Crossing Hurdles

“I’ll apply when I match 100%.” By then, it’s usually too late. The opportunity has already moved on. In my experience, 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Job descriptions are rarely exact. They’re built to cover all bases, not just the essentials. And 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆/𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀: Can you handle the core of the job? And do you show that you’re willing to grow into the rest? And 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗩 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. But only if it’s telling a directional story, not just listing your past. I’ve seen the best deserving candidates not making it through. Not because they weren’t good enough - but because they filtered themselves out before the process even began. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱’𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲. You’re playing by rules no one’s enforcing. 𝗦𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗮 𝗝𝗗 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸, “𝗜’𝗺 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝟳𝟬% 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵” 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗬𝗪𝗔𝗬 Because if you’re waiting to feel like the perfect fit, you might wait your way out of every role worth growing into. Let them decide if you’re not a fit. Don’t decide for them. I'm Sankalp, and at Crossing Hurdles, we build teams that thrive. 🔗DM to hire talent that evolves with you.

Founders often justify, “We can’t exceed our current team’s salaries.” But sometimes, the cost of staying symmetrical… is staying stuck. I’ve seen this happen often: You lose out on someone who could’ve taken weight off your shoulders and pressure off your team. Maybe they’d have brought stability to a stretched function. Maybe they’d have set a new bar for ownership. Maybe they’d have been the reason your best people stayed. But instead of asking what this hire could unlock, you hesitated over what they’d misalign. Your team notices when you prioritize parity over progress. You thought holding the line would preserve fairness. But fairness isn’t always about keeping everyone at the same level. Sometimes, stretching for the right person sends a different kind of signal: That this org recognizes value. That excellence is actually rewarded. And the right people on your team? They don’t feel threatened by that. They feel challenged. They feel inspired. Because if your best talent sees that progress is possible they’ll move toward it. Staying rigid with comp might protect the present. But hiring is a future-facing decision. You’re not breaking fairness by stretching for someone exceptional. You’re signaling that value is recognized. And sometimes, the fairest thing you can do… is bet on the one who raises the bar. I'm Sankalp, and at Crossing Hurdles, we build teams that thrive. 🔗DM to hire talent that evolves with you. #Leadership #CompStructure #Salaries #Layoffs #Ownership #Initiative #Career #SankalpChhabra #CrossingHurdles

Not all attrition is bad. In fact, some of it is exactly what your team needs to grow. We talk about attrition like it’s always a red flag. But in some cases, it’s just the system working - freeing up space where alignment has quietly broken. As a recruiter, I’ve seen great teams breathe easier after a few hard but necessary exits. When you try to hold on to everyone, you end up blocking the flow of fresh energy, ideas, and ambition. People who’ve checked out don’t just hurt their own productivity - they drag down the morale of those still building. Most HR leaders agree that 𝟭𝟬 - 𝟭𝟱% 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 -it keeps your organization dynamic, fresh, and aligned, without triggering instability. (𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 – 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁) Beyond that range? You might be bleeding talent. Below it? You may be blocking growth, prolonging misalignment and maybe stalling innovation. I’ve seen teams hang on to disengaged employees far too long, hoping loyalty would turn into contribution. But what usually happens? The team slows down. New talent hesitates to join. And silently, the bar drops for everyone else. Attrition isn’t always a problem to fix. Sometimes, it’s a sign you’re evolving. And that your team is too. So don’t just track exits - track alignment. Because people leaving isn’t what breaks teams. People staying for the wrong reasons often does. What’s your take? I'm Sankalp, and at Crossing Hurdles, we build teams that thrive. 🔗DM to hire talent that evolves with you. #Layoffs #Hiring #Firing #OrganisationCulture #TeamMorale #Hiring #Recruitment #SankalpChhabra #CrossingHurdles

🚀 We're hiring for a client! 💻 Cloud Infrastructure Engineer (AWS CDK + Python) 📍 Location: Remote ⏳ Duration: 1 Month (can be extended) 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 : We're seeking a Senior DevOps Engineer with expertise in AWS CDK (Python) to design and deploy scalable cloud infrastructure. You'll develop reusable Python constructs, automate AWS services, and optimize deployments for cutting-edge systems. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 : ✔ Architect AWS infrastructure using AWS CDK (Python SDK) ✔ Develop modular Python classes for CDK constructs ✔ Automate services with Boto3 beyond CDK ✔ Manage environments with pip/virtualenv/venv ✔ Deploy stacks via CDK CLI (synth/deploy) ✔ Write and execute pytest infrastructure tests 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 : 5+ years in DevOps/Cloud Engineering 4+ years DevOps practices 3+ years AWS (VPC, EC2, Lambda, IAM) 2+ years Python (OOP, Boto3, pytest) 2+ years AWS CDK (CLI, constructs, stacks) Send your CV to 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺@𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺 Follow me for more job updates and opportunities! #Hiring #Recruitment #Hiringforaclient #JobOpening

I’ve had seasons where I built. Seasons where I broke. And seasons where I just floated. Back then, I didn’t know those silent months were still shaping me. I remember one particular year - the year I left Snapdeal and was starting Crossing Hurdles, when I felt completely adrift. I wasn’t building anything massive. I wasn’t failing dramatically either. I was just... there. Taking freelance gigs. Trying to learn obsessively. Saying yes to small opportunities just to keep moving. And feeling guilty the whole time that I wasn’t doing something “big enough”. But that phase taught me more than I expected. It taught me what kind of work drains me. What kind energizes me. It gave me clarity not all at once, but in parts. And when I finally started Crossing Hurdles, I didn’t feel like I was “starting fresh.” I was carrying everything that season had sharpened in me. We don’t talk enough about these in-between phases. They don’t show up on LinkedIn timelines. But they do shape the kind of professionals and people we become. We’re taught to treat every month like a stepping stone. But some months are just meant to be lived through. As a recruiter, I’ve seen some of the best professionals carry quiet gaps - full of invisible growth. Not every phase needs to be productive to be valuable. What season are you in right now? I'm Sankalp, and at Crossing Hurdles, we build teams that thrive. 🔗DM to hire talent that evolves with you #FounderDiaries #CareerTips #SankalpChhabra #CrossingHurdles #CareerChange #Growth

🚀We're hiring for a client! 💻DevOps Engineer (Pulumi + TypeScript) 📍Location : Remote ⏳Duration : 1 Month (Possible Extension) 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 : We’re seeking a Pulumi + TypeScript Specialist to architect and automate cloud infrastructure using Pulumi’s IaC platform. You’ll develop reusable TypeScript components, manage stack lifecycles, and optimize deployments for cutting-edge cloud projects. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 : ✔ Design and deploy infrastructure using Pulumi (TypeScript SDK) ✔ Create modular, tested infrastructure components ✔ Manage deployments via Pulumi CLI (up, preview, destroy) ✔ Troubleshoot stack state and integration issues ✔ Collaborate with DevOps teams on CI/CD pipelines 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 : 5+ years in DevOps/Infrastructure 2+ years TypeScript (classes, interfaces, testing) 2+ years Pulumi (state, stacks, providers) AWS/Azure/GCP experience Send your CV to 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺@𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺 Follow me for more job updates and opportunities! #Hiring #Recruitment #Hiringforaclient #JobOpening

🚀We're hiring for a client! Senior Infrastructure Engineer (Terraform + Python) 📍Location : Remote ⏳Duration : 1 Month (Possible Extension) 🛠Experience : 5+ Years 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 : We’re seeking a Terraform + Python Specialist to architect and automate cloud infrastructure using CDKTF (CDK for Terraform). You’ll transform infrastructure requirements into scalable, maintainable Python constructs while collaborating with DevOps teams on cutting-edge AI/cloud projects. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 : ✔Design IaC using CDKTF (Python) and manage Terraform state ✔Develop reusable Python classes for Terraform modules/resources ✔Automate deployments via Terraform CLI/Cloud ✔Debug infrastructure issues and optimize performance ✔Maintain rigorous documentation and testing (Python unit tests) 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 : 5+ years in infrastructure engineering 4+ years Python (classes, virtualenv, pip) 2+ years Terraform (state, providers, modules) Proficiency with CDKTF (Python flavor) Send your CV to 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺@𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺 Follow me for more job updates and opportunities! #Hiring #Recruitment #Hiringforaclient #JobOpening

🚨We're hiring for a client! Senior Software Engineer - LLM Evaluation & Repository Validation 📍Remote We’re seeking experienced software engineers (tech lead level) with a strong track record contributing to high-quality, well-maintained public GitHub repositories (5,000+ stars). 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 : 20 hours per week with some overlap with PST 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 : Contractor assignment (no medical/paid leave), Remote 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 : 3 months 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 : Analyzing and triaging issues in popular open-source libraries. Setting up and configuring codebases, including Docker and environment automation. Evaluating unit test coverage and overall code quality. Modifying and running code locally to assess LLM performance in bug-fixing tasks. Collaborating with researchers to identify and design challenging issues and repositories for LLM evaluation. There are opportunities to lead teams of junior engineers on these projects. Required Skills: ●  Strong experience with at least one of the following languages: JavaScript, Java, Go, Rust, C/C++, C#, or Ruby. ●  Proficiency with Git, Docker, and basic software pipeline setup. ●  Ability to understand and navigate complex codebases. ●  Comfortable running, modifying, and testing real-world projects locally. ●      Experience contributing to or evaluating open-source projects is a plus. Plus: Previous participation in LLM research or evaluation projects. Experience building or testing developer tools or automation agents Send your CV to 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺@𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺 Follow me for more job updates and opportunities! #Hiring #Recruitment #Hiringforaclient #JobOpening

I Hate Delivering 'Hiring Freeze' updates. YOU DESERVE BETTER THAN CORPORATE LIMBO. True freezes wherein complete hiring stops are rare - most are reprioritizations. Recruiters often hear “pause” before candidates do.   WHY COMPANIES HIT ‘PAUSE’ - Strategic Shifts: Projects get deprioritized overnight due to budget change, leadership pivots etc. Team Dynamics: Internal transfers often fill roles before external hires are approved. Market Pressures: A single earnings miss can trigger temporary halts.   𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗪𝗘 𝗔𝗗𝗩𝗢𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦: ✅ Pushing for Clarity: “Is this role delayed or fully cancelled?” “Can we present strong candidates for exceptions?” ✅ Alternative Paths We Explore: Contract-to-hire roles. Similar positions at peer companies. Future pipeline opportunities. ✅ Transparency Promise: If a role is dead, we’ll tell you. If it’s delayed, we’ll share timelines (when allowed). Leverage Us: “Can you recommend other clients with similar needs?” --I'm Sankalp, and at Crossing Hurdles, we build teams that thrive. #HiringInsights #CareerNavigation #Hiring #Recruitment #Layoffs #CareerAdvice #CorporateJargon