Standing Out to Top Talent (Part 1): Building Your Foundation
Akaina Talent’s Robin Beattie writes for us.
How Seed to Series C companies craft the content that attracts exceptional talent
Most founders learn that you need great people to build something meaningful. The catch is, those great people are picky about where they choose to work. Over the past few months, I've worked with founders who have been wrestling with this challenge. What I've learned is that attracting top talent isn't about having the biggest budget or the flashiest perks. It's about being intentional with what you already have. This is Part 1 of a two-part series on attracting exceptional candidates. Today, we’ll focus on the basics: the content you create that shapes how candidates see your company.
Your Story Is Your Secret Weapon
Your company’s story isn’t just marketing. It’s your best tool for attracting great people. Great Founders get something important: trust is the base of any relationship between employer and candidate. These leaders are honest about what’s working and what needs to improve. That kind of authenticity draws people in.
What Candidates Are Really Researching
When top candidates find your opportunity, they do more than read your job posting. They dig deeper and research you thoroughly:
They visit your website.
They scroll through your LinkedIn.
They check Glassdoor reviews.
They Google your founders.
They ask people in their network.
Through all of this, they’re really asking, "What am I actually signing up for here?"
The Four Elements of Compelling Company Storytelling
Companies that attract top talent tell a clear, consistent story everywhere candidates look. They make sure to communicate:
The purpose that drives you: What problem keeps you up at night? Why did you decide this was worth building? The best candidates want to join a mission that matters, not just a company that pays well.
The vision you’re working toward: Where will you be in three years? What does real success look like? Top talent wants to see a believable path forward, not just big dreams.
The culture you’ve built: What’s it really like to work here? Skip the polished HR version. Share the real story—the challenges, the wins, and what daily life is actually like.
The impact each person makes: How do individual contributions matter? Top candidates want to know their work will have real results, not get lost in red tape.
The Power of Honest Storytelling
This isn’t about perfect marketing copy. It’s about being as open as the best founders I know. Talk about your challenges and your wins. Let people see the real team behind your company and why you care about your work. When the right candidate finds you, they should think, "This is exactly the kind of story I want to help write."
Why Your Job Description Is Probably Costing You
Great Hires
You’ve nailed your company story. Your website shares a clear vision. Your LinkedIn shows your real culture. But this is where most founders lose those great candidates:
Your job description.
When candidates read your job posting, what do they see? If it looks like this, you have a problem: "Must have 5+ years experience in X, proficiency in Y, strong communication skills, team player..." At that point, you’ve lost their interest. Your job description turns into just another generic checklist that could come from any company.
What Great Job Descriptions Actually Accomplish
Will Ducey nails this insight: "The best job description will attract the right people, repel the wrong people, drive alignment in the hiring process, and bring performance objectives in right from the start." Take a moment to think about what he’s really saying.
Your job description should turn away people who aren’t a good fit and attract those who are. Most hiring managers miss this. They try to appeal to everyone, hoping for more applicants. The result? You get applications from people who don’t really understand the role, and every interview feels like starting over.
From Task List to Impact Story
Here's the transformation you need to make:
Traditional approach:
"Senior Marketing Manager responsible for managing campaigns and analysing metrics. 5+ years required."
Performance-based approach:
"In 12 months, you'll shift us from founder-led sales to scalable demand generation. Today, 80% of leads come from our founder's network. Your goal: build systems that generate 200+ qualified monthly leads from owned channels, reducing founder dependency to 30%."
The difference is clear. One just lists job duties. The other shows real change and explains the current challenges.
Which one would make you want to apply?
The Framework That Works
Don’t just list what someone will do. Show them what they’ll achieve. Try structuring your job description like this:
1. The Current Reality
Where are you today? Be specific about your challenges and limits. Don’t hide your weaknesses; for the right candidate, they’re actually opportunities.
2. The Challenge
What needs to change, and why? Help candidates see the problem they’ll solve and why it matters to your business.
3. Success Looks Like
Set clear goals for 6, 12, and 18 months. Give candidates a roadmap they can picture themselves following. This approach isn’t just clearer —it fundamentally changes who applies.
What Changes When You Get This Right
When you write performance-based job descriptions, several things happen:
Better self-selection: Candidates looking for easy wins will move on. Those who want real challenges will be interested.
Focused interviews: Instead of generic questions, you’ll have real discussions about your actual challenges.
Aligned expectations: New hires know exactly what success looks like from day one. There’s no more guessing what’s expected.
Faster performance ramp: Clear goals remove confusion and help people get started quickly. You’ll be surprised by the quality of candidates you attract.
The Foundation Matters
Your company story and your job descriptions are the foundation of your talent strategy. They’re the content candidates see first. They shape first impressions and can either build momentum or stop it. If you get this right, you’ve built a strong foundation. But great content is only half the battle.
In Part 2, we’ll look at how to build on this foundation using your employer brand and your personal brand as a founder. We’ll cover how to ensure the right people actually see what you’ve built without a big budget.
Need help building your foundation and attracting exceptional talent? I work with Seed to Series C founders to create talent strategies that give them a real edge.