We treat people as our most valuable investment
Being an investment company, we view each spend we make through the lens of return on investment (ROI).
Therefore, when hiring, we analyse every employee’s skill set and background to establish what potential is there. We see this for everyone who is part of JKR – after all, it isn’t just assets that generate revenue but also our team’s expertise and relationships.
In the new workplace era, salary trends are a thing of the past. Each individual talent knows his or her price and it is the employer’s willingness to meet their expectations that sets the final number. Not only this, but if you make the right recruitment decision then your hire can prove to be a real game changer for the company.
The importance of hiring the best people on the market cannot be understated – employing the right top talent is an investment that can bring far greater returns than just investing in a portfolio company.
Such an approach allows our team to be passionate about what they do – without salaries being the only primary trigger for motivation.
We stick to our principles
Our recruitment approach comes down to two essential factors: first, whether the candidate shares our values; and second, whether they have the expertise to do the job.
Values are not just a fancy word to us. Be decent is the first and most important quality on our list. One can have all the talent and skills but we probably won’t stay together for long if they’re not a person of integrity.
We also believe that each employee has to be passionate about their job since if they don’t enjoy what they do, how can they enjoy building a successful business of the future together?
We encourage everyone on our team to be open towards each other, as well as to new opportunities, because that creates a culture of transparency and grows the team together, which is key to growth. We also challenge everyone to take ownership of their decisions, which is how most of our team is self-driven. And last but not least for us, is lead by example, since to cultivate the values and the right culture at our company, you need to back your words with actions, whether that’s employees, partners or anyone with whom you cooperate. We strive to make it a basis for everything we do: every process, deed, plan and strategy, as well as all new partnerships – each is based on the values of JKR, and only signed accordingly.
Of course, expertise is just as important because at the end of the day, business is business. But while culture can never be understated, it’s the synergy of our potential team members’ skill sets that boosts our business to another level.
We don’t limit ourselves by guidelines and circumstances
While we have selection stages and frameworks in place, it’s all about moving fast and adapting quickly. Such agility allows us to quickly switch the ‘mode’ of our hiring process, which means we can be quick and hire the best people fast.
Location also doesn’t limit us – we’re always open to hiring around the world – even if it means constant airport lounges and endless Zooms.
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Although it is easy to fall for the illusion that the market is huge, the tech-entertainment industry is more niche than one thinks.
At the end of the day, it’s the company with the greatest talents on board that wins the best business and, in turn, brings the most ROI.
That’s why at JKR, we offer unlimited vacations, paid sick leave, medical insurance, parking spaces, sports, a ‘work from any place’ policy, and numerous other fringe benefits. Besides that, we do our best to offer a job that brings purpose, as well as a true sense of fulfilment.
In a modern business ecosystem like ours, HR is no longer just an admin or counselling function – it’s essential to our working environment. To help build a successful entertainment business, HR has to understand the company’s strategy and know-how to enhance the working experience. Modern HR is a proactive business partner that takes ownership of the company’s decisions, adding to its growth and prosperity, and this is the approach that we are dedicated to developing further.
Victor Bartenev is human resources director at JKR Investment Group, a leading investor in tech entertainment and igaming with extensive expertise across the industry. Viktor started his career in recruitment before moving to the executive search industry, where he joined global market leader, Korn Ferry International. Living between Israel, Russia and Serbia, Viktor has led transformational processes for major industrial corporations in different HR fields and business units including general HR, recruitment, employer brand and corporate culture change. He has more than 12 years of experience in HR management.