In this episode of Talent Talks, host Dan Maisey interviews Siddesh Iyer, founder and CEO of Sportfin, to discuss effective hiring strategies and the nuances of managing volunteers versus paid employees and the importance of aligning values and personalities in the recruitment process for community sports organisations and startups.
Key topics include leveraging internships, balancing experience with trust, utilising freelancers, and adopting fractional staff for agility. The discussion also highlights the value of structured training programs, the need for diversity and external expertise within senior management, and the frustrating yet crucial nature of the hiring process. Siddesh also provides insights into the unique challenges in recruiting senior developers and the potential for centralised databases to streamline recruitment efforts.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction to Talent Talks
00:27 Meet Siddesh Iyer: Founder and CEO of Sportfin
01:17 Hiring Experiences and Lessons Learned
02:37 Values vs. Personality in Recruitment
04:42 Challenges in Recruitment and Training
06:48 Internships and Placements: Testing the Waters
09:56 Exploring Freelancers and Consultants in Sports
12:02 Building Structured Training Programs
14:46 The Importance of Trust in Senior Hires
15:40 Balancing Network and External Options
16:09 Experience vs. Values in Hiring
17:05 Understanding the Sports Industry Context
19:58 Challenges in Personality and Work Ethic
22:20 Developing Talent Management Processes
25:15 Frustrations in Recruitment
28:19 Best Hire and Desired Changes in Recruitment
30:30 Conclusion and Final Thoughts