- Reddit wants to increase its headcount by 50% in some locations.
- Nellie Peshkov, chief people officer, said she likes to ask three key questions in interviews.
- She said candidates should show they can accept feedback and how they fit in with company culture.
Interviewees need to be able to demonstrate their passion, talk about how they'll fit in with a company's culture and show they're prepared to accept feedback, according to Reddit's chief people officer Nellie Peshkov.
Peshkov spoke to Insider about the company's recruitment plans shortly before it was revealed that Reddit was eyeing a $15 billion IPO next year.
In 2020, the company expanded into the UK and has plans to increase headcount there by 50% by 2022. It also plans to recruit in other locations, said Peshkov. This is a far cry from 2015, when CEO Steve Huffman said "it was hard to get anyone to respond" to job offers.
Insider asked Peshkov, who joined the company in February 2020 from Netflix, what questions she typically asks in interviews and how candidates should answer.
'Why did you say yes to this conversation?'
Peshkov said that it's important to be able to see and feel how excited people are about Reddit and what the company does, so she asks: 'Why did you say yes to this conversation?'"
Excitement can come in many different forms, Peshkov said, but somewhere in their answers, their passion has to come through to show that they value being part of a community.
In general, whenever a recruiter asks a candidate why they want to work there, it is to gauge how familiar they are with what the company does.
Genuine enthusiasm for the company and its business is a powerful way to get the interviewer to take an interest in your application, writes James Reed, the chairman of the recruitment firm, REED Group, in his book "Why You?"
He writes that you should show that you're familiar with the company's regular outputs and not just the "about us" page.
'Tell me about your most fulfilling experience working for any company.'
Peshkov said that in any interview she wants to understand how candidates align with the company's culture. As a result, she doesn't just ask them about their most fulfilling career experience, she also asks about their least fulfilling experience, and why that was the case.
If candidates say, for example, that they thrive only in a structured, predictable environment, they may not be the best fit for Reddit, which sees itself as high-paced, Peshkov said.
There's more than one way of assessing how likely a person is to fit with a company, though.
Pip White, Slack's SVP & general manager for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, previously told Insider that she asks interviewees to talk about their passions outside of work to understand how they'll interact with colleagues and clients.
Likewise, Bank of America's EMEA head of diversity and inclusion Katy Ingle, told Insider that she always asks candidates the same question about initiative to assess what skills they can bring to the table.
'What's the most difficult feedback you've ever received?'
Peshkov said it's an "edgy" question, but she asks it to understand how much a person values self-development.
"Perhaps [the feedback] felt painful and really hurt you … What was your reaction? And what did you do about that feedback?" said Peshkov.
In any answer, she said she wants to see humility, vulnerability, and examples of a person being really accepting of feedback, she said.
"To me, that's a really strong signal that someone has a growth mindset and will challenge themselves to grow, learn, and improve," Peshkov said.
Traci Wilk, a former HR exec at Starbucks, told Insider's Shana Lebowitz that it's a good sign when a candidate naturally highlights what they would have done differently, because it demonstrates self-awareness.