SCVNGR was one of the first companies BostInno wrote about when we started covering the innovation scene here in Massachusetts last year. We spoke with founder Seth Priebatsch at the time, just days after he closed $4 million from Google Ventures. Priebatsch cleared the air of any speculation that with that money came a move to the West coast, and also gave mention that the company was hiring. Nearly a year later, SCVNGR continues to create jobs, employing over 60 people here in the greater Boston area.

Now one of the most talked about mobile companies here in Boston, we reached out to SCVNGR’s Guru & Recruiter, Nick Herbold, to learn more about how the company has hired during their last year of growth. Before SCVNGR, Herbold was working in executive search and recruiting. While he joined initially as part of their sales team after seeing the opportunity on Craigslist, Herbold has been crucial to date in meeting new people and assessing their fit with SCVNGR. BostInno asked him 5 questions, and below you’ll find the learnings he shared around hiring during growth:

1. What is it like to recruit and hire during growth at a startup?

It’s exciting to hire during high growth and requires taking a more open approach to recruiting. Back at the executive search firm, I was tasked to fill a particular role and the majority of the energy and efforts are very targeted. In a high growth environment you are committed to finding specific talent, but need to dedicate more time connecting with a broader range of individuals. I’d also recommend thinking strategically about the future to avoid the ‘We needed this person yesterday’ dilemma. Michael [Hagan] and I meet on a regular basis to discuss the growth of the company and ensure a healthy pipeline of talent.

2. Is there anything different about hiring during growth than under “normal” conditions?

I’m not sure there is a difference between hiring during growth and in a ‘normal’ condition. If you’re hiring it’s because there is a need at the company and everyone wants to bring in the best person for the job. As I mentioned earlier, the efforts might be a bit more targeted in a normal hiring process, but the dedication and effort that goes into the process is largely unchanged in the two situations.

3. What is most challenging about hiring during growth?

The biggest challenge about hiring during growth is the temptation to settle because the pain points are obvious. We need someone to come in and manage X demand. Here at SCVNGR we’ve refused to settle, and when recruiting exceptional people that takes time. There’s definitely pressure to find the person NOW – but you need to make sure that this doesn’t cloud a decision to bring on the right person each and every time. You’re company will be much stronger when you don’t settle and you’ll save time in the long run as well!

4. When developing your hiring practices, were there companies or mentors you looked to emulate?

We’ve developed a unique process and are continuing to improve our practices. Personally, I’ve benefited from excellent training and mentorship at Polachi, an executive search firm in Framingham (previous employer). I’m good friends with Chris Brablc, who runs marketing at SmashFly Technologies, a Boston-based recruitment marketing technology company. Chris keeps me up to speed on the recruiting updates and new tools. As a company, I believe we can do a better job creating awareness to our open positions – and look towards Hubspot as an inbound marketing leader. Finally, I draw inspiration from people like Ryan Durkin, COO of CampusLIVE (Boston). Durkin forms connections through helping others and this makes him a genuine networking rockstar.

5. What tips or advice would you offer to startups planning to expand from their core team?

I had the pleasure of listening to a talk by Bob Metcalfe, 3Com’s founder and current partner at Polaris Venture Partners at this year’s MIT Startup Bootcamp. He said it best in the following, “A’s recruit A’s, B’s hire C’s and so on down the line…” When expanding the core team you want the next folks to be A’s. I realize time is the most valuable resource to those starting a company, but take the time to develop a hiring process that will attract and vet the people you’d like to bring onboard. For the large majority of companies, people are your most important resource. Invest the time and resources to find the right ones, because it will make all of the difference in growing your company!

Many thanks to Nick Herbold for taking the time to share his learnings with other entrepreneurs. You can learn more about Nick and the SCVNGR team here.