A GoodData Recruiter’s view of 2020

It was at the end of 2019, when I decided to close my previous career chapter and start to look around, to see what new opportunity life might bring. After some searching, I took the leap, and applied for a new position at GoodData, in Czech Republic. As I received more information about the company and job scope, I was convinced it would be the right fit. I believe that if you genuinely wish for something it will happen. So, here I am, Hai Van, Recruiter at GoodData. Let’s take a look at how we faced, and dealt with, the uncertainty of lockdown and the shift to remote hiring.

After a few weeks, while I was still in the process of getting used to new people, processing and learning more about GoodData, from nowhere, Covid-19 stopped by. And then on 13th March (a Friday - maybe some hidden joke from life), to ensure that everyone would be safe and healthy, GoodData announced the closure of its offices, for an indefinite period.

From that point on, every one of us had to adjust to working from home, losing our daily interaction with colleagues. As other teams were trying to set up the process of how to cooperate, on a daily basis, from home, HR and Recruitment had to react as well. Suddenly, we had to figure out how to handle the recruitment process as well as how to manage the pre-onboarding, onboarding, and smooth transition, of our newcomers, so as not to make them feel like outsiders.

As the days passed by and the lockdown didn't seem to be ending anytime soon, the doubt of the future, the possibility of an economic crisis and the topic of a hiring freeze, became bread and butter for a lot of recruiters around us. And these question marks hit GoodData too. Then, with everything that was going on, the VISA announcement came! In case you missed it, I’ll quickly fill you in. During May, VISA joined our investor and strategic partner family. As other companies have had to freeze their hiring activities, GoodData, on the other hand, has started to hire even more.

At some points we were driving along limitless highways, but at others, due to the lockdown situation, recruitment was even harder, with candidates being afraid of the uncertain future ahead and, as such, not so open to career change. But as soon as we opened up about the topic regarding our strategic partners, candidates seemed to be more reachable and more open to the prospect of joining GoodData.

During the lockdown, GoodData CZ was joined by a bunch of new (precisely 32) people, GoodPeople. Every one of them started online and, to be honest, kudos to their courage! Starting your new job by clicking on a Zoom link to connect with people you’ve never met in person, with people you’ve never shaken hands with and can hardly tell from the screen what they might be thinking, is no mean feat.

Missing the body language and live interaction was something new for everyone. In cooperation with hiring managers and their teams we have done our best to make it more comfortable for all involved. It was tough at the beginning, but thanks to regular communication, constant strategy updates and ‘meet & greet’ zoom calls with the team before the first day, we made it.

Usually, joining a new company culture can mean being afraid of having to tiptoe around ‘the new boss’, not being able to speak up as a newbie and having to pay more attention to what can be said in the kitchen during a coffee break. However, all of this has somehow faded and instead it has become the new norm to start questioning - how my team is in person, what if we won’t get along when I meet them and what if we won’t have anything in common. With how the world has changed during these past months, I think it’s very important to be more thoughtful and emphatic during digital onboarding, especially when someone is experiencing this type of online working environment for the first time. Really, this is a shout-out to everyone who joined a new employer during lockdown.

How about you; Are you ready to take your next step and join us at GoodData?