Hiring a CTO: What skills should you look for?

Let’s set the scene.

You can’t launch your startup because you lack technical skills. You can’t build what you want. However, you need more funding before hiring a Chief Technology Officer (CTO). 

It’s a Catch-22.

Alternatively, you have an established company that needs a CTO. Your business’s survival depends on finding a CTO with the necessary skills, but you’re not sure where to look.

What do you do?

At Gun, we help companies of all sizes – from Startups to Fortune 500s – hire the best tech talent in days. So if you need help hiring a CTO, we can help. 

But if you’ve got the time and resources to tackle this problem yourself, we want to give you some pointers. 

First, what is a CTO? And what does a CTO do?

A CTO is the one person who will understand your company’s vision and the role technology will play. This role of “vision keeper” is their most important. However, it’s worth noting that a CTO has several vital roles to play.

Managing all things technical

Your CTO will be responsible for managing all the tech people in your company. There shouldn’t be any exceptions. If they’re there to keep the vision, they have to own the departments responsible for executing it.

Thinking big

When you start looking for a CTO, big thinking is one of the major skills you need to look for (after establishing competency). Even small companies need someone who can look into the future and see technology that could play a part in the company’s future.

Be the face of technology

Finally, any potential CTO candidate must prepare to be your company’s external face of technology. When anyone (vendors, investors, reports, etc.) wants to talk about anything technology-related to your company, the CTO is the person they will speak to.

Okay, now that we better understand a CTO’s role and responsibilities, here are some pointers to hiring a CTO.

Do you even need to hire a CTO?

Set aside the question of “Can I afford a CTO?” for the moment and think it through. Does your corporate vision rely on technology of any kind? If the answer to that question is “YES”, you likely need to hire a CTO. 

However, if you’re building a new app or website, your first version doesn’t have to be technical. Think of how you can patch an MVP with existing non-coder tools. Then, launch and get users. It’s much easier to convince a technical person to join your team once you’ve got traction.

Netflix used this strategy. The tech giant initially operated as a mail-order service, mailing DVDs to customers. Each order included a prepaid return envelope for customers to return their DVDs. Well over six months after launching, Netflix started building its website.

Okay, let’s assume you still need someone technical…

How do you find a CTO?

Y Combinator has a genius process for finding a CTO. Here’s how it goes.

Your network

Step one is to list everyone you know from high school, college, and places you’ve worked. 

Who knows how to write code and actually enjoys it? Note that just because they’re a CTO or manage engineers doesn’t mean they enjoy writing code.

Next, figure out if you can work with any of them. Start spending time with them, perhaps by working on a fun side project together. It doesn’t have to involve coding; it’s just something that builds confidence that you can work well together. 

Finally, figure out a genuine offer to give them, which includes salary + equity. Then pitch them your offer, and make them say ‘no’ to you (or ideally ‘yes’). Don’t do the ambiguous dance a lot of people do. You’re hiring a CTO. Make a firm offer. 

If you don’t have money for salary and/or that person has no outside commitments requiring salary, propose a 50/50 equity split.

Bide your time

Instead of struggling for two years, it might make sense to work for someone else and find a CTO during this time. You’ll be trading struggling today for a much higher chance of success tomorrow.

One way to do this is to find companies with strong engineering cultures (nothing outsourced, etc) and email the CEO. Tell her/him why you’re passionate about working at their company and offer to do anything to help, whether it’s customer service, operations, or whatever is available. Then say, “If it doesn’t work out after three months, just fire me.”

The point is to leverage the opportunity – no matter what role you get – to become friends with engineers and figure out if you’re compatible with them (same process as above). In fact, you shouldn’t care what your role is. This isn’t for resume building.

Lastly, when you identify the right person, instead of pitching them directly your idea, brainstorm ideas with that person so it evolves with the both of you. This will be a good start to a hopefully lasting relationship of building together.

Still can’t find a full-time CTO? 

Maybe you need a fractional CTO.

If you recognize the value a CTO could bring to your company but not to the point that you can justify the expense of a CTO, it’s better to have someone you can lean on, even part-time, than try to fill the role yourself. 

Someone you can lean on is what a fractional or part-time CTO could offer you.

Many companies find themselves at the point where they need a CTO before they have the resources to afford one. The best solution is to find someone who’s willing to step in and fill the role part-time. Later, the company can make a full-time commitment.

The problem then becomes: How do you hire a CTO who meets your needs and is willing to serve part-time? That’s where the real challenge lies. Like hiring any technical person, you need to either be able to vet them yourself or have a trusted partner who’s capable of vetting them for you. 

This is where we can help

Here at Gun, we have a team of people that have served in roles ranging from director to developer. We’re capable of assessing a candidate’s skills and matching them up with the right company.
So contact us today and let us help you with hiring a CTO who can maintain your company’s vision.