Applying to a new place can be exciting, but can also be nerve-racking. Removing the mystery from a candidate’s journey can go a long way to make the process of getting to know each other more predictable and enjoyable. This article aims to give you, a potential new teammate, an overview map to help chart your candidacy with us. Rather than jumping into this new relationship in haste, it’s better for everyone at stake that we both take time to ensure there’s a mutual, long-term fit.
In a Nutshell 🥜
Below you’ll find a list of milestones on the candidate journey with our company. Not all candidates go through the exact same journey or in the exact same order. The journey may be shorter or longer, depending on the role, level of seniority, and a variety of other factors. We invite you to click each milestone for more details below.
☝️ Interview 01: Quick Intro Call
✌️ Interview 02: Questionnaire
🤌 Interview 03: In-depth Meeting(s)
🫵 Interview 04: Reverse Interview(s)
📝 Tests & Assessments
🗓️ Offer, Start Date, Onboarding
The Journey 🗺️
Application 📝
(05-30 mins)
Candidates fill out a standardized form specific to the role they are applying for. This form is an opportunity to share a high-level overview of who you are, both professionally and personally, and tell us how you would shine at the role. Please, give us a chance to meet your authentic self by answering questions in YOUR OWN WORDS.
Because we still have our humans review each applicant, it takes us some time to process high volumes of applications. We appreciate your patience while waiting for the next step. We can only personally respond to applicants who meet the role criteria, and not to those who don’t. Thank you for understanding.
Interview 01: Quick Intro Call ☝️
(15-20 mins)
Think of this virtual meeting as a quick professional coffee chat.
The mutual goal is to assess fit and identify any potential deal-breakers from both parties. We ask a standard set of questions to all candidates to ensure a level playing field for everyone and a fair assessment process.
Depending on how concise you are with your answers, we’ll go through our questions in about 10-15 minutes, and have enough time for you to ask us the questions in your mind and heart.
Interview 02: Questionnaire ✌️
(15-120 mins)
Asynchronous interview at your own pace
We understand that not everyone is great at verbal interviews. Some of our most talented A-Players bombed their firsts with us. Our holistic questionnaire is like a written interview, where you can answer questions at your leisure in a comfortable setting, to better reflect your whole self. You can write as little or as much, expressing yourself in your own unique way without the psychological or time pressure of a typical verbal interview.
We recommend answering in YOUR OWN WORDS, so we can learn more about your authentic self.
Interview 03: In-depth Meeting(s) 🤌
(90-120 mins)
Getting serious about a potential commitment
These focused meetings allow us to dive deeper, asking important questions about culture, fit, opportunities ahead, and more. Depending on the role and seniority, you may have several meetings with our team to ensure a thorough understanding of each other. We know that choosing the right team is a big decision, and we don’t want to rush either you or ourselves.
These meetings typically happen in our main office, but can also take place over lunch, dinner, or a few drinks. What’s important is that we get to truly know each other.
Interview 04: Reverse Interview(s) 🫵
(15-60 mins)
How curious are you?
For certain roles, we offer candidates the chance to reverse the process and interview us. This is your opportunity to speak with our team members and ask questions that matter most to you. We’ll provide a shortlist of diverse teammates — ranging from interns to partners, across various functions and disciplines — who altogether can give you a more rounded view of Pixel Dreams. You can choose one or a few people you’d like to meet with, ensuring you get insights from those who resonate with you most.
We believe that finding the right fit is a two-way street, and this process helps you understand who we are, how we work, and whether Pixel Dreams feels right for you.
Tests & Assessments 📝
Test Projects 📝
Not every candidate will go through a testing phase, but for certain roles, it can be a valuable part of our process. Test projects provide a practical way for both sides to evaluate fit:
- For us, it’s an opportunity to assess the quality of your work and how well it aligns with our needs.
- For you, it’s a chance to experience the kind of work you’d be doing and see if it excites you.
You can do interviews, questionnaires, and assessments. What you’re really looking for is, can they do the job? The best thing you can do is take the person, and have them do the job for a couple days. You’d be surprised that people will come for a day, even a week, to do the job, regardless of how senior they are. That’s the best way for them to get a feel for the company.
Assessments 📊
The below assessments give our various teams a mutual understanding and capacity to self-assemble to solve problems and achieve goals. These assessments help us understand ourselves and each other better — such as natural instincts and personal preferences, strengths to rely on, weaknesses to watch for, and unique working styles. There are no ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’ results. Each assessment simply provides more insight into how you naturally think and operate. We usually introduce these assessments later in the process, when we’re (secretly) excited about the possibility of you joining our team.
The two assessments are:
- DiSC Profile
- Kolbe-A Index
Offer, Start Date, Onboarding 🗓️
In this final phase, we’ll conclude details about compensation, benefits, and what you can expect being a member of our team. We’ll also confirm your first day with us, ensuring a start date that works for both of us, and outline what your onboarding experience will look like.
Our goal is to ensure you feel welcomed and prepared to hit the ground running. We believe that joining Pixel Dreams should be as exciting for you as it is for us, and we’re here to make your transition as smooth and enjoyable as possible.
We can’t wait to see what we can achieve together!
Duty To Self 🛡
It’s common for candidates to feel inspired and excited at the potential of working at a new awesome place. We can be just as excited to have new team members join us!
However, like all new relationships, initial perceptions can be rosier than realities. This gap, if not bridged, often can be regrettable for all parties. We aim not to be buzz-kills, only prudent in reminding both candidates and ourselves, that not all relationships are meant to be.
Sometimes it’s culture. Sometimes it’s work. Whatever it is, it’s okay to walk away. It’s better to determine we’re not the right fit for each other than to cross our fingers, hope for the best, only to face regret.
We highly recommend you investing time in researching the companies you’re applying for, asking hard-hitting questions to the potential employers, so that you can find a place where you can truly be your best self, do your best work, and have your best fun.
Remember: you should be assessing us as much as we would be assessing you.
Further Study
Business thought leaders on hiring
