Dipika Anand
Founder, People Penguin
People decisions are messy.
I make them clearer.
I've spent 15+ years across investment banking, international executive search and People leadership — assessing senior talent, advising founders and building People & Talent systems inside a high-growth YC-backed startup.
Today I help candidates understand how hiring decisions are really made, and founders make better calls on people, hiring and growth.
Get hired. Hire better. Build smarter.
Nomura → Executive Search → Anima (YC W21)
Built People & Talent systems through rapid commercial growth — with a deliberately lean team and a high hiring bar.
The problem behind the problem
The first problem you see is often the symptom, not the cause.
- Performance can be clarity.
- Burnout can be capacity.
- Retention can be leadership.
- Hiring can be role definition.
I look for the cause before prescribing the fix.
Two sides, one blind spot
Candidates prepare for what they think interviewers want.
Companies rarely define what they're actually assessing.
The candidate's view
- What interviewers want to hear
- The “right” answer to give
- How to sound impressive
What's actually happening
- What's actually being assessed
- How the hiring decision really gets made
- Why strong-looking candidates still fail
- Why companies still make bad hires
Dipika has worked from both perspectives — as a candidate, an interviewer, and the person who built the hiring system in between.
Where do you start?
Choose your side of the table.
Whether you're preparing for the conversation of your career, or trying to build the people and perspective a company needs — start here.
For candidates
Prepare for the decision, not just the interview.
I've spent years assessing candidates from the other side of the table. We'll work out what the interviewer needs to believe, what evidence you have and where your story needs sharpening.
For founders & companies
Before you hire, diagnose the problem.
Sometimes the answer is a person. Sometimes it's a clearer role, a better system — or one conversation with someone who's already solved it.
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Most of my career has been spent making judgement calls about people with incomplete information.
More about Dipika →Why People Penguin?
Because most of work — and most of life — is easier when you find the right people. Our story →
Ask Dipika
Got a work question?
Interviews. Hiring. Careers. Managers. Difficult conversations. Startup life. Send me the situation you're stuck on. I answer selected questions in my posts and reels.