Candidate Guideline

Time has come to make renting easy and simple.
Join us on our mission to get every apartment on one platform.

A huge problem

We all know how frustrating it is to find an apartment to rent, the endless paperwork and hassle when something is broken. And actually, for us landlords it’s often even worse.

We are going to solve

This is why we started Vermietet.de. Times
and people change, but we all will always need a place to live in. Bringing all of them onto one seamless platform is our motivation.

As a team – together

So we joined forces – a group of designers, landlords, coffee nerds, entrepreneurs, renters, cyclists, car enthusiasts, musicians, gamers, and genuinely nice folks.

What You Need to Know About our Hiring Process

Overview

Now that you have decided to throw your hat into the job market ring, you are probably wondering what to do next:

“Where do I go from here?”
“Will someone call me after I submit my application?”
“How long will it take before I know if I’ve gotten the job?”
“What if I’m not able to participate in a face-to-face interview?”

All of these are excellent questions, and because we have all had them at some time or another in our own job searches, our goal with this guideline is to provide you, the candidate, with necessary information that answers these questions and outlines our hiring process from start to finish. As a company that values mutual respect and transparency, we feel that providing this information to you is necessary and beneficial so that you might have a better understanding of the hiring process and any expectations that might be involved.

This guideline provides you with a brief overview of the following steps in the hiring process:

Review of Application
Pre-Interview Video Call
Home Assignment (if applicable)
Face-to-Face Interview
Job Offer

It also provides you with some tips and information that will help you understand timelines and answers to frequently asked questions. By doing this, we hope to provide answers now to general questions that might otherwise come up during the interview process, which can lead to delays in the hiring timeline.

Step 1 – Review of Application

The first step in the hiring process is the review of your application. Once you have submitted your resume/CV and cover letter to us, we will then review your qualifications to see if you might be a match for the job(s) we have open. We typically provide feedback to you within 48 hours to let you know if you might be a potential match for us.

Are you hoping to outshine the other candidates and jettison your resume to the top of the stack? If so, then these are some important tips you should follow in order to stand out in the crowd:

Be sure that your resume and cover letter are completely up to date.
Be sure that you include in your cover letter any additional information that might be needed to address the following things:
Specific skills that you think make you a perfect choice for the job.
Gaps in your job history.
Related experience that might qualify you for the job if you do not possess the preferred education and/or experience noted in the job posting.

By providing these details to us up front, you will answer many of the follow-up questions that we might have after reviewing your resume, which can reduce delays in the application process.

In addition to these tips, we also have one more recommendation that could help make your resume a little more memorable, and that is to include a photo of yourself with your resume. We pride ourselves on our human connectivity at Vermietet.de, and being able to see your face helps us make a connection with you even before that first call is made. While a photo is not a requirement, it does add a little something extra to your resume!

NOTE: If you are applying for a Design position, you should also submit a portfolio of your work with your initial resume and cover letter in order to provide documentation of your previous project work.

Step 2 – Pre-Interview Video Call

The pre-interview video call allows us our first opportunity to actually speak in depth with you in order to gain a better understanding of what makes you tick. We believe this type of interview allows us to get to know each other a little better and decide if your skills and goals and our company culture and goals are a good match before making the decision to follow through with the full face-to-face interview.

If you are selected for a pre-interview video call, you can expect from us that we ask you questions about our company, our goals and values, and what makes us a success. We want to be sure you know as much about us as we know about you before we actually speak so that our time spent together on the call can be used more efficiently.

Since we interview candidates from all over the world, we use video, in addition to traditional phone services, to conduct our pre-interview calls. Therefore, it is necessary that you have audio AND visual/camera capabilities in place so that you may be able to participate in this call.

Here are a few tips to follow to make your pre-interview video call a success:

Choose a quiet, comfortable setting with ample lighting where you expect that you will not be interrupted.
Be sure to allow one hour time for the call.
Have pen and paper handy in case you need to take notes during the call.
Be sure your internet/video connection is solid prior to the call.

Being prepared for the unexpected will help keep your call running on schedule and may prevent potential interruptions in your call. The pre-interview video call is a great way to have your “voice” heard, so be prepared to share with us the great innovations and ideas that you think will set you apart from your competition!

Step 3 – Home Assignments (if applicable)

Home assignments are a great way for you to show us what makes you the best of the best! These short tasks help provide us with a demonstration of your skills and abilities as they relate to particular issues/problems that you might be presented with during a normal day on the job. We believe that allowing you to complete your task from home, prior to attending your face-to-face interview, gives you the opportunity to do your best work without feeling the pressure of being put on the spot.

Depending on the position, there are four (4) main types of tasks that we might assign to you:

Coding Task (for Engineers) – With this task, we are not typically looking for a specific solution, but rather to see if your solution recommendations are full of ingenuity. This process gives you the opportunity to really showcase your technical skills, so show us what you’ve got! Later, if you are chosen for a face-to-face interview, you will then have the opportunity to discuss the results in detail with our team members.
Design Exercise (typically for UX/UI Designer) – This task is sent out two (2) days in advance of your face-to-face interview, with the expectation that you will develop a design and user flow of a certain functionality of our product, which you will then detail for us during your second (2nd) face-to-face interview as you present your proposal and ideas in the form of a presentation.
Product Manager Task – This task is sent out two (2) days in advance of your face-to-face interview, with the expectation that you will come up with a release plan for a possible feature of our product, which you will then detail for us during your second (2nd) face-to-face interview as you present your proposal in the form of a presentation.
User Researcher Task – This task is sent out two (2) days in advance of your face-to-face interview, with the expectation that you will come up with an outline to your approach to research on different topics that regards to our product.

Regardless of the task assigned, we are looking for your ability to question the norm and deliver ideas and innovations that are forward-thinking and that add value to our design and processes.

Step 4 – Face-to-Face Interview

This is the part of the hiring process where you really get to bring it all together for us. You wowed us with your resume and cover letter and then followed up with a terrific pre-interview video call and home assignment. Now it’s time for the face-to-face interview!

This step in the hiring process gives all of us the opportunity to see if the puzzle pieces fit. This is when these questions are answered:

“Are we the right fit for your career goals?”
“Do we see you as the next new member of our team?”

In your face-to-face interview, you will have the opportunity to meet your potential co-workers and begin to build relationships that will grow as our company grows. Our CEO is very active in our company, and he will take part in many of the final interviews. He knows that people are our best resource, and his goal is to ensure that every member of our team understands the value that each of us brings to the table and the contributions that each makes to the company’s success.

Among other things, the face-to-face interview gives us the chance to discuss the results of the homework task that was assigned previously. If you are an Engineer candidate, we will be discussing your coding/programming task and results, as well as talking more in depth about how you develop your solution(s). If you are a Design candidate, along with discussing the results of your design task, you will also be delivering to us a presentation of your design proposal if you are called back for a second (2nd) interview.

Regardless of the position for which you are applying, we want to find out more about what motivates you! So be prepared to talk about what you are expecting from your potential new role in the company, and be ready to share with us what expectations you might have when joining a fast-moving, fast-growing startup company like ours!

Here are a few tips to help make your face-to-face interview a success:

Arrive a few minutes early for your interview.
Prior to your interview, write down any questions you want to ask, because you will likely forget to ask them if you don’t have them written down.

Step 5 – Job Offer

We are always excited when it comes to this part of the application process! The extension of a job offer means that we have found one more piece that has been missing from our puzzle, and we are now closer to being whole!

In the job offer, we will extend our salary offer, as well as provide information regarding benefits, relocation assistance, vacation policy and other employee perks. We believe that employees should be comfortable in their work environment, and therefore we provide additional perks to our employees that you may not find with other employers.

Summary

At Vermietet.de, we are committed to providing you, the candidate, with the best experience possible. Our company goals and values represent us as individuals, and we seek to find new employees who will share in our passion for empowering each other and building upon our successes to provide for a stronger, more secure future.

We know that finding the best employees is worth the effort, and that is why we want to go the extra mile to make sure all of your questions and concerns are addressed. If you have any additional questions or concerns that may not be addressed by the frequently asked questions (FAQs) below, please contact us so that we may get in touch with you!

FAQ

Q. What are the application deadlines?

A. There are no deadlines for applications. All of our positions are current and are regularly updated on our website.

Q. Once I’ve applied for a position, when do you provide feedback?

A. We typically provide feedback to you within 48 hours of submission of your application.

Q. Am I required to speak fluent German?

A. German language skills for the tech positions are not required. For business and product positions, however, German language skills are a “must have.” Fluent English skills here are also a must!

Q. What if I live abroad and am not able to attend a face-to-face interview?

A. We use video, in addition to traditional phone services, to conduct our pre-interview calls.

Q. I have interviewed previously, but wasn’t selected for a position. Am I allowed to apply again?

A. Yes, absolutely! We realize that things change over time, so we are always glad to hear from you again!

Q. What technical stuff should I dive in to when applying for a software engineer position?

A. Because we believe that a problem can be solved in various ways, we don’t see a need to require specific programming language knowledge. Instead, we want candidates to come to us with what they know, even if their technology skills may be outdated. We provide a great work environment that allows candidates an opportunity to learn new technology and skills, so we are not looking for an exact match!

Q. Can I apply for multiple jobs?

A. Absolutely! The more a job matches your profile, the better!

Q. What if there are no job openings, can I still submit my resume?

A. Yes! Send your resume to jobs@vermietet.de for consideration.

Q. Do you provide relocation assistance?

A. Yes! We will gladly help you organize the move, complete the necessary paperwork, and even help you find an apartment.

Q. Will you let me know when a job has been filled?

A. Yes, we think communication and transparency are essential to providing a clear guideline for our candidates! We normally provide feedback to candidates within 48 hours.