As two Talent Acquisition enthusiasts, the challenge of supporting a company’s development and success is very exciting. Having recently gone through the interview process at Coveo ourselves, we wanted to share our experience and hopefully help you better prepare by knowing what to expect. As members of the Talent team, we can say first hand that we believe your interview process should be enjoyable, fair, and transparent. Our team has worked hard to design a process that ensures we evaluate your application fairly and consistently as we aim to keep the talent bar high while reducing bias.
In this post, you will find everything you need to know before applying for a role at Coveo as well as insights with regard to the qualities we look for in future Coveans.
In a nutshell, our hiring process consists of five steps:
- A call with one of our Talent Partners
- A call with the hiring manager
- A take-home challenge and / or interview with your future collaborators
- Final interview with an executive
* Depending on the team, role, and seniority, the process may slightly differ (sometimes a little shorter, sometimes a little longer)
Ready For Your Dream Job? Apply to Coveo
Every day, we receive a large number of applications through our website or LinkedIn for various open roles. When applying, we ask all candidates to submit their resumes and answer a few questions. These questions are an opportunity for you to shine and stand out.
Despite common belief, there is no keyword match auto-screening of applicants. Our Talent team takes the time to review every single application. We then select people who best meet the criteria for our role, and schedule the first call.
No matter what, you will receive an email from us, either informing you there is no fit or inviting you to a call. If you did not receive anything within 2 weeks, our email might be in your spam. Don’t forget to check there regularly!
* Maybe you didn’t find us! Maybe we found you. Regardless, the process is the same for everyone 👨👩👧👦
Step 1. The Call With A Talent Partner
Usually around 45 mins
In this very first interaction with us, your Talent Partner will provide an overview of what Coveo does, who we are, and what we’re hoping to achieve. You can expect them to discuss your professional experience, what you are looking for in your next role, and what values you hold at work. This first step is a great chance to make sure the role is aligned with your skillset, and what you’re looking for as the next step in your career.
💡 Tip: In order to make the most of the call, we recommend you familiarize yourself with the world of search, AI, and what relevance means to us. We don’t expect you to be an AI-powered search guru, but we expect to feel you’ve made an effort. Do your research, and try to get a basic understanding of what we do. This will not go unnoticed!
⏭️ What’s next? After the call, the Talent Partner will discuss your application with the manager of the team to decide whether or not you should move on to the next step: the call with the hiring manager. If you aren’t the match for the job, the Talent Partner will let you know via email. Unfortunately, due to the large volume of applicants, we can’t provide spontaneously detailed feedback at this stage. Don’t hesitate to reach out for a more detailed answer: we are happy to give it upon request!
Step 2. A Call With The Hiring Manager or Peers
Approximately 30 – 45 minutes
This call is typically with the ‘Head of’ or ‘Team Lead’ from the team you’re interviewing for: normally this person is who you would be reporting to. It can also be with future peers who received the authority to evaluate you, and who have been duly selected and trained to assess your capabilities.
During the call, we will discuss the role with you, and ask about your experience, ambitions, and expectations for this position. This is a chance for you to have a frank discussion about Coveo, and what you’re looking for in your next role so that you can assess if this is the right fit for you.
💡 Tip: Interviewing is a two-way street. Be prepared to ask lots of questions to assess the company, role, managing style, and team just as much as we’re assessing you.
⏭️ What’s next? If the feedback is positive, the Talent Partner will reach out to you by email to arrange the next steps. If your interview process ends here, the Talent Partner will let you know via email, providing as much detailed and constructive feedback as possible.
Step 3. The “Technical” Challenge and/or Interview With Your Team
The challenge is meant to assess your skills and competency for the role. Each challenge is bespoke to the role, and if you have the required experience as outlined in the job description, it should be relatively easy for you to do.
Challenges can either be take-home (for you to do in your own time), a live exercise with the team, or a combination of both.
The team element basically consists of meeting with more team members. This can include the hiring manager (again), future peers, or other internal stakeholders that you would regularly collaborate with. The aim here is to also dig into your skills and competencies, but also to make sure there is a team fit (for both you and us).
💡 Tip: We understand that completing a challenge takes time and effort on your end, which is why we usually don’t set strict deadlines. Though you should keep in mind that the sooner you return the challenge, the sooner we can move forward!
We’ve said it and we’ll say it again: you are interviewing us just as much as we’re interviewing you. This is your chance to better understand the Coveolife and get to know the team you’ll be joining. Ask questions!
⏩ What now? To reduce bias, your challenge will be reviewed by at least two members of our team. If the feedback is positive, the Talent Partner will email you to arrange the next step. Once again, if there is no match on our end, the Talent Partner will let you know via email or phone, providing as much detailed and constructive feedback as possible.
Step 4. You’re Almost There: The Final Interview
Congratulations on making it to the last stage of the process! 🎉
Last but not least, the final interview basically consists of meeting with an executive or once again the Hiring Manager.
The executive is the person who manages your potential future department. This fifth step aims to dig deeper into your experience, discuss what you can bring to the team and the company as well as your long-term aspirations.
* We hire for a variety of different roles and depending on the team and seniority of the position, your final interview may have additional stages.
💡 Tip: You are still interviewing us just as much as we’re interviewing you. You will be meeting new Coveans at every step of the process; seize this opportunity to learn more every time. Do your homework and make the most of this discussion: ask questions!
⏩ Decision time: The entire interviewing panel gets together to discuss your interview. Everyone will share their experience and opinion to provide the Hiring Manager with as much information and context as possible. The Hiring Manager will then make the final decision whether to extend an offer or not.
If successful, you’ll hear from us very soon! 🎉
If at this point the team decides otherwise, we will call you to let you know and provide detailed feedback about the decision.
We are well aware that interviewing can be a stressful, time-consuming and complex experience.
This is why we at Coveo are dedicated to building a company with inherently decent, kind, collaborative, transparent, and passionate individuals — one that is reflective of our culture.
Ultimately, we hope our experience will serve as a guide to better prepare and give you a clearer understanding of why we put so much time and care into our hiring and interviewing process.
Once you join us after this thorough process, you will be confident that we hired you for who you really are and what you will bring to the table.
FAQs
- How long does the process take?
It varies depending on the role, but we usually hire with urgency. The entire process, from application to offer, usually takes around 30 days.
- Why a take-home challenge?
We try to make the process as efficient as possible for everyone. We use the challenge to save time on both ends, but also to give you a chance to shine and show us what you’re really capable of. It shouldn’t take much more than a few hours to complete a challenge. Don’t sweat it! The challenge will always be relevant to the role you’re applying for and should therefore feel natural to talk about in detail.
- How can I provide feedback on the interview process?
If you’ve been through our interview process, we’d love to hear how it went. You can email your Talent Partner with feedback, or you could leave us a comment on Glassdoor or LinkedIn.
As we are always looking to innovate and improve. If you’ve had more than one call with us, you will receive an anonymous and automated survey to facilitate retroaction.
Interested in joining the Coveolife? Visit our careers page to see our current open roles and follow us on our social media platforms (LinkedIn / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Twitch / Reddit) for company news and updates.