My internship experience at Talent Carriage

In this article, Vardaan CHAWLA (ESSEC Business School, Master in Strategy and Management of International Business (SMIB), 2020-2023) shares his experience as a Business Development intern at Talent Carriage a human resource shared services startup in New Delhi, India.

About Talent Carriage

Talent Carriage is a New Delhi-based startup that brings innovation to Human Resources by specializing in Human Resource Shared Services (HRSS). It was launched with the vision of simplifying HR processes for small and medium organizations, they offer a unique solution for businesses seeking efficiency in their human resource process and cost reduction.

Logo of the company.
Logo of Talent Carriage
Source: the company.

What is shared services: Talent Carriage was established with a focus on the evolving needs of modern workforces and companies, Talent Carriage leads the shared services model for HR for medium and small-scale companies in India. This model centralizes all common HR tasks, such as administration, payroll, benefits, and recruitment processing, into a centralized unit. Centralization of all common tasks helps free the organization’s HR professionals and allows them to focus on more strategic and big-picture tasks like the growth and development of their employees.

Benefits for Businesses of All Sizes: Even though Talent Carriage’s services are well suited for organizations of all sizes their core offerings are inclined towards startups and growing businesses. They prioritize streamlining processes and the use of flexible technology which can help organizations reduce costs.

This shared services has three great benefits:

Increased Efficiency: In order to improve efficiency and eliminate redundancies for the client. Talent Carriage helps the client to centralize their HR processes like payroll and benefits. With such redundant work out of the way, the HR personnel have the time and capacity to lead strategic initiatives that help in the company’s success.
Standardization and Consistency: The shared services model also leads to consistent HR practices across an organization. Businesses with multiple locations and/or departments derive great benefits from HRSS.
Enhanced Employee Experience: The employees have a single point of contact for all their HR inquiries. This centralized approach leads to a smoother and more efficient experience.

Three-Step Engagement Model: Talent Carriage implements its HRSS solutions in an organized manner. Their three-phase approach of interaction includes:

Suggest: Consulting with the customer to ascertain their unique HR needs and objectives constitutes the first step. Then they analyse the organization’s current HR processes and recommend a suitable shared services model for them.
Implement: After a plan is finalized by both the client and talent carriage. It is Implemented and Talent Carriage trains staff on the new processes and help with a smooth transition.
Maintain: They also offer continuous support to the client organization. Talent carriage’s work goes far beyond initial implementation to ensure the success of their HRSS model within the organization. They also provide technical assistance and monitor for ongoing problems and optimization opportunities.

By leveraging Talent Carriage’s expertise in HRSS, businesses can achieve significant improvements in efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and employee experience.

My Internship at Talent Carriage

In the summer of 2023, I did my internship at Talent Carriage. There I had the opportunity to explore the exciting world of HRSS and business development (BD). Talent Carriage is a dynamic startup in New Delhi, India. It is the leader of how small and medium organizations manage their HR and I was excited to be a part of its journey. My Internship was in the Business Development and Sales department of the company where I had the opportunity to hone my skills in identifying new business opportunities and displaying the value proposition of Talent Carriage’s HRSS model to as many organizations in India as I could.

My Missions

As a BD intern, I was on the hunt for new markets and organizations to spread the word about talent carriage and the benefit of HRSS. My job was to conduct market research and competitive analysis which helped me build a 20% bigger database of potential client databse. In order to complete this process, I had to research market trends, pinpoint businesses in need of HR process optimization, and assess the competitive environment. Following this, I also carried out surveys to learn more about the HR requirements of various Indian companies. I was able to create buyer personas and comprehensive profiles of our prospective customers thanks to the survey. Together with the sales team, these personas assisted me in developing BD strategy and practical insights. In addition, we were able to customize our strategy for various clientele groups, which improved the focus and efficacy of our sales pitches.

Required Skills and Knowledge

In order to succeed in this challenging role. I needed several skills including Research and analytical abilities which were very important in understanding and analyzing market trends. After this, I also improved my communication skills in this role both written and verbal. While conducting surveys and sending cold emails and sales pitches I honed my skill of communication by effectively communicating the benefits of Talent Carriage’s service. Building rapport and effectively presenting our solutions were key aspects of the role, requiring strong interpersonal and presentation skills.

What I Learned at Talent Carriage

This amazing summer internship helped me learn and hone various skills and pushed me beyond my comfort Zone. To begin with I gained a deep understanding of HR and how transformative HR-shared services can be for all organisations. The fast-paced and challenging environment also helped me hone my research and analytical capabilities. The most important skill I learned was clear and concise communication. This skill was crucial to creating good sales pitches and cold emails. Identifying the needs of organizations and tailor-making a sales pitch and presenting it compellingly.

Financial concepts related to my internship

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

I found that knowing CAC was essential to the Business Development position at Talent Carriage. The average cost of gaining a new client is referred to as CAC. For BD teams to evaluate the effectiveness of their sales activities, this statistic is crucial. Talent Carriage calculates the cost per lead generated and, eventually, the cost of obtaining a new client who signs up for their HRSS services by examining our research and outreach efforts. An effective sales approach is shown by a low CAC in comparison to the revenue a client generates. Our understanding of CAC, helped us adjust our outreach strategies to focus on the most economical market groups and improve the overall sales strategy.

Return on Investment (ROI)

While CAC focuses on the cost of acquiring a client, ROI analyzes the return on investment generated by a client. ROI would be determined by comparing the revenue from Talent Carriage’s HRSS services against the costs associated with acquiring and retaining those clients. We were able to evaluate the effectiveness of Talent Carriage’s business model and identify areas that required improvement thanks to our understanding of ROI. When sales presentations emphasize the financial benefits for potential customers and demonstrate the favorable return on investment (ROI) that the HRSS model produces for clients, they become more appealing.

What I learned during my internship

The three main things I learnt during my internship at Talent Carriage are as follows: I gained information about the structure and working environment at Talent Carriage. I learnt about digital transformation, particularly HRSS Proccess. I acquired an insight about the soft and hard skills required to work as an Business development Intern.

Useful resources

Talent Carriage

Bhavna Deuglo What is HRSS and How Can It Benefit Your Business?

About the author

The article was written in November 2024 by Vardaan CHAWLA (ESSEC Business School, Master in Strategy and Management of International Business (SMIB), 2020-2023).