We sat down with three of our software engineers to get the lowdown on what it’s like to interview at Dixa. An interview process takes a lot of iterating and feedback, so we’ve been working hard to craft a process that makes everyone feel comfortable. We’re happy with where we are, but acknowledge that there’s always room for improvement, which we’ll be doing along the way. If you’d like more context before you read on, you can find out more about our current process here. Check it out, and let us know you think!
Meet our trio:
I’m Zsofia. I’m Hungarian, and I’ve been at Dixa since last November.
I’m Samuel. I’m Nigerian, and I’ve been working at Dixa since November, too!
My name is Angelos. I’m Greek, and I joined Dixa last month.
When did you interview at Dixa? How long was the process?
Zsofia: I interviewed last August, when Dixa was more ‘start-up’ than ‘scale-up’. I was offered the job in September, and went on vacation in between my interviews, so all in all it was a very fast process!
Samuel: I interviewed a little bit later than Zsofi. From start to finish, my process was around a month, as Anna (Director of Talent Acquisition) fell ill, but I was kept in the loop until she recovered!
Angelos: I interviewed quite a bit later than both Zsofi and Sam—this February—and got the offer by the end of March. It took a bit longer than a month due to COVID-19, and I was also busy with my previous job at the time, so it took me a while to get around to the technical assignment.
What stood out to you about the interview process at Dixa?
Zsofia: The interview process was very personal and tailored to suit what I needed and wanted. For example, flexibility is really important to me, and when I expressed that in my interviews, everyone respected my wishes to work from home when I needed more focused time.
Samuel: The respect for my time and my needs. After each stage, Dixa responded to me as quickly as possible, and I didn’t feel like time was wasted. Also, my relocation from Nigeria required very little from me; Dixa set me up with a relocation agent to organize the transition process and logistics, and they helped me with finding an apartment.
Angelos: Inga in Talent Acquisition was on my side during the whole period, and it felt like she always had my best interests at heart. All the interviewers were super friendly, so I didn’t feel judged at any stage, and I was able to give the best of myself.
Does Dixa incorporate their values (Inclusion, Encouragement, and Transparency) into the interview process? How so?
Zsofia: All of my interviews leaned more towards conversations. Jakob Nederby (Director of Engineering) and Jacob Vous (CTO) were very transparent about where the product was and the challenges they were facing, but were also very keen to discuss what I wanted to do and how to incorporate that into my role. It works both ways, right?
Samuel: Yep, Dixa involved me throughout the entire decision-making process, and each interviewer was transparent and encouraged me to express my opinion. I felt included and had a say over what my role looked like.
Angelos: All of my interviewers were engaged. Like Zsofi and Sam mentioned, I was asked about what I wanted from the role, and the communication was two-sided. It didn’t feel like I was being tested, it felt like everyone was interested in what I had to say.
Did you feel like your interviewers gave you enough exposure to your team and manager within the organization?
Zsofia: I met my ‘then’ manager Jakob Nederby, but I didn’t actually meet my team until after I was presented with an offer, so I requested this before making my decision. Dixa accommodated, and the team took some time out to meet with me the next afternoon. They’ve taken this feedback on board and embedded a ‘meet the team’ stage in the process, which is awesome!
Samuel: My process was different to Zsofi’s, as in my technical interview, most of the engineers were there. However, I didn’t meet Jakob Nederby in the process, but he was my interim manager so I didn’t feel like it was too important for us to have a 1:1 conversation, as shortly after Kristian Mørk (SVP of Product & Engineering) joined, I moved under his management.
Angelos: I joined a new team, so I didn’t really have a team to ‘meet’ per se, but I met the product manager of my team, and my actual manager, giving as much exposure as possible.
Did you feel comfortable asking questions throughout the process?
Zsofia: I am very aware that there are not many women in engineering, so I have to think about a lot of things that my male counterparts do not necessarily consider, such as equal opportunity to grow. I felt very comfortable raising these concerns in the very first meeting, and we spoke openly about my career development plans and how Dixa could accommodate these.
Samuel: Yeah, for me, everyone was welcoming so it was easy to ask questions, and my interviewers were constantly making sure I was on board, so I felt very comfortable probing and learning more.
Angelos: I felt comfortable because of the honesty. I even asked difficult questions around the challenges with the product, and my interviewers were open to it, told me where issues are and the plans around fixing these issues. They didn’t try to sell a perfect product to me.
What would you say is a differentiating factor between our tech interview process and others?
Zsofia: The interviews focused on how they would retain me as much as they did hiring me. The constant engagement and personalized approach, and how to accommodate for my own goals and objectives made me feel like I was already working at Dixa.
Samuel: Before joining Dixa, I had a few offers, but I was being treated like a commodity, and the man behind the skill set was not appreciated. Other recruiters would ghost or rush me, as if my time didn’t have the same worth as their time. Dixa was grateful about the time I invested, and my skills were appreciated. Also, when you are making a huge decision, it’s important that the company addresses your concerns, and Dixa did that.
Angelos: Agreed with Sam; with other organizations I’ve applied to, I never knew what was going on or where I stood. I got the impression that recruiters and interviewers were super distant unless you got the job. However, everyone at Dixa was including me before I was hired, and I felt like a potential employee rather than a candidate.
Any areas where we could improve our process?
Zsofia: I would have liked a demo of the product, as I didn’t really see the product until I joined. But we do that now, it’s part of the ‘meet the team’ interview.
Samuel: For me, there isn’t room for improvement. It seems like a cop-out answer, but it’s true! I just hope as we scale, we do not lose the personal touch I had.
Angelos: The only thing I’d say is that there isn’t a time limit for the assignment. Though I quite like being in control of the deadline, I think there should be more direction around how long it should take to complete (not necessarily a hard deadline), just so you know what is expected quality wise, and so you can set aside the right amount of time and figure out how to prioritize it.
Pssst! Want to find out more about our technical interview process at Dixa? Check it out here.
Oh, and BTW, we’re currently hiring!