Interview Tips¶
We know that the time leading up to an interview can be exciting and sometimes cause some anxiety. It is important to know we are excited to meet you too and we are not trying to find anything negative. Just be yourself and engage with us on a personal level as we review and discuss your proudest moments, bright future, acquired skills and lofty ambitions.
Be prepared to discuss your understanding of the role and how it fits within our broader business model. It is extremely important that every team member in a company our size has full visibility into the part they play to helping our team succeed. Demonstrate how your past can meet the demands of the role by sharing specific examples of projects or ideas about how you would accomplish a specific task. For some of our openings, you may be asked to write code, share a creative portfolio, or provide examples of your work in other ways. You will meet with a few people from our hiring committee (some potential teammates and some cross-functional colleagues) for up to an hour each.
Learn more about our hiring process.
Before You Interview¶
Do your research
Understanding the opportunity you are applying for is great, but take that a step further. You should be aware of what is happening in the broader tech ecosystem, Web3 industry trends, what does artificial intelligence mean for society, your understanding of what Cartan does in FinTech, and how we can collaborate to make ourselves stand out from the competition. Take the time to write a list of questions for the interview and make sure this opportunity is well suited for your career growth.
Know our core competencies
The interview will include competency-based questions so please keep Cartan's core competencies in mind when answering questions. Here are Cartan's core competencies:
- Collaboration: Most of your work at Cartan will require a high degree of documented explanation, from flowcharts to well research proposals.
- Driven to Add Value: We do not automate for the sake of automating, it is important to consider a cost-benefit analysis of investing in an automation process.
- Customer Focused: Our mission at Cartan is to quietly build the supporting infrastructure that empower Web3 economic activity.
- First Principles Thinking: Always break a scenario down to first principles, never make assumptions based on past experiences.
- Problem Solving: Breaking down a problem into manageable and solvable iterative tasks that clients can clearly monitor.
- Adaptability: Ability to deal with ambiguous and underlain situations or problems with agility.
Accelerate our culture
At Cartan, we believe that our culture is key to how we address our clients' problems and present ourselves to the world. We are a strong and growing team of independent thinkers that continually research and challenge each other on our understanding of the intersection of technology, business and economics. We are hyper focused on a growth mindset that is fully dependent on driving innovation and collaboration.
The most important aspect of everyone on your team is we are all "learn-it-alls" instead of "know-it-alls". We prize curiosity to seek diverse perspectives and adaptability to recognise new data points. For our interview process we focus on these key aspects of our culture:
- Growth Mindset
- Diverse & Inclusive
- Client Obsessed
- Values & Ethics
- Manager Expectations
Envision your future together
Starting a new opportunity is a fun and rewarding experience, but we encourage our team members to look beyond the here and to envision your evolving role in 1, 3 and 5 years. While accomplishing short term goals is important (all the little steps add up to a huge leap) it is equally important to understand where things are going. So, enjoy the journey but own the destination.
During Your Interview¶
Be yourself
We appreciate that you are willing to take the time to speak with us. We value your unique perspective, your personal history and your insight into the world. There is no need to wear formal business attire or "dress to impress", be comfortable in your clothes and just come as you are. We are excited to meet that person.
Demonstrate your critical thinking, problem solving skills and curiosity
We know you have skills and of course we want to explore those skills but we also want to know how you think, how do you go about tackling a problem and get to a solution. Be prepared to share your thought process, and explain the rationale behind your decisions. When asked to solve a problem or develop code, ask clarifying questions, state your assumptions, and be prepared to share your opinions or explain your choices.
Throughout the hiring process, our aspiration is to assess fundamental knowledge, critical thinking, and learning potential. We do not expect you to know everything. When you get stuck or do not have experience with the subject matter, we encourage you to ask clarifying questions that show your integrity, collaboration, and ability to be resourceful.
Nothing we ask is meant to stump you, be honest and we can collaborate through the question.
Be specific
We recommend you use the STAR(R) model when answering questions. This will help you create clarity and structure your response.
- Situation
- Task
- Action
- Result
- Reflection
After Your Interview¶
Ask for the interview timeline
At the end of the interview process, ask your dedicated recruiting committee representative when you can expect to hear back about next steps or the hiring decision.
Follow up
Your recruiting committee representative will follow-up with you about the outcome of your interviews as soon as the hiring committee has made a decision.