7 free agents that your start-up can scoop up right now

Silicon Valley moves quickly. What is your talent-sourcing strategy when it comes to top folks who unexpectedly get downsized? Some of the world’s top tech talent get hired then let go on a whim, and its often hard to predict which promising startup or established firm will downsize next. Just last week, Don Reisinger reported that eBay announced it is letting go of hundreds of employees in the Bay Area.

These events mean that, on a regular basis, truly talented folks with stellar resumes and work experience suddenly open up to new opportunities, often for short periods of time, as a natural byproduct of a healthy startup ecosystem.

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

As we write these words, Layoff-Aid for Hiring is matching elite Bay Area talent to current opportunities at growing startups. Our exclusive pool might include your company’s next Data Engineer, Full Stack Developer, DevOps Engineer, Technical Program Manager, HR Business Partner, or Product Manager, among others.

For the first time ever, we’re giving the public a sneak peek of actual candidates who are currently looking for their next opportunity, and who you can connect with through Layoff-Aid’s platform. Happy hiring!

1. Guy* is looking for his next Data Engineer or Ad-Tech Developer challenge. He is a Software programmer and data engineer with experience in applied machine learning for ad-tech, including Python and Scala.
2. Nick* would like to fill your Full Stack or Front End Developer hold. A rising full-stack software engineer, he has worked on technologies like JavaScript, React, Go, Node, and Ruby. His non-traditional background would bring a gift of educational diversity to any employer that truly values a self-starter.
3. Tiffani* is searching for her next DevOps or Operations Management opportunity. She is a senior DevOps professional with over 7 years of experience with REST, OAuth, MySQL, Postgresql, C, and scripting, to name a few.
4. Arvind* is looking to join a strong team as its next Program or Project Manager. His experience includes a broad suite of software and management tools, including MRP, ERP, SQL, Supply Chain Management, Problem Solving, Lean Manufacturing, and NPI. He holds a degree in industrial engineering.
5. Cassandra* wants to lead your next technical project as a motivated Senior-level Technical Program Manager, bringing extensive experience at leading hardware/software companies, with a passion for transportation. She’s also fluent in Spanish.
6. Emily* can help build your team as your HR Business Partner. She brings 10+ years in the field of employee relations, a passion for performance management, and a background in investigations. She also holds a J.D. (law) degree.
7. Aarti* is excited about building your next disruptive product as a Senior Product Manager. She brings a strong B2B background alongside B2C sensibilities, is entrepreneurial and data-driven, and has proven experience launching and guiding high-growth software products. She holds an MBA from an elite university and has completed technical coursework.

*We’ve made up names to protect the privacy of our candidates

If you’re a Head of Talent looking to build a winning team, you may be missing out on this gold mine of talent, even if you think you’re on top of downsize thanks to threads on HackerNews about layoffs, or Layoff-Aid’s free “Defenders of the Downsized” newsletter. Even those of you meticulous enough to track the WARN Reports and “stalk” (erm, we mean, track down) talent that may have been affected won’t surface a meaningful proportion of “true startup” people affected by downsizing. California law only requires public notice for a “Layoff of 50 or more employees,” and many companies are either smaller or strategically keep their reduction to fewer than 50 at a time, so as not to trigger the public notice.

Trying to recruit top talent can feel like banging your head against the wall, as many of the best candidates are already employed and refuse to consider new opportunities. So what is your sourcing strategy when their circumstances change? Layoff-Aid for Hiring is here to help startups identify top talent and scoop up candidates before someone else does. And all of our candidates — like those featured today — are vetted by our team and algorithmically matched to your open positions, so you don’t have to sift through masses or spend time rejecting candidates that aren’t the right fit. All you have to do is review profiles, then reach out where you agree there may be potential.

We are excited to occasionally feature some of the top candidates that could become the next great members of your team! Please share this with Heads of Talent / early-stage startup founders who are looking to hire — we can help connect them with great “free agents.”

What is your talent-sourcing strategy in the wake of event-driven downsizing? And, if you’re willing to support our mission of helping people affected by layoffs, give some applause! 👏