Built In Founder Discusses Global Talent Supply and Tech Industry Trends

We knew talent supply would need to be global to meet demand in the next decade: Maria Christopoulos Katri, founder, Built In

Built In, initially a networking experiment for Chicago startups, has transformed into a global tech recruitment platform with over 132,000 live job listings. Founder Maria Christopoulos Katris discusses adapting to remote work trends, global expansion, and integrating AI to enhance user experience while maintaining relevance during economic fluctuations.What started as a social networking experiment for startups in Chicago-the biggest city in the US Midwest-has since evolved into a global technology recruitment platform hosting about 132,000 live jobs currently. In an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the ET World Leaders Forum, Maria Christopoulos Katris, founder and chief executive of Built In, spoke about the evolution of the company, its content-driven recruitment strategy, and the shifting landscape of tech hiring. Edited excerpts: Built In started as a social networking platform for Chicago startups. How has your vision for the company evolved, and what direction do you see it taking in the future? Built In originally launched as a platform for entrepreneurs in Chicago to connect and tell the story of the city's tech scene. Back then, Chicago was often overlooked as a tech hub. We were passionate about changing that narrative by highlighting the incredible companies and talent here. As the platform grew, we quickly realised the power of content in attracting talent. Today, Built In has become an employer brand-led recruitment platform, helping companies tell their stories to recruit top tech talent. The future for Built In is global-we're now an international platform, supporting all English-speaking tech professionals and companies worldwide with the highest concentration being in key regions like Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, the UK and Singapore. Given the current challenges in tech talent recruitment, especially with the rise of remote and hybrid work, how is Built In addressing these changes? The tech industry has seen dramatic shifts over the past few years, particularly with the rise of remote work. Initially, companies rushed to embrace remote hiring post-pandemic, but now many are pulling back to in-office models. At Built In, we've adapted by supporting both remote and hybrid hiring, meeting our customers where they are. There's still a significant demand for remote roles-70% of our job applications are for remote positions, yet only 30% of the jobs listed are remote. This discrepancy highlights the ongoing tug-of-war between what candidates want and what companies are offering. What are the most significant trends you're observing in the tech industry today, and how is Built In adapting to these trends? One of the biggest trends we've seen is the shift in workplace dynamics, particularly with remote and hybrid work. While many companies initially embraced remote work, we're now seeing a pullback towards in-office roles. Additionally, there's a growing trend of hiring tech talent outside the US. This trend has accelerated, particularly during the economic downturn, and with every company becoming a tech company, we knew the talent supply would need to be global to meet the demand in the next decade. It led us to expand our platform internationally. We're seeing increasing competition for tech talent in regions like India and Latin America, which is driving up salaries and making it crucial for companies to differentiate themselves through strong employer branding. With AI becoming more prevalent in recruitment, how is Built In integrating AI technologies into its platform? Do you foresee AI significantly altering the recruitment landscape? From SEO research to enhancing the user experience through personalisation, AI is already playing a crucial role in our platform. However, we're cautious about how we apply AI. Our goal is to improve user experience without crossing into areas that could influence a company's hiring decisions. While many believe AI will simply take jobs, I believe it is an 'and' statement. AI will automate certain tasks and roles, and it will also create new opportunities and transform the nature of work across various sectors. AI will automate routine tasks, and new opportunities will arise in areas like AI ethics, data management, and system oversight. In addition, roles will have a greater emphasis on human skills that complement AI moving forward. Given the current economic climate, what strategies are you employing to ensure that Built In continues to grow and remain relevant during periods of market uncertainty? We've stayed maniacally focused. It's easy for companies to grasp at straws during tough times, trying too many different things to recover. We've always stayed true to what we do best-supporting our target audience and delivering a strong product market fit. To protect our business, we've expanded globally to match our customers' needs. If we hadn't invested in our global strategy during this market downturn, we would have been in a difficult position. We've also shifted focus to larger enterprise customers, who still have hiring needs despite the economic climate. This has allowed us to balance our portfolio and ensure that we remain relevant and resilient.

We knew talent supply would need to be global to meet demand in the next decade: Maria Christopoulos Katri, founder, Built In

Built In, initially a networking experiment for Chicago startups, has transformed into a global tech recruitment platform with over 132,000 live job listings. Founder Maria Christopoulos Katris discusses adapting to remote work trends, global expansion, and integrating AI to enhance user experience while maintaining relevance during economic fluctuations.