just started teaching myself MI/AI/deep learning so I am curious...
Computer vision & sensor fusion using CNN, RNN and GANs
Thanks!
Hire a hot chick :)
Hire for attitude, not skills. My friend’s startup always had the same issue. One of their best talent was an intern who converted. He trained himself and turned out to be the key person for CV/ML in that company. So 1. Look for potential and test him out through internships/contract if possible. 2. Look for smart people looking for challenging ML/CV assignments to add on their skillsets. 3. Might be difficult to get a hot cake already desired by FANGs and cash 💰 flushed startups.
^++
What kind of offers are you giving out? Keep in mind that for top AI talent some companies are paying out >500k total comp. As a startup your best bet is to go after masters students and offer them a decent salary and good equity.
For people we really like, we gave ~$150k salary and up to 0.35% equity. That person was a Berkeley CS PhD with FB and Amazon experience
What’s your valuation?