There was a time when every IT graduate dreamt of working at Google, Microsoft or an MNC of the same league. Not anymore. It is small start-ups that are swaying freshers these days. Abhishek Peri, a Software Researcher at Adloid is one of these. Peri studied computer vision and robotics at IIT Madras and then moved to Guugram-based Adloid, a 3D visualisation and Augmented Reality (AR) tech start-up. “I like the working culture at start-ups as it offers a greater and varied learning curve. Also, there is a lot of interaction between different departments, which helps me learn more,” he says.
Agrees Namrata D’Souza, HR Manager at AR Toy Company Play Shifu, who says: “The design and marketing team often seeks my input, which is unheard of in big companies. Even to get a promotion, one has to wait for three years there, which is not the case in a start-up.” Likewise, start-ups also prefer freshers, reveals Mukul Shah, COO & Co-Founder, YoloBus, a portal for online bus ticket booking. “About 15 per cent of my team has freshers from IITs, IIMs and ISBs. They come with fresh ideas and energy as they are exposed to a lot of projects and practical ways to solve the problems at their campuses.” Start-ups Adloid, Play Shifu and YoloBus hired a number of freshers this year. But the trend actually started last year in the lockdown when many start-ups mushroomed.
What shifted the balance in the favour of a start-up is the multitude of responsibilities that one is entrusted with, and the learning that comes with it. “I had many offers but I chose my present company since beginners are heard here. At MNCs, even for taking one small decision one has to seek several approvals,” says Tanmay Sadhu, a B Arch from IIT Kharagur who has joined a US-based Ed Tech as a Product Developer. Agrees Kanav Singla, Founder & CEO, Adloid: “We give them some responsibilities from Day 1 so they turn into better managers and leaders in future.
By handling different issues, they get a clearer idea about what they want to do.” Adloid hired 18 freshers this year. Play Shifu hired 10 straight off college. Stating that the mindset of youngsters has changed, Singla says, “They are not looking for dream companies but dream jobs. At an MNC, it is just another brick in the wall story — you are trained for three years before you are given any independent job, which can get boring. Here, the recruits are allowed to make their own inventions as well.”
Bhaskar Singhania (IIT Kharagpur), Product Analyst, Adloid, who searched the company on Linkedin, reveals that a lot of “big companies” had come for campus interviews, “but I was very clear that I will join only that company where I get to learn more. This place is quite agile, and I get to wear a lot many hats, which is professionally very satisfying,” he adds.
Money Matters
Here too there is a paradigm shift in the thought process. Salary is not the only thing that matters unlike earlier. As Singhania says, “The learning I would get outweighed the salary considerations.” But in a start-up one can rapidly reach a high salary bracket. “They might start with a lower package, but depending upon your calibre, get huge jumps, and in a couple of years the salaries can match up to those at MNCs,” points out Singla.
“It is less about the pay package and more about work I get to do,’’ says Swati Gupta, a management graduate from IIM-Bangalore, working as a Growth Lead at YoloBus, adding that her work involves a high level of ownership and impact which enthuses her. “A start-up also gives you a toolkit in case you want to start your own venture in future,” she smiles. There are some like Sadhu for whom social impact is important. “Sure, others offered higher salaries, but I wanted to be part of a company that solves some social issues,” he says.