We met at their Seattle offices, composed of two floors connected with a sweeping “Cinderella” staircase, in an office building overlooking Puget Sound. The topics of conversation? Where Indeed is headed in 2017, how the company has highlighted the tech community’s diversity struggles, and how its internal startup Indeed Prime is revolutionizing job placements.
Job Growth in Tech Is Strong, But Localized
Indeed’s growth in the upcoming year aligns with the growth in jobs across the nation: They’re expanding. Tech jobs in particular are on the rise, with around one million openings expected over the next five years. While there are a few funny anecdotes to share — “Right around the election, there were a lot of people searching for jobs in Canada,” Raj tells me — the main trends are stable. Seattle, for instance, is home to a booming tech industry, so many new jobs are expected to appear in the area, from both large and small companies.
Indeed Is More Than a Job Search Site
The company has many secondary motivations in addition to simply helping visitors find an opening. It’s a lesson that applies to many companies: Brand loyalty can’t always be measured in data points, but it is always meaningful. We see ourselves as a mechanism to help any job-seeker in the world find their life’s best work. That’s the product mission: Putting job seekers first. So the question then is: How do we build tools around everything —job search being one of them — that allows them to achieve that? If you understand what job seekers’ needs are, and know how to help them in their career, then ultimately you have an brand allegiance that goes far beyond them looking for a job once.”
Why the Tech Workforce Needs Diversity
One question Raj addresses: How Indeed can help to develop a diverse workforce. Earlier this month, the company reported on a survey that found nearly a quarter (24 percent) of all respondents “felt they had been personally discriminated against at their current company.” It’s an issue that the tech industry has been slow to recognize: According to a recent LinkedIn study, less than five percent of white men surveyed said they considered a lack of diversity a “top problem.” But the numbers indicate the problem should be taken very seriously.
So how can a startup founder build a healthy, diverse culture in their company?
On ‘Indeed Prime,’ the Company’s Internal Startup
Indeed Prime helps connect top tech talent with the top tech companies. The service has been growing across plenty of markets in booming tech cities like Seattle, San Francisco, Austin, and Boston, and has landed big-name key customers including Facebook, Uber, and Open Table. Raj explains how it works: And once you bring someone in, understand that not everyone has the same worldview that you have. Being respectful of diverse opinions and saying ‘hey, you can disagree with me’ builds a culture. Connecting people is essential. At a bigger company, you can start to build mentorship network. You can create groups where people can talk about diversity and inclusion. There are a lot of things that aren’t commonly very heavy on a company’s balance sheet that can be done that actually leads to a tangible culture that’s sustainable and inclusive.” To hit this goal, Indeed Prime tries to find applicants from non-traditional backgrounds: Prime operates fairly autonomously within Indeed, and is an example of the company’s dedication not just to helping people find a job, but to helping them find their dream job.
Startups Take Note
One group of companies that’s majorly affected by the job placement struggle? The startup community. Indeed is definitely small business-friendly: Companies can try out a 30-day free trial of the Prime service, no matter how small. […] Startups find it difficult to find the right engineer sometimes, because they can’t tell their story very well. So it’s connecting those dots and matching a great engineer with a great potential company. And doing it at scale.”
The Bottom Line: Job Satisfaction
That’s a mantra that’s hard to disagree with. “Look, apart from marriage and buying a house, jobs are one of the most important things you’ll ever do. It’s something that’s core to who we are as human beings. That’s why we take this so seriously.” Photos courtesy of Indeed
