Our Commitment to Applicants
By Brandon Sammut • Refreshed October 18, 2023
Applying for a new job requires a leap of faith. Our team wants you to feel comfortable and excited to apply to Zapier.
Unfortunately, a typical hiring process can feel vague or unclear. You apply, wait for weeks, and often never hear back. Applying for a new role takes courage, and it's hard to muster that courage when—more often than not—your only reward is silence.
The hiring process at Zapier is different. When you apply, you are going to hear back from us, even if we don't see a clear match with one of our open roles. In fact, throughout the process, we strive to ensure you never go more than seven days without hearing from us.
We also strive to share feedback with all candidates who interview with us. If you are invited to an initial conversation with a recruiter or any subsequent stages and are not ultimately offered a role, your recruiter will offer you feedback to help you understand our decision. Additionally, if you make it to the Skills Assessment or Final Interview stage, we also provide the opportunity to connect live to discuss the feedback with you.
In the spirit of Zapier’s Default to Transparency value, here's what happens when you apply for a position at Zapier.
1. Applying
When you apply for a role at Zapier, the application is received by our application tracking software, which will send you a confirmation email. You might notice something unique in our application—your resume is optional, and you won’t be asked to enter your various work and educational experiences. Instead, you’ll answer a few questions and perhaps complete a short assessment. We’re less focused on where you’ve been and more on what you can do.
2. Application review
Your application is then reviewed by one of our recruiters based on evidence demonstrating you have the relevant skills for the job. We automate a lot of things at Zapier, but not our application review—every application is reviewed by a recruiter and, at times, the hiring manager before a decision is made. We realize that no candidate is flawless, and we focus our review on areas where you excel and how those skills will complement the team you’re joining. You should hear from us via email within a week of applying. We're not able to provide specific feedback at this stage, and there are times that qualified candidates may not move forward simply due to the strength of the pool, but we do our best to let applicants know if they aren’t moving forward due to factors like skills or location.
3. Recruiter Interview
If based on your application, you appear to be a match for the role, a recruiter will reach out to schedule a time to connect with you live. Recruiters use this time to learn more about your background, skill set, and goals for your next job. The recruiter will also share the compensation range and other benefits of working at Zapier.
4. Hiring Manager Interview
If moved forward, your recruiter will schedule 45-60 minutes with the Hiring Manager. Here, you'll be asked questions that give you space to talk about relevant experience for the role. You’ll also have time to ask the hiring manager questions. At Zapier, we believe interviews work in both directions—this means you’ll have ample time to evaluate whether Zapier matches the values and opportunities you want in your next company.
5. Skills assessment and interview
After talking with the Hiring Manager, you'll be invited to a skills interview with the hiring team. In most cases, this will involve a short take-home assignment and a live interview via Zoom with members of the hiring team. You may be interviewing with a range of stakeholders, for example, peers in similar roles, colleagues in other departments, or even future direct reports!
6. Final interview
Some interview processes will include a final interview, which is often with a department leader or executive of the team you are considering joining. This interview is often more focused on assessing the soft skills needed for the role. It’s a great opportunity for you to learn more about the department’s structure, current initiatives, and long-term vision for the team!
7. Final decision
After the final interview, we evaluate each candidate who made it to this stage against our rubrics, and the hiring team makes a decision. If no candidates meet the hiring bar, we will continue interviewing additional candidates. When it comes to hiring, we’re willing to wait for a great match. In practice, if you receive an offer from Zapier, we think you meet our core qualifications, align with our values, and would be a tremendous addition to the team.
8. Reference and background checks
During the reference check—which, in typical Zapier fashion, is partially automated—we use our system, Searchlight, to reach out to the references you provide to get a better idea of what it's like to work with you. We also run a background check via Certn. We promise that we will never reach out to your current employer without your permission. If multiple candidates meet our hiring bar, we may ask for references from 2-3 candidates to help us make our decision. In some cases, we may request references while scheduling the final interview to help us move the process as quickly as possible. However, they are optional until after the completion of the final interview. Reference checks are part of our interview process and are assessed in determining if we will move to the offer stage.
9. Offer
Once references are complete, we'll make an offer to you, including salary, benefits, and other relevant details. Your offer will be determined by the salary range for the role, your relevant experience, and the skills you demonstrate during the hiring process. In addition to your base salary, you’ll receive information on your bonus potential and equity package. We aim to make a competitive offer the first time around. Hopefully, you'll accept!
One other thing worth knowing about Zapier’s approach to compensation: Our focus on competitive, equitable pay doesn’t end once you join the team. At Zapier, we don't believe that the only way to increase your pay is to change your job. Instead, we revisit your compensation annually as you demonstrate your growing contributions to the business and also in response to changes in the market. As your impact grows at Zapier, so too will your compensation.
Please note this is a general overview of what to expect. Each hiring process is tailored to the specific role and may include additional steps. Your recruiter will communicate the steps of the process with you so that you know what to expect.
At each point in this process, we promise not to go silent on you and to provide you with updates on your status within a week. We know we’ll make mistakes from time to time, so if you ever have questions about where you stand or about the process, just ask your recruiter or contact us at recruiting@zapier.com!
Don’t see a role that interests you today? We encourage all candidates to join our talent community by filling out a talent community form on our jobs page to indicate interest in future roles. This way, you’ll be among the first candidates we review for each opening. You’ll also be invited to workshops and receive newsletters to hear what’s new at Zapier.
Thank you for considering a career at Zapier. We hope that this context will encourage you to take that leap of faith and send in an application!
