From Experimentation to Success: Benjamen Oladokun’s Experience with the Venture for Africa Model
Are founders missing out on top talent by not exploring alternative recruitment options? Venture for Africa sat down with Benjamen Oladokun, Co-Founder of Shekel Mobility, to learn more about how his startup built and maintained a pipeline of talented candidates while staying flexible with recruitment options.
It can be difficult to assess a candidate’s full capabilities solely based on resumes and interviews. Sometimes, hidden talents and valuable skills can only be fully appreciated when individuals are given the opportunity to showcase their abilities in action.
Does Trial-to-Hire Improve Hiring Outcomes?
Startups embarking on a growth trajectory often encounter a challenge when it comes to identifying the right talent. The conventional interview process, although commonly used, may not always yield the desired outcomes, and the quality of candidates can be inconsistent, leaving startups uncertain about their true potential.
This dilemma arises because it can be difficult to assess a candidate’s full capabilities solely based on resumes and interviews. Sometimes, hidden talents and valuable skills can only be fully appreciated when individuals are allowed to showcase their abilities in action.
At Shekel Mobility, the Head of People and Culture is usually responsible for hiring. But when Benjamen learned about Venture for Africa (VFA) and its immersion experience, the team decided to give it a try.
One of the ways VFA supports startups is by connecting them with a pool of talented candidates through what you might describe as a trial-to-hire model. This model allows companies to test a candidate before making a final decision, reducing the risk of making an unsatisfactory hire.
By allowing potential employees to demonstrate their skills in practical settings, startups can gain deeper insights into their abilities and make more informed decisions about hiring, ultimately contributing to the growth and success of their ventures. “It’s a good model because it allows you to test before you make that final choice,” says Benjamen.
Benjamen was quite impressed with the high quality of the candidates in VFA’s talent pool and spotlighted it as a valuable resource for startups looking to hire top talent. “After the candidate settled in, the experience was ultimately really, really good. And one thing for me was the high quality of the candidate. Having the candidate as a fellow showed me how much potential they had in that role first-hand,” Benjamen highlighted.
The Importance of Daring Founders and Builders
…short-term hires can be extremely beneficial for companies if the team understands how to properly manage, onboard and leverage them.
Daring startup founders and team leaders are crucial for the success of any new venture, as they are the driving force behind innovation and creativity — which can also be reflected in how founders choose to hire talent.
One common characteristic of founders who choose to work with VFA is an openness to trying out new things. Less adventurous founders are usually sceptical about hiring someone who isn’t ready to commit full-time right away. The rationale behind this sentiment is usually that building a startup requires a significant amount of time, energy, and resources, and founders want to ensure that they have a stable and committed team to see the venture through to success.
However, short-term hires can be extremely beneficial for companies if the team understands how to properly manage, onboard and leverage them — and often they can set a solid strategy and foundation for future longer-term positions.
At VFA, our model assists startups in accessing talent through a 3-month immersion program.
Our approach allows companies to cut down on interview time and quickly evaluate the potential of these candidates with relatively low risk. During this program, teams can closely interact with individuals who are interested in joining their teams, observe them in action delivering predetermined outcomes, and potentially evaluate whether it makes sense to hire them as full-time team members.
This makes the VFA approach a cost-effective and efficient solution for companies looking to add experienced talent to their team.
When we asked what advice he would give to other founders considering working with VFA, Benjamen encourages founders to be daring and try out new things. He believes that startups at any stage can benefit from VFA’s talent pool and simplified hiring process. “I think if they get the opportunity to use VFA, they should absolutely try it, especially for one or two roles that they’re trying to fill,” explained Benjamen.
Conclusion
Shekel Mobility’s positive experience with Venture for Africa’s trial-to-hire model demonstrates the value of exploring alternative recruitment options.
This model allows candidates to immerse themselves in the actual work environment, enabling our partners and the community of experienced talent we’ve built to assess mutual compatibility and gauge skills effectively.
By fostering a sense of transparency and trust, this method of hiring enables companies to make more informed decisions when building their teams.
At Venture for Africa, we understand the value of enabling talent to soft-land into a new role, market, or industry. We work closely with companies to bridge talent gaps at the continent’s fastest-growing companies by helping startups rethink how they hire.
If your company is seeking a sustainable pipeline of quality mid- to senior-level talent, becoming a Venture for Africa partner provides access to skilled professionals who can deliver key results from day one.
Visit our website to learn more about how we can help you source experienced non-engineering talent.
