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A pairing test at the Guardian
A pairing test at the Guardian Photograph: Tom Richards/The Guardian
A pairing test at the Guardian Photograph: Tom Richards/The Guardian

Applying to the Guardian's Digital department

This article is more than 4 years old

The first in a three-part series on life as a new member of the Guardian’s Digital department

Making an Application

The application process for the Guardian begins, like so many others, with a CV and a cover letter. This may differ slightly for applications to the Digital Fellowship, which requires candidates to answer a number of questions rather than providing a cover letter, but the general intentions are the same: to find out more about you, the applicant; why you are applying for the role; why you want to work at the Guardian; and what you have worked on in the past.

The Recruitment Team conduct a pre-screen of each application and the CV in question is then redacted to remove personal information and reviewed by at least three members of our engineering team to ensure there is no bias. If the applicant is selected for the interview process, the Recruitment Team will be in touch!

Interviews

The interview process is broken down into three stages, the first of which is a telephone interview. This lasts up to thirty minutes and is conducted by two members of our engineering team. While some questions focus on your technical understanding, others centre around the way you think and your experience of working in a team. You can expect to hear back regarding whether or not you are through to the second stage by email after two working days.

Successful candidates will be invited to the Guardian’s Kings Cross office for the final two stages, which consist of a pairing test and a face-to-face interview. Pairing tests can often feel like an assessed performance but you will almost certainly be reminded before your pairing test at the Guardian that the task will – and should – be solved collaboratively and that you are not expected to tackle it alone. The task assigned for your pairing test can be undertaken in the language of your choice and although you have an hour dedicated to it, you are not expected to complete it. This is a great opportunity for you to show how you work and communicate with other developers, and to demonstrate how you approach challenges.

The face-to-face interview also lasts an hour and is conducted by two members of our engineering team – most likely two you haven’t met yet! It is divided between getting to know you better as a person and getting a better idea of your technical capabilities – similar to the phone interview but in more depth. You will have a chance during each interview to ask any questions that you have and get any more information about the technology we use and our company culture.

Receiving an Offer

About a week after your face-to-face interview, you should receive a phone call from HR to let you know how you did and whether or not you have an offer. The team you are placed on is based on your experience and the requirements within the department. It is worth emphasising here that when you are hired, it’s because you are seen as a fit to the department as a whole, rather than to a specific team. Once you are here, you will have numerous opportunities to collaborate with other teams and for team rotation.

The time between your offer and your start date can vary depending on the notice period of your current job but if you have the flexibility, you could start within a couple of weeks! During that gap, you will have the opportunity to visit the office, meet some people in the department and have a tour of the building. This is recommended as it helps to know what to expect on your first day.

Want to join us?
For more information about the Digital department, our developers and the roles we currently have open, see https://workforus.theguardian.com/careers/digital-development/.

The second part in this series, detailing the first days in the Guardian’s Digital department, is published here.

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