19. The Soldgers Creed
1) I work hard, I play harder
2) My stress is balanced by my excitement
3) I make things happen
4) My work speaks for me (I take pride in my work)
5) My every idea comes with an action plan
6) I am a team player
7) My team mates can trust me to get things done
8) I value add
9) I keep things simple
10)Challenges make me feel alive (if I'm not
challenged, I'm bored)
21. Some Lessons
1) Don’t hire just because the person has awesome
credentials or you can be buddies
2) Get referrals
3) Don’t be desperate. Patience pays.
4) Hire someone that believes in your vision
5) Get everyone in the team to interview the person.
6) Hire self motivated individuals
7) Set the right expectations
8) Encourage ideas & teamwork
9) Listen
10)And lastly….
Quick introduction of myself. Graduated…. Travelled, bummed around for 6 mths, and landed a job in GS. Left after 3.5yrs to start Sold.sg. Sold.sg is…Before I began, i'm really not an HR expert, nor did i major in Human Capital Management. In fact i didn't even graduate in business administration. So what i'm going to share today is really based on my experience in running and hiring in my start up the last 2 yrs.
Asking a lot of young people, and myself, why they don’t want to join start ups. Here are some reasons..
Perception. Ppl used where they work to represent themselves.
MNCs are stable. Company will probably be around 6 months down the road. They will pay. Your career paths are usually quite clear
Some even have dental benefits, late hours taxi and meals. Gym memberships. You get a little post it note telling ppl u are sick. Claim for doctor visits and some have insurance. Which can be expensive.
So most MNCs, their employees travel in style. Fly biz class… etc. For us, for our travels between MY and SG, we drive.. If were lucky, we fly. Air Asia – love their tag line.
Share a series of things we have done to enhance our culture. This helped with retention. The importance of branding internally. You want people to feel proud of working in your startup.
Impact
Family oriented. We care.
Fearful. The big boss. Not approachable. Start ups are usually quite flat, family like and team approach.
Meetings are often tensedHave to be PC – depending on who’s there. Us, we encourage creativity, contribution. Doesn’t matter who you are. Even interns!Townhall – where ppl suggest products if not they have to do gangnam style.Very lean, every knows what is going on.
This is a true story.
MNCs - Quick breaks. You have to sneak off.
Board room interviews. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? How many tv sets are there in SG? 18 rounds of interview2-way street – a more realistic insight on the person and the companyHire based on personality - We ask qns like do you like Trance, do you drink etc. It is extremely important that you can see yourself hanging out with your colleagues. Not just you, but everyone.
MNCs – farewell drinks. Real photo. We do the same, go zouk and partied till dawn.
Culture is extremely important. Come up with MVV that determines your culture - the way you work and the way you playDon't wait till the team gets back to form these things. It should established right at the start.
I’m not saying you have to do what we do, but before any interview, you need to ask yourselves these “fit” questions.
----- Meeting Notes (2/4/13 14:46) -----Made several mistakes in our hiring journey and I'm going to share them with you.
