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Scale-up Ready Profiles
This section at a glance
Attitude and problem-solving ability matters more than experience so you should always opt for strong problem-solvers with a "can-do" attitude over tenured "corporate" profiles
Your objective should be to hire top executives before they become top executives; look for people early in their career with fast upwards trajectory
Three characteristics distinguish candidates who can thrive in a scale-up:
strong problem-solving mindset, with the ability to tackle problems they've never faced before
track record of achievement and drive
ability to raise the company's talent bar and build a team of A-players
Potential over experience
At first thought, hiring seasoned executives might seem like the safest choice for a company that wants to scale. It is often the path that VC investors recommend. But experience doesn’t always translate into impact - especially in a company where problems are new and ambiguity is the default.
At Revolut, we saw this first hand: instead of focusing on people with the longest resumes, we found success with high-potential individuals -those with ambition, adaptability, and raw problem-solving ability- who were on track to become successful executives long before they were hired.
The takeaway? Solve for potential rather than experience. Find people on an upward curve rather than those who have already peaked.
Three traits of a scale-up ready hire
In your quest for scale-up-ready profiles, you should look for:
problem-solving mindset: in a rapidly growing scale-up, problems are often novel with no obvious solutions; candidates from large organisations often struggle, since most of their experience relates to reiterating, or marginally improving existing processes
a track record of achievement: a track record of fast promotions and impressive accomplishments at work or other fields is a good predictor of future success; it shows determination and drive, which will help more junior profiles grow into their roles and contribute to the company’s long-term success
When hiring for managerial positions, you should also look for:
a talent magnet: building and managing a team of A-players is a skill on its own, but not everyone possesses it; as your company grows, hiring decisions will move beyond the founding team - so you need leaders who can attract top talent and raise the bar for those around them
Experience alone won’t tell you whether someone can thrive in a scale-up environment. In the next section you can find out more about the interviews that can help you identify these characteristics.