All high EQ, highly skilled technical candidates, please apply.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the TL:DR for those who want an amazing gig at hot mindfulness and meditation app Headspace. The company puts a premium on candidates who embody its core values – Courageous Heart, Selfless Drive, Curious Mind – said George Torres, Director of Engineering, and Lyndsey Lustig, Talent Partner. This is especially true today as candidate volumes are increasing – and Headspace\u2019s hiring continues at a fast pace.<\/p>\n
The two shared more about their hiring process – revamped for a remote-first world – and what they\u2019re looking for as they hire technical talent at a time when finding inner calm seems more important (and harder) than ever.<\/p>\n
Headspace requires great technical talent but also works to unearth the range and depth of soft skills of each candidate. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to bias toward communication and collaboration,\u201d explained Torres. \u201cWe want to hear the technical problems you\u2019ve worked through in the past. What were the nuances? How did you work with others on the team? Are you taking all the credit?<\/p>\n
Ideally a sense of humility will come out in the responses we hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Expect live coding through software technology* as part of the interview process, especially now that the process is fully remote (at least for the time being). \u201cWe can more easily identify some of those smaller skill sets,\u201d he explained. \u201cI like seeing how code is compiled, how comfortable you are with using an IDE, if you reach out to sources like Google to check a nuance of the programming language, basically how familiar you are with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lustig agreed. \u201cIt feels like we get more insight into candidate skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s entirely possible to get hired at Headspace without a deep background in healthcare technology, the two said.<\/p>\n
Lustig is looking for a demonstrable drive to learn. \u201cI\u2019m interested in seeing how candidates use their time, inside and outside the office, to learn new things,\u201d she commented. \u201cIt could be soaking up knowledge from other departments, reading books, or going to meetups.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe you want to learn iOS development. Are you meeting with that team to learn on the job?\u201d<\/p>\n
Experience with organizations at similar points of growth is also a potentially compelling factor, noted Torres. \u201cWe\u2019re making the transition from a start-up to a scrappy mid-sized company,\u201d he said. \u201cA nontraditional candidate who has experience as an engineer in that situation would have a really interesting perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although the process has changed slightly to reflect this moment in time, Lustig said it\u2019s very similar to what it was pre-COVID and the team is used to doing a lot of virtual collaboration. \u201cOur engineering team in particular was already set up to work remotely in San Francisco and New York,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n
The hiring process is also an opportunity for candidates to get a strong feel for the culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe start with a phone call with me before moving to our standard hiring manager screen, which has always been on video,\u201d said Lustig. \u201cIn normal life, we\u2019d do the final interview onsite so candidates can get a feel for the office and our team.\u201d Now her team provides a deck with recent articles, the company values, and pictures of the office as a way to give that flavor before there\u2019s an alternative series of panel interviews with breaks built in.<\/p>\n
The team also ensures candidates meet with product owners so they can hear about features and share more about how they think of feature development. \u201cWe have a junior and senior engineer interview our technical candidates,\u201d said Torres. \u201cThat\u2019s important because we really want to see them work together and evaluate their collaboration skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
Torres said it\u2019s important for candidates to hit the sweet spot of technical skill, culture add, and emotional intelligence – and the interviewers generally have to agree.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have panel interviews, and you do have to impress everyone,\u201d said Torres. \u201cAnd everyone\u2019s assessing candidates from different angles. As I hire people, I\u2019m ultimately looking for all yeses from the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
*Editor\u2019s note: It\u2019s CoderPad. We\u2019re the technology here. Headspace is our incredible customer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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