Innovative Recruitment: How Exa Engaged Tech Talent with Math Puzzles
In the highly competitive job market of San Francisco, especially for machine learning and backend engineers, innovative recruiting methods are essential for startups like Exa. Chief of Staff Felicia Tang shared insights on their unique approach to attracting talent through engaging challenges.
The Challenge of Traditional Hiring
Outbound hiring at Exa often involved the co-founders leveraging their Harvard connections or sending personalized messages on LinkedIn to identify skilled engineers. However, this process was not only time-consuming and repetitive but also yielded limited results. The team sought a more effective way to attract individuals intrinsically motivated by challenges.
Embracing the Concept of ‘Nerd-Sniping’
Tang introduced the concept of “nerd-sniping,” a phenomenon where intellectually curious individuals feel compelled to solve intriguing problems. This led to the idea of using math-related puzzles as a means of recruitment. She explained, “What if we did a treasure hunt, or put up posters in the city?”
Implementation of Math Puzzles
The team organized a campaign featuring posters that posed math problems whose answers corresponded to “exa,” the prefix for 1018. Interested individuals who solved the problems could visit a specific web page that offered them dinner on the startup’s tab, inviting curious minds to reach out. Approximately 100 posters displaying five different problems were strategically placed in tech hub areas of San Francisco.
Execution and Results
Considering the logistics, Tang and Exa’s CEO opted to use scooters after initially distributing the posters by foot, optimizing their efforts in high foot traffic environments such as Hayes Valley and Dolores Park. Although the team experienced initial doubts about the effectiveness of their campaign, they were pleasantly surprised by the response. Tang reported, “I received over 100 emails.” Many people expressed their enthusiasm for puzzles, while others shared their résumés for open positions.
Engagement and Reactions
The response was overwhelmingly positive, with interest from candidates working at tech giants like Google and Apple. The initiative also gained traction online, with reposts on platforms like Hacker News, where some critiques were humorously received. Tang noted, “If you have haters on Hacker News, you’re doing something right.”
Building Connections through Puzzles
Through this initiative, Tang engaged in discussions with around 30 candidates, many of whom fit the culture fit the startup values. The emphasis was on finding people with a natural curiosity and a willingness to tackle challenges, which is crucial for Exa’s small, dynamic team. As the company grows, they plan to continue incorporating puzzles as a method of attracting talent, reinforcing the concept of creative problem-solving within their culture.
The Future of Hiring at Exa
While the current talent pool of software engineers is larger than ever, Exa maintains a high bar for hiring, aligning with its startup culture contrasting with that of larger tech firms. As Tang expressed, “It’s important for people to have that spark in their eye,” indicating that hiring decisions could significantly impact the trajectory of their fledgling company.
By thinking outside the box and using creative problem-solving as a recruitment tool, Exa has redefined how to attract top-tier talent in an environment where traditional methods often fall short.
