How is Talent Branding For a Tech Startup Different From an IT Services Organization
Talent brand, unfortunately, is not a one size fits all solution. The strategy and tactics that worked for industry/company will not work for another even if the skills required for a job are the same. In this post, we discuss how talent branding solution for a tech company varies from an IT services organization.
Table of Contents
#1 Work Culture
Let’s start with the obvious one. The work culture of tech startups and IT services organizations is quite different. It’s a well known fact that tech startups typically have a more relaxed and informal work culture, with more autonomy given to employees. They are also expected to take initiatives — the so called hustle culture.
In other words, at an early stage startup, one developer may be expected to shoulder the responsibility of developing the feature of a product by themselves from coding to deployment to testing. without a team to fall back on.
In contrast, IT services organizations tend to have a more hierarchical work culture, with more emphasis on processes and procedures.
Listed below are some examples based on policies that may have been prevalent at some point in time. This is to just to illustrate the difference and not in anyway to showcase one is better over the other. One may argue flexibility came at the cost of job security given mass layoffs.
Autonomy:
For example, at Airbnb, employees are encouraged to take ownership of their projects and given the freedom to experiment with new ideas. In contrast, IT services organizations may have a more hierarchical structure, with more centralized decision-making. For example, at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), employees follow a well-defined project management process that outlines each employee’s role and responsibilities.
Flexibility
For example, at Shopify, employees have the option to work from home or take time off when needed, as long as they meet their deadlines. In contrast, IT services organizations may have more rigid schedules and policies. For example, at Infosys, pre-Covid employees were required to work from the office and adhere to strict working hours.
Collaboration:
For example, at Slack, employees are encouraged to share ideas and work collaboratively to solve problems. In contrast, IT services organizations may have more siloed teams and a less collaborative culture. For example, at Wipro, employees work on specific projects with their teams and may have less interaction with employees from other teams.
Work-life balance:
For example, at Tesla, employees have been known to work long hours and weekends to meet ambitious targets. In contrast, IT services organizations may have a more balanced approach to work-life.
Do you know how talent perceivees your brand? Audit it now.
#2 Target audience
The target audience for talent branding is different for tech startups and IT services organizations. Tech startups are typically looking for individuals who are willing to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, and are willing to take on multiple roles. On the other hand, IT services organizations are typically looking for individuals who have specialized skills and can deliver services to clients.
Let’s take an example of a fintech startup vs BFSI vertical. How do the skillsets and talent brand differ?
Fintech Startup:
The focus will be on highlighting the opportunity for rapid career growth, the chance to work with cutting-edge financial technologies, and the ability to make a real impact on the company’s success.
Financial experts: Deep financial understanding, experience in banking or finance, financial modeling, risk management, investment analysis for innovative financial products.
Tech-savvy individuals: Experienced in software engineering, mobile app development, data analytics. Collaborate with product and technology teams to develop fintech products.
Customer-focused individuals: Passionate about delivering exceptional customer experience, experienced in customer service, sales, or marketing. Drive growth and engagement through customer-centric strategies.
Entrepreneurial individuals: Thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, experienced in startup or business launch. Help build and scale fintech startup’s business operations.
Now let’s look at the BFSI vertical:
The focus will be on highlighting the opportunity to work with prestigious clients, the chance to work on complex and challenging projects, and the ability to make a real impact on clients’ business success.
- BFSI Experts: Deep understanding of financial industry, risk management, compliance, and experience working with large BFSI firms.
- Tech Experts: Experienced in software engineering, data analytics, and AI, and worked with large enterprise clients.
- Project Managers: Experienced in managing large-scale technology projects, client relationship and stakeholder management.
- Compliance Experts: Experienced in risk management, internal audit, and compliance monitoring.
#3 Innovation focus:
Innovation is a key driver for tech startups, and it is important for them to attract individuals who are innovative and creative. Therefore, talent branding for tech startups is focused on creating a culture that fosters innovation and creativity. In contrast, innovation is also important for IT services organizations, but their focus is more on delivering innovative solutions to clients.
#4 Business Model
Tech startups and IT services organizations have different business models. Tech startups are typically focused on creating innovative products or services, while IT services organizations are focused on providing services and solutions to clients. Therefore, the focus of talent branding is different for both. For startups, the emphasis is on attracting individuals who are passionate about innovation and willing to take risks, while for IT services organizations, the focus is on attracting individuals who have expertise in specific domains and can deliver value to clients.
Conclusion
While one can argue that working at a startup seems lucrative, as recent months have shown, it also comes at a cost of job security. The objective is to map a talent persona based on your industry / company and attract the intended audience. Not every tech talent is the right choice for your company. Some are more suited for startups while some are suited for large firms.
Overall, talent branding for tech startups and IT services organizations is different due to the differences in their business models, target audience, and work culture. While both are focused on attracting and retaining top talent, the strategies and tactics used are quite different.
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