“Going together” is the message that many startup projects aim for on their journey to the market. Besides the spirit of creativity and core values of the product, the human factor is emphasised as a solid foundation. In this foundation, the role of the operator is extremely important.

Ms. Dang Thanh Thien (left) discusses work with staff at Delight Agency. Photo courtesy of Dang Thanh Thien

“Startups are different from traditional businesses. For example, opening a coffee shop, traditionally, business people can grasp the operation method through research, reference or existing experience. On the contrary, a startup has to do new things that no one has done yet,” said Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Duong, 37, the co-founder of the UC Talent project - a hi-tech human resource recruitment platform on the third generation web platform (Web3) about his and his colleagues' startup experience.

Increase connections

At the recent Da Nang Innovation and Startup Competition - SURF 2024, the UCTalent won the first prize for its creativity, bringing an effective and cost-effective recruitment solution to the technology market through the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology.

Searching for the right job has become increasingly challenging and frustrating. UCTalent aims to alleviate this by helping talent construct comprehensive profiles, enabling accurate matching with suitable job opportunities. At the same time, it uses AI pairing algorithms to suggest suitable candidates, helping employers increase the efficiency of their personnel search.

With the first version completed in January 2024, the project launched a hi-tech job platform and an AI career assessment feature; and at the same time, it attracted 600 customers, connected more than 500 applications and three recruiting companies using the product. That was a positive start to a difficult journey, which according to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Duong, was the ‘from 0 to 1’ stage in the context of harsh competition with popular technology recruitment platforms such as ITviec, Vietnamworks, TopCV and Linkedin.

“Starting a business is doing something new, so startups often have difficulty visualizing how the product will be brought to market, how the resources will operate. After receiving investment, No. 1 will develop into 100 and more. The most difficult thing is to assemble your ideas to suit the needs of customers,” Mr. Duong emphasized. In the midst of the difficulty, the UCTalent development team told each other: “Because the project is new, starting from zero, we have nothing to lose, we can try many different options”.

The team consists of more than 10 people, in addition to the core of IT personnel in fields such as software development, community development and data analysis, Mr. Duong has also connected people who are good at marketing, market, blockchain and recruitment. Notably, among them, there are people who have never met each other in person but only connect and work together via virtual space. This also raises the question for those who are new to the project: “So how can everyone work well and synchronize with each other?”. “They may not have met each other in person, but they all have one thing in common: they have met me in real life,” Mr. Duong said.

In those meetings, as the co-founder of UCTalent, he became the central circle to inspire, share the strategic direction and the meaning of the product to each member. Then, from the process of accompanying, people with the same aspirations and trust in UCTalent will be a long-term force attached to this project. For Mr. Duong, connecting people is as important as pitch investment capital and coming up with product development ideas.

Respect and harmony

That is the sharing of Ms. Dang Thanh Thien, 31, the CEO of DeLight Agency - a young brand in the field of communications and events in Da Nang when it has just appeared on the market for less than one year. The unit has a direct and new approach to the market in many fields such as creating corporate identities, digital marketing, designing media publications, organising events and building communication videos.

“Cooperation and creativity are decisive factors for the sustainable development of any business. DeLight itself is always open to suitable opportunities”, Ms. Thien shared. From this criterion, DeLight Agency has reaped the first sweet fruits of the season when connecting with many partners such as Da Nang Port, PNJ, DRC, Sacombank and Ford..., thanks to a team comprising of many creative personnel.

Having worked in many related jobs, Ms. Thien understands the differences in thinking and working perspectives between generations in the business, including the relationship between GenZ (the generation born between 1997 and 2012) and previous generations such as GenX and GenY. For example, while many young GenZ people tend to be willing to change jobs after a while, GenX and GenY tend to have a stable job for many years. GenZ is considered to be more responsive to information and trends on social networks. There are also many differences in interests and lifestyles between generations.

D.V.M, 21, a student at the University of Economics, a member school of the University of Da Nang, an intern at a startup, said: “In the early stages of my internship, I used humorous images and songs about young people that were spreading on social networks for a project, with the idea of attracting customers. However, the product was not good in the eye of some customers and they asked for revision because it “looked too youthful and not suitable”. From there, I understood the difference in the feelings of generations and learned to be open-minded when working”.

M.’s sharing is considered a “daily story” that can happen anywhere. “In a multi-generational family, there are still conflicts, so it is inevitable in the workplace. Therefore, a principle in my work is to create an environment where everyone can work together, share work and revenue; encourage employees to work for the common good, with the same goals and working culture. This is suitable for the development of the business, taking advantage of the diversity in each person’s capacity”, Ms. Thien said.

Taking an example from her small business, Ms. Thien said that the activities that DeLight carries out with partners are also opportunities for employees to share, learn and develop together. At that time, the common interests of the enterprise are considered as "sweet fruit" shared by everyone, and everyone benefits when working together. Therefore, each person should respect the differences to integrate, adjust to suit the company's requirements and the values of each generation, especially if working in an environment that requires creativity and flexibility like startups.

Reporting by XUAN SON - Translating by A.THU