Phia founders say some of their earliest hires came from their DMs—here's the 3-sentence pitch that gets their attention
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Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, co-founders of AI-powered shopping agent Phia, say they've found some of their earliest hires via their social media inboxes.
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Related Stories Land the Job Cold applying is still the No. 1 way to get a new job—but this method is growing Work Why these workers are chasing 1,000 rejections Land the Job This online red flag could cost you a job, say staffing agency founders Leadership Zillow CEO: Even senior-level job candidates make this interview mistake Land the Job Hiring pro on looking for a job in 2026: 'I would honestly stop applying online' Work Phia founders say some of their earliest hires came from their DMs—here's the 3-sentence pitch that gets their attention Published Tue, Apr 7 2026 9:45 AM EDT Jennifer Liu Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email Sophia Kianni and Phoebe Gates attend the The Female Force hosted by Hearst Magazines at Hearst Tower on March 03, 2026 in New York City. Cindy Ord | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images In today's tough hiring market , job seekers are trying everything to get noticed by hiring managers, including sending prospective bosses a direct message to kick things off. It could work, as long as you go about it the right way. A good self-pitch has gotten the attention of Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, co-founders of the buzzy AI-powered shopping agent Phia, who said they've made some of their earliest hires from their own Instagram and LinkedIn inboxes. In addition to posting openings on an official board via Ashby , the co-founders said they've posted callouts on Instagram and LinkedIn for followers to introduce themselves and submit their interest through DMs, Kianni, 24, said in a conversation at the SXSW conference in Austin on March 13. Candidates have three sentences to make their case, Kianni said: "Give us a pitch about who you are what you've done in the past, what you want to do with Phia, and how you would be able to solve a problem for us." The method is "the best filtering mechanism" to gauge a good fit, Kianni said. "Person one will hit you with an extremely...
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