In the current situation of technology development and transformation, the role of the recruitment specialist stands out as one of the most important professions and the reasons for this trend will definitely not surprise you. However, the difficult process of specialised 'search' for professionals who are the perfect fit for different teams and projects goes far beyond the reading of CVs and sending them to clients.
In fact, the good recruiter must be able to manage expectations, to evaluate through different perspectives, needs to to have tech knowledge, as well as good communication skills and common ground with their candidates. And, thanks to these skills, the right questions and mutual respect, IT recruiters know exactly where to find the right talent.
Today, we're going to present a different point of view on the recruitment process and introduce to you Romina Yanakova, Recruitment and Resourcing Advisor at Questers. Her role involves looking for software engineers for some of our key clients such as News UK and Funding Circle. Read below about what excites and challenges her, as well as what the most interesting trends in the field are.
Hello Romina! Tell us about yourself. What’s your professional background?
Hello everyone! I am Romina and I am a recruitment professional with over 7 years of experience. During the years I had the chance to work on a variety of challenging roles - from tech support specialists through analytical and financial industries all the way to the deep IT world and all kind of engineering roles.
In my professional career I’ve crossed paths with many valuable candidates and great individuals. And to watch some of them growing professionally in the teams and even building friendships with others has been really meaningful.
I am truly happy that I found my place in the Questers recruitment team almost 4 years ago. The work environment is full with skilled professionals and positive thinkers, which makes it a perfect fit for me.
Can you describe the Questers' recruitment team in three words?
Hmm, that's a great question and without thinking I will answer – passionate, dedicated, happy.
What attracted you to work at Questers as an employer?
One of the aspects I like about Questers is the hybrid type of recruitment. The company doesn't use the traditional agency “mass recruitment” style, neither is limited to an internal recruitment methods. Instead, we have the opportunity to work on variety of tech roles and at the same time to build valuable relationship with many partners, which benefits a lot in terms of gathering experience with specific cases.
So, what are the hot vacancies you are focusing on right now?
Currently, I’m looking for experienced Senior Platform Engineer for one of our key partners – News UK. The company is the owner of some of the most powerful newspaper and digital media brands such as The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun and many others. Also, for the same client’s team we are looking to hire JavaScript Engineer, Full-stack JavaScript Engineer, Automation QA Engineer and Senior Software Engineer.
In parallel, we are actively working on attracting a Mid/Senior Data Engineer, Senior Python Engineer, Mid/Senior Back-end Engineer for a awesome FinTech company based in London.
How do you stay informed about the latest trends in the recruitment field?
I would like to highlight that I work in a team of true professionals in this field. As part of our professional culture, we share internally the knowledge that we've built from our interactions with candidates and we do market research quite often. Moreover, being in communication with many software engineers helps me follow the trends in the sector, both in Bulgaria and worldwide.
How long does an interview usually last and can you tell us more information about the recruitment process at Questers?
Our interviewing process follows a well-defined structure that meets the needs of our clients. To kick things off, we start with an initial recruiter interview, a session that typically lasts around 30 to 40 minutes and gives us enough time to inform the candidates about Questers, our partner and the specific role they are applying for. During this step we also collect information about the candidate – their past experience, future aspirations, strengths and interests and so on.
Then, we usually do two additional interviews – the first one is a call with the hiring manager from our client’s side and it aims to determine if this candidate will fit into the team's culture and the company's vision.
Moving forward, the second interview is longer and is a more in-depth examination of the candidate’s skills, lasting between 1.5 and 2 hours. This phase is focused on the technical aspects of the role and most of the times a tech task is given to candidates and interviewers expect to see good problem-solving approach, fast thinking and strong tech skills.
What are the qualities that you are looking for in a candidate during the interview?
Except for the tech stack which is a must when it comes to IT roles, I am looking to find a positive attitude, a CAN-DO personality and good level of self-awareness – someone with an idea why he/she is applying for this particular role or company. It's important for candidates to have a general overview of the positions they are applying for, to look over the scope of the project and to desire to be part of the big picture. These often the people who succeed in their career and continue to grow.
What will make a positive impression on you?
I am always impressed by smart engineers and candidates who keep learning and developing.
How will the recruitment trends evolve in 2023?
2023 has been an interesting year for the recruitment field so far. The recent trends show that people are increasingly willing to work remotely from different locations in Bulgaria, which is great because employers are more willing to be flexible in terms of employee satisfaction.
Another trend that describes this year is the option for B2B contracts instead of labour ones. Lately, many engineers are attracted to new roles only if there is a possibility to sign a B2B contract and again, it makes employers more flexible in finding the best talent across the market.