NearSt
NearSt is a tech startup helping people find and buy products in shops nearby, by making the world's local inventory 'shoppable' from your smartphone. Users search for a product they want, NearSt shows them exactly who stocks it nearby in real-time, and allows them to order it for collection or one-hour delivery in just a few taps.
Nick Brackenbury: Co-founder
Why were you interested in recruiting Birkbeck students?
Our company is growing and we needed to bring in both new ideas and talent, but couldn’t commit to hiring a permanent member of staff. Birkbeck provided the perfect match for this, with a wealth of talented and enthusiastic students looking to build on their own expertise alongside their studies. Their partnership with Santander to part-fund internships really made it a no-brainer for us.
What was your Birkbeck Talent experience like?
The service was super useful! The candidate CVs we received matched our brief and job description well, and we were able to interview a really good range of students before making a decision. Birkbeck’s students are great, because they invariably come with existing career experience. I would definitely recommend Birkbeck Talent to other employers!
What do you look for in a candidate?
We look for someone who is firstly passionate about our mission and what we’re trying to achieve, and then for someone who is clearly capable of learning quickly as they go. When you combine these two characteristics, it’s hard for someone NOT to succeed.
How have the Birkbeck Talent recruits contributed to your team?
Our recruits have brought in not only fresh ideas, but a real willingness to learn and improve the way we do things. As a start-up, we’re learning vast amounts every day, and having an intern who is also studying has meant they’ve been perfectly calibrated to this mind set, right from the start.
What are the benefits of working at Near St?
At NearSt we’re working on a huge mission that can improve the lives of so many different people. But this mission is also incredibly difficult to turn into a reality. What this means is that every day we’re discovering and learning how to solve truly epic challenges, and for each challenge solved we see this mission coming that little bit closer to reality. Every day involves learning something new, making something impossible possible, and moving a huge vision that bit closer to becoming a reality.
Do the team at Near St have any hidden talents?
One of our team believes that they are a world class singer, and regularly serenades the rest of company with their soulful tunes. Those being serenaded continue to believe that this talent is truly well hidden.