For those of you who don’t already know, Santa Barbara Women in STEM is hosting two virtual events in October that are focused on students and connecting them to resources during this confusing time.
The panel is part one of a two-part series.
I was lucky enough to connect with our panelist, Izzy Bacon, a recruiter at WELL Health, a healthtech startup located in Santa Barbara. She shared what she loves about working at WELL, her perspective on what the recruiting process is like now, what companies are looking for in candidates, and what WELL is doing to maintain collaboration among teams. She shared some incredible knowledge for job seekers, and also shared some fun things about herself and what she likes to do outside of the office. If you don’t already feel like you’re friends with Izzy after reading this, I’m sure you will after the Panel in a couple weeks!
Izzy Bacon, Recruiter at WELL Health
Q: What do you love about WELL?
A: I can sum up what I love most about WELL with three Ps: The people, the product, and the possibilities.
I have been at WELL for a little over a year now, and I consistently look forward to going to work everyday. The people here play a huge part in that. As a recruiter, I am in an internally focused role in which I get the pleasure of interacting with almost everyone at WELL, regardless of their level or their department. My job is to hire talented, awesome people to WELL, and that would be difficult for me to do if I felt that the people here were not genuinely some of the best people I have ever worked with. I constantly feel supported by my peers and leaders to try new things and look for ways to make things better. The passion that the employees here have for our mission is tangible; everyone from interns to VPs are one hundred percent excited about making patient communication better. Finally, the drive that we all have to make this product the best on the market is highly motivating to me.
Our SDR team on Halloween
The product here is one that I truly believe in, and what caught my eye when I applied. Not all products are fulfilling to work for, and not all organizations have a mission that is actually solving a problem. I knew when I was looking for my next opportunity, I wanted to work for an organization with a mission that I believed in, and one where I could not find any downsides. I have found that at WELL. I love what the product is and I love talking about it because we are all patients, everyone immediately knows what it is like to communicate with their doctors’ office -- it can be a real headache. WELL streamlines and modernizes that process. Even though I do not build the product, I hire talented folks that will, and that is fulfilling to me.
The possibilities here for professional and personal development are immense. WELL champions employees’ development and is highly supportive of employees pursuing what makes them happy. In just one year’s time, I have been given opportunities to grow, to build processes, to implement new ideas, and to take ownership of projects, that I know I would not have been afforded if I joined a larger, more established organization. WELL is very much still a scrappy startup. We move fast, and that means that employees are provided with new experiences all the time. I always encourage interns and entry level candidates to consider working at a startup – the possibilities for growth in a short period of time are immeasurable.
Q: What are key things (skills, experience, interests) that you look for in potential interns or entry-level employees?
A: Alignment with our values. We have five, but these specific three come to mind when hiring interns/entry-level employees:
Growth mindset (Pursue Growth)
Strong work ethic (Work to Win)
Passion for mission (Deliver with Passion)
Previous internship experience and/or some sort of relevant coursework is required for some roles, and just a nice bonus for others
My team's Halloween theme. (Two people have dachshunds = wiener dogs.) I am the Bacon.
Q: How has the interview process [and/or recruiting process] changed since going remote?
A:
More applicants
Easier to schedule, faster process (not flying people to Santa Barbara for in-person interviews)
More relaxed for candidates (interviewing from the comfort of their home, multiple breaks throughout the onsite day, not being in a traditional interviewing environment)
Q: Do you think applying for jobs these days is harder than before?
A: I think it is an overwhelming time for candidates. It is stressful for everyone right now, and it is a tough time to be looking for a job. Applying for most jobs means signing on for something long term, to be thinking ahead about your future. It is difficult to plan for some people right now. We are living in uncertain times and no one knows what the world will look like even next year. I have talked to candidates about their relocation vs. remote work concerns, and how that factors into what jobs they are applying to. This is a new part that job seekers now have to consider. Do they want to work fully remote, or would be open to relocating for a job and work in-office, whenever that may be? For some roles at WELL, we require that you work full-time out of our Santa Barbara headquarters when we return to in-office work. We do not know when that time will come, so for some candidates, it is hard to commit to something without a date.
Q: How can job seekers set themselves up for success?
A:
Research the interviewer and the company prior. Read company blog posts, visit all social channels. Come prepared with a few specific questions tailored to each interviewer.
Share what actions you have taken to prepare for the role (research, online courses, job shadowing, informational interviews, etc.)
Practice, but do not read off of notes when interviewing. Phone interview or via Zoom, the interviewer can tell.
Q: Advice for job seekers who are discouraged by the current climate?
A:
Keep going. Check job boards everyday. Set up job alert emails. Apply to at least one new job everyday. Create a Google Sheet of progress. Track when you applied to each job, what stages you are in at different companies, when you last communicated with the recruiter. Keep track of when you need to follow up.
Just because you were rejected from one role at a company, does not mean that you should not try again for a different role at the same company. If you love the company, keep trying for different roles.
Reply to rejection emails with interest. Stay in touch with recruiters. Ask about posted or not yet posted roles. Recruiters sometimes know what the future hiring plan looks like; ask if the role that you are interested in is coming up anytime soon. Recruiters are always looking to build a solid pipeline of candidates for future roles.
Catered snacks at the office
Q: How are you able to share the sense of work culture, community, and collaboration to prospective employees via remote interviews?
A: While we know that nothing compares to visiting the office and meeting the team in person, we have tried to make the virtual onsite as close as it would be to an actual in-person onsite. A big part of WELL’s company culture comes through in the office setting. Normally, a candidate would get a full office tour during their onsite. Because that is not an option anymore, we decided to share photos of the office with all candidates prior to their onsite. All department areas are shown, as well as our common spaces, like our kitchen, our rooftop terrace, and our game areas. We have gotten positive feedback from candidates that this helps them get a better sense of WELL’s fun culture. The onsite interviewing itself has not changed much. Everyone that would normally interview a candidate in-person, will now do so via Zoom with their camera on. For almost every interview, the candidate gets a demo of the product at the start of their onsite. Since going remote, this has become a critical time for the candidate to meet another person at WELL in a more relaxed setting, and to hear more about the product.
Q: How are new employees getting trained and supported in their jobs?
A: Most of our onboarding was already via our online library of training modules, so that made the transition to remote onboarding easier. To make sure that new team members feel supported by their new teammates, some teams do pair programming, and all new hires are assigned a new hire buddy, so they have a designated person to answer their questions and have a virtual lunch with their first week. Additionally, some teams here have daily optional co-working sessions, in which team members have a designated time to work through problems with teammates, or just spend some time together. To ensure that new employees have a place to provide honest feedback on how onboarding is going, we utilize TinyPulse, which sends out questions related to onboarding after their first, second, fourth, and twelfth weeks. To make the new hire feel welcome and introduce them to the whole company, all new hires introduce themselves during their first Monday during company standup. Then, on their first Friday, we play Two Truths and a Lie during our weekly afternoon company wide wrap up. The whole company enjoys getting to learn some odd facts about their new teammates!
Company volunteer day at The Boys and Girls Club
Q: Hobby/activity you have picked up in quarantine?
A: It is not new, but cooking and baking new recipes was huge for me early in quarantine. I would challenge myself to make at least one new recipe a week. Standouts have been NYT Cooking’s Indian Butter Tofu, Christina Tosi’s Sugar Cookie Squares, and Cookie and Kate’s Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas.
Q: What’s your go-to work snack?
A: Lentil chips in the office. Now it's jicama and hummus.
Me with Reggie, the Dachshund, and Nala, a Goldendoodle
Q: What was the last song you listened to?
A: I do not actually listen to music that much, but I do listen to a few podcasts. I frequently listen to WTF with Marc Maron, and Revisionist History by Malcom Gladwell.
Q: Is there anything else you’re thinking about or would like to share?
A: WELL is going through a huge period of growth right now. While I am here to focus on tech roles, please do not hesitate to visit our jobs board at workatwell.com for a comprehensive list of open roles.