We’re in a really lucky place at Buffer the place we all the time have an incredible group of people that apply once we publish job openings. In consequence, we’ve got to make some fairly troublesome selections. Just lately at Buffer, we’ve employed for a number of positions and had a whole bunch of functions for every:
- For Workers Product Supervisor, 657 folks utilized
- For Senior Engineering Supervisor, 564 folks utilized
- For Advertising and marketing UX Designer, 516 folks utilized
Primarily based on these outcomes and previous expertise, we thought there was a possible that we’d see a excessive variety of candidates for the Content material Author function. Plus, we anticipated that lots of our wonderful prospects and neighborhood members can be enthusiastic about and certified for a task like this, and that’s exactly what occurred.
We initially needed to depart the Content material Author function open for 2 weeks to obtain functions however determined to shorten it to 1 week due to the unimaginable response we acquired. So as to be clear about this, we put the brand new deadline proper on the job posting a couple of days prematurely.
In the long run, we had 1,518 candidates for the Content material Author function in a single week.
This was each thrilling and slightly overwhelming. We’re a fairly small staff at Buffer — at present 79 folks — and in our case, we had 4 folks reviewing 1,518 functions, so it was an enormous process.
We managed to answer to everybody inside three weeks of closing the applying, however that was nonetheless a fairly lengthy timeline so far as these items go.
Making use of for a job could be time-consuming, and we had an in depth utility course of. It’s comprehensible that after receiving a rejection e mail, some candidates had been eager for suggestions to study why they weren’t moved ahead. We are able to’t reply to everybody at that quantity of functions — although I want we may!
As a substitute, we’ve put collectively this weblog publish with extra about our utility course of for the Content material Author function at Buffer and a few normal themes we seen in functions we had been rejecting. These may not apply to everybody, however we hope this may be useful to some people who need readability on this course of, or who’re making use of for future roles at Buffer or elsewhere.
In regards to the utility
Earlier than we share the main causes we didn’t transfer functions ahead, right here is a bit more concerning the utility we had candidates fill out. That is the principle piece of data that our staff reviewed alongside each applicant’s resume.
Along with asking the applicant for his or her title, pronouns, portfolio or web site, and resume, the applying touched on three areas: expertise, information of Buffer and our area, and alignment with Buffer values.
How we assessed expertise
Listed here are the 4 utility questions we needed to assess expertise degree:
- Please choose all areas you could have advertising expertise with: (You aren’t required to have abilities in every of those areas, that is simply an evaluation.) Choices had been: Content material writing, Content material advertising, Social media advertising, Video advertising, Video creation, Graphic design, Analysis, Knowledge evaluation, Conducting interviews, E mail advertising, Audio enhancing, Podcast internet hosting.
- Please share three URLs for articles that you just’re happy with:
- Write a brief pitch for the sort of piece you’d need to write for the Buffer weblog (buffer.com/sources): (Max 250 characters)
- Why did you pitch that matter? (Max 250 characters)
You’ll discover that we requested for a most of 250 characters right here — that’s primarily as a result of we needed to check candidates on whether or not they may condense their concepts, which is a crucial ability for this place, and secondly as a result of it’s simpler for our staff to evaluate shorter inputs.
How we assessed information of Buffer and our area
We had 5 questions that had been extra targeted on Buffer, our business, and information of the area we cowl on our Content material staff:
- Have you ever used Buffer earlier than? (Y/N)
- If sure, what did you employ Buffer for? Why was Buffer the instrument you chose? (Max 250 characters)
- What’s your strategy to rising your private model? (Max 250 characters)
- What’s a latest development in advertising or social media that you just’re a fan of? (Max 250 characters)
- How would you incorporate that development into your content material creation course of at Buffer? (Max 250 characters)
How we assessed values
Values are an enormous focus for us at Buffer, and we’ve had quite a lot of methods we assess values through the years. This time, we requested three high-level questions that will give us an honest thought of whether or not an applicant was a match for Buffer’s values and distant tradition. Nevertheless, a values evaluation continues all through the interview rounds.
The three questions we requested had been:
- How do you strategy speaking successfully in a distant atmosphere? (It’s okay to speak about instruments, however please suppose past that, too.)
- Please share your strategy to selling an inclusive work atmosphere, and embrace an instance out of your skilled previous.
- Please share a time once you realized you may be mistaken about one thing. What was the end result? What did you study? (Please use knowledgeable instance, in case you have one.)
Themes we noticed in functions we didn’t transfer ahead
A couple of larger themes got here by way of with functions that we didn’t transfer ahead that transcend not demonstrating the talents we had been searching for, or being misaligned with Buffer’s values. This checklist gained’t cowl the entire causes an utility might need been rejected, however it’s a broad reflection of what we had been seeing.
1. The appliance was incomplete
A number of functions had been incomplete or the place an applicant selected to skip a query, typically even writing, “I don’t have a solution for this.” The entire functions we moved ahead had been accomplished completely.
2. The appliance didn’t comply with the rules
Lots of questions had a 250-character restrict. We didn’t instantly reject folks over the restrict, as a result of some folks misinterpret it as 250 phrases and stored to that all through their utility. Nevertheless, many functions wrote over a number of hundred phrases, and people didn’t get moved ahead.
3. The pitch wasn’t particular sufficient or was not tailor-made to our weblog
We requested each applicant to pitch a subject for the Buffer weblog, and we put a whole lot of weight behind this query as a result of arising with concepts for weblog posts and sharing them with the remainder of the content material staff is an enormous a part of this function.
Numerous functions didn’t pitch a selected matter or pitched one thing unrelated to another content material on our weblog. We appeared for pitches crafted with our current content material in thoughts and for strong explanations of these pitches.
4. The writing samples weren’t related to the function
The primary bullet level underneath the necessities for this function was that we had been searching for folks with expertise writing about social media, advertising, and enterprise subjects. We learn every utility first, however finally when the writing samples weren’t related to these subjects, we might not transfer an utility ahead.
5. The appliance was clearly written by AI
Extra usually than I anticipated, we’d encounter a block of textual content written very unnaturally. We used a instrument referred to as Copyleaks to verify whether or not or not it was written by AI. In fact, no AI detector is one hundred pc correct however there are broad patterns we seen amongst content material flagged as written by AI. In the long run, we had a bigger variety of functions written by AI than I anticipated. We’re all for utilizing AI in our content material creation course of, however we by no means publish or submit closing variations completely written by AI.
6. The individual was very unfamiliar with Buffer
We ask whether or not or not somebody has used Buffer earlier than as a result of for Advertising and marketing roles particularly, we’ve discovered a considerable profit to working with individuals who already perceive Buffer’s product and goal buyer.
We didn’t instantly reject folks in the event that they hadn’t used Buffer, nevertheless it was an enormous profit to any utility to have used Buffer earlier than and researched how we function at Buffer earlier than making use of. In lots of functions, it could be clear the individual wasn’t acquainted with Buffer, and we didn’t transfer these functions ahead.
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It’s attainable you utilized for the function, and also you’re studying this realizing that none of those apply to you — in that case, I need to say I’m grateful for the time you spent making use of and that you’d think about Buffer as a spot to work.
Personally, I utilized to Buffer 3 times earlier than I joined the staff, and that has been the expertise of plenty of others on the staff as effectively. You’re very welcome to use to Buffer sooner or later if Buffer nonetheless calls to you as a spot to work, and within the meantime, we’d be thrilled to have you ever as a member of our neighborhood.
We’re wishing everybody who utilized all one of the best with what’s subsequent for them and, once more, are so grateful for the overwhelmingly optimistic response we acquired to this job opening. ❤️
