Before joining NOW GmbH, I couldn't imagine hiring a Data Cloud Engineer or Data Scientist after just one interview.
Most tech hiring processes take 3 to 5 rounds over 3 months, involving HR, technical screens, team members, hiring manager and sometimes executive reviews.
We do it all in one round.
Here is how:
The Panel
HR, the hiring manager, and 1–2 team members are all in the room together.
The Format
The same standardized questions on behavior, team culture, and technical skills. We used to send take-home assignments, a simplified version of daily work meant to take about 2 hours, and candidates would walk us through it. Now, with AI in the picture, we've shifted to an interactive code review during the interview itself.
The Evaluation
We're not looking for someone perfect. We're looking for someone who communicates well, treats others with respect, has solid technical ability, is motivated to learn and contribute, and has the personality fit to the team. If they don't know an answer and say so honestly, that's fine. Interviews are stressful, we know that.
At the end of the 90 minutes, the panel immediately aligns, shares perspectives one by one, and reaches a decision.
And it works. We've hired genuinely talented colleagues. It saves everyone's time. Of course, in cases of uncertainty, we can invite the candidate we feel is most suitable for the role to another round to clarify any uncertainties.
None of this works without my colleagues from HR. They're the ones who make this process genuinely great, fast, fair, and human for every candidate who walks in. Thank you for that. 💜
How many rounds does your team typically take to make a confident hiring decision? Would you consider giving a try to one-round interviews?
This is part of my "100 Days of Year One" series. Follow along as I share what I've learned in my first year as Head of Data and Cloud.