Startups are exciting to get involved with because firstly, they have BIG goals. AND, secondly, THEY ARE WILLING TO TALK ABOUT THEM!!! This is a really important point. If there is one thing I have learned it's that great people want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. It's one of the reasons people join college alumni groups, follow sports teams half way round the world to watch them play, or work insane hours to get that company started.
Startups talk about the excitement well because in a lot of cases it is all they have. Companies who just need to "fill a role" are basically cutting the "building something bigger than yourself" excitement from a company and position. Then it really does become "just a job". Who wants "just a job"? No one with a sense of adventure does. They want something engaging, a place that challenges you to go to the next level as a person. And a place where you build relationships that last, because of the things you did together.
But the idea that working for a startup is a great adventure is a lot easier to sell in Silicon Valley than it is in Asia. I recently saw the following in Red Herring:
"The biggest obstacle overseas was hiring top-notch people, according to (UPEK) Marketing Director Greg Goelz. He wanted to keep the sales team local, but locals weren’t interested in working for an unknown, he says. The solution was to hire recruiters who helped build up recognition for the brand and then got the right people—but they came at a cost." - Silicon Valley: Still No. 1 - Red Herring, January 2006.
Not having a "name" in Asia can be a killer for startups who are looking to recruit their staff, as I have said before there are lots of reasons for this. The solution, as UPEK found, is to use Recruiters to sell the company to candidates. Why do Recruiters do this well? Because we are both eternal optimists (you can't survive in the industry without being one), and because a lot of recruiters in the tech industry have been lucky enough to work with some successful firms. I know that is the case for me. And like I said the enjoyment of introducing people to these companies when that excitement is growing is some of the best fun you can have in business.
Action Points:
1. Know your reason for being, make sure it is exciting.
2. Make your reason for being a part of your jobs and recruitment sales pitch.
3. Sell your people and your recruiters on it and make them sell it to prospects.
4. Continue to share that with your people once they start. (Good luck).
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