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Christopher Young: A Founder’s Frustration Unveils a Profitable Solution

Learn how Christopher Young turned a problem into a solution and why, even when things get tough -- you should never stop.


Most talent acquisition managers, hiring managers, recruiters and small business owners realize how laborious the interview process can be. Generally, it’s difficult and time consuming to track the status of multiple candidates, standardize the process, reduce travel and scheduling costs and ensure you’re interviewing the right candidates during the first round.

Christopher Young, the founder and CEO of Philadelphia based Async Interview, learned the hassles of the interview process first hand while working at a university sponsored co-op program.

“Async Interview was born out of my personal frustration,” explains Young. “I wanted to provide a way, with video interviews, to streamline hiring decisions and help with scheduling for both candidate and recruiter alike.” Fast forward a few months later and the fledgling company offers a solution to efficiently select the highest caliber candidates from the widest range of sources.

Learn how Christopher Young turned a problem into a solution and why, even when things get tough — you should never stop.

 

Company: Async Interview
Founder, Age: Christopher Young, 23
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Industry: Human Resources
Startup Year: 2010
Startup Costs: Undisclosed

 

How I Got Started

In my experience at Drexel University’s co-operative education program, I gained months of resume-enhancing experience before graduation. My co-op offered paid employment in positions related to my major tnat were consistent with my interests. During the program, I was exposed to the in’s and out’s of the interview process and it was something that really interested me.

I faced challenges in my first co-op with scheduling 23 interviews in 4 weeks. From those experiences, I went on to found my company, Async Interview — an online video interviewing tool that helps you select better candidates faster.

Async Interview is a video interviewing tool that allows you to conduct video interviews by inviting candidates to record unrehearsed responses to your questions. Using just a webcam these responses can be recorded at any time by the candidate. Your team can view these responses whenever and wherever it’s convenient, allowing them to make better and faster decisions.

The company was born out of my personal frustration with the inefficient and laborious interview process. Since both candidates and hiring managers endure scheduling hassles, we created a solution to give them a mechanism for conducting interviews quickly and efficiently.

 

Best Success Story

I think for an entrepreneur with an idea, there is a moment prior to the revenue, big clients, and profitability stage where he or she recognizes that an idea can become a tangible thing. For me, being able to visibly see our product – the video interview tool – was so gratifying because I knew hard operational work was to follow.

 

Biggest Startup Challenge

We elected to recruit additional people to help with the technology development. Technology resources are difficult to find for the right value. There are plenty of large firms that would sink our firm’s burn rate, but we chose to spend more time searching to find an individual or two that was both qualified and motivated.

 

#1 Tip for Entrepreneurs

Don’t stop. I heard the analogy that being an entrepreneur is a lot like being on a roller coaster. I’m starting to believe it, only my roller coaster will never end and I’m okay with that. Things get tough. Whether it’s a hiccup in your technology, a customer complaint, or a lost prospect … find something to balance out negative events.

Stay connected with Async Interview on Twitter.

 

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