Interview with our recruiters: How we hire at Blue Harvest
Our team is growing with a lot of great software engineers. We want to keep up the pace with the competitive market and hire the best engineers. In order to make that happen, it is a must to make our process for hiring smooth and pleasant for both candidates and ourselves. Who is responsible for our recruiting process? Of course, our great recruiters! Thanks to Matin Abbasi and Sabrina Strumpel, they find those great people who match our team. In this interview we asked them about how the recruiting process goes at Blue Harvest and if they have some tips and tricks for candidates.
Could you explain how the process of hiring goes?
Matin says: “First conversation will be with one of the recruiters, so that can be Sabrina or me. It can be either via a phone call or face-to-face conversation, it depends where the candidate is located. If the candidate and the recruiter are positive, then we will take the next step and we can set up an assessment.”
What is the assessment about?
Sabrina says: “The kind of assessment depends on the seniority of the candidate. The assessment consists of two sections: a competence questionnaire and an intelligence test. When the candidate passes the assessment, we will plan an interview and discuss the results of the assessment. This first interview is focused on the soft skills and there will be some technical questions.”
What happens after the assessment and the interview?
Matin says: “Furthermore, when the candidate passes their first round, he or she will receive a coding assignment. They can do the assignment anywhere they want, for instance at home. You will have to do the coding assignment within one week. Normally, it takes around 3 or 4 hours to be finished. Then we will ask them to upload the results on GitHub. One of our senior engineers will review the results. If it’s positive, we will schedule a 2nd technical interview. Moreover, we will discuss the results internally and if both parties are positive, we will send the candidate an offer. The whole process will take eventually around 4 -5 weeks.”
Sabrina says: “One thing that I want to mention is that we are flexible with the sequence of the recruitment process. For instance, we can send the assessment and coding assignment already to a candidate after the first interview with the recruiter. Nevertheless, no one can skip a round, because everyone needs to go through the same process.”
How does a candidate make more chance to be selected?
Sabrina says: “If you have the right mindset and the willingness to learn, you can always apply for a job. We require a bachelor’s degree as a minimum standard. We hire people from all over the world. Currently, we have 15 nationalities within the team, which is nice, because it brings different perspectives within the company.”
Which elements do you focus on a CV?
Sabrina says: “We are triggered by the technologies that candidates have worked with or the type of projects that he or she has done. However, the most important aspect about a candidate is not in their CV, but about the person itself. For instance, what motivates them to join Blue Harvest or to live in the Netherlands or Sweden. Besides that, it is important that someone has passion for IT.
Matin responds: “Besides, it is important that you are willing to improve yourself and to learn about new technologies, because at Blue Harvest we emphasise that you learn how to grow yourself. We have colleagues that want to grow in their social skills and colleagues who want to grow in their technical skills at Blue Harvest you can do that with the right mindset.”
What kind of tips do you have for candidates?
Sabrina says: “Ask questions, be eager and be interested in the company. One tip that I want to share is, to be prepared. It sounds obvious, but not everyone does that. So, check out the company’s website and check the LinkedIn profile of the person you have the interview with. Don’t forget that the most important thing is to be yourself and dress as yourself. Because we want to meet the real you!”
