We Connect Talent is a human resources (HR) team for businesses that can’t hire an HR team.
Small to medium sized businesses don’t always have the resources to hire an entire team to do their recruiting and hiring, but they still need to hire great people. We Connect Talent does the work for them.
Founded
Paul Jaques
Tyeler Gomez
Shay Manawar
The Problem Being Solved
Because of their size, many businesses do not have structured HR teams and struggle to find quality talent. Some are unable to attract passive candidates because their brand is very regional and many simply find screening resumes a time-consuming task.
We Connect Talent does this work for the company. They clear out the bad resumes and only refer the candidates that are the best fit for the businesses culture and vision.
They aim to save a company a tremendous amount of time and money.
Where the Idea Came From
Paul was heavily involved with the business community statewide and often had owners reaching out to him asking if he knew an accountant, or a Java Developer that could fill their open position. “9 times out of 10 I did,” says Paul. “So I started the business to start capitalizing on my personal connections.”
Exciting Opportunities
“Connecting two parties looking for new opportunities is exciting,” says Shay.
Every day they interact with businesses and their owners who are looking for candidates but are too occupied with the day-to-day operations.
They also connect with prospective candidates that are currently working in big corporations but are ready make a switch to lesser-known, yet growing companies. Top-notch talent, especially young professionals seek work-life balance and a more respectful culture.
Connecting these two groups is We Connect Talent’s passion and mission.
Target Customer
We Connect Talent wants to help small to medium sized companies who don’t have an HR department and are frustrated by the lack of talent they are receiving from their current firm or hiring process.
Biggest Challenge
“The biggest challenge has been juggling the amount of open positions that we currently have open with the small amount of staff,” says Paul.
To overcome this challenge, We Connect Talent is shifting some of their focus on to the product development and software tools that could help them scale and increase their productivity. “Our lean approach is the key.”
Surprises
They have been surprised at the amount that some traditional recruiting firms charge yet still lack efficiency.
Funding
We Connect Talent has been bootstrapped thus far and the team is happy to say they are debt free.
The Future
In one year, their goal is to find constituency with their repeatable model and scale across Michigan. They will launch their first mobile application in 2016.
Advice
“Do not take no for an answer,” says Paul. “But make it fuel for you to change and press on with your company or idea.”
Shay’s advice steps out of the realm of business while still relating back. “Pick a sport / game you always wanted to play and join local leagues,” he says. “You will learn how to compete, face a defeat, strategize and work as a team.”
Connect
