intive is us. We come from different backgrounds, specialize in multiple fields and use various tools and languages. In this series of short interviews we introduce intive’s professionals by revealing how they work, what they do in their free time, and what drives them in life.
Name: Jakub Gawłowicz
Location: Wrocław, Poland
Role: Recruitment Specialist
Expert at: Taking pictures & water sports
Favorite app: iTunes/Spotify & Lightroom/Instagram
Currently watching: Young Royals & How to get away with murder on Netflix
Currently reading: Work remotely, live normally by Iwo Szapar & Magda Gessler's autobiography
How do you define a great candidate experience?
Throughout the whole recruitment process, I mainly focus on honesty and openness. For me, a great candidate experience is when we are partners in the recruitment process together with the candidate.
What is important for me is sincerity on both sides and openness to feedback. I also like to suggest to candidates what they could change on their side - things like improving their CV or working on self-presentation. I always carefully listen to feedback from my candidates on the recruitment process.
Obviously, the most satisfying process is the one ending successfully for both sides. But I also learn my lessons when I don’t manage to recruit the person I’m after - I know what I can change and how I can improve my skills as a recruiter.
It’s important to me that during the recruitment process conducted by me, the candidate feels cared for. They know how the whole process is going, how many steps it consists of, what we as an employer can offer them, as well as what the mutual expectations are. I want the candidates to always see me as a person they can call or write to with any question, so that they feel they have my support.
What is the most memorable story you have from a candidate an interview?
The most memorable interview I've had was when I was driving home from a sailing weekend in Masuria using BlaBlaCar (it's a car-sharing app that allows you to give strangers a ride) and it turned out that one of the people I was traveling with was a developer. I interviewed him on the road, told him about the projects and my client. He talked about his experience and expectations, and sent his CV. After a few weeks he was already part of the team.
Has the recruitment process changed for you during the pandemic? How so?
The recruitment process changed in many ways. However, I think that what has changed the most is the move to the virtual world. I rarely meet candidates for face-to-face interviews anymore. Recruitment is done via video conferencing. This has also made the whole process more flexible.
It is simpler and easier to arrange an interview during the day than it was before. Candidates also work remotely and thanks to these meetings they gain more time. They used to have to spend several hours to get to the office for a talk, spend an hour or more at the meeting and then again spend time going home. Now, thanks to remote recruitment, we can talk from our home couch or from another part of the world. Of course, sometimes we also have additional guests during the interview - family members, dogs, cats, parrots and couriers.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
I look forward to that day. I would open my own guesthouse somewhere in the middle of the forest. I would have llamas, dogs, cats and other animals there. Then I could take care of my guests, bake breads and cakes for them and prepare delicious meals from local produce.
What song would you say best sums you up?
This is one of the most difficult questions for me. I believe that there is no one song that can sum me up. I have asked my friends and heard from several that it’s The Streets song Stay Positive.