Since the inception of the word "Startup" we have come a long way from having few names in this race to now having a start-up in every other corner of the localities in Silicon Valley.
However, the question buzzing around remains the same - Are these startups still functioning? Were these startups able to hold their feet on the ground post receiving initial funding? Are these startups successful in holding the attention of the end consumer or in raising series B funding or hiring right talent to expand their base?
Well, the answer is right in-front of you amongst the discussions you have with Colleagues, Acquaintances, Your fellow founder friend !
We definitely have come out of the bubble revolving around the word "start-up." With the advent of newer technologies, larger number of training institutes providing learning courses, better pay scale (We are no more settling with a standard 30 - 40% Increment), more companies to choose from, Pool of opportunities opening up across borders it's not just about working in a startup anymore.
Immaterial of the company size or Revenue or the Funding it's more about working in an organisation that provides a platform to the applicants to strengthen their skills and keep them updated on every new version of technology that we hear every other day.
Hiring the right talent at the right time at the right cost is the need of the hour and the recruitment team takes the sole responsibility in achieving this. Now, how would the hiring team reach the right candidate at the right time ?
Hiring and Selling are two facets of the same coin with an intent of one selling the product and the other selling the company surrounded by an array of challenges in achieving the closure.
Selling the unheard name:
Attention span of any human being lasts for two minutes in person and for the hiring team to reach the applicant over call whose attention span lasts less than 60 seconds and making sure the company name is registered in the applicant's mind for the next two minutes is a challenge in its own and trust me it doesn't just end there!
Elaborating the unheard business model and the role being offered is like ticking off Toothpaste & Brush from your packing list with many more items remaining to be ticked off!
Around 60% of the first calls are always tagged as "Not Interested." Nearly 10% are active job seekers with a genuine need for the right opportunity and the rest from the lot are the ones who would be busy offer shopping and voila they get another invite to continue their offer accumulation process. Now imagine the plight of the hiring personnel who's in dire need to close a so called Niche and burning demand. How does one reach the right talent at the right time ? The plot only thickens when the candidate clears multiple rounds of Interviews, Accepts the offer, Shares the necessary documents, Serves the entire Notice Period, and eventually becomes a "No Show" or Declines right on the day of joining whilst the client is waiting with open arms to welcome the new joinee.
You may ask - "What happens when the so called Offered Employee declines at the nth hour?" Answer to that question is Multiple review meetings are called by the Client and may as well lead to project withdrawal, Multiple follow up calls are made to the candidate only to find out it is busy or not reachable, Multiple reminder or rather request mails are dropped to call back/revert/reconsider!
As far as hiring team is concerned - It might take days to gather oneself and find the motivation to restart the entire process of finding the right talent all over again.
What could have been done differently here you ask? One may say do not be dependant on one candidate hence always have a plan B. What if the plan B too decides to become a "No Show"? Lets address the culprit here - Yes, it's the one who decided to decline at the nth hour after keeping the offered company on hook for 90 days.
With foreign investments opening up it's an accepted fact that the market has an ocean of opportunities to offer due to which an applicant has multiple companies to tap and weigh his/her options however, is it not one's responsibility to convey the message or rather remain transparent throughout the process about the decisions regarding the offer?
It all boils down to one's Ethical values.
Remembering the Life Lesson taught in School(Nostalgia at its peak) and I quote - "Remember that success is based on long-term Commitment, Discipline, Attitude and a few stepping stones along the way." At Appiness, a digital marketing company in Bangalore, we prioritize conscious team building with of talents ready to push for their potential.
Let us all get back to our roots because you can teach better with your example than by your words.