This blog is the first in a new series that features stories and insights straight from Arcules’ Superheroes — the people that make the Arcules brand what it is through their daily hard work, enthusiasm and dedication to our team.
Written by Stephanie Hammerwold, Director of Human Resources
Often a company is defined by its product, and so much about Arcules is centered around our cloud-based security solution. But behind that product is a team of talented employees that have created the culture where our product could be developed as quickly and expertly as it was. The people behind the product are the force that is driving innovation and allowing us to continue pushing boundaries within the industry.
As the Director of Human Resources at Arcules, I’m tasked with helping to nurture our culture, and it starts with hiring employees who are in alignment with our vision for the company. This is something that started from the early days when Arcules was little more than an idea and an ambitious hiring goal.
Back in August 2017, I started as a part-time HR consultant for what I thought would be a two-month assignment. I had no idea that I would stick with it and become the Director of Human Resources. During my first week, Arcules’ CEO Andreas Pettersson was explaining his hiring plans to me, and he said, “I want to hire people who are a good culture fit.” At that time, there were only a few employees working with the company, and I remember looking around the room, laughing to myself and thinking: “What culture?”
But then it clicked.
In that moment, I realized that the focus at Arcules was going to be different. The hiring process — and the company’s overall mindset — was never about just putting bodies in seats. There was a clear vision for the kind of workplace we desired to build, and we wanted to hire to cater to that. This meant going beyond traditional hiring practices; instead of simply focusing on those that can check off all the boxes under the “skills” section of a job description, Arcules looks at the whole person and seeks to understand how they would fit within our culture. This includes interactive interviews that include a variety of employees and a coding exercise or problem-solving challenge where candidates work with members of the Arcules team to help us understand how a person will fit within our team. This also allows candidates to get a sense of what it will be like to work for us.
Today, Arcules’ culture is all about embracing our employees for who they are and their personalities outside of their technical skillset. We look for people that aren’t afraid to take risks, accept ambiguity and take initiative without waiting for direction. If an employee wants to try a new approach to something, their manager will tell them to run with it without there being some complex approval process. This type of freedom to create is often an adjustment for new hires who are not used to working in such an environment. But it represents the level of trust we have in our employees, and it often pays off. Even if the idea does not pan out, we trust our employees to fix it.
The voice of a more junior level employee is just as valuable as a senior member of the team. We significantly value emotional intelligence, which we measure through the Hogan Assessment and design thinking exercises as part of the hiring process. We are also committed to hiring a diverse staff because there is tremendous value in bringing different viewpoints and life experiences to the table when designing software.
We are able to establish a team that is strong, motivated and supportive — of both each other and the company’s business objectives. While the term “workplace culture” tends to get thrown around a lot, it could not be more apparent at Arcules. The culture that we’ve created enables us to value one another on a deeper level than most companies experience, as well as facilitates agility and change that lead to overall growth and success.
And though the recent pandemic has thrown everyone for a loop, we’re thrilled to have been able to persevere with our remote teams. That’s one benefit of a solid workplace culture: it extends beyond the four walls of the office.
If you’re interested in joining our team, check out our openings.
