Matt Mickiewicz

The traditional recruiting model is broken, says Matt Mickiewicz, who founded his first company, SitePoint, at the age of 14. Now 33, Mickiewicz has several more startups under his belt, all founded because he had a problem to solve. And it was the broken recruiting model that led him to launch Hired in 2012.

Through prior ventures, he experienced how difficult finding quality talent could be. The process takes too long, lacks transparency, and no one enjoys the experience. “Did you know that most people equate job hunting with getting a root canal?” he asks. “I want to change that.”

As a business owner, Mickiewicz wanted help finding someone he’d be excited to work with 40 to 60 hours per week. On the candidate side, he says choosing a job is second in importance only to choosing a spouse. “Your job affects every aspect of your life, so people need tools that will help them find a job they really love.”

Five years later, Mickiewicz sees many opportunities yet to be realized for Hired. The company has been focusing on improving the user experience — for candidates as well as employers — via various technologies. “Personally, I’m excited to continue to innovate and share some of our data and learnings with the world,” he says.

Mickiewicz was named a 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur by Forbes as well as Inc. in 2011 and to Smart Company’s 30 under 30 list in 2012. An avid traveler, Mickiewicz looks forward to an upcoming island-hopping trip along the Croatian coast.