After the first period in which a Star Up has consolidated its main processes, has found investors interested in its product and has actually proved to be productive and innovative, the small business starts a process of Scale Up, that is a process of expansion and consolidation. There are various aspects that the Start Up will have to face in this period, but probably the most critical is the growth of its workforce. This step is critical precisely because of the small nature of the Start Up, which is not congenial to the search for talent. For this very reason, Head Hunting for Start Up is the best solution.

The Problem

Of course, in order to get out of the Start Up status and become a real company, it needs more workforce. But at this point, two problems arise contrary to growth:

Unlike larger companies, a Start Up doesn’t usually have the appropriate staff to seek out new talent. In fact, it is unlikely that within a workforce of five or six people, one of them will be in charge of Search and Selection. If the start-up decides to take care of the expansion in total autonomy, then the task will be entrusted to non-specialized personnel. This will necessarily result in lower efficiency.

This is because of the small number of people who are part of the firm, and everyone tends to play a key role. Therefore, if the start-up decides to entrust one of its members with the Search and Selection, he/she will have to either balance his/her normal commitments with the new task, or suspend his/her normal commitments until the new staff member is hired. In both cases, the start-up risks paying for it in terms of productivity.

The Solution: Head Hunting for Start-Ups

The solution is therefore to outsource Personnel Search and Selection. This means relying on Head Hunting agencies. They will allow your Start Up to grow and your staff to remain focused on its objective.  In Italy these agencies are many and offer an excellent service. In two respects, however, they are lacking:

They are having a hard time keeping up with the times: because of the way they operate, many Head Hunters seem to be having a hard time harnessing the technological revolution of the information age. In fact, thanks to the Internet, it has undoubtedly become much easier to search for jobs and share a job posting to a large number of people. In spite of this, many Head Hunters continue to approach their clients in the same way as in the past: a contract is signed with a successful FEE (but often with advances), the Search and Selection process begins, and after a variable period of a few weeks some candidates are proposed to the client. This doesn’t take into account new tools that allow the client to find many candidates on their own (for example, Linkedin); on the other hand, a closer and more constant communication between Head Hunter and client.

They lack reliability: if you have already turned to a Head Hunting agency, you may have had the bad experience of having outsourced the search for a position, but without achieving any results (perhaps even paying an advance). This is because, working to success, traditional Head Hunters will prioritize searching for easier, less time-consuming profiles. It comes down to simple common sense. For example, let’s say a Head Hunter is working with a FEE of 20% of RAL. He is assigned to search for two positions, both with similar RAL. If he knows that the first search will require 20 hours of work, and the second will require at least 40, which one will he prioritize? For a small company that urgently needs a specific profile to grow, this defect could be “deadly”.

The Ricercamy solution

Ricercamy makes up for both shortcomings:

1. Thanks to our cloud sharing tools, we’ll always be in touch. Plus, because you’ll be purchasing hourly packages from us, you’ll be the one to point us to the service you need. Want us to take care of the entire process? Great! Already have an ad posted on Linkedin that has received 200 applications and need help screening resumes? That’s always fine with us. With Ricercamy, the service is totally transparent and we will adapt to your needs, not the other way around.
2. Thanks to our transparency, you will never have to entrust us with a job and not hear back from us for weeks. As we like to repeat, our aim is not to sell packages (we clearly don’t mind) but that you come back to us after a first collaboration.  In case we realize that the search is having problems (the required characteristics are unobtainable, the proposed RAL is too low…) you will be informed immediately. In this way, we can solve the problem together. With us, your small business can grow. Our aim is to help you grow – after all, that means you’ll be giving us more work.

Now you know why headhunting is right for startups and which agency is best for you. Remember, our goal is to grow with you!

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