Are you considering applying or have you applied for a role at Hotjar? Here are answers to our most frequently asked questions.
How long does your recruitment process typically take?
It depends on how far you make it in our process. If we determine early that you are not the candidate we’re looking for, we’ll let you know within 1-2 weeks of submitting your application. It generally takes 4-6 weeks for candidates that make it all the way through our process.
4-6 weeks? Why does it take so long?
There are a couple of reasons. We have several steps in our process that require independent work from the candidate and the review of that work by our team. While this adds time to the process it helps to simulate elements of both the independent and collaborative work our team regularly performs. It is designed to ensure we get the right fit for the position and exposes the candidate to some elements of how we work. Regardless of the time it takes, our internal commitment is to respond as quickly as possible to each candidate that applies.
I recently applied now the role is closed off already. What happened?
We have a rolling recruitment process, meaning that we keep assessing candidates until we’ve closed the role. This is different to the process some companies follow of shortlisting a set number of candidates per stage, before moving to the next stage. For this reason, it’s possible that someone may have applied shortly before we close off the role.
It’s been a while and I haven’t heard from you. Why not?
We respond to all candidates to let them know the outcome of their application at each stage in our process. Unfortunately, our emails can sometimes make their way to your Spam / Junk folder (this is especially true at the video stage). If you haven’t heard from us within the timeframe given in a previous email, or have never received an email confirming your application, please check your Spam / Junk folder.
What steps are involved in the recruitment process?
We're always looking to improve our recruitment process so the steps can vary as we try new workflows. To ensure uniformity, all candidates that apply for the same role have the exact same steps in our recruitment process. However, if a candidate applies for two different roles the steps they are involved in might differ a bit as we try new things. We’ve summarized the five most common steps in our process in the graphic below (just keep in mind the position you're considering/applied for might differ). At each stage, we review the candidate's submissions and interactions to determine if it makes sense to invite the candidate to move to the next stage in our process.
After completing the task (depicted in step 4), candidates present their findings via a video call with our team. For certain tasks, we may ask the candidate to tweak something if there are any questions surrounding the finished work. Prior to the offer stage, a short call with someone from our Sr. Executive team is held.
For our Software Engineer, Frontend and Software Engineer, Backend roles, of any levels, the process is:
Why do you ask candidates to record a video?
We use videos to get to know more about candidates in a very condensed time. Videos help us to get more of a feeling about the candidate's personality and communication skills. Don’t worry, we’re not looking for Hollywood quality productions. We just want to hear from you in your own authentic voice.
Who will I speak with during the recruitment process?
Throughout the first 3 stages, you will hear from someone from our Recruitment Team, the Hiring Manager for the position, and, for some roles, an additional member of the relevant hiring team.
Because it’s a remote job, why does it matter what time zone or region I’m in?
Most roles at Hotjar have some kind of time zone requirement because of the way we work. For instance, all of our software engineering roles are based in European/African timezones because they collaborate so much. Some of our Customer Success and Customer Support roles are within time zones aligned to North and South America because we need to have people consistently available to help customers in those time zones. If you are not physically in the time zones advertised for a role please do not apply for the role. We won’t be able to consider your application. Each week candidates reach out to us offering to work the hours consistent with a different time zone or region but we will not be able to consider you if you are not in the region already or have plans to leave that region. We've had team members try this and it has never worked long term. We've found it to be too taxing to a healthy work-life balance. Sorry, no exceptions, it's us not you.
What is Hotjar's approach to Compensation?
At Hotjar we do not factor in any differences in compensation based on where you are located. We believe everyone should be compensated based on the market value of their role and the value the role brings to the company. We also don't believe in complicated bonus or equity schemes. Instead, we benchmark all roles based on the labor market in London and aspire to pay our team on the high end of that range so that they can have a healthy and predictable income. The specific compensation amount offered to a successful candidate will be based on relative experience and skills. On average, our offers tend to fall within the first half of the range published for the role but this varies from candidate to candidate, role to role. It’s possible an offer could be much higher or lower than the mid-point.
How does Hotjar employ people?
At this time we are only able to provide official employment status to those located in the United Kingdom, Germany, Malta and the United States. All other candidates join our team as a full-time independent contractor and are responsible for paying any taxes or fees where they reside.
Why does Hotjar fill roles with contractors?
We seek to fill each role with the best person we can find which means we ignore geography to a large extent. Because the labor and business laws are different in every country the easiest way to bring on talent outside of the countries where we are registered employers is to do so on a freelance contractual basis. Because of this many team members join us as independent contractors. NOTE: Some jurisdictions and countries have limitations on the ability for independent contractors to perform work for companies located in foreign countries. These laws might limit some candidates from joining our team.
What does it mean to work as a contractor for Hotjar?
Employees and contractors are treated with the same internal autonomy. They are also eligible for all of our perks. The actual differences might vary depending on where a contractor is based but, in general, the most important differences tend to be taxes, pension/retirement, and healthcare. The full burden of these items are the responsibility of the contractor.
If I join Hotjar will I be required to travel?
Some travel is expected but it is rarely required. On average team members travel 2 times each year. We generally have two all company face-to-face meetups each year. Being remote we find these meetups help us to get to know each other more. They are much more of a bonding and team building environment than a business meeting setting. They are also not required, we understand the timing might not work for you. We also encourage our smaller teams to meet 1-2 times a year for a few days of collaborative, face-to-face work. When these occur we encourage all of the people in that team to attend but we also understand the timing might not work for everyone.
I’ve never worked remotely before. How does it work?
It’s important to note that working remotely is not for everyone. If you need the formal structure of an office and being physically surrounded by people then working with Hotjar is probably not a good fit. That said we tend to work in ways that help to foster many of these elements (but in a virtual space). We use a number of online tools and services to foster collaboration, conduct meetings, share information, and work on projects. Working remotely is not new to us, we've been doing it since 2014. We also don’t care where you work as long as it has a strong consistent internet connection and is within the time zones associated with your work. To increase collaboration we require all team members to be online Monday-Friday between 2-5 PM Central European Time (UTC +1/GMT +2).
If I’m offered a role, will you contact my references?
While we would like to speak with somebody you’ve worked with / knows you well, our aim for these calls is not to make a yes / no decision on whether or not we’d like you on our team. Our decision on that will come through your recruitment process, and we would only request to speak to any ‘references’ after an offer has been made. At the point of any verbal offer having been accepted, we will ask you to provide us with contact details for somebody you’ve worked with, and somebody who knows you well. The purpose of us speaking to them is for us to learn about how we can best support you in your work; which areas you excel in; and where we should pay more attention to helping you, etc. The aim is not to look for 'red flags'.