⏰ 30-sec Read: Offer Negotiation

Tired of lengthy offer negotiations? Extra rounds don't just waste time—they risk damaging candidate relationships. Using precise numbers can help.

Economists from Cornell and Berkeley Haas (Cheap Talk, Round Numbers, and the Economics of Negotiation) found that using precise, "non-round" numbers speeds up negotiations. Round offers (e.g., $200) invite more back-and-forth and lower outcomes. Specific numbers (e.g., $198, $157,500) signal credibility and finality, leading to quicker, better deals.

Instead of a round figure like $160,000, offer a precise number like $157,500. Precise numbers show deliberate thought, indicating limited negotiation room.

Try this small tweak to save negotiation time, preserve strong relationships, and close candidates faster.

Implementation: Use round salary bands for postings, then offer a precise, candidate-specific number in post-interview offer negotiations.

Revamp Your Reference Checks: Earlier and Stronger

Performant Reference Checks are a great way to close the information gap between referral candidates and applicants/sourced candidates. It’s all about asking the right questions, and shifting when you ask.

Mid‑Process > At Offer

Most teams treat references like a seat‑belt sign: flip it on only once the offer is buckled. But what if you treated it more like backchannel, and checked as soon as possible? Asking for references right after the first substantial interview (hiring manager interview/technical interview) speeds up your information acquisition on the candidate, and pressure‑test a candidate’s stories while momentum (and curiosity) are still high. In fact asking for reference checks at the end of the process, creates an additional point of friction, when you are trying to focus on closing an offer.

Communication Is Everything

Tell candidates up front how references fit into your process. Ask for three contacts—ideally a former manager, a peer, and a junior/report. Explain that references verify past work AND reveal how to set them up for success if they join. A quick email works:

“Please send contact info for your three references and let them know I’ll reach out for a brief call. Their insights help us verify employment history and tailor onboarding so you can hit the ground running.”

Beyond Verification

Referrals succeed because you start with extra context. Early reference checks give you that same edge with sourced or inbound candidates. Use the calls to learn:

• How the candidate ramps up best

• Which resources unlock their peak performance

• Whether interview impressions align with day‑to‑day reality

Armed with that intel, you can design an onboarding plan that sticks—and avoid unpleasant surprises post‑hire.

Have questions or want my reference‑check template? Email margot@kamiros.co.

District: 2025 Recruiting Trends & Benchmarking

As we come to the end of Q1, some clear trends have emerged for Recruiting in 2025. This report is gathered from multiple sources, primarily surveys of technical startups and self-reporting by founders. Sources are linked, where possible. If you have follow-up questions, or want help putting this information into action at your company, please reach out to margot@kamiros.co.

Behind the Curve

“Succession Planning” Isn’t Just for Legacy Companies

Hiring senior leaders has always been difficult, but in today’s market, it’s particularly challenging. The most difficult roles to fill? CROs and CMOs, largely due to limited candidate pools and highly specific industry experience requirements. Startups are feeling the pressure during hiring–on average, executive hires take six months to fill, with some roles stretching even longer. If you are not addressing this through planning, you won’t just find yourself in extended external searches to fill new executive roles, but an “executive growth gap” will contribute to regrettable attrition (45% of employees citing lack of career growth as their reason for leaving).

Actionable Tip:

Consider succession planning at every stage of growth. Start thinking about it now—identify team members who can assist in interviews, transition into managerial roles, or eventually step into executive positions. Invest early in leadership development to prevent an “executive growth gap” and avoid costly external searches.

Current Trends

Integration of AI in Recruitment

This year, 82% of companies report using AI for screening of candidates. While this enhances efficiency, the costs of such a strategy for early-stage startups may be hard to capture. Relationships with stakeholders are a key draw of startups, so lead with that in your process—AI screens can be low-signal on interest and result in low engagement for candidates.

Actionable Tip:

Leverage AI in invisible ways that still save you time, but don’t compromise your ability to connect with candidates. AI sourcing tools and note takers for summarizing interview feedback are two places to start integrating AI into your hiring. My personal favorite sourcing tool for non-recruiters is JuiceboxAI. While there isn’t a standout purpose-built notetaker for recruiting, Fathom is a great tool if you interview on Zoom or Google Meet.

JuiceboxAI: https://juicebox.ai/?via=5f5c80

Fathom: https://fathom.video/invite/7fXedg

Compensation is Stable

Many startups are maintaining stable compensation strategies, with 61% planning no changes to cash pay and 72% keeping equity grants the same. Some reports suggest base pay for smaller companies is increasing at a slightly higher rate of 3.8% in 2025. According to a16z’s 2025 State of Startups Report, many compensation components remain steady over last year. Rather than overhauling benefits or offering widespread promotions—which can introduce extra management layers and reduce efficiency—startups can focus on integrating targeted incentives, like spot bonuses, tied to measurable business impact or expanded responsibilities in 2025. 

Actionable Tip:

Stability in the market means fewer worries about attrition, but does not stop the need for “succession” and retention planning. Consider adding a budget for performance or spot bonuses that make employees feel appreciated without driving up dedicated headcount costs, and provide short-term encouragement in line with long-term growth.

Revenue-Driven Headcount Planning

Startups are increasingly aligning hiring decisions with revenue performance to ensure financial discipline. Over 51% of companies now explicitly tie their hiring strategies to revenue metrics. Even if this growing trend is not appropriate for your startup, be aware this may impact your board’s expectations for headcount reporting, as the trend grows across the industry.

Actionable Tip:

Aligning headcount with revenue and quarterly planning helps you keep an eye on cost per hire and enhance strategic discussions around workforce planning that supports overarching business objectives.

Ahead of the Curve

Softening AI Talent Markets

It’s coming (finally)! The maturation of AI startups founded around 2020 has led to a stable of startup-experienced engineers, who are ready to move on. Given attrition rates of 16-25% at tech startups, engineers from the 2020 boom are now seeking new opportunities, contributing to a more balanced supply and demand in the AI talent market. Additionally, advancements in AI automation tools are reducing the need for certain technical roles, further influencing the job market.

Actionable Tip:

Now is a prime time to tap into talent from AI startups that experienced rapid growth between 2020 and 2022. It is worth reaching out to engineers who have been at an AI startup for 3-4 years.

In-Person Work: Mandates vs. Startups

For better or worse, conversations around remote/hybrid/in-office work have become charged post-COVID. Mandates to “return to office” have polarized employers and employees. Blanket return-to-office mandates come off as a lack of trust, making high-agency, productive candidates (that startups prefer) especially wary. Alternatively, flexible work arrangements remain prevalent amongst startups trying to gain a strategic edge in hiring, allowing companies to access a global talent pool and accommodate diverse employee preferences.

Actionable Tip:

If you are competing for talent against remote or other hybrid opportunities, it is important to (re)frame your reasons for working together. Startups should be proactive about explaining why they have the policies they do and emphasizing trust and ownership as company values. Are you ok with employees coming in late and staying late to avoid traffic? You need to say so, as part of your in-office work culture.

As Matt Loop, VP and Head of Asia at Rippling, said, “Employers should be transparent about their expectations – after all, it’s within their right to establish how they want work to be done.”

Takeaways

The 2025 Recruiting landscape will be shaped by how well companies navigate sourcing challenges, AI adoption, internal mobility, and strength of employer culture. The most successful startups will be:

• Investing in internal succession planning to quickly fill key roles.

• Strategically using bonuses to create a culture that rewards ongoing growth.

• Leveraging AI for internal recruiting processes, to free up time for more engagement with candidates.

• Building their employer brand through transparency and proactive communication of company policies and cultural values.

What “Vetted” Really Means: Best Practices from Our Screening Process

In recent weeks, we’ve been sharing vetted candidates with District to help build a vetted talent community of candidates who value ownership, high-agency thinking, and fast-moving teams. While our process is tailored to District’s specific hiring needs, these screening questions represent best practices that any startup or growing company can use to build a stronger team.

If you’re waiting for a “unicorn” engineer, you might end up with a “mythical” hiring pipeline and no team. Instead, we encourage you to engage with candidates who've passed a recruiter screen and schedule a founder call-- because founder calls take precious time, and you need to understand and contribute to the effectiveness of the recruiter screening process. Here are examples of what we ask in a Recruiter Screen:

1. Are They Serious About Startups or Just Window Shopping?

💬 What I Ask: “What are you looking for in your next role?”

🎯 Why It Matters: Ensures they align with your stage, values, and product area. Helps position your opportunity effectively in later conversations. A candidate who doesn’t know what they want is like a founder who says they’ll "figure out monetization later"—it rarely ends well.

2. Do Their Stories Match Their Resume?

💬 What I Ask: “Tell me about your current role.”

🎯 Why It Matters: Verifies hands-on skills and whether they’re actively learning. Filters out candidates with inflated LinkedIn profiles. A strong candidate should be able to explain their role to a layman—it’s a basic test of both expertise and communication.

3. Are They High-Agency and Ownership-Driven?

💬 What I Ask: “Tell me about a project you led. What trade-offs did you make?”

🎯 Why It Matters: Distinguishes doers from those who just follow instructions. Confirms business awareness and decision-making ability. If someone says they "never had to worry about trade-offs," they’ve likely never been accountable for real outcomes.

4. Can They Actually Take This Job?

📌 What I Check:

• Timeline: How soon are they looking to move?

• Location: Remote, hybrid, or in-office preferences?

• Visa Status: Any work authorization constraints?

• Compensation: Are their expectations aligned with the market?

🎯 Why It Matters: Saves time—no surprises later. Skipping these details is like starting a road trip without checking if you have gas.

Final Thought: Why This Process Works I’m not just sending “qualified” candidates—I’m sending the right ones based on skills, motivation, and execution ability. No mythical hiring pipeline—just high standards and structured vetting.

💡 Want the full question list? Let me know!"

Startup Recruiting Principles / 4 Things

Building a great team requires the same vision and scrappiness that it took to build your product and secure investors. Not every recruiter has the vision to build a successful hiring culture for your startup. Through years of observation, working with top venture-backed teams, and a lot of experimentation, I’ve distilled my approach to talent / recruiting into four simple principles:

Culture of Transparency.

• Operating with limited information often leads to misaligned decisions, unnecessary iterations, and slower growth.

• Begin as you mean to go on. Treat recruiters as essential builders of your team and candidates as future team members. Keep in mind: Am I acting in line with our company culture in interviews?

Trust is given, not earned.

• If the interview process doesn’t operate on a foundation of trust between the candidate and the hiring team, then it’s underperforming.

• The onboarding process will also be slower. If you don’t trust a new hire to work on a meaningful project early on, it will take them longer to make an impact—and for you to feel confident that you made the right hiring decision.

Startups should interview for potential, not current experience.

• Startups are dynamic and volatile. At their best, they are high-growth, too. It’s in the company’s interest to hire candidates who can grow alongside its evolving needs.

• A candidate engaged in a job search is looking for opportunity. A strong candidate for a startup is looking for growth—because then their interests are aligned with the company’s.

• Structure this assessment into your interview process:

  • The screening stage should ensure the candidate meets a minimum bar of experience to be successful in the role.

  • The onsite interview should evaluate their potential.

Speedy interview process.

• In a high-growth environment, you need help now. Focus on candidates who can move quickly, make an impact on projects already in flight, drive product growth, and free up your time to hire the next headcount.

• For some candidates, the timing won’t be right—but you can build a talent community, and revisit them for future positions.

Value of a High-Touch Process

High-touch is about density of contact. As a startup with limited time and resources, every interaction needs to count. A fast process is ideal, but when delays happen—fundraising, sales calls, or a sick interviewer—you need a plan. How will your company stay top of mind with a promising candidate? Here are a few of my favorite tools and tactics.

<2 Week Interview Process

⏳ Speed matters. Data shows a steep drop-off in offer acceptance rates once an interview process drags past 14 days.

• If you can’t move that fast, find passive touchpoints—like emails—to keep candidates engaged. Don’t let silence do the talking for you.

Set Aside >15% of Every Call for Candidate Questions

💡 Recruiting is a two-way street, especially if you don’t have an established employer brand. The best candidates will vet you as much as you vet them, and their questions will tell you what they care about most.

Be Transparent About Expectations

(Not just your high hiring bar.) Set clear expectations in the first screen to avoid surprises:

• 📅 Timeline – How long the process will take

• 🏁 Steps – What to expect at each stage

• ⏳ Time Commitment – How much time interviews will require

• 🤝 Expectations – This is a respectful, two-way conversation

• 🔄 Flexibility – You’re a startup; interview steps may shift, so set that expectation from the start

Clear expectations build trust and reduce candidate frustration.

Keep Candidates Engaged Between Interviews

Delays happen. Stay top of mind by reinforcing excitement with shareable content.

Product Insights

📌 Customer Testimonials – Share Reddit threads, G2 reviews, or organic LinkedIn posts
📌 Short Product Demo Clip – A 2-minute highlight reel from a sales call

Company & Culture Resources

📌 Public Notion Pages or PDFs with:

• 💌 A note from the founder/team lead – “Why this role matters” and “What it’s like to work with you”

• 📜 Company Values document – What drives your team

• 📊 Benefits summary – Transparency matters; this can help offset a lower base salary vs. FAANG

Giving candidates more context between interviews strengthens engagement—without adding more calls to your plate.

Still unsure about the Value?

If you’re unsure when to introduce these resources or how to build a high-touch, adaptable recruiting strategy, we can help. Contact us for a Discovery Call—we’d be happy to offer guidance.