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Alok Kejriwal on Hiring and what he looks for

Boom Boom Boom!!

Here is my next video series of crisp, under 4-5 minute video blogs on ideas, concepts and discussions relevant to startups!

In this video I speak about HIRING, my approach and what works for me.

Check it out and tell me what you think in terms of content, ideas for improvement and MOST importantly topics that you want me to cover! Just add a comment and I will add it to my list!

 

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Wanna watch my other videos? Here’s more on Co-founders , FocusIdeas, Mentors, Sales & Cash Management, Raising Money & How to Sell

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Related Reading: How I Hire People

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8 Comments

  1. Wow! you simplify the most complex of things! We are in the process of hiring new members to our team and this video could not have come at a better time. Cheers!

  2. Awesome. Thank you for this Video.
    Sir Ji, What are some of the ways in which you make the interviewee uncomfortable ? 

  3. Yesterday, I was talking to a potential candidate. I had given her some homework.

    She said “She will only do the homework if she feels the remuneration is attractive enough ….” – Isn’t that a red flag ? 

    This is how the conversation went :

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    SHE : Hey Puneet, You have responded with a set of additional home work. Could u give me a rough idea abt the renumeration. To be very frank …I would do all the reaserch and spend my time on it ..only if it’s worth giving a try. Most of the work from home jobs I come across …treat working from home as a joke and offer unreasonably low payouts.

    Me : What remuneration do you expect ?
    She: Ok ..before I answer tht. Would this be a full time job or part time

    Me : Full time job
    She: Would quote accordingly

    Me : While remuneration can range between **K to **K (figures hidden on purpose) anywhere depending upon, skills and experience, however If knowing the remuneration gets in the way of doing the homework, then that is a red flag on the candidate we are looking for. Your working for Nirogam has to be driven by passion not money as it is the nature of the Job that you are required to do. So maybe you can give it a pass.

    She: Sure …it’s safe to not venture into a place which sees red even before I walk in
    But even you need to understand..the home work given by you ia not just a basic write or something …it requires a lot of reaserch …why would someone one put in their time ..before they are sure they would want to do it or not. We all work for passion along with money. Only passion won’t help me feed my children. Thank you for your time …much appreciated

    Me : Thanks for your time. Best of luck in your forthcoming endeavors.
    To each one their own, but ideally, a person would apply for the job only if they are keen enough to do. Homework is just a filter, not a deciding factor.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~The End ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Did I approach it correctly ? 

  4. Alok, you did a great job on addressing the pain point that a lot of entrepreneurs are facing. I completely agree with your last point, what they do outside the job matters equally. The first hire I made was because he was a good singer and instantly started singing when I asked to without any hesitation 🙂 Love those kind of folks. Improving on my skills to make people uncomfortable. Other thing that I look while hiring is Attitude, that’s a major decision driver for me, I have hired developers more on attitude then on technical skills. 

    If you can, I would like to know how do you strike right balance between quantity and quality, at EOD we need people in time to ensure business grows at a desired pace, and when you are looking for good quality you don’t have enough people on time.

  5. Hello Mr. Puneet. I couldn’t help but shoot a reply to your approach.

    Being on the side of a candidate, I look at three things in a company.

    1. Job Responsibilities (I must know whether I can perform those tasks or not. It hardly matters whether I have relevant experience in the field. If I am confident of performing those tasks. I look forward to the job position.)

    2. Company profile (Where am I deciding to commit my future? Does the business model of the guarantee sustainability? Can I grow here? How is the work culture? Will the DNA match?)

    3. Remuneration (Are they going to be able to judge my worth right? Is the company profile and responsibility challenging enough to ignore the cost? Will I get the ROI from this investment of my time and effort?)

    Money is always important to a candidate. Unless of course it is his/her dream company. Like Google in my case. Though, in case of Google, I will actually never have to think about the money. My work is all I will have to be ever worried about.

    This is how we think and approach companies. I claim to be passionate at what I do. But that doesn’t mean I will invest my time into something without the awareness of its worth. My passion comes with a cost.

    In the end, money is just a filter, not always a deciding factor. Hope you get the right candidate. 🙂

    – Rajat.

  6. Hi Alok,

    Nice and Quick points. Just one quick question. You mentioned that you shouldn’t hire someone who is looking for better prospect (in terms of money), but over the past 2 years, 90% people I have interviewed have the same answer. 

    You didn’t mention how much is the office infrastructure, facilities are important, please share some light on it. Also what are the best available platforms, since Naukri is getting dead, the response are really bad.

    Please share some more ideas for startup with small setups.

    Regards,
    Amit 

  7. Hi Alok,

    Waiting for your advice on the above points. Can you help.

    Regards,
    Amit

  8. amit, 

    alok is travelling right now and will be back in office next week. 

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