A company’s hiring process will naturally evolve as the business itself does the same. You learn what works, what doesn’t and adapt accordingly. All of which is to say, it’s taken us a while to land on our current system, on the specific steps we take when interviewing candidates. But we’re grateful for how our approach has grown because now we have a process that allows us to hire people who are both extremely talented and a great fit for our team. And because this approach has been working so well for us, we wanted to take a moment to share it. Read on for a snapshot look at our hiring process.
Step #1: Before You Begin
Do your research and learn more about what we do and why we do it by checking out our About Us, People & Culture, and Social Impact pages. Want an inside peek at our culture? Follow us on Instagram to see what your future co-workers are up to.
Step #2: Introduction
After a promising candidate connects with us, our recruiter conducts a 30-minute initial interview via a Zoom call. Unlike traditional phone screens, which can make applicants feel anonymous and uncomfortable, video calls allow for the possibility of real connection almost immediately.
This first touchpoint gives us a chance to learn a bit more about each candidate’s skills and experience, and gives the candidate an opportunity to ask questions about the company and the role they’ve applied for. Our goal isn’t to weed people out, but to establish a relationship and set expectations.
Step #2: Role Specific Interview
After an initial interview, each candidate will participate in a conversation focused on the role they’re applying for. These interviews are conducted by current employees who either currently hold that same role, or have done so in the past. This setup allows our team to accurately assess whether a given candidate will be a good fit for the job, and also ensures that the candidate can ask specific questions about the ins and outs of the role.
We also use these interviews to determine whether a candidate is actually interviewing for the role that’s best for them. For instance, someone might apply for a consulting role, but after we hear more about their experience and interests, it could become clear that they’d be a better fit as a platform architect. By keeping the focus of these interviews focused, we’re able to better ensure we’re finding the right people for the right seats.
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Step #3: Core Values Interview
This is where our process starts to substantially differ from more traditional interview processes. For us, it’s essential that employees at Torrent are not only excellent at their jobs but also embody on a daily basis our six core values: Resourceful, passionate, servant leader, driven, team-oriented and authentic. We believe our success — both in business and in social impact — is a direct result of having great people on our team, and we want to make sure we keep bringing great people in.
These interviews are conducted by current Torrent Guides, and they’re designed to gauge whether or not candidates will fit well in our culture. It doesn’t matter how skilled or experienced a given person is — if their values don’t align with ours, we’ll decline to move that person on to the next round.
Step #4: CEO Interview
Every candidate who moves through the core values interview ends up having an hour-long conversation with Torrent’s CEO. The goal here is synthesis. We want to make sure both sides have a chance to reflect on everything learned so far and come to a conclusion about whether we could be a good fit for each other. This is a chance for both parties to make sure they feel good about the opportunity at hand, and to ensure that we all have the same goals. For us, it’s a valuable last step.
