The recruitment process at Watermelon explained
Lisa de Laat
| 3 min
Big chance, if you are reading this you already work or just accepted your offer to work at Watermelon, yay! Here you can read all the background information on the process you just went through.
The candidate journey is crucial in finding colleagues that fit the unique Watermelon culture. Is someone able to work effectively and have fun at the same time?!
Recruitment and selection is crucial in a start-up. People build the company and are in its best shape when we do this with ‘like minded’ colleagues. Because, as a unity we can work towards the same goal. The people team maintains the overview above all matters concerning recruitment and selection with the aim of finding the right person for the right place. Vacancies within Watermelon arise for various reasons: replacement, extension or modification of roles.
We consider the following steps in recruitment:
Curious about the current job openings? Find them here.
Application to vacancies
Sourcing
Open application
Internal application
Review candidates
First contact with our candidates
The interview
Interviewing is one of the most exciting and interesting tasks for the people team. To be honest, we can write a complete book about the fun and instructive experiences on this particular subject. But, to keep it simple … here you can find a clear overview.
The people team is well trained and experienced in interview techniques. Appearance is taken into account from the first moment someone steps in, until the moment someone leaves the office. Due to experience, the people team will follow up and ask questions to get to the heart of the matter. Aside from reviewing a candidate, it is of course also up to the candidate to see if he or she wants to work at Watermelon. The people team should always have in mind that they are the first contact moment with a candidate so you want to leave a good first impression. The interview will therefore also be conducted differently for each candidate and the people team will sense what that person 'likes' or experiences as a pleasant approach and fun working environment.
The interview procedure consists of the following steps:
Telephone call: first impression
First interview: general and culture click
Assessment: make DISC analysis
Second interview: in depth conversation
Decision making: rejection or offer
First impression
A first impression says it all. In this 10 minute call, the Head of People will have a quick chat with the applicant to check if there’s a match and discuss details (such as working hours, salary, wishes for a new employer, why does the person want to switch roles). Is there a match so far? Then a first interview will be planned.
General and culture click
In the first interview with Watermelon, the goal is to discover if there is a match between the applicant and Watermelon. The following things will be discussed:
Who is the applicant? (personality business and private)
What are your capacities? (in personal development and the role)
What are the ambitions of the candidate?
How does that fit into our unique (work hard and have fun) culture?
The job will be discussed (in a nutshell) to check if there's a match.
Assessment: make a DISC analysis
If there is a fit, we will ask the applicant to make an assessment.
We ask the applicant to make a DISC assessment to find out even better where the applicant stands and what their communication style is.
The assessment is provided by Sandler and can be done from home.
The results of the assessment are shown to Watermelon and the applicant
In depth interview
After the DISC assessment the in depth interview will take place. The interview will be held by the Head of People and the manager of the department the applicant will join. Sometimes, we could choose to also ask other team members to create an even better feeling
The manager will discuss the details of the vacancy and the knowledge needed for the working field.
The assessment will be reviewed and talked through. Does the applicant recognize himself in the report? Which things are standing out?
All other questions and uncertainties from both parties will be addressed. At the end of the interview, everyone will have all the information they need to make a considered choice.
Decision
The Head of People will discuss the outcome of the interview with all involved parties.
The Head of People will create a suitable offer (together with the CEO).
The Head of People will formulate a valuable rejection. Watermelon will always give a respectful but valuable rejection. This way the applicant will stay an ambassador of Watermelon and will get some valuable learnings out of the process that will contribute to their next application.
The Head of People will call the applicant and share the complete outcome of the process.
So, now you know exactly what the recruitment process looks like at Watermelon. Openness and transparency are very important to us. Have you become enthusiastic after reading this article, and would you like to drop by for a cup of coffee (or watermelon)? Then get in touch with us.
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