TECHRE RUITER JAN - APR 2019
YOUR INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER INSIDE: Game changing interview questions Work with Adaptive Top sales interview tips Most obscure reasons for being late PLUS: The hottest jobs on the market across the globe
WELCOME TO THE LATEST
TECHRE RUITER Welcome back to TechRecruiter, Brought to you by Adaptive Tech. A newsletter focused on the topics of career development and recruitment in the industry, both from the employer and employee perspective. Published quarterly, this publication aims to become your new trusted forum for news, issues and hot topics.
David James David James CEO Adaptive Business Group
It's set to be an eventful year in the industry, as predicted by Gartner, the global public cloud service market is projected to grow 17.3% in 2019 to total $206.2 billion, up from $175.8 billion in 2018). This highlights the importance of the work we are doing together in this industry.
ADAPTIVE TECH'S TOP
LONDON JOBS
Enterprise Account Executive - Fast Growing MarTech Start Up - £85,000 Double OTE Sales Director - Content Marketing Platform - £90,000 Double OTE Sales Manager Direct Demand - Top AdTech Vendor - £50,000 Double OTE Business Development Executive – Award winning FinTech start-up - £30,000 + Commission Strategic Sales professional (Benelux) – Award winning FinTech Start-up - £50,000 + dbl Strategic Sales Executive – Global leader FinTech leader - £100,000 + dbl
To explore job opportunities, visit our website or get in touch with our recruitment team: info@adaptivetech.io
FIVE
KEY TIPS
TO INTERVIEW SUCCESS
Preparing for a career move? Here are five key steps to succeeding at interview.
Candidates have a delicate balancing-act to perform at interview time. Often employers are hoping to see a range of skills and personality traits, several of which overlap and a few of which seem to flatly contradict. You need to be determined, focused and competitive when it comes to the business, but easygoing and collaborative as a colleague and member of the team. Employers want to see that you’re driven by being successful, but not just chasing dollars without a commitment to the company’s broader mission. Striking the right tone is no easy task.
To help you showcase your experience in the best light, we’ve chosen our top five pieces of advice based on feedback from hundreds of interviews across the board.
1. UNDERSTAND THE NEED To excel in interview it’s vital to know exactly what the company is looking for – and that’s sometimes not as obvious as it sounds. Interviewers are, of course, always vetting for someone who can fundamentally be trusted to hit a targets, but there are lots of nuances and details beyond that which could be important clues as to how you should present or discuss your experience.
Do they need someone who can upsell and expand existing accounts, or simply kick in new doors? Are they on the lookout for someone with management potential, or is it a solo role? Have there been issues with previous hires which have shaped the focus of this search? Often interviewees can be so eager to share their accomplishments that – although impressive – they may be missing the mark and talking about issues that don’t resonate with the company’s more important needs. Early on in the interview, try and establish what the hiring
company is really trying to find. Not only will this help you understand if the role is truly a match for you, but it will enable you to shape the way you present your achievements and background.
2. SHOW YOU CAN EVOLVE In fast-moving and competitive global markets, companies are always changing – exploring new customer sectors, reacting to various pressures, implementing new technologies, hiring new personnel and adopting new marketing strategies. A recurring concern among hiring managers is whether candidates will be able to adapt and succeed throughout the inevitable change ahead, no matter the industry. Candidates who set out to demonstrate to an interviewer that they have a ‘tried and tested’ approach to their role are inadvertently signalling to that interviewer that they are uncomfortable with change or may struggle in a new environment. While a company needs to know that you have a formula for success, it’s important to make clear that you’re able to adjust to evolving circumstances and have done so successfully in the past..
It’s great to be focused, but avoid coming across as rigid!
3. FOCUS ON GROWTH Above all else, make sure that what shines through from your interview is your ability and drive to create top-line growth. “If we hire this person, are we going to see increased clients and client spend?” With so many other variables in play, it can be easy to get taken off track into a discussion about different fields, whether it be marketing, management, training, sales or other areas of
conversation. While it’s fine, sometimes encouraged, to show a broad perspective and hold opinions on these topics, it mustn’t come at the cost of convincing the interviewer that the net effect of your hire will be growth. As a guiding principle, there are few better ways to formulate your answers to interview questions or to choose your own anecdotes to illustrate your experience. The interviewer may decide you’re smart, thoughtful, well informed or a thousand other things – but if they don’t decide you’ll do the job they are hiring you to do, it’s all been for nothing.
4. GIVE EXAMPLES OF BEING A TEAM PLAYER The most successful candidates we see go beyond the basics of a standard role – they are company ambassadors, with great relationships across the board, they represent and the ability to engineer ‘win-win’ scenarios for their customers, agencies and clients. Hiring managers want someone who is an asset to the business, and not just someone who can bring in achieve targets (especially if that means disrupting morale, causing internal rifts or draining time from management). Showing your ability to collaborate with other colleagues, production teams and other areas of the organization goes a long way to helping set interviewers’ minds at ease.
5. ANALYZE WHAT YOU DO WELL Stepping into the interviewer’s shoes, one of the most important things they’re trying to figure out is how much of your performance in previous positions was down to the environment,
team or market you worked within, and how much was down to your contribution and skill set. This is critical – an employer isn’t buying your past, they’re hiring you for your future contribution. You can swing the interview in your favour by actively helping the interviewer to make this distinction. Go back over your previous roles and identify all areas where your impact influenced events, and analyze what you did well to achieve positive outcomes and hit goals. Have you been successful mostly because of high activity volumes? Determination? Deep subject matter understanding of client markets?
Rapport and relationship-building? Willingness to go the extra mile, work late at night or schedule meetings on weekends? This helps you understand exactly what you’re bringing to the table. Working out your personal strong suits and ensuring they are clearly communicated during your interview lets a prospective employer cut through the distractions in your CV and understand the core abilities you offer, regardless of environment.
*** Adaptive Tech recruits on behalf of high-growth SaaS vendors, filling roles at all levels including SDR, CSM, AE, Sales Engineering, VP and more. You can check out Adaptive Tech's SaaS sales vacancies in our job listings here.
ADAPTIVE TECH'S
HOT GER JOBS
Senior Sales Executive – Berlin – Application Intelligence Platform - 80-108K€ base/160216K€ OTE Senior Account Executive – Berlin – Customer Service and Engagement Platform - 80K€ base/160K€ OTE Sales Engineer- Remote – Workflow and Process Automation Platform – 90K€ Base/170K€ OTE Solution Consultant – Remote – Universal data Hub Management – 110K€ Base /220K€ OTE Account Executive – München – schnell Wachsende HrTech Unternehmen – 60K € - 80K € Sales Director – München – International Cybersecurity Company – 100K € - 160K € OTE
To explore job opportunities, visit our website or get in touch with our recruitment team: info@adaptivetech.io
ADAPTIVE TOP 10: MOST INVENTIVE REASONS FOR BEING LATE We've all heard the common ones: "I was stuck in traffic", "I overslept", and "train problems" but, we're taking a look at some of the more interesting (or just plain ridiculous) reasons people have given for being late to work.
TOP 10 REASONS FOR BEING LATE
10
"I thought Halloween was a public holiday..."
Because who doesn't want to celebrate every holiday with a day off?
9
"My coffee was too hot."
The employee said they had to wait for their morning beverage to cool down before they could leave the house...
8 "I had to buy milk" Still on the food and drink excuses. This employee said they had to buy more milk so they could eat their cereal before heading out. Well, breakfast IS the most important meal of the day.
7
"I forgot we moved"
6 "It's too cold" Ever had those one of those days
Company relocated recently? No
when you've woke up and the
problem. Use this one to make
weather has really made you want to
yourself look less foolish for
stay in bed? This employee literally
being late in the morning!
did what we've all dreamed of.
5
"I got a hairbrush stuck in my hair..."
4
"I had a nightmare" This employee said they
Well, that's embarrassing. Who knows if
had a torrid night sleep
it was a true statement but you'd
due to being scared from
imagine the break room jokes wouldn't
a bad dream...
be worth making it up!
3
"I forgot it wasn't the weekend"
Well, guess that's what happens if you party too hard!
2 1
"My cat got stuck in the toilet!" The safety of your pet is important, so I guess maybe we'll let this one slide.
"A zebra held up traffic" Amazingly, our favourite pick of the bunch turned out to be true! A zebra was running down the highway, causing a huge traffic jam! Incredible.
SIX GAME-CHANGING INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ASK
The questions you ask during an interview play a key role in the impression you make on a prospective employer – choose wisely...
If you produce the same questions as everyone else (“What do you like most about your job?”, “What does your ideal candidate look like?”), you might learn some Even at the most innovative valuable information, but you companies, interviews can can’t expect to stand out for follow a predictable pattern. your innovation or make When the interviewer is yourself memorable to the comfortable that they’ve interviewer. completed their assessment of you, a familiar question If you ask something more rolls around: thought-provoking, however, “Do you have any questions for us?” What you choose to ask can have a greater impact than you might suspect.
you not only set yourself apart from the competition but also take the conversation into unexplored territory which the interviewer has not talked about with other applicants.
Your conversation becomes memorable, and you have a chance to score points not available to other candidates by discussing things they don’t discuss. Having a selection of insightful, businessfocused questions ready can help you distinguish yourself from the crowd and create a unique exchange with the interviewer. Here are 6 examples and why they work...
1. What short-term and resources, opportunities do you see for understanding that team the team to improve results? results are shaped by the resources at their Asking this shows that you’re disposition. focused on coming into the role to make an impact. Linking work outcomes to the investment and You move away from typical platform provided by the interview generalities company reveals an ability (candidate experience, to think about team desired skills etc.) to focus on performance from a more tangible results and what strategic angle, showing the actions can be taken to interviewer that you have deliver better outcomes. At the capacity to think the end of the day, this is beyond the immediate what the interviewer needs confines of your personal most on their team – no role. amount of experience or ability matters unless it’s It also gives the interviewer applied to make a difference. an opportunity to talk about positive aspects of the team Making the question about you’ll be joining - if they are team rather than the the hiring manager then individual role can also they may well have been reassure the interviewer that responsible for the you understand your function investment they choose as as being part of a wider their answer. collaborative effort. 2. What’s the best investment the team has made? This question demonstrates an appreciation of budget
3. How do you see the team in 3 years time? Asking questions with a time horizon creates confidence that you are thinking about your position in the long term, and expect to be part of that team after 3 years. The question implies a level of ambition, probing on opportunities that may be created as the team expands. It also invites the interviewer to talk about their own growth goals, and to share the plans they have for developing the group. You then have the opportunity to ensure that your interview performance and responses synch with these objectives.
"WHAT SHORT-TERM OPPORTUNITIES DO YOU SEE FOR THE TEAM TO IMPROVE RESULTS?"
4. Are there trends you’re worried you’re not keeping pace with? This shows that you view your role in a commercial context, and don’t expect anything outside your job description to be someone else’s problem. Rather than be a passive member of the team, you are aware of threats and challenges in business and assume shared responsibility for overcoming these together with your manager and colleagues. Raising the issue of trends also takes the conversation into a wider reflection on industry news and developments, where you can have a chance to showcase your expertise and share your opinions of where things are headed.
illustrates a potential to think big as well as small. In addition to joining the team to excel in your assigned function, you’re also interested in the roadmap for the team’s evolution. Are there any big changes coming up? What tools, infrastructure or additional talent would help the team’s performance move to the next level? You demonstrate a collaborative mindset, focus on team success and excitement for the future. 6. What are you most proud of about the team?
5. What will be the next big investment the team will make?
By inviting the interviewer to talk about what they’re proud of, you switch the conversation onto their own career and contribution, which inevitably generates a positive vibe in the discussion.
Probing around future change to the team
Putting them and what they’re proud of in the
spotlight helps show that you’re aware of your manager’s own career, and creates an opportunity for you to make clear that you will be an asset to their personal development and ambitions – joining the team to give, to support and not simply to follow instructions. *** Adaptive Tech recruits on behalf of high-growth SaaS vendors, filling roles at all levels including SDR, CSM, AE, Sales Engineering, VP and more.
You can check out Adaptive Tech's SaaS sales vacancies in our job listings here.
***
WORK WITH ADAPTIVE
WHAT WE DO
Adaptive was founded on the belief that each employee’s development is key to corporate success. In everything we do, we are led by core values which guide our work with clients, candidates and colleagues. Adaptive consultants are tech savvy entrepreneurs who are trained to become industry experts to provide the best service to our clients. That's why we’re extremely selective when it comes to our team and who they are serving. Through dedicated teams of expert recruiters, we support the growth of technology and service companies around the world, providing them access to specialist networks of top-performing candidates. Distributed across our office locations in London, New York, Berlin and San Diego, Adaptive's consultants help clients identify, engage and hire industryleading talent to build winning teams. Want to find out more about what we do? Visit our website today.
ADAPTIVE TECH'S
HOT US JOBS
Enterprise Account Executive - Los Angeles - $300,000 OTE Account Executive - New York - $80,000 base OTE Product Management Director - New York - $120,000 + bonus Account Executive HRTech SaaS - New York - $110,000 OTE Enterprise Account Executive - Atlanta - $260,000 OTE AdTech - Demand Sales Manager - San Francisco - $180,000 OTE
To explore job opportunities, visit our website or get in touch with our recruitment team: info@adaptivetech.io
GET IN TOUCH:
OUR OFFICES Adaptive can provide you with a range of packages, if you are interested in discussing your business needs, or for specific information, please do not hesitate to contact your Adaptive Globalization team at one of our global locations.
UK
DE
Kenwood House 1 Upper Grosvenor Road Tunbridge Wells TN1 2EL +44 (0) 208 123 0036
OberwallstraĂ&#x;e 9, 10117 Berlin +49 (0) 30 71 57 8990
NY
SD
171 Madison Ave Rm 1107 New York NY 10016 +1 (646) 583 1507
512 Via De La Valle #303 Solana Beach, CA 92075 +44 (0) 208 123 0295