Maris Tepers is the founder and CEO of MateHR, a global tech recruitment agency with a recruiter network spanning 40 countries and reaching a talent pool of 400k. MateHR helps employers find highly demanded IT specialists across Europe and beyond. If necessary, MateHR also helps tech professionals manage all the paperwork needed to relocate to the employer’s country.
Maris has 12 years of experience in HR and international recruitment and six years of experience as a business owner. Mate HR is registered in Latvia but has been a remote-first and global-minded company since the beginning. Maris currently lives in Berlin, but his team is spread across several countries.
In the first years of its existence, MateHR was tested by the Covid pandemic and remote work revolution, then the change in the IT talent movement caused by the war in Ukraine. Despite these trials, Maris’ team has been growing every year, as has its international network of recruiters. Read the interview with Maris Tepers to learn how he got this far and what he’d do differently the second time around.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
During the past six years, I have lived in three countries, and my typical day has changed due to different locations and time zones. I’m currently based in Berlin, and it’s a two-hour time difference from my previous country of residence.
The two-hour difference may not seem like much, but it has significantly altered my daily routine and work schedule. Now, I wake up earlier than before, and I have moved my workout sessions to evenings.
I usually organize all the paperwork and individual work in the first part of my day. It requires more concentration, and it’s not something I enjoy, so I do it while I have more energy.
I usually schedule meetings and networking in the second part of the day. I always leave some time for breaks (preferably active ones) and regular meals. One must remember sports, sleeping, and time off, as all that influences productivity, too.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I prefer to implement ideas quickly and polish details on the go. Of course, that doesn’t mean that I’m ready to launch unprepared or unfinished projects. Before going live with any idea, research and discussions should be conducted with colleagues or other experts. What I’m trying to say is that done is better than perfect. Otherwise, the idea might never come to life, or it might take too long to happen.
Let’s take a simple example – publishing a website. It may take ages to make a 100% perfect site, as there will always be sections to add, design details to polish, and UX to improve. So, I’d say it’s better to publish a “minimum viable product” version of a website that has all the essential information for your customers to find you and know what you offer. Improvements and add-ons can keep coming over time.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I’m curious how the “remote vs. on-site vs. hybrid” battle will end – if it ever will. We lived through the pandemic and the “everything remote” hype just few years ago. Right now, people seem to have understood that full remote mode is not the best approach, but full-time on-site is no longer possible. So, what will be the perfect balance from the point of productivity, flexibility, social relationships, mental health, and sense of belonging to your company? We’ll have to wait and see.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Most importantly – a healthy lifestyle (sports, food, sleep, and repeat).
I know I feel well if I manage to do sports 3 to 5 times per week (even if it’s just a bike ride or a short run). I try to eat four times daily to avoid hunger that might lead to overeating (I do have cheat days on weekends and parties).
Sleeping is the trickiest part for me – I’d like to go to bed earlier and sleep for 7 to 8 hours, but it doesn’t come naturally, and it’s not always easy to discipline myself.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I think I’ve always been good at my job; at least, I’ve always had a passion for doing things as well as possible. But ten years ago, I used to squeeze a lot of work in one day or one week, and after that, I often felt drained and struggled with a lack of energy and motivation. Now, I know that constantly being 80% productive is much better than squeezing 120% out of yourself in a short period.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.
Not everyone would agree with my belief that a big part of your job can be done simply by showing up and performing moderately well. It’s an unpopular opinion in today’s dynamic and competitive professional world, where many people strive to be the best and constantly outperform themselves. It’s liberating to allow yourself just to do your work well enough. I believe that many people achieve success simply through this quiet, consistent diligence.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Find a sport or type of activity you like, and do it regularly. Sports like squash and football are my favorites, and they improve all aspects of my daily life (productivity, energy, sleep, appetite, and so on). If I don’t have time for a full workout, I go out for a run or a bicycle ride. Sometimes, I do short exercises during work breaks, for example, push-ups.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
When I feel distracted or overpowered, it means that something’s out of balance. I believe it’s OK to be in such a state now and then, but not regularly. I’m trying to avoid this feeling by doing sports and sleeping enough.
Traveling with my family is another good way to recharge and give myself a fresh boost of inspiration. This year, I took three weeks off to travel around Europe. By the end of my holiday, I felt that even the most alarming and complex issues no longer worried me. When I returned to work, I felt much more relaxed and ready to find a solution to every problem.
Sure, taking such a long time off won’t always be possible – especially if you have a business to run. But a change of scenery, even for one or two weeks, is invaluable and can benefit your business as well. But it’s important to stay entirely off work without peeking in your work email now and then.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
I believe there are no situations without a solution. You can always do something to improve the circumstances today or at least do something better the next time.
If there really isn’t a fix for the problem, try to forget it, don’t worry about it, and move forward. This is my strategy for everything, plus I add a positive attitude.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
A few years back, I overestimated myself and oversold my possibilities and the project delivery accordingly. That led to frustration, long working hours, and unsatisfied clients.
What happened was that we promised our client that we could hire and relocate 5-8 foreign professionals for them every month. That turned out to be unrealistic as we hadn’t considered aspects like the offer’s competitiveness, candidates’ interest in moving to that particular country, and the amount of paperwork needed to obtain work permits. As we had worked on similar relocation projects for other countries, we were overly optimistic about the same scenario for that particular country.
Today, I’m trying to weigh and calculate everything more carefully and sometimes agree on longer deadlines than necessary. That way, we can sometimes deliver faster, which leads to positive results and feedback.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Today, everyone worries that AI will replace HR specialists, recruiters, and people in general.
We know that AI largely depends on your ability to write accurate prompts. In our daily HR work, we see that most employers AND candidates need help formulating their needs, questions, or reactions. So, an excellent prompt-writing tool would really be a revolutionary business idea. But as long as such a prompt writer (or mind-reader) doesn’t exist, our profession is safe.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I’ll name the simplest tool possible – my Google Calendar. It helps me plan my day, schedule meetings, set deadlines, serving as a to-do list and reminder all in one. While there are countless time management apps out there, I haven’t felt the need to reinvent the wheel, as my Google Calendar does everything I need.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
I bought a subscription plan for an email automation system that sends automatic responses in typical recruitment situations. Sometimes, it simply responds with a greeting and a polite phrase like “Nice to meet you” and “We’ll let you know when we have any news.” This way, communication flow can continue even when I’m not available.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?
My family and friends think I’m odd since I prefer podcasts over music. One of my favorites is Money Talks from The Economist. My other international podcast choices are Think Fast, Talk Smart, and The Documentary.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I don’t watch movies or series often, but when I do, my taste is rather diverse – from thrillers and dramas to science fiction. I avoid watching long series with many seasons as I don’t like being hooked on something. I prefer movies or limited series like The Queen’s Gambit or Squid Game.
Key learnings:
- A healthy lifestyle and regular sports directly influence productivity and success.
- Implement ideas quickly and polish details on the go. Improvements and add-ons can keep coming over time.
- Constantly being 80% productive is much better than squeezing 120% out of yourself in a short period.
- You can achieve success simply through quiet, consistent diligence without constantly trying to outperform yourself.
- A change of scenery, even for one or two weeks, is invaluable and can benefit your business and your mind.