Shortlister spotlight

In this instalment of Shortlister Spotlights (a Q&A series to get to know some of our team members) meet Himan Reddy, our Tech Lead from Hyderabad office!

At Shortlist, we love building our team almost as much as we love building yours! 

We have some pretty amazing people across our three offices who have a real passion for what they do and for the Shortlist mission.

Himan is so many things – Shortlist’s resident memelord, Netflix binge-watcher, One Punch Man, Rick and Morty hardcore fan. When he is not exploring new technologies or annoying his manager and teammates, he loves taking vacations and visiting beaches.

Read to know more about Himan’s Shortlist journey. 

Tell us about your life at Shortlist.

At Shortlist, I started off as a UI Engineer with so many new things to learn, from technology stack to company culture and a dance-off on my second day! My day-to-day work involves annoying my peers, making memes, and annoying my manager. 😎
I work with new technologies like Typescript, Docker, Jenkins, AWS and have dabbled in the backend using NodeJS. All of these in a span of 6 months!
After about a year, I got promoted to Tech Lead where I have to manage my team (it’s half byte-sized). I spend about 20% of my time in management, and the rest of 80% I spend on technical aspects.
If you’ve heard of the phrase “Same stuff, different day”, at Shortlist, it’ is – “Same day, different stuff”. You get to do a lot of different things from coding to dancing to karaoke to plank challenge.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

There’s this typical Indian family phrase that goes on “Mere bacche Engineer aur Doctor banenge” which translates to “My children will become Engineer and Doctor”. Well, that didn’t turn out so well, since I was supposed to become a doctor but instead turned out to be an engineer.

So what led you to a career in technology, and what were you looking for in your next career step when you found Shortlist?

Since my school days, I was interested in learning more about computers. I browsed job descriptions that would suggest what you need to know to become a Software Engineer, explored different types of coding websites, practised on them.
I was looking for a place where I would have exposure to new technologies, have the liberty to suggest new technologies (as a Tech Lead I do exactly that!), work in my own style, and have an open space to talk to anyone about anything.
Shortlist gave me precisely what I was looking for.

How has your current role impacted you?

If you think writing documents is easy, I kid you not; it is tougher than solving a complicated algorithmic problem (T_T).
That being said, it’s not an easy task being a manager. All those assumptions about managers – that they do nothing but sit in their chair and order people around are so wrong!
The manager must make their reportees career a successful one, and it’s not an easy task. Motivating, communicating, setting the right expectations, understanding their problems and guiding them, although these sound trivial, they are not easy tasks to accomplish.

What’s your favourite Shortlist memory?

At the retreat, having an open heart-to-heart conversation with other teams whom we had just met, and it never really felt like we were strangers.

What are three words or phrases you would use to describe Team Shortlist?

Collaborative. Fun. Supportive.

What’s your favourite Shortlist value? (Learn more about our values here!)

One team!! 🙌
I have never seen someone at Shortlist say “Its’ his(or her) fault.” Instead, they listen to whatever the issue is and work together to get it resolved.

Why is the Shortlist mission important to you?

Looking for jobs is never an easy task. Most of the times, candidates don’t even receive responses from companies. As someone who lost his job and had similar trouble when looking for new opportunities, I can understand and identify with that pain. 

Shortlist believes that candidates should receive timely updates on their application process, which I think is very important.

So Himan, tell us about your life outside of Shortlist.

I like staying home, and binge-watching Netflix or One Punch Man, Rick and Morty. I have trained professionally in tabla for eight years (here’s a link to something funny). I picked up learning guitar, ukulele, and piano—Jack of all trades, master of none. Right now, I’m exploring new technology and learning Japanese. And when I’m bored, I like taking a vacation and going to the beach.

What are you currently reading, watching, or listening to?

I’m watching this anime on Netflix – Hunter X Hunter.

We like to give (virtual) high fives to recognise our team members when they do something awesome. Now is your chance to make a public high five to a fellow Shortlister:

First, a high-five to Sudheer Bandaru, my manager, who continually believes I can unlock my potential in different aspects of my professional work. Next high-five is to the entire tech team who takes my annoying nature in their stride and are never really offended. Another high-five to the leadership team who takes my memes on them so coolly and encourage me to do some more 😀

Thank you, Himan! We’re so glad to hear your experiences on Team Shortlist.

Did reading about Himan’s experiences make you want to join our squad? Check out the rest of our crew here.

We’re hiring…Follow this link and stay up to date on job openings! We have more openings at Shortlist.

Apply today –  we’re excited to hear from you. If you would like help building your team, let us help you. Shortlist offers a wide range of recruitment solutions that help companies build great teams. 

In this instalment of Shortlister Spotlights (a Q&A series to get to know some of our team members) meet Veronica, Instructional Designer, Assessments from our Mumbai office!

At Shortlist, we love building our team almost as much as we love building yours! 

We have some pretty amazing people across our three offices who have a real passion for what they do and for the Shortlist mission.

The girl who drives an orange car, loves reading and writing in her spare time, Veronica works on all things assessments that candidates take on Shortlist platform. 

Read to know more about Veronica’s journey.

So Veronica, tell us about your life at Shortlist.

I am an instructional designer for assessments at Shortlist. In my role, I create skill-based assessments, collaborate with domain experts who create questions for Shortlist and I ensure all those questions are available in our online library. Think of me as a friendly online librarian who is a lot of fun to talk to! 😁

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Well, I wanted to be a doctor, but along the way, I figured I couldn’t sign up for all that studying! So I chose to study business management instead. In hindsight, it only makes sense because I come from a family that eats, sleeps, and breathes business. This also explains why I love working in a startup and my in-built sense of accountability.

What is your professional background, and what were you looking for in your next career step when you found Shortlist?

I have a professional background in training delivery, training content creation, and developing and reviewing e-learning modules. I was looking for a new challenge in instructional design when I chanced upon this niche of skill-based assessments at Shortlist. I have a bachelor’s degree in management studies (BMS), and I also have a master’s degree in management (MMS or the equivalent of an MBA) with a specialisation in HR. Interestingly, I had no prior experience in recruitment before I joined Shortlist, but learning on-the-job has opened up a whole new world for me.

How has your current role impacted you?

It has made me realise the importance of gathering candidate data beyond the CV. Most of us may not be great resume writers, and if the next hiring decision is based only on the CV, that won’t be as fair as it can be. My role exposes me to different job descriptions across organizations and enables me to design assessments for relevant competencies for that job. I’m grateful that I get to work with a custom-built product like Chaplin, which is the internal Shortlist assessments online library. I am the woman behind a few hundred of those questions that are used in our jobs.

What’s your professional superpower?

I have a keen eye for detail. I am nimble with using any kind of technology and love building valuable relationships along the way.

What’s your favourite Shortlist memory?

The India staff retreat (May 2019) and the pop quiz that Aratrika (our awesome HR manager) organized on Republic day in Jan 2019.

Right after the pop quiz

What are three words or phrases you would use to describe Team Shortlist?

Competitive. Driven. Accountable.

What’s your favourite Shortlist value? (Learn more about our values here!)

My favourite Shortlist value is ‘Own it’, and the aspects that resonate the most include ‘Be your best, even when no one is looking.’ and ‘See the needful and do it.’ I strive to bring my best self to work every day and attempt at creating some assessment magic (of course there’s science involved!).

What do you like to do outside of work?

The girl with the orange car

I enjoy reading, writing, spending time with my loved ones, and going to the movies, and I enjoy seeing people’s mixed reactions to my orange car. (Not necessarily in that order!) and how can I forget good ol’ retail therapy 😉

What are you currently reading, watching, or listening to?

Reading – ‘The Cuckoo’s Calling’ by Robert Galbraith (Pseudonym for J.K. Rowling – one of my favourite authors over the years)

Watching – The movie ‘Klaus’ on Netflix and endless reruns of Harry Potter movies and The Princess Diaries

Listening (to the audiobook)  – ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear

Why is the Shortlist mission important to you?

My work enables me to give job seekers a chance to demonstrate their potential for the job they are applying for beyond the CV. My work also empowers employers to take a more informed decision while building great teams.

We like to give (virtual) high fives to recognise our team members when they do something awesome. Now is your chance to make a public high five to a fellow Shortlister:

Great minds twinning together

Huge hi-five to everyone in the tech team, which builds our amazing product and a special shout out to Niranjan and Venkat who are always very helpful and super-responsive to my tech requests on Chaplin. Another high-five to the operations team who keep me on my toes to keep the question library organized in the best possible way. A big shout-out to Lotika and Mridvika who continue to bring our awesome clients on board (you go girls!) and last but definitely not the least, a big high-five to the leadership team at Shortlist for building a fabulous work culture that makes Shortlist unique.

Any final words?

Shortlist has been the turning point in my career. I have observed the same for many of my colleagues and candidates that we’ve placed. I hope we continue to build our dream team and also keep getting better at helping our employers build their dream teams.

Thank you, Veronica! We’re so glad to hear your experiences on Team Shortlist.

Did reading about Veronica’s experiences make you want to join our squad? Check out the rest of our crew here.

We’re hiring…Follow this link and stay up to date on job openings! We have more openings at Shortlist.

Apply today –  we’re excited to hear from you.

If you would like help building your team, let us help you. Shortlist offers a wide range of recruitment solutions that help companies build great teams. 

In this instalment of Shortlister Spotlights (a Q&A series to get to know some of our team members) meet Sayak Ray, Data Scientist from our Hyderabad office! 

At Shortlist, we love building our team almost as much as we love building yours! 

We have some pretty amazing people across our three offices who have a real passion for what they do and for the Shortlist mission.

A budding digital artist, an aspiring traveller Sayak embodies the Shortlist value of “find the adventure” as he explores different functions (Recruitment, Business Development & Data Science) during his duration working here. 

Read on to know more about Sayak’s Shortlist journey!

Tell us about your life at Shortlist.

I started working in Shortlist, in Mumbai office as a Recruitment Consultant, then I moved to Business Development & Strategy and now I work in the Data Science team at our Hyderabad office. I am working to build an AI-driven recommendation engine which helps in matching candidates with employment opportunities. 

I work in a pretty cool office, which feels more like a home than a professional space. 😊

The team I work with challenges me every day to come up with new ideas and initiatives. There’s rarely a dull day at work!

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Growing up, I always wanted to be an artist and traveller. I love putting my thoughts on a blank canvas. The excitement & satisfaction of creating visually attractive artwork is unparalleled. Even though I don’t get to travel as much as I want to, I explore new places through literature and novels.

So what led you to a career in technology and what were you looking for in your next career step when you found Shortlist?

While I was pursuing my Master’s degree in HR, I became conscious of the bias-driven processes in recruitment. I wanted to be a part of building HR processes driven by data insights and analytics. Shortlist provided me with the opportunity to do exactly that. We have come a long way as a company to have the right amount of technology inspiring & supporting humans making decisions that are data-driven… 

For me, this was the most exciting part as I interviewed at Shortlist.

How has your current role impacted you?

My work leads me to study the behaviour of candidates on our recruitment platform, understand what employers want and find out new ways to automate parts of the hiring process. This helps me to build a strong theory around best practices in recruitment. We are working on building something entirely new, so the exploratory side of me is delighted, day in day out at work.

What’s your professional superpower?

I bring a blend of functional expertise in HR along with a strong understanding of data science to the team, merging the gap between data & business. It is incredibly gratifying to get the chance to be an enabler and an innovator in the same role.

What’s your favourite Shortlist memory?

It’s tough to single out one instance as I have so many great memories here. Something that I hold close to my heart is my business development stint, where I would talk to potential clients all the time. It was an eye-opening experience learning about how they perceive our product.

I have to mention this incident – one time we wrote this embarrassing song for Paul, our CEO after he completed our second round of fundraising and the entire office sang along, making him sit through it while he turned red-faced. Super fun! 😂

What are three words or phrases you would use to describe Team Shortlist?

Achievement-oriented. Empathetic. Adventurous.

We are a group of people working towards a strong goal in mind, which gives us greater purpose. At the same time, we believe in each other’s capabilities and strengths, which creates an atmosphere of respect and trust.

All-winning, adventurous Shortlist team

What’s your favourite Shortlist value? (Learn more about our values here!)

My favourite Shortlist value would be “finding the adventure”. The environment at Shortlist supports me to explore my professional interests and passion, given that I can prove my capability in the function. 

As a result, I am always motivated to explore different avenues within Shortlist, making sure I never have the ‘Monday morning blues’ as I walk into the office after the weekend.

Why is the Shortlist mission important to you?

When I was pursuing Master’s, we would always talk about how HR needs to evolve from a support function to a strategic one. Everyone would have ideas to bring about this evolution. 

However, as I started working in corporates, I was bothered seeing that most of those ideas were very difficult to implement, thanks to the age-old mindsets & the inherent comfort that lies in not making the change.

In recruitment, the time to evaluate a candidate judiciously is very limited, and the hiring managers tend to rely on personal biases while making these decisions. 

What Shortlist brings to the table is a reliable way to support quick decision making, and that is something I believe in whole-heartedly!

So Sayak, tell us about your life outside of Shortlist.

I actively try to indulge in a couple of things outside work. I’m trying to read more, write more and paint more these days. I recently discovered the world of digital art. And I feel like I am getting the hang of it. As I have recently moved to Hyderabad, I plan to explore the city through a photographer’s lens next year! 

Recently, I spent significant time reading about the political environment in India during the times of rampant misinformation and try to spark conversations on this with people around me.

What are you currently reading, watching, or listening to?

“Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow” is one book I read recently that fascinated me. Yuval Noah Harari, the author, talks about how humanity is speculated to achieve happiness, immortality and so on through the lens of a realist.

I can’t function without good music in my life, and a recent favourite has been Manchester Orchestra. I would recommend everyone to listen to them!

We like to give high fives to recognise when our team members do something awesome. Now is your chance to make a public high five to a fellow Shortlister:

I am thankful to both Sudheer, our CTO and Mridvika, our Managing Director for India for enabling me to move to a role in Data Science! It was ridiculous how smooth this was, given that I had only expressed my interest in passing to them. And they actually paved the way for me to do more and do better. Mridvika made sure she was transparent enough before I moved to this role and Sudheer is committed to bringing the best out of me. I can’t be thankful enough.

Any final words?

I’m so excited to see the future of HR through a company who is invested in bringing a certain disruption to the market. Can’t wait to be a part of vision 2020!

Thank you, Sayak! We’re so glad to hear your experiences on Team Shortlist.

Did reading about Sayak’s experiences make you want to join our squad? Check out the rest of our crew here.

We’re hiring…Follow this link and stay up to date on job openings! We have more openings at Shortlist.

Apply today –  we’re excited to hear from you.

If you would like help building your team, let us help you. Shortlist offers a wide range of recruitment solutions that help companies build great teams.