How market cycles shape hiring bars

Listen now: Spotify, Apple and YouTube

Whether you’re searching for your next role or hiring in a market where talent is scarce and expectations are sky-high—this episode is for you.

Marc and Ben sit down with Anneli Scopazzi, founder of Boulevard Recruiting and former recruiting leader at Figma, Notion, and Palantir, to unpack how recruiting dynamics have shifted in early-stage startups. From the pressure to do more with fewer hires to the rising importance of domain expertise and “startup readiness,” Anneli shares hard-earned insights from years of placing critical hires at fast-growing companies.

They also dig into how candidates can sharpen their narrative, build stronger relationships with recruiters, and turn moments of rejection into trust-building opportunities. Whether you’re hiring your first PM or preparing to land your next role, this episode offers real talk and practical advice from both sides of the table.

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Interviewing at Uber, Figma, Stripe, or DoorDash?

If you’re a PM preparing for interviews at Uber, Figma, Stripe, and DoorDash… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops. You can read about it in Ben’s LI post, Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below.

In this episode, we covered the following topics:

* (01:40) How AI is actually making recruiting harder, not easier

* (04:27) What startups really look for in their first PM and why the bar keeps rising

* (13:55) What “market mapping” looks like behind the scenes—and how candidates can show up in more searches

* (21:01) What unemployed candidates can do to regain momentum and stand out

* (37:09) Why recruiters ghost candidates (and what’s actually going on behind the scenes)

* (45:34) Telling an honest story vs giving the “right” answer—and how recruiters really respond

* (51:41) How to ask for feedback the right way—without putting the recruiter or yourself in a bad spot

* (56:42) Commonalities across interview processes at Stripe, Uber, Notion, and DoorDash

* (01:01:01) The rise of generalist vs specialist PM tracks—and how companies are structuring loops differently

* And more!

Links:

* Anneli Scopazzi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneliscopazzi/

* Boulevard recruiting:

https://www.boulevardrecruiting.com/

* Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/

* Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/

If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed:

To support the podcast, please check out the links below:

* Preparing for Meta-style PM interviews? Check out Ben’s 🤖 AI Practice Copilot for Meta-Style PM Interviews. Get unlimited practice reps with calibrated feedback on Product Sense & Analytical Thinking questions. It’s like having an ex-Meta interview coach available 24/7. Featured in Lenny’s Newsletter 🔥

* Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% in some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com