This time at Values Value, we were looking for a CEO with experience in edtech and/or gamedev, who has a passion for building teams, developing products, and establishing partnerships.
Our ideal candidate was expected to be responsible for high-level tasks, including conducting an audit of the team and product, shaping the business model, and launching the product into the market. A key requirement was that the CEO needed to be a business-development manager by nature and expand the partner network. The scope of future responsibilities included analyzing the company’s financial activities, negotiations, and managing the efficiency of product, marketing, financial, and HR functions.
Project: multi-platform educational online product for children with gamification elements
Desired Candidate Profile:
We were looking for an energetic, empathetic, and tactful leader from the IT (edtech/gamedev) sector with experience in product management or top-level marketing management. It was important that the CEO had an understanding of technical processes and could communicate effectively with developers. Entrepreneurial experience, even unsuccessful, was considered a plus.
Challenges
- Complex profile
The requirements included experience in product management, marketing, business development, negotiation skills, managing own companies, and working in startups, among other things.
- Numerous rejections from the company
It was challenging to find candidates who met all the criteria. There are very few similar projects in Ukraine.
- Many refusals from candidates
The project was not typical for the gamedev niche, making it less attractive to potential candidates.
- Long pauses
There were several pauses in the recruitment process: a one-month break due to the company’s issues, delays because of a lack of feedback from the company, and interruptions during the New Year holidays.
- Extended feedback period from the company
The feedback process on candidates has been quite lengthy, with no updates on some candidates for over 2.5 months.
What Helped to Fill the Position
- A clear understanding by all parties involved of who we were looking for, thanks to our thorough role profiling process and the high-quality selection of specialists based on the criteria.
- Detailed research of companies in the Edtech, Edutainment, Gamedev, and IT sectors.
- In-depth evaluation of candidates using various methods, such as projective techniques, case-based and situational questions, competency-based interviews, and more.
- Constant follow-up with the client.
On the Values Value side, the process was managed by Anna Vaschenko and Sasha Kononenko, our Recruitment Leads & Partners. The sourcer on the project was Valeria Bakhvalova, the Head of Sourcing & Partner. Great job!
