Sometimes we forget that recruitment interviews should work both ways. Recently, I have heard from many of my friends that they are in the process of changing jobs or reorganizing and that the recruitment interview stresses them out a lot. Most often they are afraid of difficult, strange or tricky questions:
- "what will I say when they ask what kind of animal I am?",
- "how do I answer the question of how to use a pen in a creative way?",
- "how do I know how many golf balls will fit on the bus?”.
Although such questions arise less and less frequently, we could talk about them for hours - but that's not what we're talking about today. Today we will focus on how IT recruitment interviews are conducted, what is often forgotten and what to avoid during them. What's more, you'll learn how we conduct the recruitment process at Advox, which will definitely help you during your own job interview!
Recruitment interview != exam
It works both ways
First, something everyone forgets - just as a company looks for an employee, an employee looks for a company. So the whole course of the interview should not be based on a question-answer scheme, a longer statement from each side often helps. By telling their story, the candidate often provides answers in advance to questions prepared by the recruiter and allows them to get to know each other better. It works exactly the same way in the other direction - but relax, this does not mean that it is necessary to prepare a 20-minute monologue. It's better to tell stories spontaneously, as in an everyday conversation.
Recruitment process - what does it look like in our company?
Recruitment processes take a variety of forms: several smaller meetings, one large interview, an assignment or even as unusual as going to an escape room. Our preference is to first meet with the candidate for a single interview and then (depending on the position) send an "assignment after". Why did we decide on this form? Splitting into two parts (strictly HR and technical) drags out the whole process and further stresses the candidate - we want to avoid this.
Let's get to know each other better - the HR part
Above all, we focus on conversation and getting to know each other! At Advox, we are always open to all questions and comments, including during the recruitment meeting. However, let's start from the beginning - the HR's job at the recruitment interview is to introduce the candidate to the company. We tell what the company does, what technologies we operate in and what our development looks like. Then it's the candidate's turn to tell us what he does for a living and what he's looking for in us. It is important for all of us to find out quickly whether we are a company that will meet his expectations and be able to provide him with the right space for further development. For this reason, when asked about experience with different systems or working with diverse teams, we immediately point out what it "looks like with us." In this way, we present the processes that operate in the company, while giving the candidate a preview of the work system. It is very important that such an action allows us to avoid empty questions, which in the perception of the interested party may be considered irrelevant.
Time for some theory - the technical part
A series of ruthless questions from a technical recruiter that makes you feel like you're at the blackboard - for most, the most stressful part of the interview. There is no denying that an important aspect of recruitment is to test the candidate's theoretical knowledge, making it sometimes difficult to avoid the exam format. We, however, always insist on minimizing this impression. In what way?
As with the previous part, we mainly try to explain how it is with us to work with a particular tool or function. However, it doesn't stop there! Each time we strive to engage the candidate in a story about what he likes to do and how he has worked so far. It is known - it is easier to talk about what we are proud of. A simple question about, for example, your favorite project gives you the opportunity to talk about your work system, the tools you used, your strengths, the problems you encountered and, most importantly, how you dealt with them. In most cases, such a "story" exhausts the recruiter's pool of questions. What's more, in this way an interesting discussion is born (e.g., about a function or an error), so you can get to know the candidate even better. On the other hand, the future employee gains ease during the recruitment interview and feels more confident.
What not to do at a job interview?
Online conversation? "Yes, we see it all."
Remember when you were in school or college and you thought no one would notice that you weren't listening during a lesson or lecture? Only when you had to give a presentation at the teacher's desk it turned out that from this perspective you could perfectly see every movement under the bench. You can see every person "sitting on the phone," whispering something in a colleague's ear, drawing in a notebook - and also that only the class primer is paying attention to what we are saying. It's exactly the same with online recruitment interviews.
It's very common for candidates to think that you can't see their second monitor, open browser and switch tabs, let alone the movement of fingers on the keyboard when typing questions. This is a misconception - and there's no denying that it strongly affects the perception of the candidate. And yes, we know perfectly well that the ability to find solutions is very important (especially in the daily work of a developer), but we are here to learn about your experience and the situations you have encountered before, not your search engine history.
A recruitment interview is not a race - you don't have to play for time. At any time, you can ask for a moment to write down a question for yourself or ask the recruiter to quickly explain the problem under discussion. It is not uncommon for recruitment interviews to allow you to learn new issues.
"Then what should I do if I don't know?"
"I haven't had the opportunity to use this function", "I haven't encountered such a problem before" or simply "I don't know the answer to this question" - really, it's no shame not to know the answer, and one question doesn't immediately disqualify you from the entire recruitment process. It's also worth remembering that the answer doesn't have to be immediate. We know that practical knowledge of code is different from talking about it. Everyone needs to think sometimes - give yourself time for that. Going back to the fact that talking works both ways, you shouldn't be afraid of this type of situation either. You may find that a particular feature or operator was called differently on a course or in a previous job. It's worth asking if you're thinking in the right direction. If it turns out that you don't, the recruiter will certainly give you a hint. This is also a great time to ask about projects and tools for daily work - take advantage of such an opportunity!
Don't be afraid to ask
How does the company operate on a day-to-day basis? How many people will be in the team? What are the customs? Will I find here what I missed in my previous job? These are just examples of questions that go through candidates' minds, but unfortunately, very often - due to uncertainty or stress - they do not come out of their mouths. In such a situation, the interview ends after a few questions from the recruiter. Yes, that's how it should be, that we get to know you and your story - but we'd be happy to tell you about ours as well. The question is, do you feel like listening?
We all play to one goal - employee and employer
What is actually the purpose of a recruitment interview?
The goal is a win-win - and that's what everyone stressing over a recruitment interview forgets. The company is not simply looking for an employee, it too cares about finding the best possible candidate. Each person who joins the company brings something of his or her own: work experience from previous jobs, a pleasant atmosphere and even interesting stories. We also do not forget about an extremely important issue at the moment - development! It is very important to find out during the interview about the opportunities offered by the employer. Will there be someone to learn from? Is the company itself growing? Will I move on, or will I stay put?
The company is made up of... people
Why doesn't anyone recruit for a company on the basis of the job itself? Because you need to get to know the person who will do the job assigned to him - and this is possible during the most important stage of recruitment, the interview, which can make a big difference. Just asking questions allows recruiters not only to check competencies, but also to learn more about the candidate, discover what is important to him and predict whether he will like the atmosphere in the company. It is also important for the person interested in the job offer to ask questions - this way he or she will get to know the company and the environment in which he or she is to be placed, which will help him or her feel more confident and comfortable from the beginning.
Ensure a confident start - preparing for the recruitment interview
Proper preparation for the interview helps to reduce the stress you feel during the interview. It's a good idea to check some basic information related to the company and prepare yourself a list of questions so that nothing during the meeting "escapes". After all, the point is to ensure the best possible exchange of information - check your expectations and whether they coincide with those of the employer.
The most important conclusion? It's worth talking to each other
This is a statement that we constantly stick to in our company. From the very first days we point out to everyone not to be afraid to ask. That's what we operate as a team for, and we work together to provide constant support. Our organizational culture translates into recruitment interviews, where we always encourage candidates to both tell us about themselves and get to know us. It is also evident during our feedback interviews, which we regularly conduct with all employees. But it's not only during them that comments can be given. The door is always open - and if someone needs support and is more comfortable with asking difficult questions anonymously, we have a special "blue box" at the company where questions can be dropped in to the Board.
If you feel like joining our team - let's talk! Maybe you'll find that you're the perfect fit for us?
