Proptech Startup

the role

Chief Operations Officer

THE CHALLENGE

High Volume, Low Value: When DIY Hiring Falls Flat

The CEO took hiring into his own hands, posting the open role on LinkedIn—and was immediately flooded with over 300 applicants in the first week. At first, the volume seemed promising. But excitement quickly turned into frustration.

Despite hand-picking 100 candidates to move forward, the majority never responded to outreach. Of those who did, none were qualified for the role. After a full week of screening and interviews, the result was clear: not a single viable candidate.

What initially looked like momentum turned into a drain on time and resources, highlighting a critical truth—application volume doesn’t equal candidate quality, and effective hiring takes more than a job post.

our approach

SSC did a thorough intake ascertaining precise requirements this founder was seeking in their COO for this startup.  The search team professionally headhunted 90 candidates who appeared to have the ideal experience yielding a highly qualified shortlist of 5 candidates within 2 weeks. 

the result

The CEO ultimately narrowed the shortlist down to 2 finalists and stated he could have hired either candidate for the COO position.  Time to fill by SSC was 21 days.

“I mistakenly thought that 300 applicants via LinkedIn meant I would have 10 strong candidates to choose from. I now truly appreciate the value your firm’s headhunting approach provides to ensure my time is spent with a fully vetted shortlist of talent.”

— CEO/EIR, Stealth Proptech Startup