January AI’s Post

Excited to share my bylined piece in the March issue of Entrepreneur Media "How to Attract the Best Talent." Startups can’t always match the salaries and perks of industry giants like OpenAI or Google. So, how do you attract the best people? For me, the answer was simple: focus on mission-driven hiring. When we launched January AI, we struggled to hire AI engineers. Many were drawn to high-profile projects with broad appeal. But instead of chasing those candidates, we shifted our focus to people who personally connected with our mission—preventing chronic diseases like diabetes. Here’s what worked: - Tapping into networks – Aggressive referrals and outreach to universities and trade groups helped us find like-minded candidates. - Looking beyond the résumé – We sought engineers with personal experiences with chronic health conditions, making their work meaningful. - Keeping a hiring journal – Reflecting on each interview helped to identify the most aligned and passionate individuals. The result? A highly engaged team of engineers who care deeply about our mission. Hiring this way takes longer. Many candidates will overlook you. But if you find the people who want to build with you, not just work for you, that’s when meaningful breakthroughs happen. #Leadership #Hiring #AI4good #TalentAcquisition #Startups #MissionDriven #CompanyCulture