Everything you Need to Know to Join Gapstars
Here are some tips and tricks from our top recruiters to help you prepare for a job interview at Gapstars.
Here at Gapstars, we’re on a mission to empower the high-tech startups in Amsterdam by arming them with the best talent Sri Lanka has to offer.
If you are excited about joining Gapstars to work in some of the hottest startups in The Netherlands, here’s what you should know.
What We Do at Gapstars
At Gapstars, we act as a bridge between the high-tech startup ecosystem in the Netherlands and Sri Lanka by allowing Sri Lanka’s best Software Engineers to work directly in Dutch startups.
Thanks to the open culture and focus on entrepreneurship and innovation, The Netherlands now boasts a flourishing ecosystem of high-tech startups.
The steady growth of the sector means that the startup scene in The Netherlands now attracts the best engineers in the world.
Gapstars partner startups enjoy the benefit of recruiting Sri Lanka’s best talent to drive their growth.
Some of our partners are:
- Otrium — The online fashion marketplace which was ranked #1 in the 2020 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 list
- PastBook — The Photobooks platform which was ranked #15 in the 2020 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 list making it one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the Netherlands along with Otrium.
- Fixico — Europe’s leading car damage platform.
- Temper — A fast-growing platform that connects FreeFlexers with jobs.
- Harver — The recruitment automation platform trusted by some of the world’s leading brands such as Valvoline, McDonald’s and KPMG.
What We Look for In Our Engineers
The fast-paced nature of the startup culture means we are looking for the best-of-the-best. At Gapstars, you are a master of your domain, working independently with minimal supervision, while being a passionate technology enthusiast.
Even if you don’t possess top-class qualifications, it won’t hold you back from landing your dream job with us. If you can show us that you are a fundamental expert and a master in your domain of technology, we want you at Gapstars. We expect you to be a fluent speaker of the English language; and, it is a must that you are an effective communicator who can coordinate well within a team.
As a direct team member of a Dutch startup, we prefer that you are comfortable working in a flat hierarchy, assuming leadership, and taking autonomous decisions whenever necessary. You can typically expect to work in a 3 member team.
Gapstars is essentially a community of technology experts. We are keen on building communities around specialists of technology. If you are an expert in a niche area of technology, willing to expand your skill set, and share it with colleagues, then you are the perfect fit.
We believe that having the right environment, the right tools and the autonomy to work freely brings out the best in every engineer. Going along that philosophy, we offer our engineers a free, open and flexible culture along with remuneration, which is well above the industry average.
What Our Hiring Process is Like
We believe in transparency. Once you submit your resume, you can expect us to get back to you within 48 hours.
We also look at recruitment data, and we understand that Software Engineers value their time. With that understanding, we offer you a lean and quick interview process. The interview process will be highly structured, but you can expect the process to complete within ten days.
During the interview process, you can expect to have a general phone interview at the start, one or more technical interviews with our partners in the Netherlands and a technical conversation with one of our hiring managers.
In the next two sections, you’ll learn tips and insights that will help you prepare your CV and face our interview process confidently.
Resume Tips from Gapstars
To give us a perfect understanding of who you are and what you offer, you can consider the following tips from us when you prepare your resume.
Have Good Formatting
- It is prefered that the resume is in pdf format.
- You are not expected to have an objective statement. Instead, consider having a summary statement describing your expertise and what you offer to the role that you are applying.
- It is recommended that the font, sizes, and spacing is consistent and easy to read.
- We recommend using black as the font colour.
- Make sure your resume is free of typos.
Consider Having a Customised Resume.
- It helps us to assess you more effectively if you tailor your resume to fit the specifics of the position you’re applying.
- Keeping the resume under one page is advised. If you have lots of experiences, your resume might be longer. However, challenge yourself on how you can express your expertise with optimum brevity.
Consider the Structure of your Resume.
- Try leaving out details that aren’t relevant. We are an equal opportunity employer, meaning that we do not consider you based on your nationality, race, gender or age. So it is safe to leave those out.
- Highlight your work experience before you list your education. We value your expertise much more than how you got it.
- Consider leaving out experiences that aren’t relevant to the position you’re applying for.
Tips for Interviews
Consider these tips when preparing for interviews. These will help you be more confident and comfortable.
Do Research
- You can expect to have one or more VoIP interviews directly with the teams of our Dutch partners.
- You will be better prepared to face the interview if you research our partner and get familiar with their business before the interview.
Reflect on How you Work
- The fast-paced nature of the startup culture will require you to interact more and be on your toes. Expect our partners to assess you to see whether you can meet these demands.
To assess you on these grounds, we might ask you situational questions, such as:
- Do you prefer to collaborate or work on your own?
- Tell me about an instance where you handled a tricky situation and how you handled it?
We expect you to be positive and constructive in your approach when you work with our partners’ teams. Reflecting on your work style will help you better prepare for these questions.
Ask Questions
- The interview is a two-way process. We love to get to know you. But, at the same time, we expect you to have a good understanding of who we are as well.
- The more you know about our partners and us, the better you will be able to make the correct decision for yourself and your career. So don’t hesitate to do your research and clear out your doubts during the interview process.
At Gapstars, we are building a global community of top software developers to power leading tech companies in The Netherlands to create awesome products.
Today, we are home to 100+ tech stars and innovative minds turning scalable software into performance products shaping the future. Want to build awesome software? Join us.
