What it does: Offers an online service marketplace that assists customers in finding service providers for hire.
Best known for: being the leading online service marketplace in Southeast Asia.
Staff stats: Around 100 employees.
The good bits: The work environment is reported to be friendly and fast-paced.
The not-so-good bits: Long work hours.
The Kaodim Group is the pioneer online service marketplace in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, the company connects customers through its mobile and web apps with a wide range of verified service professionals including home and office cleaners, electricians, event organisers, personal trainers, movers and relocators, and photographers to name some.
Established in 2014 by two former Malaysian lawyers Choong Fui-Yu and Jeffri Cheong, the firm operates in four countries: Kaodim in Malaysia (Penang, Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur) and Singapore; Gawin in the Philippines (Metro Manila); and Beres in Indonesia (Jakarta).
Kaodim is a Cantonese word meaning ‘job done.’ Since its inception, the startup has raised US$11.6 million in funding over three rounds including a US$7 million infusion from Australian-based venture capital (VC) firm Square Peg Capital. Other VCs include 500 Startups (U.S.), Venturra Capital (Indonesia), East Ventures (Indonesia) and KK Fund (Singapore).
The work environment is said to be fast-paced as most employees are in their 20s and early 30s. They are expected to perform well and not fall behind as duties and targets change frequently in the organisation. Colleagues always collaborate to work more efficiently while being encouraged to be creative and innovative. The workplace promotes teamwork to better accomplish daily tasks and goals.
For work-life balance, the organisation makes the workplace comfortable and casual. Employees can play table tennis, do their jobs at the breakout areas or in the café, and report to work in informal but appropriate clothing. They can also come in for free breakfast, snacks and drinks from office vending machines. And work can be done from home and at flexible hours depending on their team requirements.
The organisation is a firm believer in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the idea behind the company is to assist people in the small and medium enterprise (SME) economy. One of the key areas that the institution focuses on is to assist SMEs to professionalise and market their services better. This is made possible through certifications, background verification and providing a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs. These efforts drive more demand for their services and help them grow their business.
At Kaodim, employees will be challenged to be part of a fast-paced work environment. They are encouraged to be constantly creative, analytical and results-driven. However, the long work hours that their roles entail may lead to physical and mental stress over the long haul.
The organisation looks for diligent and results-oriented candidates who possess excellent written and oral communications skills in English. These creative and analytical individuals must also be capable of working independently with minimal supervision and under pressure.
Upon submission of their resume online through the company website, aspiring candidates must wait within a month for the response. Once shortlisted, they will receive a phone call from human resources (HR) for pre-screening. They will then be scheduled for an assessment test and a series of interviews.
When candidates pass the assessment test which focuses on personality and IQ, they will be interviewed by HR to evaluate their behaviour. Questions may include:
Candidates will then go through a group interview with the country or operations manager and members of the hiring department to assess their cultural fit. Questions may include:
For technical positions, candidates will be given a take-home assignment to be completed in five days. The difficulty may vary according to the roles. Their submission will be evaluated based on the correctness of the solution, coding style and clean code, unit test and coverage, deployment and documentation.
Upon completion of the hiring process, successful candidates will be notified within a week. The offer will be given either through phone or in person.
For interns, the reported monthly allowance during their six-month training is given at 800 RM (Malaysian ringgit). On average, the monthly salary for the positions of content marketing assistant, HR assistant, accounting assistant, junior analyst, customer service representative, administrative assistant, and software developer assistant range from 2,500 to 4,000 RM.
Undergraduates can join the company through the Kaodim Internship Programme that will give them the opportunity to experience working life in the organisation and to gain knowledge of the e-commerce industry. Assigned projects or tasks will be handed to them with the guidance of senior employees. During the six-month period, their performance will be assessed for possible employment extension or permanent positions.
Internships are available in the following areas: web development, mobile development (iOS & Android), software quality assurance, data analytics, operations, vendor engagement, content marketing, digital marketing, human resources and communications.