Recruiting for Diversity

Inequality and exclusion are the defaults of industries like technology and healthcare. Without intentional effort, we will inherit those failings and worsen the problem. Given that one of our values is “fight the default of exclusion” we believe building a diverse team is a moral imperative. We want to build a better product and a better business, by bringing different perspectives to the table. We look for voices unlike our own because they help us grow.

Tracking Candidates

We use SmartRecruiters as our Applicant Tracking System to manage open positions and candidates in the pipeline. In order to prevent "anchor bias" when reviewing candidates, SmartRecruiters does not allow you to see the notes and rating from other interviewers before you post your own.

The hiring manager for the position and the VP of People partner to make sure all candidates have a smooth experience interacting with Tidepool.

Sourcing Candidates

There are a number of channels we use to reach candidates: they each have pros and cons, so we aim to have a healthy balance of them to ensure we attract great and diverse candidates and doing so in a cost-conscious manner. Here are some of the channels we have used:

• Referrals: we promote our job openings internally and encourage Tidepoolers to share our job openings with their networks. Since we believe that helping build a great team is part of everyone’s job, we do not offer referral bonuses. We also realize that our networks tend to “look like us”, which might lead to less diversity.

• Social Media: we promote our job openings on our social media channels.

• Conferences: events where our team members speak or participate provide opportunities to source talent that is aligned with Tidepool’s mission.

• Nonprofits partners: we have worked with groups such as YearUp, which focuses on training young minority adults to help launch their careers.

• Job Boards: through SmartRecruiters (our Applicant Tracking System), our job openings get publicized in job aggregators such as LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, etc.

• Recruiters: on rare occasions, we work with recruiters to help us expand our candidate base for mission-critical job openings.

Screening Candidates

Once we have received applications from candidates, we screen them. We want to make sure that we don’t waste anyone’s time (candidate or interviewers) if the candidate is not a good fit for the role and/or clearly doesn’t exhibit the right attributes to succeed at Tidepool.

This time is meant to get to know the candidate and let them ask questions about Tidepool and the position. This interview should also focus on selling Tidepool and recruiting promising candidates, as this is their first personal contact with Tidepool and their desire to work here will be formed in this meeting.

The following attributes (also known as core competencies) are related to our core values. Evidence of these is explored as part of the screening stage, and constitutes a foundation for screening questions:

1. Maker Mindset: what Tidepool is doing is bold and disruptive. So, it’s no coincidence we have Tidepoolers who love creating all sorts of things and think outside of the box to come up with new ways of overcoming challenges. Examples of people that exhibit this mindset include: nonprofit leaders, community organizers, activists, entrepreneurs, open-source advocates, podcasters, and broadly speaking, makers of anything.

2. Radically Candid: we value people who are not afraid to speak their mind, but always do so in a constructive and collaborative way. At Tidepool we aim to practice Radical Candor. Being Radically Candid means that you care about the other person, challenge them directly, and invite the other person to do the same.

3. Transparent and Honest: we don't keep secrets internally. We openly share with the team details about our financials, deal status, and more. We also want people to be transparent in admitting mistakes, and share what they learned, so others can learn and improve. Externally, we share our source code, regulatory quality system documents, processes, project planning, and more. We keep very few secrets, typically only if it is required by an agreement with a partner, or as we are protecting user data.

4. Embrace Remote Working: this is less of an attribute, but more of a requirement. Since Tidepool is a completely remote organization (regardless of pandemics), we want to grow our team with others who either love working remotely, or are open to learning and capable of thriving in a remote environment.

Interviewing Candidates

After a candidate is screened, if the screening is successful, they talk to 2-3 other team members for 45-60 minutes each. These interviews can be done individually or jointly. The hiring manager makes recommendations for what each interviewer should focus on, and at least two people on the panel focus on team fit and working remotely.

For technical candidates, at least two technical interviews should be done, focusing on specific project work as well as high-level thinking. The process for handling the interview process is discussed in detail here (internal document only).

Additionally, we are very proud of our Internship Program and our Apprenticeship Program, both of which have been a source of extraordinary talent to feed into the Tidepool ranks over the years.