When hiring new talent, we at MacPaw keep receiving applications from so many fantastic people! Still, a choice has to be made – only one person will fill in the spot. So, how can an applicant maximize their chances of joining MacPaw?

In this article, we will walk you through the journey you’ll have while going through the interview process at MacPaw.

  • How do we hire talents at MacPaw?
  • What are the stages of each hiring process?
  • What kind of questions will the interviewers ask?
  • How to prepare for each kind of interview?

Of course, we will also share some tips on how to pass the hiring process in a comfortable, meaningful, and stress-free way.

Note: steps can be a little different depending on the job role.

Step 1. Introduction call

After you apply for our vacancy or respond to our outreach, you’ll be asked to pick a time slot for an introduction call.

On this call, you’ll meet our Talent Acquisition Specialist, learn more about MacPaw and the position, and talk about your experience and aspirations.

You will also be able to get answers to questions you may have and get to know what steps will come next.

How to nail your introduction call

  • Make sure you read the vacancy and understand what the team expects from candidates.
  • Don't forget to do your research on MacPaw before the interview. We are much more than just an office with goofy cats 🐱
  • Prepare for questions about your experience, expectations of a new job/company, plans for your further development, and your professional interests.
  • Listen carefully, and don’t be shy to ask us to rephrase our questions if you don’t fully understand them. Also, feel free to take a moment to collect your thoughts if you need to.
  • Be concise, focus on the main topic of our conversation and try to answer the questions with no "whirlwind tours", and avoid slipping into unnecessary details.
  • Think of some questions you’d like to ask a Talent Acquisition Specialist.
  • It’s absolutely normal to get lost or feel a little nervous during the interview. Few people find this process stress-free. So remember that it’s our task to make the interview as comfortable as possible for the candidates. And sometimes, interviewers feel nervous too.

Step 2. Assessing your skills

At this stage, our goal is to figure out whether your skills and experience match the requirements of the role you’re applying for.

The format of this stage usually looks like one of these two scenarios:

  • A 1,5-hour long technical interview consisting of two parts: theoretical and practical.
  • Practical part (usually a test task) might be done separately from the technical interview. You can set your own deadline for completing the task.

Your interviewers here will most likely be your potential lead/manager or teammates. This means that you will have a perfect opportunity to ask them questions about the team, processes, and technical aspects of the role.

Some tips on how to show your skills

  • Before the technical interview, look again at the hard skills requirements specified in the vacancy. If you're unsure about some of them, take some time to learn and practice.
  • Remember that for some roles, it’s okay if there’s no 100% match of the requirements. The key here is also to demonstrate your way of problem-solving and that you are a fast learner.

Step 3. Final interview

This is the part where we'd be happy to learn more about you as a person. Different people work in different ways, so this step is designed to fit around your working style and lifestyle, get to know you better and understand what’s important for you in your job.

Your interviewers will be your potential lead/manager and a Talent Acquisition Specialist.

We use competency-based questions for this stage. These questions usually start with phrases like “tell me about a time when…” or “give me an example of…" They help us understand what experiences you’ve had before and what your approaches are.

How to nail your final interview:

Here are some useful links for you: see some examples of competency-based questions and some tips on how to structure your answers. You can write down the answers to them, just as you would answer an interview. This way, you will understand yourself better, and have some practice, so you don’t get lost in the interview.

    Step 4. Reference check

    After you’ve successfully passed all the interview stages, there is one last thing before we can make the final decision.

    We will ask you to share the contacts of 2-3 people you worked with, so we can reach out to them for a reference check. Bonus points if one of them were your direct manager.

    All in all, this is a pretty standard and quick stage that will help us get a broader perspective on your candidacy.

    Step 5. Making the decision

    Let’s be honest. Nobody enjoys waiting to know if they’re hired or not. So you’ll hear back from us as soon as possible. And while you wait, don’t hesitate to ask us any questions. We perfectly realize that the final decision is not only ours – it’s your decision as well.

    We hope these steps will help you be more confident and prepared for each stage of the hiring process. Who knows, maybe that’s the article that will help you get the dream job at MacPaw. At least that’s what we would love to happen!

    Good luck!