Second cohort comes to a close

30 candidates interviewing with 20 different StartUps.

The second Libra Careers cohort concluded in February with our largest number of candidates meeting, interviewing and securing jobs with the widest variety of StartUps we’ve worked with to date. As ever I was blown away by the sheer quality of talent and roles on show, with both candidates and StartUps eager to discover their next opportunity.

The 30 candidates were selected from over 900 applications and represented an almost complete set of Russell Group universities. Perhaps of even greater value was the experience in the workplace that they relied upon during the cohort. The majority of candidates had two or more years’ worth of experience in roles with larger corporates or other StartUps. These career switchers brought a different angle to the training sessions and I was delighted to see how they were able to share their experiences to the benefit of all.

Amongst the candidate group were soon-to-be-graduates looking to steal a march on their future careers when leaving university. These current students are currently interviewing, giving fast-growing StartUps the chance to compete for the best talent with established companies who start their recruitment cycles as early as the second year of university. This might take some planning on behalf of the StartUps but in order to build a talent pipeline into StartUps, there is a pressing need to create pathways akin to those well-established in the corporate world.

At the heart of every cohort is the training of these talented candidates. We have consulted with dozens of StartUps to learn what it is they find most challenging when early career professionals join them. Key themes identified included a lack of understanding of the structure of StartUps and challenges when communicating with different stakeholders. In response, we designed a 5-stage training programme that culminates in two days of live training during our cohort. Trainers for this Cohort included Sonia Bamford of CANDEY, winner of The Times Lawyer Of The Week at a top commercial law firm, and Christopher Ralph, a leading figure in Two Circles – the pre-eminent sports marketing consultancy in Europe.

I was delighted to welcome back StartUps that have hired from us previously. Nothing says ‘job well done’ then StartUps coming back for more! Equally exciting is the new group of StartUps joining us for the first time as our StartUp partner community grows.

Good luck to all the candidates now in roles with StartUps… and bring on the next cohort!

Oscar Hardy

CEO