SESO Labor Scales Hiring + Boosts Engineering Productivity
SESO, a rapidly growing agriculture startup, connects farmers with essential labor resources through the H2-visa program. When SESO launched in 2021, Head of Engineering William Dembinski quickly realized that their internal, referral-based hiring approach would be unsustainable for scaling at pace. To overcome this, SESO partnered with Terminal to source, hire, and support experienced software engineers worldwide.
CHALLENGES
MOVING BEYOND REFERRALS TO HIRE AT SCALE
SESO was growing quickly, but Dembinski knew that local hiring in the Bay Area would be slow and impractical. “It would have been so much slower. No one was leaving their jobs,” he explained. SESO also wanted to hire engineers in Latin America to better align with the cultural aspects of their business and enhance product relevance for their audience.
Though SESO initially sourced engineers through referrals, it became clear that this approach would not support their scaling ambitions. The company needed a hiring partner offering a white-glove approach and comprehensive support across hiring logistics.
“Communication was critical for us in a hiring partner,” said Dembinski. “It’s not easy recruiting engineers in a different region and handling the language barriers. We needed someone who could support us beyond hiring, helping with payroll, HR, and other services in new countries.”
ENGAGEMENT SUCCESS
FINDING A WHITE-GLOVE PARTNER WITH 360-DEGREE SUPPORT
In 2021, SESO connected with Terminal, where Dembinski and talent partner Rajan Kooner developed a hiring strategy tailored to SESO’s needs. Terminal quickly sourced candidates through its extensive pipeline and regional expertise, enabling SESO to start interviewing candidates within a month.
“The candidates were fantastic,” Dembinski said. “Our team at Terminal was great at identifying what kind of engineers we were looking for and building a targeted candidate pool with the skills we needed.”
SESO also benefited from Terminal’s Talent Hub, which allowed Dembinski to review interview recordings and candidate materials at his convenience. Terminal managed initial interviews and feedback logistics via Slack, keeping the process organized and saving valuable time for SESO’s engineering team.
LOOKING AHEAD
LESS PAIN, MORE GROWTH WITH A PERFECTLY MATCHED TEAM
By the fall of 2021, SESO had onboarded three full-stack developers through Terminal, including one in Canada. The onboarding process was seamlessly managed via Terminal’s Remote Management Platform, covering HR, payroll, and ongoing support. With a strong foundation established, SESO is now positioned for continued growth and anticipates even greater expansion in the coming year.
“If you’re serious about your time and scaling your engineering team, work with Terminal.”
William Dembinski
Head of Engineering, SESO Labor