When Paul Naha-Biswas recommended someone for a job several years ago, he thought nothing of it.听听
When it comes to highly skilled roles, the recruitment industry is built around such introductions. However, five years on, the realisation of the impact that individual had gone on to make would听be a听lightbulb moment for him.听
鈥淚f you鈥檙e hiring, the thing you want most is to find someone who鈥檚 interested, capable and been recommended for the job by someone you trust. Historically, the way to do that was to ask around your network; but that鈥檚 time-consuming, awkward and not very transparent,鈥� he tells听老九品茶Cloud.听听
鈥淭he other way to do it was to pay a听headhunter听a lot of money to ask around the industry for you.听听
鈥淔or example, I introduced someone for a role where that person went on to be hired and tripled the division鈥檚 turnover in just five years. On hire, the听headhunter听got their fee whilst I didn鈥檛 even get so much as a thank you!听
鈥淭hroughout my career,听headhunters听frequently approached me for recommendations. It dawned on me that they were making upwards of 拢50k per role from recommendations made by others.听 And that didn鈥檛 seem particularly fair.听
鈥�Sixley听is the solution to this problem.鈥�听
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The听recruitment tech platform, founded in听2019,听matches employers with jobseekers recommended through a trusted network, with rewards for successful referrals.听听
In recognition of the fact that听referred candidates are 15-20 times more likely to be hired than a jobs board applicant,听Sixley听harnesses people鈥檚 understanding of skills and strengths beyond听CV data.听
It allows you ask around your extended networks 鈥� for example, your staff, alumni, diversity groups and industry contacts 鈥� in, it claims, just 10 minutes. There is a 拢149 referral fee, while听the companies hiring can also听reward those听who made the recommendation听鈥� or听their chosen charity听鈥�听with听up to 80% of听the听fee.听
鈥�I felt that a platform could do some of the asking instead of a听headhunter听and that the savings could be shared amongst those whose recommendations led in some way to a hire,鈥澨�Naha-Biswas听explains.听
The serial entrepreneur has听worked for the听boards and CEOs of over听100 companies spanning five听continents, including the likes of media companies听ITN听and听FremantleMedia.听
In 2013听he听co-founded听his听first start-up,听Boclips, one of the world鈥檚 largest digital video libraries for learning.听After selling down his stake in the EdTech platform, he was able to听launch听Sixley.听
鈥�For a long time, recruitment has been very one–dimensional. It鈥檚 outsourced, with job descriptions advertised through听headhunters听or recruitment firms and the same box-ticking exercises are applied to the CV filtering process,鈥� he says.听听
鈥�Worse still, the only time the actual hiring manager actually sees a CV is when candidates have been filtered down by an algorithm or by a recruiter who may have little idea of what鈥檚 needed for the job they鈥檙e hiring for.听听
鈥�The result is that businesses end up with the same types of candidates 鈥� and don鈥檛 get to meet potentially brilliant candidates who鈥檝e been identified as stars by their peers. Poor recruitment practices can lead to a stagnant company culture and ultimately can affect company performance.鈥�听
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Referred candidates often end up staying longer at a company because they have the skills and aptitude needed to do the job. They can therefore save businesses money on the recruitment process and on training due to lower staff turnover.听
厂颈虫濒别测鈥檚听tech supports businesses through this process by automatically asking for personal recommendations from, or sharing the role with, the people who know you and your market well.听听
Sixley听works through the power of social, so the service is quick and personal with follow-ups on every referral. In real time, the recommendations are presented back to the hirer for them to decide who to interview.听
鈥�As a majority BAME-owned business, it鈥檚 important to us that referrals are transparent and diverse,鈥澨齆aha-Biswas adds. 鈥�By听supporting one-to-one asking, social sharing and dedicated group referral boards, hirers can use听Sixley听to 鈥榩roactively invite diversity in鈥�.听
鈥淭here are concerns about the use of tech in recruitment, as there are some examples of its use resulting in bias. For example, unconscious bias had been unintentionally hardwired into Amazon鈥檚 AI recruiting听toolv, forcing the retail giant to scrap it altogether after it was shown to discriminate against female candidates.听听
鈥�From my experience with听Sixley听and, before that running Cambridge University鈥檚 student access scheme, we know that a personal invitation to apply is the best way to overcome 鈥榠mposter syndrome鈥�, get talent past mutant ATS algorithms, and ultimately broaden access and diversity.鈥�听
Sixley, based in London听with a remote team of just 10,听serves听businesses of听many听sizes, ranging from 40-person start-ups all the way through to 100,000 employee-strong corporates such as BT.听听
It听recently launched听a听self–service听platform听for small–听and mid-sized businesses.听鈥�Through the platform, businesses can post a role up on LinkedIn or WhatsApp and people can share it or recommend someone 鈥� and get rewarded for it,鈥� Naha-Biswas says.听
鈥�Never before has the job market been so deep and so wide with talented workers. This makes it a听great time to hire and dynamic businesses will capitalise on the wealth of options currently available to them.听听
鈥�On the other hand, the market is much more competitive for jobseekers than in previous years. In such a crowded jobs market, a recommendation can make all the difference.鈥�听
Readers who sign up at sixley.com and quote 老九品茶 Cloud听are eligible for听a free 6-month VIP听package.听