Russell Pompeo, hiring supervisor at Topaz Labs, shared three takeaways from a job interview.
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When one recruiter obtained Silicon Valley’s infamous serial moonlighter Soham Parekh’s job utility two years in the past, he was instantly impressed.
This was two years earlier than the younger Mumbai-based engineer was uncovered for working remotely at a number of Silicon Valley startups concurrently.
“I used to be taking a look at his resume, and his resume was so good that even my CEO on the time pinged me and was, like, ‘Russ, this man seems to be superior. let’s speak to this man,'” Russell Pompea, recruiting supervisor at AI video startup Topaz Labs, advised CNBC Make It.
Pompea mentioned Parekh despatched his utility by way of the corporate’s profession web page for a software program engineering place on June 2, 2023, and that he determined to interview the younger engineer over a cellphone name on June 12. CNBC Make It verified Parekh’s interview with Topaz Labs by way of screenshots.
On the time, Parekh listed AI-video startup Synthesia, in addition to a lesser-known AI firm, Bodo.ai, as earlier employers on his resume.
Pompea mentioned this mixture of firms made him a very engaging candidate, so interviewing him was a no brainer.
“I bear in mind him being an excellent communicator,” Pompea recalled from the preliminary screening. “That was certainly one of my first notes: ‘Soham is a good communicator.’ I’ve talked to 1,000 software program engineers or one thing during the last 12 months, and so they’re not often superb at speaking.”
Nonetheless, through the interview, Pompea picked up on a number of purple flags that finally stopped him from progressing Parekh to the subsequent spherical.
“I believe he discovered some classes from this interview, ” Pompea mentioned.
In an interview on tech present TBPN on Thursday, Parekh admitted that it was true he was working for a number of startups without delay and wasn’t happy with what he had achieved.
“Nobody actually likes to work 140 hours per week, however I had to do that out of necessity,” Parekh mentioned within the present. “I used to be in extraordinarily dire monetary circumstances.”
Topaz Labs didn’t confirm whether or not Parekh labored on the companies talked about on his resume on the time as he didn’t progress to this stage of the screening course of.
‘Pink flags’
When Pompea tried to dig into the small print of Parekh’s expertise within the interview, he recognized what he thought have been “three main issues” along with his responses.
“It seemed like a tremendous profile, even when it was somebody who was comparatively junior, however then he was lacking a good bit of precise particulars within the merchandise that he constructed,” Pompea mentioned.
When he pressed him about his work for Synthesia, Parekh was obscure. “Folks often have nice command of the small print,” Pompea famous.
“You virtually by no means have to fireplace anyone as a result of they can not study a brand new software program language…the folks that do find yourself getting fired have angle issues, dedication issues.”
Russell Pompea
Recruiting supervisor at Topaz Labs
Pompea additionally noticed that the dates between Parekh’s expertise at Synthesia and Bodo.ai overlapped, and he wasn’t in a position to provide you with an ample rationalization for why.
“He advised me that he was working at each full-time and that there was an overlap in his discover interval … I wrote it down, like, it is a huge purple flag,” Pompea mentioned.
Parekh’s resolution to go away Synthesia additionally did not make sense to Pompea. The engineer claimed the corporate was rising too quick and he felt “pigeon-holed,” in accordance with Pompea’s recollection.
“I requested him, ‘Did you attempt going to a different workforce or one other operate?’ And he simply completely skirted the query … you do not often simply depart a top-tier, tremendous high-paying firm since you’re annoyed. You attempt to discover one other job [in the company] first.”
Topaz Labs requires staff to work on-site at its headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Parekh glossed over particulars about whether or not he was going to maneuver to Dallas and mentioned he was in New York on the time, in accordance with Pompea.
Extra rigorous hiring processes
In early July, two years after Pompea interviewed Parekh, Suhail Doshi, the founding father of Playground AI, took to X to warn different startups in regards to the moonlighting engineer who he mentioned is “preying on YC [Y Combinator] firms and extra.”
A number of startup founders then got here ahead about hiring Parekh, saying they fired him after seeing Doshi’s submit.
Parekh mentioned he began moonlighting on this manner in 2022, and the grueling life-style meant he grew to become a “serial non-sleeper.”
He added that he “cared about these firms” and “greed wasn’t an incentive,” regardless of his monetary scenario. He mentioned he at all times took the decrease pay, larger fairness provide at firms.
For Pompea, it was a aid that Topaz Labs didn’t rent Parekh.
“I believe I used to be glad that we weren’t a kind of firms that got here out and mentioned that we employed him and needed to fireplace him. I’d a lot reasonably be someone who noticed by it,” he mentioned. “That being mentioned, I truly really feel somewhat unhealthy for lots of those firms, as a result of these are folks working in good religion.”
Pompea mentioned folks like Parekh make the job of a recruiter more durable — but additionally emphasize the significance of vigorous screening.
AI startups transfer quick
As a hiring supervisor, Pompea mentioned smooth expertise like teamwork and collaboration are simply as essential as technical expertise — and typically fast-moving startups overlook these human qualities.
“What I’ve found [while] hiring for Topaz labs for 2 and a half years, but additionally numerous different related firms, is that you just virtually by no means have to fireplace anyone as a result of they can not study a brand new software program language, or they can not study a brand new framework, or if there’s some form of technical downside,” he defined.
“The folks that do find yourself getting fired have angle issues, dedication issues, or work fee issues.”
He mentioned that most of the AI startups that Parekh utilized to work at are “transferring at 1,000 miles per hour,” and have to get merchandise prepared for launch inside days. In consequence, they might delay background checks till after the candidate is employed.
“A few of these startups would possibly rent you two days after you do your remaining interview, and so they’re like ‘Hey, it is Thursday. Are you able to begin Monday?'”
Finally, Pompea mentioned that if Parekh cleaned up his act, then he’d have a brilliant future forward of him. In truth, numerous startups that employed the engineer praised his technical expertise, even amid the backlash in opposition to him.
“I additionally really feel unhealthy for the child, too, like he is a really good child. I hope that he modifies and finally ends up having profession,” Pompea added.
Soham Parekh did not reply to CNBC Make It is request for remark.
