When I started Up Top almost four years ago, there were a few really strong driving principles that defined and underscored the mission that I wanted to accomplish. I was drawn to this community for two main reasons – the idea that this was a space where we support people coming up with creative new ways to solve problems, and that we are encouraged to share information openly, so that we can inspire others and contribute to their success, which ultimately lifts the entire community up. I felt so inspired to take all of the toxic traits we get taught in traditional recruiting, and remix it in a way that felt good to me, was palatable to the people, and put some respect on the craft of what we do – which is not easy.
You’ve all been on the receiving end of an annoying, telemarketer-head-ass recruiter, pitching you jobs that are disrespectfully below your level, not even remotely relevant, or just an obvious “hello {first name}” type beat. Lately, I’ve been hearing more and more stories about Founders and Hiring Managers getting up to 5 COLD PHONE CALLS PER DAY from different recruiters from the SAME agency. Those who know me, know that in the past, I’ve usually taken situations like this as an opportunity to fire shots at these bum ass agencies. But this time, it hits different.
Honestly speaking, I feel disheartened, discouraged, and disappointed. As our industry, and my company, have both expanded and evolved over the years, I’m coming to terms with the reality that this idealistic operational mindset may not be scalable or sustainable, as we continue to grow. Since I started my company, tons of new agencies have popped up, most of which are value-extractive, and don’t share my vision for contributing to the community.
We’ve always placed a high emphasis on candidate privacy, but at this point, we’re becoming more and more concerned about client privacy as well. There’s no question that the hiring market this year has been super challenging for recruiters; myself included, of course. As a result, we’re seeing most other agencies overcome with thirst and desperation, resorting to cringe-worthy aggressive, bait-and-switch style tactics to scrape the bottom of the pot for whatever business they can dig up.
Sadly, bringing gatekeeping back seems to be our only option. It’s not about us trying to box out our competition in the market – we’re confident in our ability to deliver, and if someone else beats us to the punch, and it solves a problem for our client, we’re proud to have played a supporting role. But when our information is being weaponized against the community we’re here to serve, we have to accept that reality, and adjust accordingly.
The main goal behind the open job board, the telegram channel, and my promo posts on socials comes from recognizing that we do have unique access to the top 1% candidates in the space, so realistically, we can’t provide the same “white glove” service to the vast majority of our other applicants who are talented and skilled – so we encourage them to use our data to get a better understanding of the hiring landscape, and find other sources of intros to roles they are qualified for and excited about.
I say all this to say that there will be some short-term pain for both ourselves, and our peers that we’re here to serve – the people working in web3. I do remain confident that we will be able to come up with a creative solution that allows us to continue living our raps, remain transparent, and provide value, while protecting our clients on both sides of the hire. For now, please bear with us as we make some changes internally.
Well, there is one thing. When you are on the receiving end of this {nasty work} from firms like Plexus and Pyxis that don’t deserve to exist in this space, hold them accountable, and let them know that you don’t support value-extractive behavior that causes harm to the community and kills the vibes.
Stay UP,
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