In this episode of the Engineering Leadership Series, host Tracy Lee welcomes Carina Gerry, the Director of Engineering at Salesloft. SalesLoft, known for its excellent workplace culture, has grown significantly during Carina's tenure, now boasting nearly 800 employees, a substantial increase from the 70 employees when she first joined.
Carina's career at Salesloft began as the first QA team hire, where she played a pivotal role in building the QA department and later transitioned into managing engineering teams. Two years ago, she assumed the role of Director of Engineering.
Salesloft places a strong emphasis on its core values to define its culture. These values include "team over self," "glass half full," "customer first," "bias towards action," and "focused on results." Carina emphasizes that these values are more than just words; they serve as the foundation for the type of people who succeed at Salesloft.
Carina strongly believes that hiring the right people is the key to a company's success. Carina adopts a rigorous hiring approach, where if a candidate doesn't receive a resounding "hell yes," it's considered a "no." This approach ensures that Salesloft hires candidates who truly align with the company's culture and values.
To combat bias in the hiring process, Carina encourages self-awareness among interviewers. She advises interviewers to be conscious of any snap judgments they might make and to ask themselves why they feel a certain way about a candidate. Additionally, Salesloft seeks to anonymize resumes, removing any information that might introduce bias, such as names, educational backgrounds, or graduation years.
Carina covered the intricacies of Salesloft’s comprehensive hiring process, which includes recruiter screens, technical skills interviews, peer interviews, core values interviews, resume interviews, executive interviews, and reference checks. The process aims to thoroughly evaluate a candidate's skills, cultural fit, and track record.
One interesting aspect of Salesloft’s hiring process is the emphasis on negative questions. Instead of focusing solely on accomplishments, interviewers ask candidates about their experiences with difficult situations or dysfunctional teams. This approach helps reveal a candidate's empathy, problem-solving abilities, and resilience in challenging circumstances.
The technical interview at Salesloft consists of a code review, where candidates assess and provide feedback on a piece of code. This approach ensures that candidates are comfortable discussing code and allows for an assessment of their problem-solving and communication skills.
Carina also shares valuable insights into how the interview process helps identify candidates who can align with Salesloft’s core values. She highlights the importance of empathy, a glass-half-full mindset, and the ability to take initiative as key qualities that make a candidate stand out.
The resume interview is a thorough examination of a candidate's career history, going back to high school or early experiences. The goal is to understand a candidate's track record, decision-making processes, and reasons for leaving previous positions. By asking candidates to share high and low points in their careers, Salesloft gains valuable insights into their personalities and motivations.
Carina’s commitment to finding the right people for Salesloft, while eliminating bias, has led to a strong and vibrant company culture. The thorough hiring process at Salesloft ensures that candidates not only possess the necessary skills but also align with the company's core values.
