00:01:54 · Alex Carril, Valerie Danilenko
[00:01:54] S0: And after over a year working in expansions recruitment, what are some of the challenges you face when hiring in new markets? [00:02:00] S1: So one, Revolut isn't as established in some jurisdictions compared to Europe. So we really have to sell Revolut as a brand. Two, I would say English language. So English language is our business language at Revolut. But in certain jurisdictions, only about five to 10% of the market speak English. And we are trying to target the best of the best. So that means our talent pool is even smaller. [00:02:25] S0: And I think having that level of English is also going to set them up for success when they collaborate globally. When we're talking about talent platforms and sourcing preferences, obviously it changes depending on the market, but how do we adjust our toolkit to reach these candidates? [00:02:42] S1: So we have to adapt to each market because each market is slightly different. Although LinkedIn is our biggest tool and our biggest source of candidates, it doesn't work in every single market. So for example, in Japan, it's not one of their most used. So we do have to look at more local platforms in order to reach those candidates. Also, conduct recruitment events globally, which has been quite successful for us in the past.
00:02:42 · Valerie Danilenko, Alex Carril
[00:02:42] S1: So we have to adapt to each market because each market is slightly different. Although LinkedIn is our biggest tool and our biggest source of candidates, it doesn't work in every single market. So for example, in Japan, it's not one of their most used. So we do have to look at more local platforms in order to reach those candidates. Also, conduct recruitment events globally, which has been quite successful for us in the past. [00:03:04] S0: So really finding candidates where they are going to them, whether it's a local platform or actually in person. It's interesting to hear a global blueprint and how we're adapting our hiring efforts to cultural norms and regional nuances. Let's zoom into The United States because it's a massive area. How are we developing and deepening our hiring presence there? [00:03:24] S1: So we're hiring vigorously in The US right now. It's quite an exciting opportunity for somebody coming in because they get to build something. Although we already have the frameworks in place because we have launched in other markets, they get to kind of adapt it that would suit The US market. Yeah. So in order to find the people that we're looking for, our approach is one, that we're mostly looking in the Tri State area just because we do have a New York office. Two, that we're really transparent with candidates. So we always advertise with the salaries on the job postings, but that we explain all of our benefits on the first initial call so candidates know exactly what they're getting into.
00:03:24 · Valerie Danilenko, Alex Carril
[00:03:24] S1: So we're hiring vigorously in The US right now. It's quite an exciting opportunity for somebody coming in because they get to build something. Although we already have the frameworks in place because we have launched in other markets, they get to kind of adapt it that would suit The US market. Yeah. So in order to find the people that we're looking for, our approach is one, that we're mostly looking in the Tri State area just because we do have a New York office. Two, that we're really transparent with candidates. So we always advertise with the salaries on the job postings, but that we explain all of our benefits on the first initial call so candidates know exactly what they're getting into. [00:04:02] S0: What are some of these benefits that US candidates can expect? [00:04:05] S1: A full time eligible employee, we would typically look at a performance bonus, four zero one ks. One cool feature that we offer is our global working from abroad policy, which allows somebody to work from a specific country for a certain amount of time. [00:04:18] S0: Yeah. We mentioned earlier that it can be challenging to hire people in locations where they may not be too familiar with Revolut. Obviously in Europe, that doesn't really happen. Most people know us there. But in The US, you find it's been easier after the announcement of the conditional approval from the OCC for Revolut's US National Bank.
00:04:18 · Alex Carril, Valerie Danilenko
[00:04:18] S0: Yeah. We mentioned earlier that it can be challenging to hire people in locations where they may not be too familiar with Revolut. Obviously in Europe, that doesn't really happen. Most people know us there. But in The US, you find it's been easier after the announcement of the conditional approval from the OCC for Revolut's US National Bank. [00:04:38] S1: Yes. So we've had an increase in applications, which is great. And we're also having much warmer conversations with candidates as well. They seem to kind of understand Revolut, know about Revolut and what we're all about. And also when it comes to actually closing the candidates, Revolut is seen as maybe a bit more established now and it's seen as less of a risk when candidates are coming from very traditional backgrounds as well. [00:05:01] S0: Because we're not a startup anymore. So that risk, let's say, that's associated with companies who might just be starting out is not really the case anymore. [00:05:08] S1: Exactly. [00:05:08] S0: And, you know, we're often known, I would say, for having multiple, some people might even say rigorous hiring stages. How have you seen US candidates kind of react to our hiring process? [00:05:21] S1: That's actually quite interesting because US candidates are very well equipped to multistage interview process. They're quite used to it and kind of the time that it takes. [00:05:31] S0: Because it's not just the multiple interview rounds, it takes some time. [00:05:34] S1: A few weeks.
00:05:34 · Valerie Danilenko, Alex Carril
[00:05:34] S1: A few weeks. [00:05:34] S0: What's something people might not know about Revolut's recruitment process? [00:05:38] S1: So we do something called the problem solving interview, where we typically have a qualified problem solving interviewer that will conduct that with you. They will give you a scenario based question and they will assess how you were at deploying the questions, how structured you were and what solution you kind of provided to The interviewer is not somebody who is the hiring manager for the role, so that reduces the potential for bias in the process. [00:06:02] S0: And the problem solving interviewer might not even be from the same country or department. [00:06:07] S1: Exactly. So you might be a US candidate and the interviewer is in Australia, or you might be applying for a crypto based role and the interviewer is in the credit department. [00:06:15] S0: And that really is just to kind of solidify the fact that this person is trained in this type of interview. [00:06:21] S1: The interviewer is trained to assess how good are you at problem solving, especially problems that maybe you're not used to every day. [00:06:28] S0: Because the cases don't have to be related to your subject matter expertise. Val, you've been in recruitment for many years now. What is something that candidates should not do in interviewing? [00:06:39] S1: So I'll give you something that we're seeing a lot more recently, which is using unapproved AI tools. At least in my experience, it's normally quite obvious when we see candidates use these. [00:06:48] S0: Okay.
00:06:48 · Alex Carril, Valerie Danilenko
[00:06:48] S0: Okay. [00:06:48] S1: We're trying to get to know you. So talk about your experience, your expertise, and if you can do it in a data driven way, even better. [00:06:56] S0: It sounds like what we're looking for from candidates is consistency in their answers. So not this obviously elaborate answer that may have used some kind of unapproved AI tool to give them the answer, but how can you have this personal touch to all of your answers? That's what we're looking for. [00:07:11] S1: Yeah. So speak about what you know and just be honest about it. We want to get to know you. [00:07:16] S0: That brings me to my next question is what should candidates do during their interview to be successful? [00:07:21] S1: So for the problem solving interview, for example, make sure that you're well prepared and that you're honest as well. So if you need time to have a think about the question, please take it. If you need to think out loud, please do. [00:07:32] S0: Yeah. We want to hear what your thought process is while you're trying to figure out the problem. [00:07:36] S1: That's [00:07:37] S0: it. That's great advice. Thank you, Val. And what about for you? When you look back at your career, do you have any advice that you would have told your younger self? [00:07:45] S1: I would say put your hand up as much as possible. So, for me, I probably wouldn't have got to where I am without it because your managers don't exactly know what it is that you're looking for without you putting your hand up and saying, Yes, I want this opportunity.