The journey of how this CEO built her team with Kalibrr

It not easy starting a business on your own. You have to do all the legwork that any new startup would entail—conceptualizing, financing, talking to potential investors, to enduring the long lines at government offices for process your business registration. It’s a tough job to start with and at some point, every entrepreneur must face a challenging decision: is it time for me to hire my first employee? Hiring your first employee can be daunting.You’ve had this idea of what you want your startup to be and now you’re finally ready to move on to the next level and grow your business. But what if they don’t work out? What if they’re incompetent? What if they don’t deliver? As in any arena of business, we will never know for sure if your new employee will deliver and make you proud. You only have to be patient with their growth, provide support, and coach them whenever necessary.

We interviewed Kristel Tan, CEO, and founder of new startup Tanlines Philippines, a travel company that is aimed towards independent travelers. She shares with us her experience in looking for her first employees, the challenges she faced with time and budget, and how she contacted Kalibrr Pro to help her find her two new hires.

Kalibrr: As a new business, what were the challenges you faced in finding the right people for your company?

Kristel: The main challenge at the beginning was figuring out what positions I’m looking to fill exactly. As a startup, you tend to do everything. But as you get bigger, you start to realize that you need to be more organized with your departments (marketing, finance, operations). I started to focus on my strengths and weaknesses as an entrepreneur and what things I needed other people’s expertise in. 

I’m great with operations and the finance side of the business, and not good in marketing. So I needed a marketing team to help me market my business and attract customers. That was when I started to think about the actual positions I’ll be hiring for. 

Kalibrr: How difficult was it for you to find the right employees?

Kristel: While I was trying to do it myself, it was really, really tough. I spent so much time not just looking for people but interviewing them. I felt like it was a lot of time and energy wasted. 

I looked through different job platforms, asked for referrals from colleagues and friends. A few of the people who were very qualified were out of my budget reach. I was also looking for specific candidates who were young, fresh grads with that millennial spirit. As a startup, I wanted to hire go-getters, independent individuals with fresh, strong ideas. 

Kalibrr: How was the process like when you decided to seek out the help of Kalibrr Pro?

Kristel: It was really fast. I got to the point where I realized that I couldn’t do it by myself anymore. I needed to form a team fast. So I went online, went to Kalibrr and there were two services — the subscription and the Kalibrr Pro — I wasn’t sure what the difference was. So I just filled up the form and gave them my contact details. In less than 24 hours, 3 people from Kalibrr called me up. I was able to speak to just one person and he walked me through your different services. I was keen on getting Kalibrr Pro because that was what I needed to get immediate hires, and honestly, I didn’t want to do the interview process on my own anymore. 

A few days after that talk on the phone, I met with the Kalibrr Pro recruitment team to calibrate with the job positions I was hiring for. We calibrated not only for the job requirements but as well as the kind of personality and character I was looking for. For me, that part was important in forming a great team and work environment. That part was really great because it added a human element to the discussion.

Kristel’s final thoughts: I was really impressed with Kalibrr Pro. It actually made my life so much easier. I’m willing to pay for a service where I feel that it was worth it, and I feel like Kalibrr is really worth it. If you really need someone right now and fast, it really is an option that you should think about. I value people and the relationship you make with each other, Kalibrr is nothing short of that and it’s a service that I would definitely pay for. 

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