Tips for Job Seekers from our Recruiters — Spotlight on our Bench Recruitment Team.
Bench is growing, and we’re growing fast.
To date, we have grown to over 600 Benchmates across Canada and the US — Benchmates who are passionate about our mission: to make a profound difference in the quality of life of 1 million people.
Finding and hiring individuals who align with our goal is no easy feat, and our recruiters are the first that many of you will meet should you find a role at Bench that speaks to you! We hire a variety of roles from Growth roles, Product & Technology, Support & Specialist and Executive roles.
In this article, our recruiters share more on what they love about recruiting, tips on what they look for in job candidates, and how to make your application stand out!
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“I’ve been in recruiting for over 15 yrs and managed teams for (pauses to check resume) over 7 years. I’m lucky enough to be passionate about what I do, but more than anything I LOVE learning new things, and I wanted to find a place that I could do both.
Everyone at Bench is so invested in doing their best work, and I’m always looking for that same kind of passion. We want people who truly love what they do and who can articulate that.
Tip for candidates: Maybe ‘accounting associate’ wasn’t on your dream job list — but do you enjoy talking to people, do you want to help them with questions and help them figure out issues, do you want to make their lives better? GREAT, then perhaps AA is the job for you. Help us see that, tell us all the reasons why it would be a good fit.
The people at Bench are the biggest ‘selling’ feature. We have a culture that drives constant improvement, encourages trying and failing, and that is very feedback focused.
In addition, we have some pretty fantastic benefits: unlimited paid flex days, health days, full medical, health and dental benefits, and unlimited access to Inkblot (a mental health service) and Bravely (an executive coaching service), so as a benefits package, it’s exceptional.”
— Jacqui, Recruitment Manager
“Executive searches are the most challenging yet also the most impactful to the success of an organization.
Tip for candidates: Technical qualifications are important but other than that, I look for strong leadership skills and the ability to motivate a team, and to coach and mentor up and coming leaders at Bench. A positive attitude and low ego are other things that I assess in a pre-screen interview.
Sometimes the recruitment for a senior leadership can be long with multiple interviews. I truly believe that this is a great experience for the candidate. Candidates get to meet who they report to, who their peers will be and who their direct reports are. They get to see all levels of the organization and who they will be working with.”
— Jess, Executive Recruiter
The Recruiters for Product and Technology (PAT), and Support & Specialist (S&S) roles:
“I actually joined Bench as an Accounting Associate, which is our entry-level position here in hopes of becoming a CPA one day. I had joined purely on the premise that I’d be able to gain a bit of bookkeeping experience and that in about a year’s time, I’d be out and on my way towards a public firm and getting CPA-certified. Well, fast forward about 4 years and here I am! In a completely different field from where I anticipated I’d be, I’d discovered something so opposite to what I thought I’d be getting into.
For me, my favourite part of the job really comes down to two things:
The first is the ability to be so creative in this industry — we really have so much say in how our processes are run. We have the ability to be so experimental and creative in the way we approach problems and build strategies. Being able to experience this first-hand everyday is one of the biggest reasons I love what I do!
The second, which is much more cliché, comes down to the people. I love the team I work with and they truly make working here a delight. We wouldn’t be able to do all the things we’d like to without the support of all the people around us.”
— Sarah, Recruitment Team Lead for PAT and S&S
“I work specifically on the S & S team. You’ll find me working on a large variety of roles across lots of different departments here at Bench—including Finance, Business Operations, Marketing, People and more!
Tip for candidates: The first thing that I look for in a candidate during our initial chat is if they are aligned to our company values & principles. In order to be successful at Bench, our values need to resonate with you.
These are the pillars of our culture and define what we want to see in our Benchmates. If you aren’t afraid to ‘keep it human’, ‘get scrappy’, ‘take a stand’, ‘be responsible’, and be ‘default open’, then Bench might just be the place for you!”
— Lauren, Recruitment Specialist
“Dia Dhuit (Hello in Irish)! Talking to people has always been my thing, lots of Irish people are known to have the “gift of the gab” and it’s definitely something I have been blessed with too.
I had been working in Customer Service/Sales from a young age. I wanted to take that experience and make it into a career. As you can imagine the options in rural Ireland were quite limited so without thinking too much about it I decided to move to Canada.
When interviewing candidates for Bench, I expect clear and concise responses to the questions asked. I genuinely want to know why you applied for Bench or why you entertained my constant LinkedIn messages.
Tip for candidates: The number 1 reason candidates don’t get through to the next stage of interviews is the lack of research done on the company and not having a genuine interest in the company mission.
Tell me about the work you have, the tasks you were assigned, how you took on those tasks and brag to me about your results/successes.
If you apply for a PAT role at Bench be prepared to hear from me throughout the process. If that doesn’t turn you off and you get through the Recruiter Interview, you will start to meet our amazing PAT teams and leaders. It’s generally a few more Zoom calls in this Covid world and then possibly a case study to top it off.”
— Alan, Technical Recruiter
“I love meeting new potential Benchmates and talking about our incredible engineering team and their culture and values. Ensuring a great candidate experience is at the heart of my approach to recruitment.
I identify as a woman of color. I’m a first generation immigrant and a new parent. Bench’s culture and commitment to DEI really support all aspects of me. We have unlimited flex days and really supportive work environments that respect work life balance. We offer both remote and hybrid work options allowing everyone to do what’s best for them!
Tip for candidates: Bench Technology works hard to support our candidates and give them the best experience even before they’ve applied by offering tons of information on our job posts, GitHub page, blog and website, so read up! It’ll help you decide if this is the right job and right place for you.”
— Megha, Senior Technical Recruiter
“I recruit for S&S roles here at Bench, so I get to work with a variety of different teams, from Finance to Marketing and Operations, and everything in between!
Tip for candidates: What I look for in a candidate is someone who has done their homework on Bench and can speak about why we stood out to them above other companies. I love to hear about why our mission statement resonated with you, or how our values align with your own!
I also think a good cover letter is so important. Make sure you tailor it to the position you are applying for as it’s a great opportunity for you to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the role but also why your skills would make you a great fit!
— Ria, Recruitment Specialist
The Recruiters for our Volume/Growth Roles:
“I lead our Growth Recruitment team here at Bench. My team is responsible for all the high volume recruiting we do across the company. This includes a range of entry level positions spanning from Accounting Operations, Client Success, Sales, and Bench Tax.
Like many recruiters, my career path hasn’t been super linear. And it’s great to see this career exploration becoming more the norm today — and I love being someone who can help facilitate it!
After interviewing for a role on the Sales Operations team at Bench, I knew this was where I wanted to be. Bench’s experimental culture was what drew me in, and has kept me so excited about my work. After some time in Sales Ops, I saw Bench was hiring a new Recruiter, which felt more aligned to what I wanted to do long term.
As a recruiter you can have a tremendous impact on someone’s life, especially for entry-level folks who are just beginning their career journey. It’s been insanely rewarding watching the career growth of some of the people I hired now leading teams of their own! Every leader I have worked with has shown genuine interest and supported my development, and I see this to be true across the company.
Tip for candidates: Before applying, ask yourself what you are looking to achieve within the role, how it aligns to your long term career goals, and what excites you about the company.”
— Ayla, Recruitment Team Lead for Growth
“I’ve been a part of the team for just over 1 year and focus on hiring for our volume roles — specifically the sales team.
Tip for candidates: I look for strong written communication skills and detailed responses to the questions asked. I want to know why you want to work at Bench over the many other fantastic organizations out there. During our initial conversation, I focus on listening for soft skills such as resiliency, coachability, and empathy.
What the Sales interview process is like: During the sales interview process, you can expect to have a 40 minute conversation with me, chatting about your previous work experiences. If you’re successful, you’ll move to a Hiring Manager interview, which is an hour long conversation with 2 sales team leaders.
In this call, you’ll work through a mock sales call and even play a game together!
When you start as a Sales Development Rep at Bench, you’ll go through two weeks of intensive training — a mini sales bootcamp! This will teach you all the ins and outs of managing a sales pipeline and even how to handle objections on the phone.”
— Tessa, Recruitment Specialist
“My focus is on Client Success and Bench Tax. I have been at Bench for close to two years, starting as a Onboarding Specialist then moving to Recruitment about a year ago.
I often tell candidates that life is not an A to B path, there are many variations and experiences along the way that can take you from A to Z. I often like to challenge folks to try new things and be open to failure because it is really where the magic in life happens. I like to think that’s how I ended up where I am today.
Tip for candidates: Because my focus is on Growth roles, I look for softer skills such as communication, empathy, teachability and adaptability. Beyond that, I really want to see your authentic self in the interview and how you connect and resonate with the awesome things that we are getting up to at Bench! I cannot stress enough how important it is to connect with the company and the role that you are applying for.”
— Jordan, Recruitment Specialist
“I was born and raised in Mexico, and I moved to Canada in 2012. I completed a bachelor’s degree in Communication & Media, with a minor in Women and Gender Studies at Carleton University.
I realized that I love people, and I also learned the importance of standing for your values. This is one of the many reasons why I was attracted to Bench.
Bench always focuses on a human-approach to everything, which aligns with my values.
Tip for candidates: When screening resumes, the main things I look for are coachability, curiosity, and empathy. I look for detailed responses. Tell me stories! I want to know more about you!”
— Marina, Recruitment Specialist
“I first applied to Bench back in 2017, hoping to become their next Accounting Associate. And guess what? I didn’t get the job. My passion was elsewhere, and the recruiter saw right through me.
I had my eyes on Bench since first applying, and really appreciated all of the amazing things that the company stood for. I knew in the back of my head that if another opportunity came up, I would try again. When I saw the posting for a Recruiter to join the team, I knew I had to shoot my shot one more time, and the rest is history.
Tip for candidates: What I look for when reviewing resumes and applications are strong written and verbal communication skills. Our Associates are the face of Bench, and direct communication with our clients is something that Associates have to navigate on a regular basis.
We know that the interview process can be nerve-wracking for candidates. Having intention behind answers, and being able to showcase clear, concise communication is crucial! Taking a moment to think about what you want to say is totally acceptable (embrace the awkward silence), and try to give examples that showcase the skill sets that align with the role you’re applying for.
What the AA interview process is like: We get a HIGH volume of applications, and our first introduction to our candidates is through their application. If successful, a recruiter will reach out to set up a 30–40 minute Zoom chat to get to know the candidate a bit better!
Following that successful interview will be another interview, about 1 hour in length, with two hiring managers from the Operations team. There’s also an interactive activity that’s sent out prior to this interview so candidates can get an idea of what they’ll be getting up to in this role.
Successful candidates also get the opportunity to meet with another Benchmate for an informal coffee chat, to make a connection before their first day, and is also a great opportunity to ask more questions that they may not have asked during the interview stages.
Because we do not require any bookkeeping-specific experience in this role, the two-week Operations Academy training program is a great way for new Associates to learn the fundamentals of how we do bookkeeping at Bench, and what is expected of them in their new role. It’s an intensive training program with a lot of learning curves, which is why we focus deeply on soft skills like resiliency, responsibility and accountability, and willingness to take and implement feedback in the interview process.”
— Britt, Recruitment Specialist
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