Remote and hybrid models of work drastically changed the attitude towards the onboarding process. When we think about breaking in a new team member, we have to remember it is not only formalities and procedures, but most important is an introduction to the employer’s organizational structure and building relationships with the team.

At HL Tech we love challenges and constantly looking for new improvements. We know how important is the mood we create together as a team – #thatsthespirIT! That’s why within our ranks we have people who make sure you will feel at home from day one!

You might need some Buddy and #YouDeserveIT!

But first, who is Buddy?

First day at new work is usually considered to be stressful and filled with anxiety. Luckily there is someone, who is there to change the perspective – someone who keeps ear to the ground :)

Buddy is a dedicated guide, who not only shows around office corridors, but most importantly around formalities – someone who helps with project’s documentation and technical stuff. :)

With a Buddy you can feel comfortable! Do you remember your first lunch at your new company? Usually a lonely meal, because you don’t know anyone. At HL Tech there is someone waiting for you – your Buddy! You can be sure they will show you how to handle a coffee machine (feels like the same one everywhere, although it works differently in every office) and will introduce you to every other important aspect of company’s life.

Your guide is also your treasury of knowledge in terms of office habits. Who is the fastest at lunch orders and who owns the throne of company jokes? Buddy knows it all and is happy to share this knowledge.

The hardest first step is much easier with a Buddy! And from the experience, we know such relationships do not end with an introduction. :)

So what about our programme say those, who benefited from the help of a Buddy?

You’ve Got a Friend in Me

Igor Południkiewicz – Junior Software Engineer (Java)

Igor’s work at HL Tech is his first experience in the IT industry. It’s not surprising he had many questions and uncertainties related to organizational work and tools, as well as some customs and habits.

Simply knowing I’ll be presented with a Buddy during the onboarding process calmed me down, as I knew I won’t be thrown into deep end.

How was Igor’s first day at work? It started with a lunch with a Buddy during which they could have an informal conversation about HL Tech’s nuances. Later on it was only better as every challenge – smaller or bigger – they have been sorting out together.

It reminds me of the process of learning to ride a bike, when you drop the side wheels and keep on going with a guardian behind you. The fun from the ride, wind in your hair and the speed, caused that only after a longer period of time did I realize my guardian let me loose, was far behind and for the first time I was going on two wheels all by myself. – says Igor Południkiewicz

Every Buddy

How does it look from Buddy’s point of view? We ask Maciej Parapura – Java Developer, who helped Igor with his first steps at HL Tech.

They met on Igor’s first day at work. Relaxed atmosphere during a morning coffee immediately helped them get to know something about each other. Moments later Igor received his hardware and together asked for office access codes. This friendly introduction provided Igor with the comfort of moving around the space and the opportunity to attain knowledge on the company’s operation. He learned the work strategy, technologies in use, but most importantly – the team which greeted him with a friendly attitude. Altogether it made his onboarding experience much less stressful!

Buddy’s role bridges the gap between newcomer and the team, causing new employees to feel cared for and not left on their own. When they start work they feel someone is watching over them and that there is someone they can always count on whenever they need. – Maciej recalls.

It’s good to have a Buddy

Buddy programme is a key onboarding element at HL Tech. It helps to sort out the initial information chaos and introduces to the company’s system of operation. Understanding a new work environment and getting to know the processes helps to feel confident and maximize one’s satisfaction from early days.
Buddy programme is also a way to develop interpersonal skills and a chance to identify potential leaders and mentors.

At HL Tech we are a team – That’s the spirit!

The post Need some Buddy? appeared first on HL Tech.

Having a career in Information Technology is a subject of dreams of many people. However, before it can be fulfilled, every candidate has to go through an important process which is recruitment.

Although it varies depending on the particular organisation, it does have some common elements shared across every company.

In this article, our experienced specialists – Michalina Stępień, HR Manager and Alina Yanchenko, IT Recruiter; will guide you through every step of it, sharing their knowledge and experience so you can be well prepared and confident when it comes to this essential leap.

Together, we will go through the current realities of IT recruitment, changes in the process introduced with the pandemic and some key tips on what recruiters pay special attention to when fishing for new specialists. So grab a cup of coffee, put on your favourite music, fasten your seatbelts and let’s go!

EMPLOYMENT MARKET

As we all know, the past two years imposed rapid changes in many aspects of daily life including the focus on work-life balance. The start of the pandemic triggered a rapid shift towards a remote and hybrid model of work, which entailed companies to test new models of operation.

• At HL Tech, we all benefited from this, because it allowed us to open up even more to various forms and modes of cooperation, thus making us much more flexible. That corresponds with the needs of modern candidates – says Michalina Stępień HR Manager at HL Tech – we offer full flexibility and choice: you can work 100% remotely, you can work from the office or in a hybrid model.

One thing remains the same – the IT job market is still the candidate’s market. Temporary projects’ tie-up and recruitment downtime related to the pandemic are behind us and the demand for IT specialists is on the rise again. HL Tech plans new technological investments and dynamic development of its digital teams, which involves recruiting several dozen new specialists over the next two years.

Due to recent legal and fiskal changes in Poland, some people switch to B2B mode of cooperation and therefore, in order to be competitive, companies open up to different options and follow the candidate.

• At HL Tech, we are flexible. Do you prefer an employment contract? Great – we have copyright exceptions and many other benefits to suit. Is the B2B system more fit for you? No problem, we are of course open to it as well. At HL Tech it is You who decides – says Alina Yanchenko IT Recruiter from HL Tech.

RECRUITER’S SECRETS

Sending a CV is obviously your first contact with the company and a way to present your qualifications and experience. It is of crucial importance that the information it contains is consistent and coherent. It is on this basis that the decision to proceed to the next stage of recruitment is made.

Being invited to an interview seems like a scary and serious stage of landing a new job. It is worth finding out how the whole process works and what recruiters pay special attention to, so you can be less stressed and more confident when you get there.

• Does the recruitment in the IT industry differ in relation to individual positions? From the recruiter’s perspective, there are many common grounds. Some of our main tasks are to check a candidate’s compatibility with the organisation, their soft skills and motivation. – says Alina Yanchenko IT Recruiter from HL Tech – At this stage the scope of questions is similar. However, the technical interview may be different in the case of individual positions and their specificity. Sometimes, to verify the knowledge of candidates, we ask them to perform short tasks, run case studies or take a test.

During the initial interview, you will surely be asked questions about your experience, technologies you work with, knowledge of English, preferred mode of work, what motivates you to change and… your expectations towards the future employer. It is worth considering the last point in particular, because recruitment is a two-sided process – its task is bilateral – to check your suitability to the company as well as the company’s ability to meet your needs. Therefore, before the interview, think about what you care about the most and make a list of things you want to ask. Candidates usually ask about vacation and bonuses, extra benefits, personal growth opportunities or the structure of the team.

And how does the interview process look from the recruiter’s point of view?

• We pay crucial attention to objectivity, we definitely do not rely on first impressions. From the very beginning we involve other employees in the process not to rely only on our personal opinion – says Michalina Stępień HR Manager, and Alina Yanchenko adds – contrary to common belief, education is not the most important factor, we rather focus on specific, required skills. We are also looking for candidates who are hungry for knowledge and open to new solutions.

In addition to your specialisation, a recruiter’s job is to verify whether your character fits relationships already present within the team. It is very important that the recruited person shares common values ​​of the company. Even one mismatched employee can cause a team’s commitment and energy to drop. That’s why presenting your best personality traits is of crucial importance.

The recruitment process also verifies such competences as: communication skills, assertiveness, conflict management (for instance, you could be asked for an example of a difficult situation and solution to it), responsibility, the ability to think out of the box and to present and implement your own ideas.

• Personality and adaptation to the company’s community are important, especially at HL Tech – we are a close-knit team of people who simply like each other, share a common sense of humour, and like to have fun. But we also have a good and strong work ethic – for instance, we attach great importance to the quality of the code – says Michalina Stępień.

Recruitment is an opportunity for both parties to decide whether they match together and want to collaborate.

• Knowing the specificity of HL Tech, I check what motivates a person at work, what tasks she or he likes to perform and what kind of people they would be fit to work with. – Alina Yanchenko adds.

In order to verify your soft skills and compatibility with the company’s profile, many recruiters use the STAR method. It is an acronym which stands for:

S – Situation – The recruiter asks you to mention a specific situation in response to his question

T – Task – Here you are asked to talk about your role in the problem solving process of that situation

A – Action – this element is an answer to the question about specific actions to achieve the intended goal

R – Result – the final section discusses the result of the activity and the degree to which the goal has been achieved

Source: https://poradnikpracownik.pl/-jak-funkcjonuje-metoda-star-w-rekrutacji

HOW TO SHINE LIKE A STAR?

Recruitment is certainly a stressful process. Therefore, to finish we have some “golden tips” that will allow you to stand out among other candidates and feel more confident.

• Show your commitment and interest in the interviewer, do not look away.
• Be transparent and listen actively.
• Answer the questions specifically and concisely avoiding excessive words.
• Prepare your questions and do the research on the company you want to work for.
• Don’t be afraid to talk about your successes – no one else will do it for you.
• Always develop your answers, use specific examples and arguments, avoid one-sentence statements and short “yes” and “no” answers.

Last but not least – be positive and be yourself. Who knows, maybe we will meet at HL Tech soon? Good luck!

The post HL Tech recruiting in practice appeared first on HL Tech.

Nagroda jest przyznawana w oparciu o wyniki badania „AudIT – najlepsze miejsce pracy IT”, które magazyn Computerworld przeprowadza we współpracy z ośrodkiem badawczym Kantar TNS. Do badania zapraszani są wszyscy pracownicy na stanowiskach związanych z IT. Jako dział HR i Administracji – zostaliśmy wykluczeni :) Ale wybaczamy! :)

Za co docenili nas nasi pracownicy?

Zgodnie z raportem, który otrzymaliśmy na pierwszy plan wysuwają się trzy aspekty – efektywna współpraca w zespole, dostęp do najnowszych technologii, oraz work life balance.

Patrząc na czynniki, które najbardziej motywują ludzi z obszaru IT do pracy – wygląda na to, że jesteśmy na właściwej drodze w budowaniu naszej organizacyjnej kultury.

I jeszcze mała wisienka na torcie – wzięliśmy udział w badaniu po raz pierwszy, a od firmy, która zajęła I miejsce dzieliły nas dosłownie 3 punkty. To również potwierdzenie, że zmierzamy w dobrym kierunku.

Cieszymy się ogromnie i jeszcze raz dziękujemy za to wyróżnienie!

The post Distinguished as the Best IT Workplace 2018 appeared first on HL Tech.

Na początku zapytaliśmy naszych programistów o to, co im się podobało, a czego brakowało  w programach praktyk, w których sami uczestniczyli. Zebraliśmy wszystkie best practises i okazało się, że kluczem do sukcesu są takie czynniki jak: opieka merytoryczna nad programem, poczucie, że to co się robi w ramach praktyk faktycznie ma znaczenie, że praca nie pójdzie na marne, do szuflady lub co gorsza – do kosza. Nie bez znaczenia było też coś, co  nazywamy candidate i employee experience.

Cały program zbudowaliśmy zatem w oparciu o trzy najważniejsze z naszej perspektywy czynniki:

Po pierwsze – mentor i opiekun merytoryczny

Wiedzieliśmy, że zatrudniając najlepszych ekspertów na rynku, mamy idealne możliwości, żeby dzielić się wiedzą. Chcieliśmy przekazać przyszłym programistom najlepsze praktyki pisania czystego kodu. Zaproponowaliśmy im pełne wsparcie merytoryczne oraz organizacyjne, a także staraliśmy się stworzyć świetną atmosferę pracy, która będzie dla nich pełna ciekawych wyzwań. Wysłaliśmy do nich sygnał, że właśnie u nas wiele się nauczą, a ich praca będzie doceniona. Pokazaliśmy również, że rozumiemy ich oczekiwania, mamy dla nich wartościową ofertę, a ich rozwój jest dla nas niezwykle ważny.

Po drugie: projekt end to end wynikający z faktycznej potrzeby biznesowej

Nic bardziej nie motywuje do pracy jak świadomość, że to co robisz ma sens i ktoś z Twojej pracy będzie później korzystał. Branża IT rządzi się swoimi prawami i oprócz odpowiedniego wykształcenia bardzo wysoko ceni się również doświadczenie projektowe. Stąd też zaproponowaliśmy przyszłym praktykantom możliwość tworzenia rozwiązania od pierwszej linii kodu aż po wdrożenie produkcyjne.

Oczywiście wiele firm technologicznych na rynku oferuje atrakcyjne i wartościowe programy praktyk, jednak nieczęsto zdarza się praktykantom realizować dedykowany projekt od początku do końca. Myślę, że to właśnie możliwość udziału w projekcie end to end wyróżniło naszą ofertę na rynku i sprawiło, że praktykanci z większym zaangażowaniem podeszli do pracy. Pod czujnym okiem doświadczonych programistów z naszej firmy wypracowali aplikację, z której będą korzystać pracownicy naszej brytyjskiej centrali – firmy Hargreaves Lansdown. Nowe funkcjonalności rozwijane w projekcie poprawią efektywność wykonywanych zadań, co z kolei będzie miało znaczący wpływ na jakość obsługi klienta.

Po trzecie: candidate i employee experience

Trzeba przyznać, że sporo energii włożyliśmy w to, aby przeprowadzić proces rekrutacji sprawnie, nie tracąc na jakości. Cały czas mieliśmy przed oczami nasz cel: zatrudnienie najlepszych kandydatów na rynku. Mając 850 aplikacji – z jednej strony pomyśleliśmy: wow – mamy wybór, a z drugiej strony pojawiła się obawa, że wśród tylu CV możemy przeoczyć prawdziwe perełki. Jednak udało się – zamknęliśmy proces rekrutacyjny w nieco ponad dwa tygodnie.

Jeśli chodzi o employee experience to właściwie nic nadzwyczajnego nie zrobiliśmy. Po prostu byliśmy sobą. Trzymiesięczne praktyki to za długi czas, żeby udawać kogoś, kim nie jesteśmy. A fakt, że praktykanci chcą z nami pozostać na dłużej utwierdza nas w przekonaniu, że tworzymy fajny zespół i wspólnie potrafimy dokonać rzeczy niemożliwych.  :)

The post Internship That Matters – the internship programme that has changed the standards. appeared first on HL Tech.