As companies grapple with attracting and retaining employees amid the pandemic and subsequent Great Resignation, they're turning to Workhuman for software tools to recognize and celebrate their employees.
Workhuman is a human-resources software company that specializes in employee recognition and continuous performance management, Lauren Van Duyn, a recruitment manager at Workhuman, said.
Some of Workhuman's products include its social-recognition software that lets employees engage on a social feed, and its performance-management solution called Conversations where employees can request and receive feedback.
During the pandemic, Workhuman's team and customer base have continued to grow, in part by providing a solution to problems companies are facing during the Great Resignation. According to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 11.5 million job openings at the end of March. A study in the MIT Sloan Management Review found that toxic workplace culture is 10.4 times more likely to drive employees away than low compensation.
"We've seen an increase in the need in the market for what we do, which has created the ability for us to continue growing," Van Duyn said.Workhuman is hiring for roles across the company at both its Massachusetts and Dublin, Ireland, offices. Most of the company is still working remotely, but Van Duyn said Workhuman is in the process of redesigning office space to fit its growing team. In Dublin, Van Duyn said the hiring is more on the product side for product management, software engineering, and architecture. In the US, the company is hiring more for sales, marketing, and customer success.
Since Van Duyn joined Workhuman in 2018, she said the company has doubled from about 500 to almost 1,000 employees globally. The company's head count has grown by about 20% year-over-year, and while Van Duyn doesn't know what the numbers will look like in the next year, she said hiring hasn't slowed down.
Van Duyn walked Insider through the interview process at Workhuman, and what candidates can do to stand out to interviewers.
Prepare for situational questions
Workhuman's interview process starts off with a recruiter phone interview, Van Duyn said.
"I think candidates find it's more beneficial," she said. "We're able to provide a lot of insight to candidates about the role, the team, the hiring manager, the company, so they walk away from it understanding more about us in the same way we walk away from it understanding more about them."
From there, candidates complete a phone interview with a hiring manager to further assess their general skills, before going into back-to-back virtual interviews with members of the team.
Before the virtual interview, Van Duyn said candidates receive materials to help them prepare for the types of questions they'll be asked and what company values interviewers will have in mind when talking to candidates. Workhuman even has its own Spotify playlist that candidates can use to get hyped up for the interview, Van Duyn said.
Candidates for more technical roles can expect a skills assessment, Van Duyn said. "Sometimes we'll do an Excel assessment if that's something important to a particular role," she said. "Oftentimes, it's more about fleshing out the skills that people have through conversations."
Van Duyn said interviewers ask situational questions to understand a candidate's skill set. "Tell me about a time when you were the busiest you've ever been, and you got through it," Van Duyn said. There's a difference, she said, between asking that and asking a candidate how efficient they are with time management.
"We get a really robust picture of someone's experiences and how they've navigated similar situations before, so we have an idea of how they would handle those situations if they work with us," she said.
Show why you care about building a better workplace
A candidate's ability to show they not only want the job but want to work specifically at Workhuman because of its mission stands out the most in the interview process, Van Duyn said.
"We love a candidate who asks inquisitive questions about our company, and how we know what we do works," she said. "Our software is making the workplace a better place for so many people, so we really love to hire people who care about that and are passionate about it."
Being authentic throughout the interview process also helps candidates stand out, Van Duyn said, because Workhuman is focused on hiring the person, and not just on their skill set.
One of the best things about working at Workhuman, according to Van Duyn, is that the company uses its own products.
"You're able to feel connected to your contribution to the organization," she said. "You're being celebrated for the work you do every day, you're being recognized for it by your peers, management team, and leadership."