How Reintech interviewed & evaluated 1500 software engineers

UK company Reintech, which has employees distributed across the UK and Ukraine, helps technology companies grow their software development teams in Eastern Europe.

Industry: Recruitment

Location: UK/Ukraine

Key feature: Pipeline management

As a team of four, Reintech relies on external support and automation software, along with Pipedrive, to help them effectively tackle projects at a good pace.

1500

1500 applicants were interviewed and evaluated in 1 year

4

Only 4 employees were needed to interview and evaluate 1500 applicants

The challenge

Before creating the process that Pipedrive is central to, the Reintech team was spending almost all their time manually adding information into their management system.

In the beginning, we used a simpler system and every day I spent a lot of time creating new cards, entering information about candidates and sending notification messages at every step—I was almost lost in that chaos. We thought there must be something better for our needs.

Viktoria KovalenkoRecruitment Lead

Pipedrive features used

Automations

For automatically creating and assigning tasks

API

Powerful application programming interface to create custom automated integrations

Integrations

To easy connect other services with just one-click

The solution

To tackle the issue Reintech created an automated process that required a small team and the use of a number of interlinking tools to better manage their client’s requests. At the core of this automation process was Pipedrive.

Here’s the process Reintech created with Pipedrive:

1. A developer applies for an account on Reintech’s platform
Tools: Pipedrive and LinkedIn

First, a potential candidate applies to an ad posted on LinkedIn or via Reintech’s website. This candidate then gets created as a new contact in Pipedrive and as a new deal, and then moves to the first stage of the pipeline: ‘New application’.
2. The first phone call
Tools: Pipedrive

Reintech’s Recruiter Julia Kolesnikova connects with every candidate via phone in order to verify all the information they have provided. She also introduces the company’s platform to the developer, describes the next steps of the vetting process and schedules an online interview with Reintech’s interviewer and Viktoria.
3. Scheduling an interview
Tools: Pipedrive and Calendly

If an interview is scheduled, the lead’s card is moved to the ‘Interview scheduled’ stage.

“If a candidate can’t pick a time for an interview during the first call, an email with a link to Viktoria’s Calendly page is sent automatically so that the candidate can select a time that suits them,” explains Sasha. “This automation is initiated by moving them to the ‘Soft Skills interview requested’ stage of our pipeline.”

Once the candidate selects a time on Calendly, a webhook notifies the Reintech team that it’s time to move them to the ‘Interview scheduled’ stage.

If a candidate doesn’t have the required information to create a profile, the team adds a task to Pipedrive with a reminder to connect with the candidate later. When a candidate cancels or reschedules an interview, the Reintech team updates the contact.

“Pipedrive automatically creates and assigns tasks and sends email messages based on our activity—for example, after moving the card from stage to stage,” says Viktoria, who enjoys using Pipedrives Insights and reporting tools to track progress. “I really like to look at the good statistics at the end of productive periods.”
4. The soft skills interview
Tools: Pipedrive, Automations and Google Meet

Next, Viktoria meets with the candidate face-to-face via Google Meet for a 30-minute interview.

If the candidate gets past this vetting stage, the team asks for a time when the candidate can do an English-speaking test (the next vetting step). All the relevant information is added to custom fields.

The candidate’s deal in Pipedrive is moved to a step called ‘English check scheduled’ and, using a workflow automation set up in Reintech’s Pipedrive, an email is sent to the English teacher supporting the team. This email contains all the information required to perform the test: Name, phone number, and desired time slots.
5. The English-speaking test
Tools: Pipedrive and HackerRank

After the English teacher receives an email with details about when and who to test, she plans a call, fitting it into her eight-hour workweek. It takes around 15 minutes to check whether a candidate is able to communicate sufficiently well in English. After the call, Olga, the teacher, replies to Julia with the result.

If the candidate passes the English-speaking test, Julia moves the candidate's deal to the ‘Tech test’ stage. This is the final step in the vetting process that is partially automated using HackerRank and partially completed manually.
6. Testing the candidate’s technical ability
Tools: Pipedrive, HackerRank and Telegram

Right after a candidate enters the ‘Tech test’ stage, Pipedrive automatically initiates a new test at HackerRank—a technical assessment and remote interview solution for hiring developers—and delivers testing instructions to the candidate.

“When the candidate completes the tech test we receive a webhook from HackerRank, and then if they pass the test we automatically place the candidate in the ‘Vetted’ stage in our Pipedrive pipeline,” Sasha tells us.

“If the test link expires or the candidate doesn’t pass it with their first attempt, we allow them to select a time for a second try via our Telegram bot.”

Telegram, in this case, is the instant messaging tool.

“After passing the Soft skills interview, the candidate can connect his Reintech account to our Telegram bot to receive all the updates about the vetting process via instant messenger,” explains Sasha.

“The bot will also provide an ability to reschedule a tech test. Later, our Reintech Bot will notify the developer about new job opportunities and will ask for the developer’s availability.”
7. Completing the candidate’s profile
Tools: Pipedrive

When a candidate enters the ‘Vetted’ stage, the vetting process is complete. They can now complete their profile in Reintech and, after review, the Reintech team publishes it on their marketplace.

The results

Although at least one member of Reintech’s team is involved at almost every stage of their process, so much of it is automated that they can manage many candidates at the same time.

“With the help of Pipedrive as the core of our automation process, our approach allows us to process hundreds of applications every month with a tiny team,” says Sasha. “The biggest value from Pipedrive is the Automations feature, in combination with Pipedrive’s API and integrations.”

Meanwhile, for Julia, who is managing a lot of the manual side of the process, tracking and monitoring are also key:

It’s a fast and convenient automated process that allows us to work in a comfortable environment. Tasks are clearly set and assigned to me so that there are no situations when I do not know what to do. I like the ability to monitor the progress of work and make comments. I see how the system helps us to keep the applicant's attention and to stay motivated during the whole vetting process. This is dynamic work, where you get satisfaction from the end result and positive feedback from the developers.

Julia KolesnikovaRecruiter