How we used Loxo to recruit our new Data Engineer
Recruiting is not easy. From nailing down job requirements to sourcing candidates to selling them on the role, there is a lot to consider during every stage of the hiring process.
As a company that builds bleeding edge recruiting software, we like to think we know a lot about recruiting. After all, we work closely with recruiters every day and our mission is to help recruiters make the best possible hire. Surely, we wouldn’t fall susceptible to common recruiting mistakes.
However, that is the kind of thinking that can get you in trouble. So, for every internal hire we make, we put ourselves to the test and use our own software to recruit our next hire.
How did we do?
Before we dive right in, here is some background. This past year, Loxo experienced tremendous growth. We tripled our team size while also tripling our revenue.
As you can imagine, the company’s growth strained our resources. We simply did not have a large enough engineering team to build new features and address product gaps, as quickly as needed.
The entire team reached consensus; we needed to make an engineering hire that would enable us to onboard customers and get them to success much faster.
Step 1: The Job Description
While we discussed options, we started recruiting for the role and leveraged two job descriptions we had previously written. The problem was we had written the job descriptions for two different roles months prior.
Our hiring needs had changed and the job descriptions were outdated and causing confusion with the recruiting process. Our team wasn’t on the same page, and it was affecting our ability to recruit.
Instead of persisting through confusion, we took a step back. We defined our priorities and used that information to identify the skills and experience required for the perfect hire. We rewrote our job descriptions, chose one role to focus our efforts, and found a clear path forward.
Step 2: Create a Job in Loxo & Post to Job Boards & Social Media
With the job description written, the next step was simple — create the job in Loxo. We uploaded our job description and added our internal notes.
With a few simple steps, we had published our job to our careers page, published on multiple external job boards, and created a blank canvas in Loxo where our entire team could collaborate and follow along in real-time
Step 3: Submit Job to Loxo AI™
At a growing startup, resources are always scarce. We didn’t have the time to source for the role and at Loxo we believe posting jobs to job boards is a recipe for failure. Normally, this would be an overwhelming obstacle for most companies, but we were prepared. In fact, this was the exact reason we started Loxo — to be the world’s leading solution for identifying the best possible job match.
We clicked on Loxo AI™ right from in our ATS/CRM where we filled out a simple form and submitted our AI request. We shifted our attention back to our normal responsibilities and anxiously awaited to see how well our AI would perform. Loxo AI™. We’re always searching for areas where we can improve every piece of the puzzle and deliver a better customer experience.
Step 4: Review Loxo AI™ results
Within a day, we had our results and were confident that our future hire was somewhere in the list. Now, it was time for the team to review the results and decide which candidates to pursue further.
In the end, Loxo AI™ sourced 250 candidates. After an initial review, the team narrowed the list down of potential candidates to a third. We then started recruiting from within our ATS starting with the very best candidates and working our way down.
Step 5: Engage
Once again, we were limited on time and looked to automation to streamline our initial outreach. We built tailored email templates, using personalization tokens, and scheduled a drip campaign, using our very own email automation feature.
Less than half of the candidates replied to our email sequence, and from those, 20 were selected for an initial phone screen to qualify their technical ability. Knowing that recruiting takes, persistence, creativity, and follow-up we also continued to follow up with the individuals who we know would absolutely love this opportunity and we felt were too good to pass up without at least an initial exploratory conversation.
We know managing relationships with 20+ candidates can be challenging for even the most experienced recruiter so we relied heavily on Loxo to do the heavy lifting for us. With email sync, all email communications were automatically tracked on the candidate contact records. No data entry was required.
Step 6: Schedule Interviews
After numerous phone screens, we were getting close. Our original list of 250 candidates was narrowed down to 10 people, and we were confident one of them was our next hire.
We used the schedule event feature inside of Loxo to invite all 10 candidates to our office for an in-person interview with the team.
Step 7: The Top Three
The team was getting closer. Of the 10 remaining candidates, three were asked to participate in one final technical interview with our engineering leads. The interview was the final assessment of their technical skills and ability to perform the job.
In the end, the choice was obvious, and there was no doubt that this was the best possible candidate match. We consulted the entire team one more time to confirm our choice. The decision was unanimous, and we were ready to move forward with the offer.
Step 8: Check References & Make the Offer
From then on, the process was simple. We checked references, confirmed compensation requirements, and verbally extended the offer. In the minutes following the verbal, the official offer letter was sent to the candidate through DocuSign, and the candidate accepted within 24 hours
Before we introduce our hire, here is the process that Loxo created to hire the best possible candidate match.
Start with the Job Description
When you are strapped for time, it may be tempting to copy a job description, but a good job description is the first step to making a great hire. Not only is it tool to attract talent, but it is an internal resource for your team clearly define what is required from your next hire and reach a collective understanding.
Don’t Waste Time Manually Entering Data
Your time is valuable. Don’t use your to-do list as an excuse to not update your records, and don’t waste your time doing something that can easily be handled by technology. If you choose the right tool, you may never find yourself manually entering data again.
Use Technology to Fill Gaps in Your Process
Despite our limited recruiting experience, we still needed to make a hire. We could have spent days or weeks, searching LinkedIn and resume repositories to find possible candidates, at the expense of our normal responsibilities. Instead, we looked to technology to solve our problem.
With Loxo AI™, we were able to achieve results comparable to the best sourcers out there without sacrificing time and neglecting our to-do lists.
Meet Our New Data Engineer
We are very excited to introduce our new Data Engineer, Alex Bisping. Alex will be responsible for improving and scaling our data migration process and helping us build a world class onboarding experience for our clients.
Alex was one of the 250 candidates identified by Loxo AI™. Not only did he turn about to be a perfect fit our team, but Loxo also turned out to be a perfect match for Alex. This process resulted in the best possible hire. It could not have turned out any better on either side.
We are excited to see what he can accomplish. While he has only been at Loxo for a couple of weeks, he has already taken complete ownership of his role and identifying opportunities to take his function to the next level.
