‘Coffee Hire’ A modern way of hiring Cultural Fit candidates
The checkout network uses a method called 'coffee hire,' which allows leadership to acquire useful insights about candidates' experiences.
‘Coffee Hire’ A modern way of hiring Cultural Fit candidates
Finding a suitable candidate for the organization is a significant problem for talent acquisition experts. However, selecting one for cultural fit is a more difficult undertaking. The ability of a company to discover cultural fit candidates above outstanding talent may be the key to its success.
MNCs and worldwide brands each have their own approach for attracting brilliant talent, but start-ups may have a unique method for attracting candidates that are cultural fit over talented. Simpl, is one such example, having embraced ‘Coffee hire’ approach to locate cultural match applicants.
Finding the right mix of abilities and cultural fit is like hitting the lottery in any young organization. The correct talents are like the perfect engine, while cultural fit is like the GPS that keeps everyone on the same road and headed in the same direction.
Simpl, a platform that provides checkout services to D2C firms, has carefully developed its hiring process to assess not only talents but also cultural fit.
One of the most difficult aspects of hiring is identifying the ideal individual for the job. Sneha Arora, Chief Operating Officer of Simpl, said, “it’s becoming progressively harder to differentiate individuals who not only have the essential skills but also the enthusiasm and adaptability needed to thrive within the organization, especially when considering the cultural aspect.”
As technology advances, resumes have begun to resemble one another, failing to convey the individual individuality of each person.
As a result, the organization has developed successful techniques for attaining both the necessary skills and cultural fit. In addition to standard means of talent acquisition, the organization actively engages in outreach operations. This includes interactions and meetings with people who have the potential to be significant future talent.
This is characterized as a “coffee hire,” in which company leaders participate in casual coffee chats with possible candidates, usually for senior positions. Even if there are no specific employment openings at the moment, Simpl makes a concerted effort to meet and interact with people through social media platforms like Linkedin.
This allows them to not only get to know people better, but also learn about their experiences in their respective industries and enterprises.
“Simpl include its CEO and CXOs in this practice.” Individuals may grow enthused about the difficulties we are solving as they become better acquainted with our organization. When the proper chance presents itself, this is how some of our hiring, particularly at the mid-senior and senior levels, have occurred.”
The start-up relies heavily on university hiring for new or entry-level personnel. The organization hires fresh graduates from certain institutes, such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), such as IIT Kharagpur and IIT Kanpur.
“Hiring from universities has the benefit of shaping and nurturing new graduates.” We launched a rigorous internship program and extended pre-placement offers (PPOs) last year. This year, we will continue to work with institutions to acquire young people fresh out of college,” says Arora.
Simpl has built a strong alumni base by making campus hiring a routine practice. It also organizes interactions between college students and alumni to help them gain insight into company life, expectations, and the nature of work.
The organization relies heavily on employee referrals to find the proper cultural fit. “When we have open positions, we will occasionally post ‘hot jobs’ with a referral bonus incentive.” This method has proven to be incredibly effective, and we are pleased of our workers’ strong commitment to suggesting suitable prospects,” says Arora.
Simpl implemented, Two main projects as part of the company’s talent strategy in terms of skill sets, job functions, and organizational levels.
The first step is to create a systematic career framework, often known as “career architecture.” It allows employees to gain clarity about their professional development. It also assists them in comprehending the criteria for progressing from one level to the next, as well as ways to improve in their existing roles in order to acquire a specific rating or be recognized as top achievers.
“Our goal is to build a career architecture that defines the competencies and skills needed for various job functions at different organizational levels.” “This approach aims to provide employees with clear guidelines on what they need to do to advance within the organization, as well as identify areas where they may need to improve,” Arora explains.
Furthermore, the corporation conducts its yearly ‘talent evaluation,’ which was formalized last year. This is a collective assessment in which managers from a certain team or group gather to evaluate the top-performing employees based on established criteria such as performance and alignment with business values.
“Each employee receives a comprehensive dossier that includes their self-evaluation, performance evaluations from their manager regarding goal achievement, and feedback gathered from peers, senior stakeholders, colleagues, and, where applicable, direct reports.”
This procedure provides a solid foundation for identifying and adequately rewarding high achievers. Furthermore, it improves consistency in our evaluations, and we believe it is a data-driven approach to the entire process,” Arora explains.
Simpl, which was founded in 2016, has been working hard to establish its culture, with an emphasis on two crucial components.
For starters, it integrates ideals into daily practices. For example, in the last year, the company began the process of developing its core principles and holding lengthy discussions with its staff. It also held workshops with the leadership team to establish the concepts and behaviors that the people desire to follow.
In addition, the organization has taken steps to incorporate these values into its day-to-day operations. Employees, for example, conduct a 360-degree feedback assessment for themselves throughout both the mid-year and annual cycles.
This method enables them to identify individuals who may provide feedback (stakeholders) and get assessments on how well they embody the company’s values, assess their strengths, and suggest areas for improvement.
Second, the organization invests in leadership development to foster the desired organizational culture. It recently launched the ‘Elevate’ leadership development project. “We believe that culture and leadership are inextricably linked, and that strengthening our leaders contributes to our cultural robustness.”
“It’s often said that ‘people don’t leave organizations; they leave their managers,” says Arora, emphasizing the critical role of managers in sustaining and strengthening culture.
Furthermore, when reviewing possible applicants, the organization prioritizes cultural fit. “At Simpl, prospective employees frequently go through four to five interview rounds,” Arora reveals. Assessing cultural alignment is critical during the debrief process.
While making decisions, we consider if they can uphold our basic values, prioritize customer pleasure, work quickly, and participate in constructive disagreement. Our ideals serve as a guideline for determining how well someone will fit into our culture.
In April 2023, the company laid off around 150 employees. It was due to market conditions as well as the company’s overhiring. This has, however, had no impact on Simpl’s overall talent acquisition and hiring strategy.
“Simpl, organizational priority has not changed, and they remain committed to growing their business. ” We are putting a significant emphasis on execution and are constantly pursuing new collaborations with retailers to expand our user base,” Arora ends.
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