Hackajob

Context

Hackajob is a start-up talent marketplace that helps companies hire software engineers. In 2019 it raised a $4M Series A, and it went on to raise a $25M Series B in 2023.

The challenge

• Revenue growth slowing at $1M ARR.
• Customers with low engagement and a high cost to retain.
• Cash flow and runway.
• Unpredictable ROI on marketing spend.
• Multiple service and delivery models: agency-like, with feature spaghetti.

What I did

I ran a client account analysis with the founders and leadership team. We identified:

• key accounts with high hiring success through the product
• accounts with high lifetime value (LTV)
• high-value contracts, e.g. $100K+ a year.

These customers all had engineering teams of 100+, so an ongoing need to hire, even without headcount growth. They were typically legacy brands, such as retailers and large consulting and systems integration companies. All had in-house talent acquisition teams motivated to avoid the competitive alternatives, such as staffing agencies.

Based on that, I:

• relaunched the website, moving the positioning from disruptive messaging, “cheaper than agencies”, to differentiated value: “Hire top tech talent in just 17 days or less”
• simplified the messaging to benefits and value rather than tech features: speed to hire, trusted validated talent, cost saving and scalability
• switched go-to-market to account-based marketing. I removed employer sign-up from the homepage, stopped non-performing marketing channels, and moved the budget into thought leadership content and targeting enterprise accounts that matched our ICP.

Results

• +200% increase in sales pipeline
• +200% increase in talent sign-up flow conversions

What the CEO said

“Dale played a key role in the leadership team during his time at hackajob. His ability to blend strategic insight with a compelling product roadmap ensures his team provides true business value and would be an asset to any business. His high intelligence and passion for understanding the dynamics in the wider industry means the value he provides is often far greater than just within the product function.”

Mark Chaffey, CEO at Hackajob