We’re building out our engineering team here at Antidot and one of the things candidates usually ask very early on is what to expect from the hiring process.
Recruiting is actually a difficult process that doesn’t have a scientific method or recipe to follow to be absolutely certain you hire the right candidate. Yet, it is essential to determine if a candidate will be able to tackle future challenges once trained to use our tools.
Applicants often look for answers to such questions as:
- Does the job meet my expectations?
- Will my future co-workers and the work environment provide a rich ecosystem in which it is possible to share knowledge while developing new skills?
For over 20 years, the teams at Antidot have been fine-tuning the hiring process to ensure that each applicant is the perfect fit for the position.
Antidot’s employees all work in an environment based on trust. Autonomy and responsibility are key elements. When we offer a position to someone, it is because we believe that all the conditions are met for a successful collaboration.
To do so, we make sure that the candidate interacts with as many people as possible (future colleagues and managers) during the recruitment process. These interactions give candidates the opportunity to meet several Antidot employees and get a better picture of the company they consider joining.
In this post, we’ll go over each step in the hiring process and explain why we do it, who you’ll speak to, and how it works.
The specificities of the engineering process:
Preliminary selection
After receiving your application, we will have a first look at your cover letter and resume.
During this very first step, we want to make sure that you are truly captivated by the position we have to offer. We are more interested in making sure that you are knowledgeable about the field and that you have a real desire to learn and work with us for as long as possible than your technical skills.
A clear, concise, and well-written application is a valuable asset for this step.
Phone interview
You will be invited for an initial 30-min phone interview with your future manager. An expert in the field (web developer, technical writer, system engineer, etc.) might also take part in the interview.
This is the first opportunity for the applicant to learn more about Antidot and the position. Do not hesitate to ask questions during this interview.
During this stage of the recruiting process, we are looking for:
- an analytical mind
- the ability to communicate clearly
- solid knowledge of the elements highlighted in your resume
- a strong interest in the position and the field of activity
Remote Technical Challenge
If the phone interview has been successful, we’ll contact you for a “remote technical challenge”. We’ve designed this challenge to be representative of the kind of work you’ll do here. The objective is to have an initial validation of the skills required for this position and to ensure that if we then invite you to our “Day at Antidot”, you will have a good chance of succeeding. For us, nothing beats a “real” scenario to get an idea of the suitability of your application.
Depending on the case, the exercise can take place online with Antidot employees, or then asynchronously. In the first case, you will share your screen with members of the recruiting team for 30-60 minutes to solve a problem relevant to the position (bugged code, problem on a machine…). In the second case, you’ll have a week to carry out the exercise. Once we have the results, we’ll debrief together.
The remote challenge will give you a chance to discuss with members of the team, ask them specific questions, and get additional information on the position or the company.
If we feel that your application has sufficient strengths, we will invite you to spend a full day on-site for tests and interviews.
Your Antidot Day
The Antidot Day takes place on-site, either in our Lambesc office, near Aix en Provence, or in our Lyon office.
The goal of this step is for you to meet as many people as possible and take a variety of tests reflecting the daily tasks you’ll have if you work with us.
After a welcome coffee, the tests begin:
- If you are applying for a developer position, you will write code under the supervision of our engineers in one or more of the languages mentioned in your resume
- If you’re applying for a systems engineer position, you’ll be solving problems that are linked to production
- If you are a technical writer, you will write structured documents …
The rest of the day is split like this:
Lunch break: Antidot will invite you to share a meal with your future colleagues. You can then get to know each other better and discuss topics related to the position, or anything else: your passions, your hobbies, etc.
Ask Us Anything: You will participate in an “Ask us Anything” group chat where we switch roles and you can ask your future colleagues anything about Antidot. The goal is to give you a better feeling for Antidot’s culture while making some personal connections. This is not an interview, and candidates are not assessed during this time. It’s a time to chill and make informal connections.
Interviews: A time to discuss and explore your application with your future managers
At the end of this day, we will review your application, the results of the tests, your perception of Antidot, and we’ll debrief on your performance. This last meeting will allow us to discuss the details of our future collaboration. You will also be able to talk over any point you would like to shine a light on.
The objective of the day is to provide answers to the following questions:
- Are you proficient in the technological elements presented in your resume?
- Do you have the ability to learn and collaborate with our teams?
- What course of action do you take when you can’t solve a problem?
- What do you do when we suggest an alternative approach?
- Will your personality allow you to find your place in our teams?
After having met and worked with our team for a whole day, you will have a good idea of the daily work at Antidot, and of the relationships between the employees.
Epilogue
A few days after the test day, we will get back to you. If everything went well, we will make you an offer to join our team.
We hope that you will be won over by our culture and the position and that you will accept our offer. This will allow Antidot to grow even stronger! (NB: Some of our employees make delicious cakes and pastries!)
That’s It!
As with any company, our success is going to be built on hiring great people.
Our hope is that by sharing this kind of information openly, we can demystify the process and make it a little more accessible to the people we want to hire.
If you’re interested in joining our team, we have several open positions.
We look forward to meeting you!
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