How Hnry hires early career talent with Paige Gow

Why does Hnry value early career talent?

Paige: We really value our early career colleagues as they are a huge part of the future of Hnry. As Hnry grows, we all grow with it. We definitely believe in creating career pathways for our people and supporting the development of their skills to make sure we’re setting everyone up for success.

At Hnry, we value lifelong learning (it's one of our core values) so we encourage our team to bring fresh ideas and new perspectives. Early career talent often embody these qualities, whether they are recent grads with the skills they have learned in uni or people who are eager to learn and innovate.

We provide an environment at Hnry that really taps into peoples’ potential and gives everyone who is hungry the opportunity to develop their skills and learn new ones. There are a lot of opportunities at Hnry which is evident by the number of our team members who have moved to different roles throughout their careers at Hnry.

We provide support to our people every step of the way with regular personal development conversations where the focus is solely on the individual’s growth and development. 

We also have a Capability Framework which is a really transparent way of showing how you can get to those goals.

How did you develop such a strong employer brand, especially with video content?

Paige: We are all really proud of what we do - which is ultimately helping our customers manage the tricky side of being a sole trader, freelancer or contractor - taxes. We are very much solving a problem here that has a significant impact on our customers and their business. The excitement and pride we have is shown through the conversations we have with potential new colleagues and that is something that people want to be part of. We’re also very vocal and deliberate about sharing our values and our ways of working so there is no ambiguity with what we stand for and what that means for us.  

With our video content - we have an amazing, and I mean amazing, Creative and Marketing team who create the most authentic and genuine content that reflects us as a team. We mostly use real employees and customers in our recruitment creative, as this highlights an accurate representation of life at Hnry –  I also feel like this gets people excited about the potential opportunity to become a part of the team.

What does the hiring process for early career talent at Hnry look like?

‍Paige: It’s amazing to see candidates really expressing how excited they are about the opportunity of joining the team. We want everyone that works at Hnry to have aligning values and to be proud of their work. We definitely feel that both the candidate and Hnry need to be the right fit for each other so this is something we look out for during the interview process. 

We understand that interviewing can be daunting but our team focuses on open feedback and communication throughout the process. We make sure anyone and everyone has all the information they will need to go through the process, which I feel provides peace of mind, and hopefully removes some of the nervousness they have.

Our interview process involves conversations with myself or the TA team, the hiring manager, potential stakeholders and also team members of the team they could be joining.  The idea is to give candidates the opportunity to see what it is really like working at Hnry and also for us to gain a clear picture of who the individual is. We also have a technical assessment which gives candidates the opportunity to really showcase their skills!

Our process is designed to be fair for everyone so we benchmark every role against an internal capability framework, which gives a clear path of what growth looks like within the company.

Is the capability framework available publicly before someone joins or only afterward?

Paige: The capability framework is available to all internal employees. That being said, it is something that is explained throughout the hiring process. It’s a super important tool for career development at Hnry and helps everyone understand the skills and criteria needed for growth within the company.

How do you filter down candidates throughout the hiring funnel?

Paige:  We look for relevant experience at the very beginning as well as the reasons for wanting to join Hnry as a business. There are a few key things we look for when assessing an application but I’m a firm believer of jumping on the phone and hearing from the candidates directly.  

Number one for us will always be whether someone is customer-focused. The ability to understand and help customers is crucial to our culture regardless of what team you sit in across the business. It may sound cliche and I know a lot of businesses say this, but Hnry really is all about the customer. 

Further throughout the process, we have the technical assessment that is role specific and of course clarifies someone's ability to do the role. Each step in the interview process serves a purpose ensuring Hnry is right for them and they are right for Hnry.

How do you manage high volumes of applicants?

Paige: We have a high volume of interest, whether it’s for specific live vacancies or people just registering their expression of interest. It’s always exciting to see the number of people that genuinely have Hnry as their employer of choice. Our focus is on providing everyone with a good experience, whether they are offered a role or not and this is something the talent team prioritise.  With managing high volume applicants, clear expectations and timeframes are hugely important - I think the ‘no update’ update or a simple acknowledgement of an application goes a long way!

What advice would you give to early career talent to stand out during the hiring process?

‍Paige: Research Hnry, provide context to your application, and be your genuine self. We really value candidates who take the time to understand what we do and why they want to be part of Hnry. Honesty and enthusiasm are always going to be highly appreciated as well.

How do you provide insights into the culture at Hnry for candidates?

‍Paige: We try to get candidates into the office for in-person interviews whenever possible. I feel it is always important for people to see the environment and meet team members. Additionally, having multiple employees participate in interviews provides a firsthand look at the culture and gives an opportunity to ask questions to different employees of the business. We have an inclusive culture, and we want candidates to experience this from the beginning of the hiring process.

What are your plans for the future of the employer brand at Hnry?

‍Paige: Promoting our employer brand will always be something that is ongoing but we want to do it organically. We're looking at new ways to provide insights to people about what it's like to work at Hnry, as well as evolving how we promote our brand. We are super proud of the values we all hold and the culture we have built, so portraying that externally is definitely important to us. 

In relation to some of our employer brand content, there has been a lot of success from some of our recent video campaigns.

Learn more about life at Hnry

There is no doubt that life at Hnry is a great move for early career folk who want to be a part of an innovative, impactful business. The team's focus on the employer brand and company values throughout the hiring process is inspiring for many other high-growth teams. What will you take from learning more about the hiring process at Hnry?

Read more about life at Hnry and keep an eye out for new roles at Hnry on Hatch.