No-BS assessment Parameters when evaluating a Sr. product designer for your early-stage startup (<30 employees)

I could say the obvious - technical skills, behaviour, ethics, etc etc 
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But here’s what really are the 5 most non-negotiables: 
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1. Should’ve worked in a startup environment for at least 1.5 years - hiring designers from XYZ $1B unicorn? Congratulations, you’re brilliantly set up for failure.
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2. Should absolutely understand what an early stage company goes through, and the challenges associated with it. People say “system thinking” is important, but in early-stage startups, “GRIT” takes precedence. 
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3. 0 to 1 is not easy. Founders and the team go through a lot of turbulence. The product designer should be a “team player”. He/She should ensure smooth product building with the devs and PM, and vice versa.
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4. Most product designers care about creating an impact with their designs. Whatever said and done, creating impact on an app with close to 0 users is way different than creating impact on an app with 1 million downloads, AND a crazy DAU number. The product designer you hire should care about business more than his/ her resume. 
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5. Last and not the least, do not opt in for frequent flyers - if they see a challenge, they’d fly. 
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If you need help with hiring the right product designer for your early-stage business, let me know. I get what you’re going through. 
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Peace!