Man With No Experience in Talent Suddenly Starts Talent Agency
An unemployed Indonesian man launches a talent agency despite zero HR experience, claiming intuition will “revolutionize hiring.”
JAKARTA — 33-year-old Wahyu Pranata has launched a boutique executive search firm called “Align: Talent with Soul,” despite having absolutely no background in talent acquisition, recruitment, HR, psychology, or anything remotely connected to hiring anyone, ever.
Wahyu, a former startup founder who most recently applied for a VP of Product role at 17 different B2B SaaS companies (none of which responded), said the decision to become a talent consultant came naturally.
“I’ve hired before,” he explained confidently, referring to a single instance in 2021 where he successfully recruited a junior marketing associate via a Twitter DM after she liked one of his tweets about hustle culture.
“She ended up leaving after 3 months,” he added, “but I learned a lot about people from that experience.”
According to the firm’s minimalist website, Align will “revolutionize talent search” by prioritizing intuition, energy alignment, and “deep interpersonal resonance” over traditional hiring metrics like experience, skill set, or ability to do the job.
“I don’t believe in résumés,” Wahyu said. “I believe in alignment. Hiring is a soul contract. A sacred bond. If you need to check someone’s GitHub, you’re already failing to see their true potential.”
When asked how Align evaluates candidates, Wahyu explained that the firm uses a proprietary screening model known as “The Three Whys,” inspired by Simon Sinek, and something he once read in a Medium post.
Wahyu insists that each candidate is asked:
Why do you want this role?
Why are you in this life chapter?
Why haven’t you started a podcast yet?
“I find these questions tell you everything about a person,” he said.
Despite zero hires completed to date, Align is already working with “several stealth clients” (believed to be Wahyu’s university mates and one former investor who “just needs someone for ops but isn’t fussy”).
He recently posted a screenshot of a Calendly link to his LinkedIn with the caption, “We’re only taking on 2 more searches this quarter. Quality over quantity.”
In a follow-up comment, Wahyu explained that the limit was due to “energetic bandwidth” and the fact that he’s also teaching a weekend workshop on “Founder Burnout and Breathwork.”
While skeptics abound, Wahyu remains undeterred.
“People think recruiting is about process and qualifications. I think it’s about holding space,” he said, while importing another pastel-colored block into his client-facing Airtable.
When asked if he intends to build out a team of experienced recruiters, Wahyu shook his head.
“I don’t believe in hierarchy,” he replied. “Everyone I work with is a co-creator.”
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