UNICORNS DO N'T EXIST | Teddy Dimitrova

UNICORNS DON'T EXIST

THE PLAYBOOK FOR STARTUPS: HIRE SMART AND ON A BUDGET

If you're having a tough time finding your next employee, you're not alone!

Whether it's a lack of applicants, budget constraints, or uncertainty about where to begin, this book is your guide to finding your new team member, smart and on a budget.

Say hello to your new well-oiled hiring machine!

In today's ever-evolving job market, we find ourselves in a world where candidates hold the reins, and companies are on the hunt for top-notch talent. It's a fact that often gets overlooked, but the right people are the key to any successful venture. This book is your key to unlocking the art of recruitment, even if it feels intimidating. I'm here to assure you that with the right approach, you can master it!

As we embark on this recruitment journey together, remember that talent should always be your number one focus. If you're ready to commit to hiring the right people, in the right way, who will then help you turn your brilliant ideas into a thriving company, then this book is your trusted companion.

Meet the author:
Teddy Dimitrova
Consultant, Public speaker

Writing 'Unicorns DON'T Exist' was like keeping a diary of my professional journey in the world of recruitment. Over the years, I've had the privilege of working with numerous startups and scale-ups, even taking on the role of a coach for a couple of early-stage startup founders. This journey, and the amazing network I've built, allowed me to continuously exchange knowledge and insights with fellow recruiters and people and culture professionals.

As my career progressed, I started noticing a common thread in the hiring challenges faced by companies. I would often think, 'If only these founders had some guidance on how to approach hiring, they could have achieved so much more success.' I knew I had the knowledge and experience that could help these founders, but not enough hours in the day to assist everyone.

So, I kept asking myself, 'How can I help (early-stage) startups tackle their most critical challenge – finding the right people?' That's when the idea for this book was born. After four years of gathering my thoughts and experiences, I finally felt ready to share them with you.

5 reasons why you need this book

Exhausted Network

You've reached the limit of your network.

You've already hired all the friends, cousins, and partners of ex-colleagues you can think of, and now you have no idea where to find new talent.

Lack of Applicants

Your company doesn't have the dazzling reputation (yet), the recognizable brand, or the budget of giants like Uber, Amazon, or Meta.

As a result, you struggle to attract qualified candidates who don't seem to find their way to your inbox.

Hiring for the Unknown

You're looking to fill a role that is completely unfamiliar to you. While you can talk passionately about your job for days, finding and interviewing someone for a role you have no knowledge of might be quite an intimidating task.

Building Exceptional Teams on a Budget

You want to create the best teams out there, but you're operating on a limited budget. You want to gain a competitive advantage among other startups and ensure that your team stands out from the crowd

Unlocking Hiring Success

This book will provide you with the knowledge, strategies, and insights you need to overcome these challenges. It will equip you with the tools to find and attract the right talent, even in the face of limited resources and a competitive market.

A playbook?

Welcome to a resource-packed journey! The subtitle promises you a playbook, which means you'll find more than just theory here. We've got the practical stuff covered, from shaping a compelling company culture to streamlining your recruitment processes, systems, interviews, evaluation tools, job descriptions, and offer letters – it's all here.

But what makes this book truly special are the templates, workshops, and real-world examples that you can easily use or adapt to suit your company's unique culture and practices. You have options when you approach this book: follow it step by step for a polished end-to-end recruitment process, or dive straight into the topics that interest you most at any given moment, whether it's sourcing, candidate outreach, interviewing, or evaluation. Think of it as your flexible and comprehensive guide to mastering the art of hiring.

The Power of Attraction

Begin by (re)discovering your cultural values with a set of easy-to-follow workshops, craft an appealing Employer Value Proposition (EVP) based on your culture, and effectively spread the word through your brand new (or pimped) career page, platforms, social media, and events.

In this section, you'll create the foundation of your hiring machine, you'll learn the must-haves and nice-to-haves for a career page, and you'll get ready for hiring!

Activate your search

Establish a strong recruitment foundation with step-by-step implementation of an ATS (applicant tracking system), refine your interviewing process with a set of standard interview stages, enhance the candidate experience, evaluate candidates effectively through job descriptions, scorecards, and interviews, proactively source passive talent, engage effectively, and seal the deal during the offer stage.

Aftercare

Guide new hires through a comprehensive onboarding process, from pre-onboarding to their first day, week, and months. Finish the book with a chapter on the critical role of effective leadership in ensuring long-term employee retention