A Perfect Payara Candidate

 In reality, the “perfect” applicant doesn’t exist. Agree? 

Let me explain. 

Here at Payara we like to do things differently. That includes candidate selection. 

Not because we want to be noticed and branded with glory and fame and have our name up in lights on a grand stage at a gala award ceremony being lavished with trophies and gifts from high-level celebrities – but because it is often the right thing to do. 

Okay, so that first suggestion of glory and fame would be nice too, I am not going to lie about that. However, it is not who we are. 

The truth is, we look for a specific kind of applicant to join Payara, and they absolutely must have key attributes to even be considered. And identifying what that good candidate looks like starts with how we organize our applicant attraction and selection phases. 

The right thing to do is give applicants a fair and equal opportunity to present themselves for the role they have applied for.  

The right thing to do is to also ensure their experience is better than our competition and the right thing to do is ensure the applicants are made to feel welcomed. 

We do this by actively engaging with candidates before they even formally start the process, explaining to them what we feel is important to our culture and our business. 

And after I have personally spoken with the applicant and if they still want to apply (so far 100% have!) then it is their turn. 

What does a perfect candidate look like at this stage? 

I have narrowed it down to four things: Passion, Attitude, Experience, and Engagement. 

Our first value at Payara is passion.  

This because it is the most important part of being in our company and it is the most important part of being successful. With passionate people on our side, we can create a culture where we are trying to better ourselves, we enjoy what we do, and we do it together.  

Secondly, the candidate must demonstrate their attitude towards others, be kind and be courteous, and above all be the kind of person you expect others to be to you.  

Experience in their field is obviously a key element, but this is only something we start looking at once we have assessed their communication, attitude, and passion for the role. There is no real right or wrong with experience, it is not measured in years of doing a job and as it’s almost impossible to find two candidates with the same background, education, careers, mindset and technical ability. It’s important to make note that experience isn’t linear, and we know there are many ways to reach your career goals. 

Finally, engagement. 

This is how you really tell if someone is genuine, trustworthy, or interested in your role, your company and industry. It is one of those areas that you understand with experience interviewing hundreds of candidates over the years. 

It is the body language, the tone of voice, the depth of their answers to your questions, it is the passion. 

You know the type of candidate I mean; The one whose face lights up when they are talking about their favourite marketing campaign, or how they taught themselves a new language and they want to share that achievement with you and engage with you about how it made them feel. 

They have interest in a world outside of their own and want to learn and develop. 

In summary, every applicant is different. Everyone brings a unique set of life experiences, skills, aspirations, and attitudes to Payara, and because perfection is subjective, we will always welcome applications from everyone and continue to treat everyone fairly. 

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