Learning to talk tech at WhitePages

By: Gleb Petrov

I am working on a major New Grad campaign for WhitePages and I wanted to tech-out my recruiter phone screen to mix it up a little. I took the initiative to watch a few videos and presentations to learn about Hash Tables and various data structures that can be used to implement a set. I think I have a good grasp on the concepts and feel like I can now carry on a real conversation with my software developer candidates.

While promoting WhitePages to potential hires, I often brag about the open floor plan and free-flowing communication, using my  own experience as an example. When I wanted to quiz myself on my newly acquired knowledge of data structures, I figured that if I managed to explain them to a software engineer on the Data Science Team, I could explain it to anyone. So, I approached Joel Azose at his desk and asked if he could carve out a 15-minute window to hear my explanation. I expected it would take at least a day to get on his schedule, but Joel made time for me that afternoon. We went into a conference room and I explained the concepts and asked him the technical questions that I would ask my candidates. I got good feedback and went into my next recruiter screen with confidence.

It’s incredible to help a company grow, especially when it’s an amazing place like WhitePages. The office space is comfortable and open; the snacks are great, and plentiful; plus they plan great holiday trips. But, at the end of the day, it really comes down to the people, and WhitePages houses the best and brightest in the industry. 

Get to Know - Skytap

As the long-term partner for our clients, we have the opportunity to learn and understand their unique company culture. In this series we're going to take a look at some of the companies we work with and the stories they tell.

By: Emily Gerhard

Three days a week, I pack up my laptop and gym clothes and venture out of my normal work corner to go work onsite with Recruiting Bandwidth’s newest client, Skytap. Located on the 11th floor of the historic Dexter Horton Building in Downtown Seattle, they have an amazing view and are steps away from anything you might need. Going up the elevator on my fist day, I had to admit I was a little nervous. It was kind of like the first day of school. Will I be able to find what I need? Will people be nice to me? Does my outfit send the right message? What is the right message?

As soon as I walked in I was greeted by Kari, possibly the busiest and most efficient office manager I’ve ever met, and all my worries melted away. Seated with the sales and marketing teams in their open office space, I settled right in. Several times that morning people came by to say hi and introduce themselves. I was encouraged to make myself at home in the kitchens and conference rooms and any time I had a question, people were happy to help me out. I was encouraged to just go “shoulder-tap” people I needed something from. Open communication was stressed to me several times from individual contributors and VPs.

As part of Skytap’s first internal recruitment team, I was charged with establishing new procedures and process to fulfill their ambitious hiring goals. I was pleasantly surprised by the openness of each hiring manager to embrace change and even offer creative suggestions to help make the recruitment process smoother.

One afternoon, the entire 80 person office packed up early and walked down to the Triple Door for the quarterly company meeting. Dressed in Skytap t-shirts, the staff crowded around the bar and grabbed a few drinks before the executive leadership team got on stage. First up was Thor Culverhouse, the new CEO. An engaging speaker, he spoke passionately of Skytap’s beginnings, where the company is currently sitting and what the future will look like. Others got up and detailed marketing forecasts, strategy and branding. At one point, Nate Odell, Senior Director of Marketing rallied the company around a new slogan - “Tap In!” He spoke of a unified vision for the company and as he pumped up the crowd, it was clear to me that everyone there truly believed in their product. The Skytap Cloud can and will go places.

Candidates always ask me questions about Skytap. “What’s it like to work there?” is something I’m often asked. It’s easy to list off perks that Skytap offers its employees and call it “Company culture.” But there is something more to culture than their famous “Free Food Fridays” and the unlimited snacks, ORCA pass, and standing desks. It is hard to describe the camaraderie I experience at Skytap. I am still trying to find the words to express how cool it is that egos get left at the door; that as you watch people buzz around the office, you can see they are energized by being on a team that works together for a shared goal. It is refreshing to experience open, informal communication and a “let’s do this” attitude. Skytap has a great leadership team and an empowered staff backing them up. I may not be able to fully describe it, but I, for one, am definitely “tapped in.”

If you're interested in joining Skytap's team, check out their openings here. They're a quickly growing company and there are positions for all types of backgrounds.

Get to Know - Recruiting Bandwidth

Getting to Know - Recruiting Bandwidth

As the long-term partner for our clients, we have the opportunity to learn and understand their unique company culture. In this series we're going to take a look at some of the companies we work with and the stories they tell.

Recruiting Bandwidth’s energetic team members are experts in attracting, recruiting and retaining the very best people, and "in-the-trenches" expertise across multiple industries at companies large and small. We are passionate about getting to know our client's businesses from the inside out. We want to know your competition, your pain points and opportunities, market conditions, so we can be agile and seek out opportunities on your behalf.

We believe in innovation. We have unique experience in social sourcing and recruiting. And we know how to leverage networks and technology to attract and retain the right people for your business and the job. 

And above all of that, we like to work together! Our team spends a lot of time working in-house with our clients, but we spend at least one day per week in the same space. This gives us an opportunity to share challenges and successes, discuss our hiring strategies and brainstorm how we can better support our clients.

This week, we took a few minutes to revamp the photos on our company website. And... well.. things got a little silly.  

You could be having this much fun too! We're always interested in meeting and networking with exceptional recruiting professionals. Learn more about us and our opportunities here. 

WhitePages goes to Grace Hopper!

By: Gleb Petrov

WhitePages just returned from the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference! Kristine Delossantos, a WhitePages software engineer, gave a lightning talk about Current Caller ID. WhitePages is expanding their mobile presence and it shows with over 30 million mobile downloads of Current Caller ID, which was named by Time Magazine as one of 2012’s Top Ten apps. Huffington Post called it “caller ID on steroids.” Current Caller ID identifies unknown callers and texters, adds weather and social updates from known contacts, and allows you to block unwanted calls and texts.

More than 4,000 women attended the Grace Hopper Celebration, which was held in Minneapolis on October 2, 2013 - it's the world’s largest gathering of women in tech. The conference celebrates the continuing legacy of computer science pioneers Anita Borg and Telle Whitney. The Grace Hopper Celebration, encourages women to go into the field of technology and consists of technical and career talks, a career fair, an awards ceremony, and much more. Maria Klawe of Harvey Mudd college and Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook were just a few of the keynote speakers.

Photo courtesy of WhitePages.com

WhitePages's Jenny Kohr attracted the attention of many talented female students completing their degrees in computer science. I was privileged to speak with the candidates and tell them about the origins of WhitePages (which, by the way, has nothing to do with the book), and also to tell them about our company culture and amazing perks (including a holiday trip to Las Vegas; brand new Retina Macbook Pros and 30’ monitors; hydraulic desks and ergonomic chairs; and friendly, smart and talented people who are passionate about coming up with creative solutions to challenging problems.)

I am a part of a team that’s helping WhitePages find and attract the best and the brightest minds in the tech world, and the Grace Hopper Celebration added immense value to my search and provided me with a richer talent pool. Thanks to WhitePages for their continued support of women in computer science! If you want to learn more about how WhitePages is changing the face of Caller ID, check out Kristine's presentation here.