Scroll to discover
Hey Wonderland, what does your hiring process look like? [Part 2]
Hey
Wonderland,
what
does
your
hiring
process
look
like?
[Part
2]
Studio Lead
As part of our ‘Hey Wonderland’ series,
we touched on our hiring process and
the interview steps that potential new
members of Wonderland work through
as part of their journey from applicant
to team member.
Having developed the process as a team, so to do we maintain it, viewing
it as continuously evolving, rather than said and done. The reason for this,
in part, is the fluid nature of Wonderland, and our growing and shifting
range of demographics and world views. As our team evolves, so too does
our hiring process, ensuring that the experience remains inclusive,
well-rounded and equitable.
As part of our work towards becoming a B Corp, we’ve joined an active
community of companies striving to do good which has given us access to
and awareness of different trainings on the topic of hiring, all of which
have provided inspiration for how we can continue the evolution of our
own process. In line with these learnings, we wanted to update our earlier
article and talk about the changes we’ve made as a result of our B Corp
journey.
In our previous article, we acknowledged the ‘casualness’ of our approach
to hiring which comes with its own pros and cons - the balance needs to be
just right. So first up was an evaluation of the process as a whole, adding
in steps we hadn’t considered formalising before now.
1. Job creation
Of course, the creation of a job was always something that happened at
Wonderland but we’ve now evolved this to be a meeting with a set agenda
covering the below topics:
- Role logistics - the business case for why the role is needed, defininghiring managers and team responsibilities, seniority of the role, andsalary benchmarks. Alongside this, we’ve further prioritised factors suchas the role deadline / start date, an unbias awareness and a DEI(Diveristy, Equity, and Inclusion) refresher for the hiring team.
- Job description - What are the overarching responsibilities, skills andvalues, and desired experience level that we want to find in the idealapplicant, along with the application form setup
- Interview approach and set-up - including the key questions we want tobe answered, and a scorecard set-up to track applicants across.
Within this, we ensure that all of our questions are job centric, that we
create diverse hiring teams and a welcoming environment, that we avoid
asking questions that might make an applicant feel uncomfortable or
insecure, and that we maintain neutral body language.
2. Applications
- Before we ever share a job externally, our existing Wonderlanders aregiven the opportunity to apply. Our people are central to who we are,and we always want to ensure that they have the opportunity to growand develop themselves if they feel they can fill a certain role. Onlyonce it’s been shared internally will we open it to external applicants.
3. Interviews
- Our interview process has stayed more or less the same as we outlinedpreviously, but with a few important additions that ensure we stay trueto our DEI standards, such as adding scorecards for each interviewer tofill in after their interview. Moreover, conducting an interview can bedifficult, so we’ve aided our teams with the creation of a tips-and-trickslist to help our interviewers do the best they can, both for themselvesand the applicant. The document is meant to be used to both supportour team throughout the interview process and improve theirinterviewing skills overall.
4. Selection process
- Applicants are evaluated using a scorecard system we’ve set up. Thesescorecards consist of a pre-determined set of criteria such as valuescontribution, and soft and hard skills required for the role. Each hiringteam member will individually fill in the interview scorecard for eachcandidate they interview. Once everyone has filled in their cards, thehiring team will then compare their scores to determine the mostsuitable candidate for the role, based on the resulting consensus.
- The purpose of a scorecard is to question candidates on specificrequirements that are essential to the job that they’re being interviewedfor and evaluate their responses, while also eliminating personal biasesthroughout the hiring process. Ultimately, the goal is to improve theprocess by making it more inclusive, equitable, and diverse.
5. Hiring/onboarding
- Once a decision has been made, successful applicants are sent an offerof employment for them to sign and receive, as well as an officialonboarding process that we will take them through during their firstweek as a member of Wonderland. Within this onboarding process, wetake them through the general workflow and rhythm of Wonderland, aswell as their equipment and immediate team. We also use this time totrade key information such as salary, responsibilities, and so on, as wellas sharing a detailed onboarding plan, facilitating wider teamintroductions, and onboarding to their first project(s)
6. Resignation
- All good things come to an end, and occasionally a Wonderlanderchooses to hang up their hat and find a new adventure. While we’realways sad to see them go, we support their future growth and activelyput energy into their exit process as well to ensure it is smooth for usand the rest of the team, as well as for them. Aside from the obviouselements such as the agreed notice period, handover of projects, andreturn of company property, we also work through a formal exitinterview. Within this, we dive into the highs and lows of their time withWonderland, as well as any feedback or insights they want to share withus to improve the company even further, and also provide them withsome final insights to keep in mind in their next role. As we’ve alwayssaid, our people come first and even when they leave, we want to makesure we help them where we can.
While our interviews remain friendly and casual, we’ve taken steps to
formalise the wider process to make it smoother for both us and you. This
ensures that each stage of your hiring journey remains inclusive and
bias-free, and is representative of the wider Wonderland experience.
INC 16-22 BRAND EXPERIENCE DESIGN 
