Hire for Culture, Train for Skills

What We Look for in Future Wodenworkers—and How We Find It

 

Since the middle of 2020, Woden has been experiencing significant growth. We are constantly seeking new Wodenworkers to both accelerate our expansion, and to deliver on our promise to existing clients. While our hiring process is rigorous, we believe it’s important for potential candidates to know what we look for in a Wodenworker, and how we determine who will be a good fit.

As a small but growing company, Woden values cultural fits above all else. With each hire, we’re seeking someone who will add a new perspective to the team, and who exemplifies the attitudes and beliefs that have made Woden successful. We love to hire people of unconventional backgrounds; deliberate, curious, and insightful people with an unusual resume or who feel they haven’t been given a fair shake elsewhere will thrive at Woden.

Woden offers good perks to employees: competitive salary, reasonable hours, health insurance (with a 50 percent company contribution), 401k (with a 4 percent company match), unlimited time off, snacks and lunches in the office, and a very loving office dog. We manage our team’s efforts, not their hours—while we expect people to be in the office for brainstorms and collaboration, Wodenworkers can work when and where they prefer otherwise.

That said, the work can be mentally grueling. Wodenworkers are challenged daily to both think strategically and execute tactically, and while we believe in our ability to train the right fits, a positive attitude and willingness to embrace creative thinking head-on is critical.

Who is a Fit?

Woden’s mission is to transform organizations through purposeful, strategic brand stories. The right candidate is excited to get up each day and advance that, while exhibiting our core values:

• Have a Positive Attitude
• Be a Team Player
• Stay Hungry to Grow
• Do Transformative Work

Because our process is proprietary, we don’t expect new Wodenworkers to show up day one trained—we’ll take care of that. A good candidate is a strong writer and able to express their ideas, likes to see the best ideas win out (especially when they’re not their own), and is able to juggle multiple projects at once.

Brainstorming and collaboration is a big part of our work, as is being client-facing. We spend a decent amount of time in the office working together—a good Wodenworker values rubbing shoulders with their peers.

Want to become our next Wodenworker? Here’s how:

Expressing Interest

Any current opening at Woden is posted on both the Careers page of our website, and on our LinkedIn page. To apply, you should use LinkedIn. Woden receives a lot of interest for any open job, so if you’re truly interested, please reach out to Rachel Fox (for a creative job) or Fred Osu (for a sales job). Let them know why you believe you’re a fit and why you want to work at Woden.

If Woden determines a candidate is not a fit during this stage, they will not receive a response to their application.

If you have a skillset that we’re not hiring for, please reach out! Several great Wodenworkers have joined us when we weren’t actively seeking to hire—when we find someone great, we’ll make a space for them.

Initial Screening

Woden believes it is important to screen all candidates for the basic competencies they’ll need before scheduling an interview. If you’re applying for a creative role, you will be asked to write a blog post that aligns with the length, style, and depth found on the Woden blog. Business development roles are evaluated based on their outreach (as noted above)—that’s the crux of the job, so impress early with your emails, LinkedIn messages, or calls. If you’re hired, you will receive plenty of training, but this gives Woden confidence you will have the chops to do the work.

Any candidate who is asked to provide a writing sample (or who progresses beyond this stage) will receive feedback from Woden regarding their candidacy whether it is successful or not.

First Interview

The initial screening gives Woden the confidence you’ll be able to do the job if you come on board. That allows us to spend the interview process getting to know you as a person, and understanding what we believe is most important about your candidacy: cultural fit. Expect to interview with up to three people in an initial interview—your potential manager and one or two peers.

During the interview, Woden will seek to understand what you want in a prospective work place, what you value in a company culture, how you work, where you need to grow, and how you deal with obstacles and challenges. Bring a lot of questions yourself! A good interview is for both sides to determine Woden is a fit.

Second Interview

After a successful first interview, candidates will meet with Woden’s Managing Partner for a second interview prior to hire. Second interviews are used to follow up on any concerns from the initial rounds, and evaluate a candidate’s enthusiasm for the role. If a candidate makes it to this step, Woden is serious about making an offer; we know this is a lot of time for all sides to invest, but believe it’s critical to be as deliberate as possible before bringing a new person on board.

Making a Decision

Hiring decisions require unanimity at Woden: your future peers, manager, and the partner must all agree that a person is an ideal fit before they are invited to join the team. Candidates are evaluated based on how they’ll fit with—and improve—our existing culture, their alignment with Woden’s values, diversity, and ability to do the work required in their role. Before accepting a role at Woden, candidates are encouraged to consider their own personal career growth path, excitement about Woden’s work, and desire to be part of a tight-knit team.

Woden is only as good as the Wodenworkers who contribute their energy, talent, and creativity each day. If you believe you are a potential fit for our team, we can’t wait to hear from you.