S2 | Episode #3 : Daniel Paulus - Director of Engineering at Checkly - "How to make effective and efficient hires in tech"

The Technology Leadership Podcast

About Daniel:

Daniel Paulus is the Director of Engineering at Checkly. He started his professional career in the German Air Force as an officer for 13 years, where he studied computer science at a military university. Throughout his time in the forces, Dan held various roles such as team lead, engineering manager, project manager, and IT manager, and valued the sense of purpose the military offered. In 2017, he transitioned from the military to the startup tech world in Berlin, starting as a lead developer at Sauce Labs, and later joining Contentful as an engineering manager before finally getting into his current company Checkly.
Synopsis:

In this episode of The Technology Leadership Podcast, Daniel Paulus discusses hiring in technology companies. He goes over Checkly's global hiring process and what it has taught him. The most important lessons include working with local recruiters to benefit your hiring process, conducting live coding challenges rather than take-home tests to find the right fit, and focusing on stability over aggressive growth in light of the current economic situation. In addition, he talks about building cross-functional engineering teams and the importance of mentoring and coaching junior engineers, which brings positive energy to the team. In Daniel's view, having a diverse team of engineers leads to challenges, innovation, and better understanding.
Key Takeaways:

• Working with local recruiters is effective if you’re looking to hire globally.
• Live coding challenges are more effective than take-home tests for hiring purposes.
• It is important to ensure engagement and quickness in the hiring process.
• The biggest challenge in technology in 2023 will be the economic situation.
• Mentoring and coaching junior engineers is important for growth and retention.
• Hiring people from bootcamps helps you find good candidates who’re not only talented but confident.
• A diverse team with a mix of junior and senior engineers is important for innovation and understanding.
• Mentoring and coaching junior engineers can bring positive energy to the team.
• Junior engineers from bootcamps bring a combination of confidence and technical ability.
• University graduates have a strong computer science background but lack professional experience.

Episode Outline:

[0:09] Meet Daniel
[2:30] How did Daniel get into tech?
[02:57] What does Checkly do?
[6:53] Hiring juniors vs. senior engineers.
[07:38] Why do companies hire junior engineers?
[12:33] The importance of diversity in an engineering team.
[14:33] Learning to code as a kid and pursuing tech going forward.
[18:06] The importance of interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence for professional growth.
[19:38] Helping juniors become future engineering leaders.
[22:54] Performance Framework for engineers.
[25:35] How to hire junior and senior engineers: the tips.
[27:54] Lessons from hiring junior and senior engineers at Checkly.
[30:30] Daniel’s thoughts on technical recruitment.