India has emerged as one of the fastest growing startup nations in the world. It is ranked third globally in terms of job creation and innovation. The country has witnessed the rise of around 50,000 startups in 2018. Moreover, around 1300 new tech startups were born in 2019 alone. This speaks for the massive reach and scope of startups in the country. The leading startups of India are transforming businesses by embracing innovation and proceeding towards development and prosperity. A leading player in one such industry (recruitment) is Shortlist. It is a talent technology company that helps employers in India and Africa use data to build world-class teams. The company offers recruitment services that are enabled by a technology platform that screens candidates using an automated chatbot and online skills-based assessments, letting employers skip the most time consuming and bias-prone phase of hiring.
Emphasis on Excellence
The company provides a wide array of offerings ranging from full-service recruitment for mid to senior positions on its tech platform, to a lighter-touch software solution to a highly customized executive search offering. This allows employers to efficiently and objectively identify top talent for junior, mid-level, and even executive-level roles. With offices situated in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Nairobi, it has provided services to over 500 clients across 20 countries, of which more than 350 clients are from India. Shortlist has an impressive line up of esteemed clients including DHL, ITC, Dunzo, Ather, UberEats, Rockefeller Foundation, Google, Zee, Milaap, Epigamia, Sula Vineyards and many more. The company raised a $2 million Series A funding round led by Blue Haven Initiative in January 2019.
The Genesis
Before the company’s inception, its co-founders Paul Breloff and Simon Desjardins (along with third co-founder Matt Schnuck), were impact investors in India and Africa. During this time they realized that recruitment and access to talent was consistently the number one barrier to growth facing these promising enterprises. Their companies were facing difficulty in selecting the right person for a job, while candidates were stuck in a demoralizing cycle of applying
to hundreds of jobs and never hearing back. This led to the inception of Shortlist with the goal of matching talent with promising opportunities leveraging smarter data and technology.
Upholding Team Values
Shortlist embodies five team values, which define it as an organization. These are as follows:
“Own it: Own yourself and your work. Don’t wait; see the needful and do it. Generate discipline. Drive for results.”
“Act with intention: Do the work to get clear. Buck convention. Big goals start with small steps; step with purpose.”
“Find the adventure: Changing the world should be fun. Inject spirit into the everyday. Be bold. Dream loud. Swashbuckle.”
“Be a whole person: We’re more than our work. Seek balance and health. Learn from differences. Unlock your potential.”
“One team: Teammates come first. Mood is infectious. Listen loudly. Feedback is a gift. “We” instead of “I”. When the team wins, we all win.”
About the Visionary Leader
The person stewarding Shortlist towards excellence is none other than Paul Breloff, the CEO and co-founder of the company. He was also the Founder and Managing Director of Accion Venture Lab, a financial-inclusion-focused venture capital fund. Prior to that, Paul worked with SKS Microfinance, leading on business development and strategic partnerships. He has a B.A. from Amherst College and a law degree from Yale Law School.
Bagging Numerous Accolades
The company has always focused on delivering the best, and its dedicated efforts have been recognized by many. It has been named among ‘Top 5 Companies with Great People Managers’ from Small Enterprise Category by Forbes India’s 100 Great People Managers for 2019. Shortlist CEO Paul Breloff & CTO Sudheer Bandaru have been named among India’s 100 Great People Managers for 2019 by Forbes.
The company was named among 10 Shortlisted AI Startups By Facebook, T-Hub for India Innovation Accelerator programme in 2019. It was also shortlisted for the 2019 MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge. Shortlist has also been listed as one of India’s’ 20 most promising HR tech startups‘ by CIOReview India in 2019.
Dedicated Services
On Shortlist, job applicants have to go through an intensive vetting process before making it to the client’s dashboard as a potential candidate. Firstly, a chatbot provides information to the candidates on requisite criteria s such as relocation, salary preference, and experience level, among other things. Next is the assessment stage where the candidate performs on-the-job tasks (for instance, a finance candidate would answer questions about a balance sheet) to gauge their ability to excel in the role. Based on these inputs, Shortlist creates a holistic, skills-based profile of the candidate for the employer to engage with on the platform.
Overcoming Challenges Efficiently
The company opines that the single biggest challenge for growing companies and startups is finding the right talent to scale. “We believe that both job seekers and employers deserve a better way to find each other and gauge fit,” Paul Breloff, CEO and co-founder of Shortlist states. It regards that looking past the pedigree and refocusing on potential and demonstrated ability is the first step towards a world where everyone gets a shot at fulfilling professional experiences.
A Class Apart
Shortlist conducts detailed research, finds and engages the right talent online. It screens candidates’ performance using interactive online questionnaires and assessments. The company automates data collection and determines whether candidates meet recruiting requirements. Additionally, it provides candidates a positive recruiting experience that will strengthen their employer brand
