This week we sat down with Donna Crema, a Strategic Recruiter at Hootsuite, to ask the four questions we wish every candidate could ask a recruiter before their first interview.
What's the most important thing a candidate should know about your company before interviewing?
A candidate should know that this is as much an opportunity for them to interview us as it is for us to interview them. We want to see a genuine interest in the opportunity and in joining Hootsuite, so doing your research is important.
Bringing a solid understanding of our company, our purpose, the SaaS industry, and the requirements of the position is a great way to set yourself apart from other candidates. There are a lot of places to look — our careers blog, our Facebook page, our Twitter. It's impressive when a candidate can reference a recent company event or story that resonated with them.
What type of person does well at your company? What do your A-players have in common?
In my experience, the people who find success at Hootsuite are adaptable, self-motivated, open to change, and love learning. We encourage employees to maintain a growth mindset — that view helps foster continuous learning and a resilience that's key to succeeding here.
How technical do I need to be to work at Hootsuite?
It depends on the opportunity. Positions on our Product & Development team require a computer science background. Positions in Sales, Marketing, Finance, or our core support functions have a different set of requirements.
We don't expect you to be an absolute social media expert to work at Hootsuite — but understanding how social media can transform organizations is key.
What kind of questions should I expect? Behavioral? Practical? Analytical? Job-focused?
Depending on the role, you can expect a mix — behavioral, situational, and job-specific interview questions, including company values-alignment questions.
In some instances, you may be asked to prepare and deliver a presentation or a demo as part of the process, so we can assess your presentation and communication skills. We'll also ask questions relating to our core values.