Amanda Dehaas
Amanda DeHaas is a Partner and Senior Client Manager at TEEMA Group, where she specializes in recruiting top-tier talent for high-growth startup and pre-IPO companies. Since entering the recruiting industry in 2013, Amanda has built a reputation for placing exceptional candidates with innovative organizations, particularly those in early funding stages from seed through Series D. She has been with TEEMA since 2016 and is consistently recognized as a top producer and Presidents Club member, working closely with CEOs and leadership teams to connect the top 1% of talent with companies on the path to becoming the next generation of industry leaders.
Amanda’s path into recruitment was shaped by a personal experience early in her career while working in Germany for Adidas during the Great Recession. After a frustrating work visa issue caused unnecessary stress before starting a job, she realized how impactful a recruiter could be in shaping someone’s career experience. That moment inspired her to pursue recruiting, determined to make the process smoother and more supportive for both candidates and companies. Today, she runs a highly structured and metrics-driven workday, balancing client calls, candidate sourcing, and mentoring her team of recruiters while guiding startup leaders through the complexities of hiring.
Outside of work, Amanda is deeply committed to an active and adventurous lifestyle. She has been married for seven years and is the proud mother of a six-year-old son. Fitness is a central part of her routine, and she prioritizes daily workouts, along with mountain biking, backcountry skiing, and competing in triathlons with her husband—having completed five races together. Her passion for health, adventure, and performance mirrors the same discipline and drive that have fueled her success in the fast-paced world of startup recruiting.
• Linfield College- B.A.
• Leuphana Universität
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to habits that I established a long time ago. I go to the gym in the morning, schedule quiet time to really focus, and stick to that routine every day. I'm very metrics-driven - sales isn't rocket science, but very few people can first identify the formula and then stick to the formula. I'm also a true optimist, which is essential in recruiting because you can't let the highs and lows get to you. It's crazy how much the emotions can swing in this business. So for me, it comes down to keeping it simple and staying consistent with what works.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is don't get high on the highs and low on the lows - it's just a number game. Just get your no's. If you're going to get a bunch of no's, you're about to get your yeses. Stay focused on what you're doing right now, stay true to the metrics, and the money will come, the placements will come, as long as you're doing the output. I love that sales is so black and white - that's why I really thrive in this environment, because I can control my numbers. Sure, you can't control humans, you can't control your client, you can't control the number they're going to send out to a candidate at the end of the day, but you can control how many people you get in front of your client, how well you're communicating with your client, and the process. I love the black and white of it all.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this industry is that you don't know what you don't know, so always be open to learning. But then you have to decide for yourself what's going to make you successful. When I first started, it was a total boys club - it high key still is. So even when people laugh in your face and say things like 'oh yeah, you're gonna do that?' - ignore them all. Because girl, you know what you're doing. We run circles around men. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. Trust yourself and keep pushing forward.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in my field right now is coaching my clients on how to be effective in hiring. There are a lot of great candidates out there, and I can get you the candidates, but very few CEOs, CTOs, or VPs understand the process it takes for someone to change their everyday experience to come work for you. Your commute's going to change, you're going to be in a different environment, you're going to have a different base salary, you're going to have equity - everything about that candidate's day is going to change. Hiring managers forget that. Changing jobs is one of the top 3 most stressful things in life, along with buying your first house and getting married. So I'm constantly reminding clients how important it is to hold candidates' hands through the process, and even after the first 3 months after they start. It's a marriage - you're dating, you're still interviewing them and vice versa. They're still interviewing you. Coaching my clients that this is such an impactful experience in someone's life, not just another number, is the biggest challenge.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are transparency, being genuine, and optimism. I literally won't work with assholes - I won't work for a client unless I would work there full-time myself. I can't sell something if the energy or the culture isn't top-notch. I would never sell anything I couldn't actually go do myself. Transparency and being genuine are my two core attributes and why people like working with me. I'm not going to blow white smoke anywhere. I think most salespeople aren't genuine, and that's a really lost value. Optimism is also key - you have to maintain that positive outlook, especially in a field with so many highs and lows.