The Hidden Cost of Your First Engineers

It’s tempting to chase technical brilliance on paper when you are hiring. A stellar CV, experience at a top-tier company, or mastery of the latest framework feels like a shortcut to building a winning product. But the reality is more nuanced. In a pre-seed startup, mindset can matter more than technical pedigree and by chasing the wrong thing, you might rack up hidden costs.

The Real Cost of the Wrong Early Hires

Unlike at larger companies where one hire is absorbed into the system, in a small founding team:

• One misaligned engineer can slow down product development, misalign priorities, or even disrupt team morale.

• Cultural friction early on compounds as you scale, making it harder to attract and retain the next set of hires.

• Every decision, from code reviews to process adoption, becomes a battle if the mindset doesn’t align with the startup’s speed and vision.

These costs are often invisible on a resume but immediately visible in day-to-day execution.

Why Mindset Matters More Than CV

At 0-1, the traits that matter most include:

Ownership and Initiative: Engineers who don’t wait to be told what to do are worth their weight in gold.

Comfort with Ambiguity: Pre-seed startups don’t have polished processes. The ability to navigate uncertainty is crucial.

Collaboration and Adaptability: Your first hires will work closely with you, sometimes wearing multiple hats. Conflict or rigid thinking is costly.

Learning Agility: Technology changes, priorities shift, and feedback loops are tight. A growth mindset trumps prior accolades.

The takeaway? When it comes to your first and early-stage hires, don’t chase brilliance on paper. Focus on mindset, alignment, and adaptability. The right engineer will move fast, solve problems creatively, and help define your company culture for years to come.

We have created a free rubric with questions and areas to look out for in answers to help test for these. If you would like a copy, please reach out to eden.whitcomb@perituspartners.co.uk

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