National Basketball Association (NBA) Case Study
Netting Best Applicants
Helping NBA set up their India base
Gwen Lockington
Head of HR, Asia & India at National Basketball Association (NBA)
"Talhive has been an outstanding partner for NBA in helping us find top engineering talent in India. Their team has a deep understanding of our requirements and has consistently delivered high quality candidates while remaining extremely responsive throughout the recruitment process. They have helped us fill crucial engineering roles with ease, and we highly recommend them as a recruitment agency to any organization seeking top tech talent."
The Story
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media business that operates a professional basketball league, widely popular and viewed globally. The NBA had plans to set up their India technology team in Mumbai and had been searching for a while. They wanted an expert search firm to help them expedite the closures.
The Challenge
NBA faced several challenges during the recruitment process, including:
Slow Process - Timezone & Availability
Scheduling interviews and coordinating with candidates and interviewers across different time zones was a significant challenge due to the NBA’s global presence. The time difference made it difficult to find a suitable time for both parties to connect and made the hiring process slower than desired.
Limited Candidate Pool
During the recruitment process for NBA’s Indian team in Mumbai, they discovered that the pool of qualified candidates for the specific skillset was limited. As a result, it was challenging to identify candidates with the requisite skills and experience within the given geographic region.
Confidentiality
The NBA had a strict no-poach policy against certain direct competitors and sports companies, which narrowed the pool of potential candidates and made it harder to find suitable candidates.
Possible Dropouts
The NBA had an amazing yet rigorous process for conducting reference checks, which could take up to 30 days for approval by the hiring team. This was a challenge, especially for immediate joiners or those serving notice periods, as they would have to wait until the reference check was
through.
Talhive’s Solution
To address these challenges, Talhive provided the following solutions:
To address the challenge of scheduling interviews across different time zones, Talhive encouraged the use of video conferencing tools to facilitate virtual interviews. This gave greater flexibility in scheduling and minimized the impact of time differences on the hiring process.
Talhive addressed the challenge of a limited talent pool in Mumbai by proactively exploring multiple channels and platforms to reach a diverse range of potential candidates. This allowed them to identify the most suitable candidates and build a strong team for the NBA’s Indian operations.
To address the limitation of not being able to hire individuals from the sports industry due to the No-Poach clause, Talhive explored candidates from other industries with relevant transferable skills. This broadened the pool of potential candidates and increased the likelihood of finding the right hires.
To alleviate the challenges faced by candidates during the reference check process, Talhive adopted a proactive approach. They maintained regular communication with the shortlisted candidates, keeping them informed of the various stages of the reference check process to reduce their anxiety levels.
Moreover, Talhive worked closely with the NBA leadership team to ensure that the candidates were aware of their status and the timelines for the hiring process. This helped to give candidates a greater sense of control over the situation and helped to mitigate any feelings of uncertainty or hesitation they may have experienced.
The Outcome
Talhive’s efforts resulted in the following:
Within two months, they were able to fill two essential technology roles for the NBA’s Indian team, specifically a Publishing Developer and a Frontend Developer.
Talhive achieved a 100% rate of accepted job offers. As the NBA team was not familiar with the hiring landscape in India, Talhive served as a gateway to the Indian market for them. The NBA was delighted with the outcome and was able to fill the roles in a significantly shorter time than expected, thanks to Talhive’s assistance.
Talhive’s successful collaboration with the NBA leadership team has enabled them to build a strong partnership and establish a solid foundation of trust. This has led to further opportunities to work with them on expanding their team in India, which they are continuously pursuing with dedication and commitment