Helping one billion people or bust \u2013 that\u2019s the goal at Phenom People, an HR and talent acquisition technology company that helps giant organizations such as Hershey\u2019s, Southwest, and Microsoft hire more effectively.<\/p>\n
While it sounds like a tall order, it\u2019s a mission that CEO and co-founder Mahe Bayireddi takes very ![\"Mahe](\"https:\/\/cdn.comparably.com\/00000000\/b\/2019\/03\/Mahe-Headshot.jpg\")
seriously. \u201cIt\u2019s the only reason why our company exists,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you look at\u00a0the purpose of the company, it\u2019s to help a billion people find the right job. When we say a billion, we do mean it. We know that LinkedIn has 500 million people on their platform. We are talking about doubling that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phenom People<\/a>\u00a0started out in 2011 with nine people. Today, the Pennsylvania-based firm has over 400 employees in seven countries across the globe. Throughout the expansion, Bayireddi has continued to focus on building a culture that believes in that mission. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about growing our business, it\u2019s also about how big of an impact we can generate across the globe,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n And it seems to be working: three out of four employees at Phenom People say the main reason they stay is the company\u2019s mission, according to data<\/a>\u00a0compiled by Comparably. That\u2019s a striking figure, especially when compared to the broader population: in general, the most popular response is \u201ccomfort and familiarity,\u201d with just 13% of people choosing mission.<\/p>\n In that spirit, Bayireddi recently shared several hiring and culture-building practices that business leaders in any industry can learn from to build solid employer brands.<\/p>\n 1.)\u00a0Treat the interview as an opportunity to really learn someone\u2019s story.<\/b><\/p>\n While many hiring managers get caught up in mundane questions that could easily be answered with canned responses, Bayireddi prefers a more thoughtful approach, asking questions such as \u201cWhat is your story?\u201d or \u201cWhat have been the three most crucial moments of your life?\u201d He finds that the responses tend to reveal how people process the ups and downs in their life, as well as their aspirations. \u201cEveryone in life goes through the good and the bad,\u201d says Bayireddi. \u201cI\u2019m trying to understand what they\u2019re trying to do and who they want to become.\u201d<\/p>\n 2.)\u00a0Identify your own definition of an A-player.<\/b><\/p>\n It may be tempting to look at companies you admire and strive to hire similar types of people, but Bayireddi says it\u2019s best to identify your own specific needs first. \u201cAn A-player for Phenom may not be an A-player for Google,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n A key part of that process involves identifying the skills necessary for the job and team. According to Bayireddi, there are only a handful of things that a person can really do well, and it\u2019s your job as a business leader to figure out whether the skills you have are aligned with the needs of the business. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if we\u2019re talking about Steve Jobs, Obama, or Gandhi, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, so we need to focus on the areas we\u2019re really good at to continue excelling in them.\u201d<\/p>\n In the interview, it\u2019s also crucial to look out for red flags. At Phenom People, a big one is negativity. \u201cIf somebody is talking super negatively about their ex-boss, and not just in one job, but in three jobs, we\u2019re going to have a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n 3.)\u00a0Make the offer in a personal way.<\/b><\/p>\n Many companies stick to the tried-and-true way of making an offer to someone by phone or email. At Phenom People, team managers go the extra step and make an offer via video. They gather the whole team, record the welcome video, and send it off to the new hire. Bayireddi says doing it this way immediately creates a sense of bonding and warmth for the entire team. \u201cIt should feel like it\u2019s a family; it is a family.\u201d<\/p>\n In situations where someone may have multiple offers, Bayireddi says his best advice for sealing the deal is to offer someone access to top leadership. \u201cAccess is one thing people really connect with,\u201d he says. It comes down to fulfilling that need in people to feel recognized and seen. \u201cPeople are attracted to that more than money.\u201d<\/p>\n 4.)\u00a0Take time to self-reflect.<\/b><\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day bustle, but as a business leader, it\u2019s important to step back and take a big picture look at what you\u2019ve done and where you\u2019re going. Bayireddi practices this in a deliberate way: once a year, he gives himself three days of silence. \u201cI go quiet,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt helps me think about what I should do to be a better leader.\u201d<\/p>\n When it comes down to it, you want to employ those who believe in your mission and use it as their work\u2019s purpose. It should be bold and measurable so that it is achievable. Once it\u2019s established, build core values around your mission and hire with them in mind. Curiosity, responsibility, intensity, self-confidence, and positive thinking are all reflected in every Phenom employee, empowering them to help one billion people find the right job.<\/p>\n More from Phenom People\u2019s Culture Snapshot on Comparably.com<\/b><\/p>\n Helping one billion people or bust \u2013 that\u2019s the goal at Phenom People, an HR and talent acquisition technology company that helps giant organizations such as Hershey\u2019s, Southwest, and Microsoft hire more effectively. While it sounds like a tall order, it\u2019s a mission that CEO and co-founder Mahe Bayireddi takes very seriously. \u201cIt\u2019s the only … Read full-story <\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":7278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,3],"tags":[95,69,417],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7275"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7275"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7317,"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7275\/revisions\/7317"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Screen](\"https:\/\/cdn.comparably.com\/00000000\/b\/2019\/03\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-15-at-12.10.58-PM.png\")
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Bayireddi sees Phenom People\u2019s calling as a way of giving back to the world and leaving their mark while there\u2019s an opportunity. \u201cNo business exists for 500 years,\u201d he says. \u201cWe want to do what we can with what we have now.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Screen](\"https:\/\/cdn.comparably.com\/00000000\/b\/2019\/03\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-15-at-12.24.52-PM.png\")
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