Bangladesh is a country that heavily relies on the billions of dollars in remittances it receives every year, with freelancers being a significant contributor to this. While popular remote job platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer.com are available, many individuals also use platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google to find freelance work. However, with such widespread use of these platforms, competition is high, and many qualified individuals miss out on work orders. This can lead to feelings of depression and demotivation. AIRWRK is a Bangladeshi marketplace that aims to help individuals take their talents to the next level in the global talent pool, providing opportunities to overcome the hurdles of traditional freelancing platforms.
Overview
Airwrk is a leading tech talent marketplace that connects global businesses with top tech professionals in local markets. The company’s primary objective is to bridge the gap between employers and tech talent by providing a unique platform for both parties to interact and collaborate effectively.
The tech industry is a highly competitive space, with businesses struggling to find the right candidates due to the constant demand for qualified talent. However, Airwrk has addressed this challenge by creating a marketplace where employers can easily access a pool of highly qualified tech professionals in one location.
What sets Airwrk apart from other marketplaces is its transparent pricing model and deep vetting process. Unlike other platforms, Airwrk empowers tech talent to negotiate directly with clients and determine their pay, resulting in a fairer marketplace for both parties. Airwrk’s vetting process is rigorous, consisting of a three-step process, including an automated onboarding test, a live coding test, and a face-to-face interview to assess communication skills and cultural fit. Only the best performers who pass all stages qualify as Airwrkers, whom Airwrk can confidently recommend for any placement.
Furthermore, Airwrk acts as a talent coach and mentor, guiding its talent beyond job matching to find work that aligns with their career aspirations. With a commitment to excellence and a passion for connecting talent with opportunity, Airwrk is transforming the tech industry’s talent marketplace.
Journey Of Airwrk
Sayem Faruk and Rashedul Kabir, although coming from disparate industries, had a shared vision. Sayem’s previous experience in the food and beverages sector during the pandemic was arduous and compelled him to lay off many team members. This circumstance prompted him to ponder his decisions and prompted him to create a platform that would generate opportunities for talents on a grander scale.
Rashedul Kabir, on the other hand, had worked in several software development positions both domestically and internationally. In his last role, he observed that Bangladeshi engineers were paid less than their Serbian counterparts, despite producing comparable or better quality work. This realization made him contemplate the root cause of this disparity and the necessity of providing talented individuals in Bangladesh access to high-paying jobs in foreign countries.
When Sayem proposed the idea for Airwrk to investors, many expressed doubt about his capacity to develop the platform owing to his business school background. He came to realize that he needed to partner with a co-founder with technical expertise. After posting a one-minute video on social media, he connected with Rashed, who shared his vision and objectives. Both founders decided to devote themselves full-time to Airwrk, with Rashed contributing technical skills and Sayem bringing business acumen to the table.
The founders’ principal objective is to create a platform that empowers talented individuals in Bangladesh to succeed globally while introducing them to the best global practices. Airwrk’s goal is to demonstrate that Bangladesh can produce quality engineers who can compete with engineers from any part of the world.
Services
Airwrk is a pioneering talent marketplace that is transforming the recruitment landscape through its innovative platform. By providing startups with convenient access to skilled talent while bypassing the arduous process of traditional recruitment methods, Airwrk is revolutionizing the hiring process.
With its rigorously pre-vetted talent pool and a suite of time-saving tools, Airwrk is able to minimize recruitment costs and streamline the hiring process for busy startups. The platform is equipped with various tools that expedite the job posting and application processes, including scheduling features and a forthcoming Kanban board that facilitates the scheduling of candidate interviews and shortlisting of applicants for further consideration.
What distinguishes Airwrk from other recruitment platforms is its comprehensive library of tests that assess the skills of potential candidates, thereby ensuring an optimal match with the job requirements. In addition, the platform’s transparent pricing policy and information disclosure enable users to make informed decisions without any surprises.
Airwrk is committed to providing an exceptional user experience, as demonstrated by the recent addition of the video resume feature that enables candidates to showcase their skills and personalities in a way that is not possible with traditional resumes. Furthermore, the integration of ChatGPT simplifies the job description writing process on Airwrk.
Current Operation Of Airwrk
Airwrk is currently in its initial phase of development and has a team of 10 full-time employees and 4 part-time workers. The company operates on a core business model called the “hire model,” which involves a 10% retention fee paid by clients when a talent is successfully placed through the platform. It’s worth noting that Airwrk does not charge any fees to the talents themselves.
In addition to its hire model, Airwrk collaborates with teams and development shops to assist businesses in offshoring projects. This program operates on a revenue-sharing model, whereby Airwrk charges the business between 10-20% of the total project value.
Airwrk has the potential to monetize its product further by offering premium features such as filtering and multiple job posts. Furthermore, the company provides value-added services to its clients, such as equipment rental, co-working space booking, and health insurance, which incur additional platform fees with varying percentages.
Future Plan
From the outset, the objective was to develop a platform that affords equal prospects to all talented individuals in Bangladesh, irrespective of their location or skill set. The founders were cognizant of the fact that numerous individuals residing in remote regions lack access to the technological infrastructure essential for conventional employment. Nonetheless, such individuals could still make a living through freelancing. Their aspiration was to eliminate the impediments that restrict entry to opportunities and establish the nation as a novel center for remote employment, initially focusing on the tech sector, which is most conducive to remote work.
At present, the startup is in the process of raising funds for future expansion. The team is optimistic that with concerted efforts, they will carve a niche for themselves as one of the finest Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products to emerge from Bangladesh. The founders have a long-term goal of expanding their reach beyond the country’s borders. However, their immediate priority is to create a solid foundation for growth and success.
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