Why AI FinTech 'Company A' chose LinkMeOut

A global fintech that uses AI/ML to open up access to financial services in overseas markets. Headquartered in Korea, its services operate overseas, and the organization is simultaneously driving two major tracks: 'AX transformation and model advancement' and 'IPO preparation'.

The fact that all of this is moving at once within one company means hiring is just as difficult by nature. The recruitment project with LinkMeOut started exactly at that point. Organic inbound had its limits, internal recruiting resources were insufficient, and we needed a partner who would not just pull from a candidate pool but would recommend people with a real understanding of the company. We summarized the process and results of that collaboration in this interview.

3-line summary

A. Talent acquisition background

Q. Please briefly introduce your company and the team you were hiring for this time.

We are a startup that operates fintech services using AI/ML to improve access to financial services in overseas countries. Centered around our Korea headquarters, we are rapidly scaling the organization by increasing our AI team and our IPO-preparation team.

Q. Which position was most urgent at the time, and why was it such an important hire?

AI and development talent for AX transformation and model advancement, as well as talent directly contributing to IPO preparation, were the top priorities in terms of both urgency and importance. One side was about the future of the product, and the other was about building the company's next stage, so neither could be delayed.

Q. What was difficult about hiring only through direct recruiting or your existing channels?

Since the service is not directly operated in Korea, organic inbound was limited. At the same time, there were not enough people internally to handle recruiting, so we were desperately short of resources to do sourcing professionally. The demand was clear, but we did not have enough hands to work it through, which was the most frustrating part.

B. Why we chose LinkMeOut

We needed 'recommendations that understood the company,' not just 'keyword matching.'

Q. What was the decisive reason you started discussions with LinkMeOut among the various options?

We were looking for someone who could recommend suitable talent based not just on a pool they already had, but on a direct understanding of our company. LinkMeOut was the one that captured that nuance most accurately.

Q. Before actually starting the search, how did they help you define the role and set success criteria?

As we carried out sourcing based on the JD we had set internally, it was helpful that they thought through and proposed the points candidates would feel and the direction for revisions together with us. A JD is more important to refine quickly based on market response than to write perfectly at first, and they helped us run that cycle together.

Q. What were the particularly difficult conditions or constraints in this hiring process?

It was a position that needed to do more than simply perform the work; it had to add excellence to the organization. We have always looked for people who can 'add excellence' rather than just people who can 'do the job.' So there was a clear hurdle where hiring could not move forward based on experience alone. We needed a partner to help us get over that hurdle, and LinkMeOut played that role.

C. What satisfied us most

"Their understanding of the position and the quality of their consulting was on a completely different level from other search firms."

Q. How was LinkMeOut different from existing search firms?

Their understanding of the position was deeper than other search firms, and they provided consulting and strategic suggestions that matched it. As a result, the hiring process itself was generally smooth. Because they understood the position precisely, the recommendations were consistent, and because the recommendations were consistent, the overall hiring cycle did not get tangled up.

Q. How well did the quality of the candidates they introduced match your internal target criteria?

After the alignment process, they generally delivered candidates whose direction matched ours. Rather than expecting 100% alignment from the start, it was a collaboration where precision improved quickly as we adjusted things together.

Q. What stood out to you in terms of communication or operations?

It was very helpful that they shared the overall market situation with us and proposed hiring strategies for the positions we were targeting. Rather than simply 'delivering' individual candidates, it was more like 'co-designing' the overall direction of the hiring process.

D. Results and changes

"The more feedback we exchanged, the more insights we gained"

Q. After working with LinkMeOut, what changed in hiring speed and internal burden?

Honestly, during the alignment process, there are many search firms that do not understand the point when we give feedback and instead ask low-level questions. In the feedback process with LinkMeOut, it was the opposite; we were the ones who gained insights. It felt like we were not just solving one hiring request, but also raising our organization's own hiring judgment at the same time.

Q. If you had to choose the biggest result from this project, what would it be?

Beyond filling one role, the biggest achievement was being able to review the strategy for how each position should be hired and refine the JD as well. It was work that affected not just this one hire, but the entire hiring cycle going forward.

Q. Beyond simply filling the position, what additional value did LinkMeOut provide?

A major value was being able to understand trends not only in Korea but also through a global network. For a company doing business globally, a partner who only sees one side of the market was not enough. We needed someone who could read both markets at the same time, and that is what we got.

Q. What was especially helpful when considering both domestic and global hiring?

It was especially helpful to check compensation trends by position and prepare hiring accordingly. Compensation design is ultimately the variable that hits hardest at the very end of the hiring decision chain, and the difference between going in with that already figured out versus not is significant.

E. LinkMeOut to Company A is

"A reliable partner that takes responsibility for the hiring process."

Q. What kind of companies or hiring situations would you recommend LinkMeOut for?

I would recommend LinkMeOut when global hiring is needed or when you need to hire for a position with a clearly defined need — especially because there are headhunters there who understand a company's needs extremely well. The word 'takes responsibility' reflects our perspective. It means this was not a collaboration where they just send a few candidates and stop there, but a partnership that carries the hiring area forward together. LinkMeOut was that kind of collaborative partner for us. For companies looking for 'talent that adds excellence,' hiring is never easy. For those who need a partner to take responsibility for that difficult hiring process together, I recommend LinkMeOut.