”I felt my job was no longer giving me room to grow, so I decided to start browsing for new opportunities” (Alex, Unizen)

Today we’re speaking to Alex, ex-Typeform and now at Unizen, about why he decided to change his direction and take a big risk moving to a company that he was scouted for by a Make it in Ukraine recruiter.

Why Alex?

He did what many people don't dare to try. He traded in the warm, stable job at a big, well-known company for the turbulent sea of an innovative startup.

Spoiler alert: does he regret it? Not a bit.

That's why we decided to talk to him and find out why he made that decision, and what came out of it.

💡 Before we start the story:

If you’re currently feeling like your role is stagnating, or you believe there are bigger and better roles out there for you, on the market, then maybe you're right, and there probably is.
‍📩 Be sure to contact us. At the very least, to get to know each other and stay in touch.
Now let's get back to the point.

After Alex successfully launched the project at Typeform, he was essentially finished. Only the usual ongoing and supportive day-to-day tasks remained, which were not challenging enough for our protagonist, and so his search began. He wasn’t actively searching, but was replying to messages from recruiters that were presenting interesting projects relevant to his experience. 

Sounds familiar?

Cue the annoying LinkedIn Message

We approached Alex because of his excellent public facing LinkedIn profile, the main way our recruiters will reach out, actually. However annoying it may be, there are real jobs with companies behind those messages. We’re not just sending them out for fun. 

Our first message peaked Alex’s interest. We get straight to the point, normally. Our recruiters are always told to put the full job offering, including compensation and package details, on full view. We don’t want to waste your time calling for jobs that just don’t hit your standards.

Our recruiters don't allow themselves to be messed up by technologies (like Java vs. JS). They will never write to a person unless they have carefully studied that person's profile and are confident that they are writing to a relevant candidate.

We never do the "At least someone must respond to me, please-please-please" option. Mark our word!

Next day - No bulls**t face to face with the CTO

‍

What do we always make sure to do?

When looking for the right ideal job for our candidate, we make sure to ask potential employers a few questions to make sure of this:

Candidate and company should be suitable not only technically, but also culturally and psychologically

Some important criteria that are guiding us: 

• NOT WASTE anybody’s time - Experience and tech stack had to match
• SALARY EXPECTATION - NOT a TABOO subject - We made sure the employer's budget can cover the desired remuneration 
• Company Management Style - Assuring that employer's approach is fitted with what the candidate not only expected but needed as well
• Team compatibility - We made sure that the candidate will be comfortable spending most of his time with the future teammates.

For instance, as a part of our "pre-pitching" with Alex: he mentioned that for him, it’s very “important to be in a product team, and to be involved in the process”

And so it happened. We've found an ideal employer for Alex in all these 3 domains (tech, culture, and psychological comfort). It was Unizen company.

Alex asked for details, and we jumped on a call.

It might seem like the hiring process was multi-layered and time-consuming, but it was definitely not. The whole process consisted of only three steps. Here's how it worked:

Cue the hiring process:

We are all extremely bored with the numerous pointless recruiting stages and all those kangaroo courts.

That's why we tried to remove everything unnecessary and helped Alex start with the main thing:

1. ↪ Intro call with Martin, CTO of Unizen, where Alex got answers to his important questions and was guided on Unizen's vision. Alex was very focused on getting as much info on the company as he could. He was very interested in the project, Martin had to really make a full sale on what Unizen is and what they do. ↩ 
2.  ↪ Technical call with Martin and Unizen's Lead Engineer. Both Alex and the company representatives said they liked the interview very much. And unlike the usual "We'll get back to you to let you know the result," the feedback was given immediately, which is very important. ↩
3.  ↪ By the end of the day, Unizen made the offer to Alex. And in a few days, he started to work there.

⏪⏪⏪ Let’s rewind ⏪⏪⏪

👉 Why did Alex choose this job and this company?

• Alex was interested in microservices at that time, which Unizen was working with, in comparison to other offers he has received. 
• He was looking for an open-minded, technology driven company that will give him a front seat  to innovative approaches so that he can become stronger and more proficient.
• The company culture was aligned with his own set of beliefs
• Salary expectations were surpassed 
• He wanted to be involved in all the team decisions - Unizen is a fully transparent company, that shares the plans with the whole team, and anyone can comment on, and make suggestions. 
• The hiring process was clear from the beginning. He appreciated the CTO’s technical knowledge and recognized him as a mentor. 
• He’s forced to find solutions to complex problems, on a daily basis, which makes him excited about the work hours.

👉 Why did Alex choose "Make it in Ukraine"?

• We are highly focused to provide the best quality to our candidates
• We do our best to make things happen faster and to get straight to the point
• We cut all the unnecessary and time-consuming stages and in-between persons (just connecting you with the real Decision Maker, not just ordinary clerks or managers). And Alex highly appreciated that.
• Our candidates are treated like rock stars / A-Players/ you name it.
• We are proud to bring Ukrainian talented IT people to the top of the world.

Usually in films, in the end credits, they write what happened next.

How's Alex doing now

• Writing backend solutions regarding data collection services, data storage, API services, API Gateway, database connectivity, cache, speed, processing. Basically, everything about the microservice architecture, the ecosystem.
• Recently started studying Ethereum blockchain directly and plans to expand his involvement in Unizen projects and engage in integration and data exchange.

Bottom line

In conclusion, we'd like to remind you the key thing about the modern world: 

1. You can choose any job you love, to be whoever you want to be, to live the way you want to live. Your life — your rules

2. You’re networking the king

So, let's get to know each other:

Diana, Email: dianao@makeitinua.com | Telegram: @Di_crucuzon

Olya, Email: olya@makeitinua.com | Telegram: @yaremaola

‍It’s really that easy

A short illustration:

Last year we met and stayed in touch with Oleg, a Lead Developer. Just before the holidays, he texted us, "Hi, Make it in Ukraine, can you send me your top three employers' jobs?"

Guess what? After the holidays, he already landed a job with one of them. 😎 But that's another story (which we'll be sure to tell you next time).

Just drop us your CV and expectations and we’ll show you the best roles that match your profile.