《111-2 GHRM608》The Introduction of Recruitment in Startup

Human Resources Competency Development class (GHRM MBA), instructed by Professor Shyh-Jer Chen and Professor Heidi Chang, invited Grace Kuo from PicCollage, a US start-up company. PicCollage provides a canvas for combining photographs and movies with artistic elements and templates. Ms. Kuo is currently the People Operations Manager at PicCollage, and she shared how the recruitment process works at start-ups. She has a master’s degree in Global Human Resource Management from National Sun Yat-sen University and a master’s degree in Science and International Business from Nottingham Trent University.

Ms. Kuo began her session by providing a brief introduction to the company and her professional experience. PicCollage is a team of 100 culturally diverse members based in Taiwan. The company received its initial funding from Silicon Valley investors. As a result, the company's business principles combine Silicon Valley's enthusiasm with Taiwan's ingenuity. Ms. Kuo then asked the students, "Which one is more important for startups? Is it the product, the market, or the people?” The answers from students varied. Ms. Kuo emphasized the importance of startups understanding when to catch the wave. Ms. Kuo also added, “You may have the most extraordinary people and the best product, but it will all be for naught if you miss the moment to join the market.” Even the most successful products, such as the iPhone, have been waiting a long time to catch the wave.

Along with introducing the concept of startups, Ms. Kuo also introduced the notion of startups as well as a recruiting process model and how the recruitment funnel is used to refine the entire process, making it more efficient. During this session, certain questions were raised, such as "How can we effectively use the findings from the recruitment funnel in the work processes, considering that the numbers may vary due to uncertainties?” Ms. Kuo then shared the use of several goal-setting methods, such as MVP (minimum viable product) and OKR (Objective and Key Result). Some successful companies, such as Google, LinkedIn, and others, have followed the OKR method. This framework provides a clear image of what each person must accomplish with quantifiable results, which helps align them with the team's or business's objectives. The MVP approach in HR allows HR departments to prioritize the most important parts of their processes, resulting in faster implementation, lower costs, and more successful outcomes.

Ms. Kuo also mentioned the retrospective 4Ls (Liked, Lacked, Learned, and Longed for) method as an After Action Review (AAR) approach for team projects. She emphasized that PicCollage is a startup with limited resources, such as money provided for each project, so they must use it well in order to achieve the best results with the fewest resources. By going through AAR, unnecessary processes or steps can be eliminated when taking on similar projects in the future, thus saving both time and money. After the sharing session, students were randomly assigned to groups to practice OKR for goal setting, providing an MVP of their action, allocating the budget, defining it, and explaining the logic behind their decisions.

Mr. Kuo's lively and enthusiastic lecture had a positive reaction, and the students learned a lot from her practical knowledge. Overall, participants provided positive feedback. They considered this sharing session beneficial in the future when selecting the HR role in a start-up. The class highly appreciated Ms. Kuo's effort to come to Kaohsiung and her valuable experience.