How to Excel at Our Blind Hiring Questionnaire
/By Dani Babineau
We’re hiring! Check out our open positions.
If you’re familiar with our blind hiring process, you might know that the application process starts not with a cover letter and resume, but with an eight-question questionnaire that covers your interest in craft beer and our lil ol’ brewing company, and a bit about what you’ll bring to the table.
We think this process is way more useful and insightful than the typical cover letter/resume deal, but we recognize that the content is pretty in-depth, and bleeds a bit into “traditional in-person job interview” territory. But unlike an in-person job interview, you don’t have access to things like our facial expressions or body language for feedback as you go through the questions. In a way, it’s a blind process for you, too!
In the interest of fairness (and because we genuinely want as many strong answers and applicants as possible), we thought we’d share what we feel makes for excellent responses.
Here are the three keys to excelling at our blind hiring questionnaire:
Thoughtfulness and effort
One of the first questions we ask ourselves when reviewing responses is “does it seem like this person really cares?” It’s equally as important as the content of a response.
How do we determine things like “thoughtfulness” and “effort?” They manifest themselves in different ways, but we can tell you that it’ll be beneficial if you take the time to:
Fully understand the question and why we’re asking it
Think about what your strongest response could be (honesty is critical - but this is a job application, so put your best foot forward)
Go over your written response and make sure it’s clear and impactful
In the end, if you put in the effort of crafting a strong response, it’ll allow for all your personal attributes to shine.
Sincerity
This process is about getting to know you. You’re a beautiful and unique creature and we want to know all the things that make you so.
We’re also all in our mid-thirties and we’ve seen all the “right” job interview answers a million times before so please don’t bore us with those.
We want to know your personality attributes, your values, and your motivations. Those are important things, and this is an opportunity to put those on display, so take advantage of it.
Conciseness
So, you don’t get extra credit for wordy responses. Lean and focused responses are way more powerful.
We’ve had one-paragraph responses that we’ve loved, and we’ve had three-paragraph responses that we’ve loved, too, so there’s no ideal word count. But we know fluff when we see it.
But here’s the thing: if you take the first two points to heart and you really try to craft a thoughtful response that’s honest about who you are and why this is the company for you, then creating a truly impactful answer will come naturally.
So to be clear, don’t be afraid to make the extra point or add extra detail if it adds to your story - we do want colorful and interesting answers! - but a succinctly solid response will certainly give you a leg up.
Check out our open positions at redemptionrock.beer/careers!
