Startups may be down for now but not out .The festive season has kicked in a temporary hiring spree in the startups particularly catering to ecommerce segment. This has kicked in some positive sentiments in the startup segment which has been written off for some time now.
According to Harvard’s Shikhar Ghosh, senior lecturer in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit, 75 per cent startups fail. This figure could be alarming for those looking for a job in the startup domain. Although Indian startup ecosystem is one of the most prospering one, the industry is undergoing a correction phase right now. However, jobs are still aplenty in this industry.
Hiring right candidate for business is top on the agenda of the startups. Since the model of a startup business is unconventional, startups generally don’t like to hire conventional people. Hence, hiring for a startup is much different from hiring for an established venture. And you cannot expect a good placement in a startup unless you have certain special qualities to offer.
Here are the top 5 qualities that startups look for when hiring:
Passion: You got to be passionate for your work. It is only passion that can encourage you to work in an abrupt environment, where resources could be a crunch suddenly. Startups have an unpredictable environment and you can be put to test for long hours to make things work. It could be difficult for someone sans passion to work in such a challenging environment.
Flexibility: When working for a startup, you have to keep yourself flexible for anything and everything coming your way. You may have to put yourself in someone else’s shoes in times of need. Nonetheless that is really what being in a startup is all about. Startups are never about a 9 to 5 job and never go by the job description that may have been discussed at the initial stage. Startups generally want to hire people who are ready to go out of the way to get things done.
Ownership: Startups are more self-driven than regulated. You may not find any rule in place when you start working for a startup. However, you will be expected to take ownership of driving several initiatives to improve the workplace as well as product/service the startup offers. There is a lot of involvement and innovation required while working in a startup, claim experts. Hence, it is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Specific skills: While we have already explained on how you have to do it all in a startup, you should be a master of the specific skills for which you have been hired. When working in startup, one needs to remember that he may not get his domain peer for sharing ideas and creative space as startups are not about big teams. So, you have to be resourceful enough to resolve your ‘skill’ specific queries yourself.
Team player: This is one of the most important quality that startups look for while hiring the candidates. Startup teams are small. Professionals in these teams work are expected to work in close collaboration to ensure that the product/service offered is on the forefront than anything else. Hence, being a team player is an important attribute for working in a startup.
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