Startup Seeks Proactive, AI-Forward Builders for Ground-Up Projects
This growing startup openly admits they're having a hard time finding people who truly own their work, can operate independently, are solution-oriented, think with an AI-first mindset, and are excited about building from the ground up. This clearly shows they're actively hiring for various roles.
Resume Direction: Highlight specific projects and experiences where you've shown these qualities. Emphasize your problem-solving skills, autonomy, any AI-related work (even if it's just conceptual or personal projects if you lack professional experience), and contributions to building new products or systems. Tailor your application to showcase a proactive, builder mindset that fits well in a dynamic startup environment. Quantify your achievements wherever possible (e.g., "Led a project from concept to launch, resulting in X outcome" or "Independently developed a solution that improved Y by Z%").
Potential Roles:
- Software Engineer (with AI/ML focus or interest)
- Product Manager
- Full-Stack Developer
- Data Scientist (especially if they are truly AI-forward)
- DevOps Engineer (for building infrastructure from scratch)
- Other foundational tech roles requiring high initiative and a desire to build.
Expected Earnings: While not specified, compensation in growing startups typically includes a base salary and may involve equity (stock options). The base salary might be competitive or slightly below market rates for larger, established companies, but the equity component offers potential for higher long-term rewards if the startup succeeds. The exact package would depend on the specific role, your experience level, and the startup's funding stage. Expect a dynamic environment with significant opportunities for impact and career growth.
Origin Reddit Post
r/recruiting
How do you assess true ownership and drive in candidates?
Posted by u/Sri_this_side•05/31/2025
Hey all,
We're a growing startup struggling to find people who t*ruly* take ownership, work independently, are solution-oriented, think AI-forward, and are excited to build from scratch.
#
Top Comments
u/EngineeringKid
I agree with this 100%.
There's a reason recruiters are getting the same backlash as Realtors now. They have unrealistic expectations for candidates they pay garbage money with menial jobs
u/spacetelescope19
This is an attraction issue, rather than assessment. All recruitment process are looking for people with the qualities you mention. They’re just good employee characteristics that appeal to a
u/bgg-uglywalrus
Honestly, I wish more recruiters understood that it's not about attracting high quality people, it's having a job that high quality people would even want in the first place. Half of the post
u/Flaky-Wallaby5382
This is a managment problem. Is their goal clear or is it a solution chasing a problem.
If the former anyone worth their salt knows something is wrong but can’t quite put their finger on it
u/greathawk021
13 yr agency recruiter here who has recruited for numerous SaaS startups. I can’t tell you how many of our clients have lost out on incredible candidates by making them complete a take home p
u/EngineeringKid
Pay more. I work hard for hard money. If you pay below market rates I give you below market effort it's really that simple.
It sounds like you want to get the best of the breed and high out
u/CombiPuppy
I usually refuse. Loved getting “you did that project perfectly and clearly you can do the work and have a history of great projects but we want you to do this next project and provide work s
u/LarryKingBabyHole
That would be included in being realistic about who they are and the company they keep - yes.
u/Dontgochasewaterfall
Let their resume speak for them and let them work remote and don’t micro manage them. Attract them to your company! I work as a recruiter for a large financial institution that is 98% remote.
u/josedasilva1533
It’s almost comical. The vast majority of startups flop, so real perks must compensate the risks. And most founders think their business will take off.
u/OilShill2013
> We're a growing startup struggling to find people who truly take ownership, work independently, are solution-oriented, think AI-forward, and are excited to build from scratch.
What you
u/Rainier_Mosquito
lol YEP!!!
u/Late_Resource_1653
Lol, you are doing it wrong.
You are a start up and acting like good candidates should be bowing down to you.
You will get a lot of middle of the road or less than. Most don't want to tak
u/guidddeeedamn
Nobody wants to take your personality assessment or do weak projects & then potentially get ghosted. You’ll have to do great prescreens & hope for the best.
u/guidddeeedamn
Nobody wants to take your personality assessment or do weak projects & then potentially get ghosted. You’ll have to do great prescreens & hope for the best.
u/bigbluedog123
As a candidate, I completely agree. Experienced, good and extremely talented people don't do those for run-of-the-mill, startups and standard corporate jobs
u/bgg-uglywalrus
Exactly. I have buddies with decades of tech experience who straight up pass over and don't even apply to half of the job listings offered to them because the quality of the job is so low the
u/adashofhoney
Profit sharing bonus or significant equity in the company. Unless more output/ownership = more compensation, you’re just trying to get more out of people for less money and why would they be
u/CombiPuppy
I usually refuse. Loved getting “you did that project perfectly and clearly you can do the work and have a history of great projects but we want you to do this next project and provide work s
u/d1karim
This is the best response yet. It’s really simple, if you wanna build with people like that you’ve gotta make it worth it for them. You need the people you described more than they need you…
u/Hiddyhogoodneighbor
Some of these types of people will just build their own start up. Most people just want a job and directions.
u/Late_Resource_1653
Lol, you are doing it wrong.
You are a start up and acting like good candidates should be bowing down to you.
You will get a lot of middle of the road or less than. Most don't want to tak
u/adashofhoney
Profit sharing bonus or significant equity in the company. Unless more output/ownership = more compensation, you’re just trying to get more out of people for less money and why would they be
u/CombiPuppy
If the founding team comes across as egotistical idiots awed by themselves - many do - they don’t get good hires either.
u/CombiPuppy
Many of them won’t and so employers lose out on great people because the employers won’t bother to learn how to interview.
u/adashofhoney
Profit sharing bonus or significant equity in the company. Unless more output/ownership = more compensation, you’re just trying to get more out of people for less money and why would they be
u/bigbluedog123
As a candidate, I completely agree. Experienced, good and extremely talented people don't do those for run-of-the-mill, startups and standard corporate jobs
u/spacetelescope19
This is an attraction issue, rather than assessment. All recruitment process are looking for people with the qualities you mention. They’re just good employee characteristics that appeal to a
u/Hiddyhogoodneighbor
Some of these types of people will just build their own start up. Most people just want a job and directions.
u/bgg-uglywalrus
Honestly, I wish more recruiters understood that it's not about attracting high quality people, it's having a job that high quality people would even want in the first place. Half of the post
u/SANtoDEN
One thing that could help is instead of asking “are you comfortable building processes and getting your hands dirty?” ask for examples. “Can you tell me about processes that you’ve built at X
u/ekcshelby
Tell me about a time that you were leading a project or initiative and one of the stakeholders was not collaborating or didn’t follow through on their commitments. How did you handle the situ
u/spacetelescope19
This is an attraction issue, rather than assessment. All recruitment process are looking for people with the qualities you mention. They’re just good employee characteristics that appeal to a
u/EngineeringKid
I agree with this 100%.
There's a reason recruiters are getting the same backlash as Realtors now. They have unrealistic expectations for candidates they pay garbage money with menial jobs
u/bgg-uglywalrus
Exactly. I have buddies with decades of tech experience who straight up pass over and don't even apply to half of the job listings offered to them because the quality of the job is so low the
u/CombiPuppy
I am keying in on “impressive” as a loaded word that goes multiple ways, many bad.
u/Rainier_Mosquito
lol YEP!!!
u/LarryKingBabyHole
That would be included in being realistic about who they are and the company they keep - yes.
u/adashofhoney
Profit sharing bonus or significant equity in the company. Unless more output/ownership = more compensation, you’re just trying to get more out of people for less money and why would they be
u/OilShill2013
> We're a growing startup struggling to find people who truly take ownership, work independently, are solution-oriented, think AI-forward, and are excited to build from scratch.
What you
u/greathawk021
To me there’s nothing worse than the company that says “have this completed in 5 days”…then the company takes 3 weeks to look at the complete project. If you as a company can’t meet the same
u/CombiPuppy
I usually refuse. Loved getting “you did that project perfectly and clearly you can do the work and have a history of great projects but we want you to do this next project and provide work s
u/Rainier_Mosquito
lol YEP!!!
u/Dontgochasewaterfall
Let their resume speak for them and let them work remote and don’t micro manage them. Attract them to your company! I work as a recruiter for a large financial institution that is 98% remote.
u/CombiPuppy
If the founding team comes across as egotistical idiots awed by themselves - many do - they don’t get good hires either.
u/guidddeeedamn
Nobody wants to take your personality assessment or do weak projects & then potentially get ghosted. You’ll have to do great prescreens & hope for the best.
u/SANtoDEN
One thing that could help is instead of asking “are you comfortable building processes and getting your hands dirty?” ask for examples. “Can you tell me about processes that you’ve built at X
u/d1karim
This is the best response yet. It’s really simple, if you wanna build with people like that you’ve gotta make it worth it for them. You need the people you described more than they need you…
u/Late_Resource_1653
Lol, you are doing it wrong.
You are a start up and acting like good candidates should be bowing down to you.
You will get a lot of middle of the road or less than. Most don't want to tak
u/spacetelescope19
This is an attraction issue, rather than assessment. All recruitment process are looking for people with the qualities you mention. They’re just good employee characteristics that appeal to a
u/CombiPuppy
Many of them won’t and so employers lose out on great people because the employers won’t bother to learn how to interview.
u/bgg-uglywalrus
Honestly, I wish more recruiters understood that it's not about attracting high quality people, it's having a job that high quality people would even want in the first place. Half of the post
u/CombiPuppy
I usually refuse. Loved getting “you did that project perfectly and clearly you can do the work and have a history of great projects but we want you to do this next project and provide work s
u/OilShill2013
> We're a growing startup struggling to find people who truly take ownership, work independently, are solution-oriented, think AI-forward, and are excited to build from scratch.
What you
u/Hiddyhogoodneighbor
Some of these types of people will just build their own start up. Most people just want a job and directions.
u/CombiPuppy
When I was hiring I could almost always tell the candidate and extend offers same or next day. It depended on references being available and whether the vp eng wanted to talk to them, but he
u/greathawk021
To me there’s nothing worse than the company that says “have this completed in 5 days”…then the company takes 3 weeks to look at the complete project. If you as a company can’t meet the same
u/OilShill2013
> We're a growing startup struggling to find people who truly take ownership, work independently, are solution-oriented, think AI-forward, and are excited to build from scratch.
What you
u/EngineeringKid
Pay more. I work hard for hard money. If you pay below market rates I give you below market effort it's really that simple.
It sounds like you want to get the best of the breed and high out
u/ekcshelby
Tell me about a time that you were leading a project or initiative and one of the stakeholders was not collaborating or didn’t follow through on their commitments. How did you handle the situ
u/Dontgochasewaterfall
Let their resume speak for them and let them work remote and don’t micro manage them. Attract them to your company! I work as a recruiter for a large financial institution that is 98% remote.
u/CombiPuppy
If the founding team comes across as egotistical idiots awed by themselves - many do - they don’t get good hires either.
u/LarryKingBabyHole
Founders need to be realistic about who they are, who the advisors are on the project, and their founding team. If the founding team is not impressive- impressive people will not want to work
u/guidddeeedamn
Nobody wants to take your personality assessment or do weak projects & then potentially get ghosted. You’ll have to do great prescreens & hope for the best.
u/EngineeringKid
Pay more. I work hard for hard money. If you pay below market rates I give you below market effort it's really that simple.
It sounds like you want to get the best of the breed and high out
u/Flaky-Wallaby5382
This is a managment problem. Is their goal clear or is it a solution chasing a problem.
If the former anyone worth their salt knows something is wrong but can’t quite put their finger on it
u/CombiPuppy
When I was hiring I could almost always tell the candidate and extend offers same or next day. It depended on references being available and whether the vp eng wanted to talk to them, but he
u/CombiPuppy
Many of them won’t and so employers lose out on great people because the employers won’t bother to learn how to interview.
u/Flaky-Wallaby5382
This is a managment problem. Is their goal clear or is it a solution chasing a problem.
If the former anyone worth their salt knows something is wrong but can’t quite put their finger on it
u/bigbluedog123
As a candidate, I completely agree. Experienced, good and extremely talented people don't do those for run-of-the-mill, startups and standard corporate jobs
u/greathawk021
13 yr agency recruiter here who has recruited for numerous SaaS startups. I can’t tell you how many of our clients have lost out on incredible candidates by making them complete a take home p
u/bgg-uglywalrus
Exactly. I have buddies with decades of tech experience who straight up pass over and don't even apply to half of the job listings offered to them because the quality of the job is so low the
u/greathawk021
To me there’s nothing worse than the company that says “have this completed in 5 days”…then the company takes 3 weeks to look at the complete project. If you as a company can’t meet the same
u/greathawk021
To me there’s nothing worse than the company that says “have this completed in 5 days”…then the company takes 3 weeks to look at the complete project. If you as a company can’t meet the same
u/EngineeringKid
I agree with this 100%.
There's a reason recruiters are getting the same backlash as Realtors now. They have unrealistic expectations for candidates they pay garbage money with menial jobs
u/greathawk021
13 yr agency recruiter here who has recruited for numerous SaaS startups. I can’t tell you how many of our clients have lost out on incredible candidates by making them complete a take home p
u/Hiddyhogoodneighbor
Some of these types of people will just build their own start up. Most people just want a job and directions.
u/d1karim
This is the best response yet. It’s really simple, if you wanna build with people like that you’ve gotta make it worth it for them. You need the people you described more than they need you…
u/josedasilva1533
It’s almost comical. The vast majority of startups flop, so real perks must compensate the risks. And most founders think their business will take off.
u/LarryKingBabyHole
Founders need to be realistic about who they are, who the advisors are on the project, and their founding team. If the founding team is not impressive- impressive people will not want to work
u/bigbluedog123
As a candidate, I completely agree. Experienced, good and extremely talented people don't do those for run-of-the-mill, startups and standard corporate jobs
u/bgg-uglywalrus
Exactly. I have buddies with decades of tech experience who straight up pass over and don't even apply to half of the job listings offered to them because the quality of the job is so low the
u/bgg-uglywalrus
Honestly, I wish more recruiters understood that it's not about attracting high quality people, it's having a job that high quality people would even want in the first place. Half of the post
u/SANtoDEN
One thing that could help is instead of asking “are you comfortable building processes and getting your hands dirty?” ask for examples. “Can you tell me about processes that you’ve built at X
u/EngineeringKid
Pay more. I work hard for hard money. If you pay below market rates I give you below market effort it's really that simple.
It sounds like you want to get the best of the breed and high out
u/Sri_this_side
These are some great points
Thanks
u/josedasilva1533
It’s almost comical. The vast majority of startups flop, so real perks must compensate the risks. And most founders think their business will take off.
u/greathawk021
13 yr agency recruiter here who has recruited for numerous SaaS startups. I can’t tell you how many of our clients have lost out on incredible candidates by making them complete a take home p
u/Late_Resource_1653
Lol, you are doing it wrong.
You are a start up and acting like good candidates should be bowing down to you.
You will get a lot of middle of the road or less than. Most don't want to tak
u/Dontgochasewaterfall
Let their resume speak for them and let them work remote and don’t micro manage them. Attract them to your company! I work as a recruiter for a large financial institution that is 98% remote.
u/spacetelescope19
This is an attraction issue, rather than assessment. All recruitment process are looking for people with the qualities you mention. They’re just good employee characteristics that appeal to a
u/greathawk021
13 yr agency recruiter here who has recruited for numerous SaaS startups. I can’t tell you how many of our clients have lost out on incredible candidates by making them complete a take home p
u/CombiPuppy
If the founding team comes across as egotistical idiots awed by themselves - many do - they don’t get good hires either.
u/ekcshelby
Tell me about a time that you were leading a project or initiative and one of the stakeholders was not collaborating or didn’t follow through on their commitments. How did you handle the situ
u/Flaky-Wallaby5382
This is a managment problem. Is their goal clear or is it a solution chasing a problem.
If the former anyone worth their salt knows something is wrong but can’t quite put their finger on it
u/EngineeringKid
I agree with this 100%.
There's a reason recruiters are getting the same backlash as Realtors now. They have unrealistic expectations for candidates they pay garbage money with menial jobs
u/LarryKingBabyHole
Founders need to be realistic about who they are, who the advisors are on the project, and their founding team. If the founding team is not impressive- impressive people will not want to work
u/LarryKingBabyHole
Founders need to be realistic about who they are, who the advisors are on the project, and their founding team. If the founding team is not impressive- impressive people will not want to work
u/Sri_this_side
These are some great points
Thanks
u/SANtoDEN
One thing that could help is instead of asking “are you comfortable building processes and getting your hands dirty?” ask for examples. “Can you tell me about processes that you’ve built at X
u/d1karim
This is the best response yet. It’s really simple, if you wanna build with people like that you’ve gotta make it worth it for them. You need the people you described more than they need you…
u/[deleted]
I would say that based on the candidate you are looking for, you should adapt the questions you ask (in terms of values, culture, skills etc.). What does it mean? It means that instead of say