AFFILIATE EYE
How recruitment changes as affiliates scale
As companies evolve, so too does their approach to recruitment. Having been part of Alts Digital’ s journey through different phases of growth, Rita Mendes has seen how its needs and expectations have shifted. Here she reflects on what lessons the affiliate has learned along the way
When I joined Alts Digital, we were a small team of around 20 people. Before I joined, in those early days, our hiring approach was heavily focused on cultural fit and potential. We were looking for people who were curious, adaptable and ready to embrace the challenges of a growing company. Work experience or specific expertise wasn’ t the priority, it was all about energy and flexibility.
At this stage, our recruitment approach had a process, but it had some ad-hoc points. We hired people through networking and referrals or from the few good organic applications, and the goal was to find candidates who could wear many hats.
What to expect – early stage
Candidate profiles: Generalists, often without deep expertise in the field. Process: Simple and ad hoc. Spontaneous and flexible. Not very scalable processes. Challenges: Finding people who can adapt to a lessstructured environment and are enthusiastic, without being too random of a person.
Practical tips for recruiters
• Leverage your network and encourage referrals. This is where you’ ll find your best hires early on.
•
Focus on cultural fit and adaptability rather than hard skills.
•
Keep the process simple but make time for meaningful conversations.
Hiring overseas talent
As Alts Digital started to grow, so did our hiring needs. Suddenly, we weren’ t just looking for local talent anymore. We were hiring for international roles and highly specialised positions, such as English-speaking SEO content experts with a focus on crypto, specifically to support our crypto product. This forced us to rethink how we approached recruitment.
Bringing on a dedicated recruiter was an important step. We started building a more structured sourcing process, exploring new markets and adjusting our strategies to attract global talent.
But this phase wasn’ t without its challenges. We had no idea where to find the right candidates, which countries to focus on or what backgrounds we should prioritise.
What to expect – international talent
Candidate profiles: Specialists or candidates with specific skill sets, often in different locations. Process: Focus on sourcing candidates. Structured sourcing and targeted outreach, but with a lot of trial and error. Challenges: Building a pipeline when you know almost nothing about the talent’ s characteristics.
Practical tips for
recruiters
•
Do your homework. In the early stages, you’ ll spend a lot of time figuring things out through trial and error. You’ ll test how candidates based in different locations respond to your
64 • iGBAFFILIATE. COM