Adriana Roche on delightful recruiting

Dropbox recruiting team lead Adriana shares what it means to create a wonderful recruiting experience for everyone.

What did you do before Dropbox?

When people ask me where I am from, I always have a hard time answering. I was born in Venezuela, but have had the fortune of moving around so much that I can’t just identify with one place. Something that I picked up from moving around is that I love talking to people about their experiences, their environment, what makes them different and what makes them tick. I find people fascinating and these conversations challenge me and enrich my life!

It is no surprise that I then ended up getting a degree in Psychology and added a little cherry on top with a Masters in Organizational Psychology. I spent a few years doing consulting in the areas of Organizational Development in New York, and then moved on to Executive Coaching and Recruiting. It was during this time that I understood how important the link between hiring and developing the right people, and achieving business objectives was. Like a lot of consultants, I wanted to then see implementations through so I decided to go into in-house recruiting. I was fortunate to work at Google and Salesforce where I learned a lot before finding my home at Dropbox.

Why did you decide to join Dropbox?

I really wanted to get my hands dirty and build something! So I was looking for a dynamic place that was growing quickly, that was innovative and filled with smart and humble people that I could teach and also learn from. As soon as I walked into the lobby for my first interview, I felt like I belonged.

What surprised you about Dropbox when you joined?

I knew that the level of talent at Dropbox was pretty high but I never cease to be amazed by my co-workers. Their talents are not just reserved for the workplace. We have ex-olympic athletes, pro tennis players, musicians, painters and a ton of people that volunteer and give back to the community. It makes you want to be at the top of your game but it’s completely humbling as well.

What team are you on and what do you do at Dropbox?

I participate in the definition of what our growing org will look like and what type of people we need to help us be a successful and relevant company. I work closely with my team to help figure out what skills we need, how to effectively and efficiently test for them, how to scale our processes and meet business objectives and, most importantly, have fun while doing all of this.

What, in your view, is unique about doing recruiting at Dropbox?

A lot of organizations will tell you that they try to do this, but Dropbox is the first place I’ve seen where recruiting is meant to be a delightful experience for all involved. We try to make sure that candidates are receiving a personalized experience and, even if they don’t get hired, walk out having learned something. But we also ensure that it is delightful for hiring managers and recruiters. We arm everyone with the necessary tools to make this a successful experience, and recruiters are empowered to take on side passion projects that accelerate the way in which we do things.

What are the qualities you look for in people when recruiting for Dropbox?

I, of course, take a look at the hard skills but I pay special attention to the soft skills. I always say that at Dropbox we are building the boat as we’re putting it into the water, and it takes a specific type of person to be successful here. You need to be scrappy, self motivated, have that fire in the belly that makes you want to take on extra challenges and not be afraid of risks. You need to believe in Dropbox as well because that’s what’s going to keep you going when the going gets tough. And you need to be humble because you can’t do it alone and, sometimes, you need to have the self awareness and humility to ask for help!

What have some of your favorite moments at Dropbox been so far?

People always say that they love working here because there’s a sense of belongingness and like we are all building something together. Nothing made me feel more like I was a part of Dropbox and like I was helping to build on it’s future than my hack week project. During my job interview with the head of recruiting, he explained Hack Week and how it was all about getting back to our roots and building something you were passionate about but that you didn’t usually get a chance to do. He asked me what I would do for my project and, as I looked at the plain room around me, I told him that since I loved painting, I would do something to brighten the space. Fast forward eight months later and, on the first day of Hack Week, three huge canvases show up at my desk! I could not believe he had remembered and now I had the challenge of making three paintings in a week. What was special about it was that I was able to wrangle people from my team and we made it into a fun project where we built something in a short amount of time, with little resources but that is, hopefully, delightful. How much more Dropboxy can you get!

What are you looking forward to next?

I am really looking forward to seeing the next chapter in Dropbox. We are moving away from just being a file storage company and, in addition to the crazy growth, it brings a new set of challenges in terms of scaling and building groups as well as how you organize it all to be efficient. I can’t wait to get my hands dirty with all of these new projects that span beyond recruiting and think about human resources in a systemic way.

What is something that many people don’t know about you?

I spent a week in the Venezuelan amazon marveling in the beauty of it, but something that I was not expecting was how much I would love the locals hot sauce, catara. The Pemon people take cassava, spices and the back of large poisonous ants and make this delicious concoction which they consider to be an aphrodisiac. It’s absolutely fantastic on top of fish!

If you weren’t doing recruiting at a tech company, what would you be?

I would want to be a marine biologist like Sylvia Earle. I have always had an affinity for the ocean, to the point where my friends half jokingly call me a mermaid. I find it fascinating and beautiful, and I would love to make people understand how much attention we need to pay to it. Not just for the ocean’s sake but also because of what not doing so would mean to the planet and us human beings.

How would you describe Dropbox in 3 words?

Dynamic, Innovative and Trustworthy. There is an energy at Dropbox that is hard to describe and which I felt from the very first day I set foot here. We use this energy to try and come up with better ways to do what we already do but also to be creative and this about cutting edge ways to solve problems or meet needs, from what food is served at the tuck shop to the way in which we think about our product roadmap. And one of the most delightful things about working here is that I trust the product as much as I trust the people that I work with — I can’t overemphasize how important that is for me.