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finance & strategy
This indusTry’s GoT TalenT:
Learn How to Get It —and Keep It
By Adam Perrotta, Assistant Editor
Attracting and retaining the industry’s top talent can mean the difference between being at the forefront of innovation and eating your competitors’ dust. It’s a candidate’s market, and several macro-level developments have increased demand for employees with particular experience and skills. Employers must keep a keen eye on these hiring trends, while also understanding what employees value in a position—and it’s not always a higher salary. Amy DeBerg, founder and president of payments recruiting firm R&P Group, shares important lessons from more than 15 years of helping companies hire and keep the industry’s best.
the Allure of stArtups
Payment startups are entering the industry every day. With so much new demand for talent, estab- lished firms might worry that the new kids on the block will take aim at their top employees. But such fears are largely unfounded, says DeBerg. “Startups often are leery of candidates who have worked all of their careers in es- tablished companies,” she says. And, when established companies request someone from a startup, they often find their corporate cul- ture may not be a happy match for people who succeeded in startups.
The rare exceptions are “startups” that operate as divisions within a larger company. DeBerg cites cli- ents, including Amazon, Univision and Walmart, that have worked with her firm to fill positions in these “companies within compa- nies.” These internal startups, which have services and resources beyond most standalone startups, have successfully hired new em- ployees from both startups and established companies, she says.
“Whether a person has worked
in a small startup or a large es- tablished company, the one factor that best determines success or happiness within a startup is his level of risk acceptance or aver- sion,” says DeBerg. “People who enjoy taking risks and the poten- tial payout of more risk are often the right people for a startup.”