Technical Services

What we're looking for

Overall, the department values the following during the recruitment process.

Being able to demonstrate a proactive attitude to self-development and learning.
Be inquisitive about the role you are applying for.
Be aware of our values and be prepared to demonstrate that these values are important to you (in life and your career).
Some roles require the candidate to demonstrate certain technical skills that are mandatory for the position. This takes the form of a test and more often than not it is the explanation of the thought processes that is important rather than the test result itself.

The Interview Process

There are 2 stages to the interview:

Telephone interviews - giving the hiring managers the opportunity to discuss the candidates' past experiences and relevant previous/current roles as noted on their CV and the candidates to gain a little more understanding of Pure and the role.
Face to Face (whether in person or on Zoom) interviews consist of the candidate's opportunity to highlight anything in their CV that is most pertinent to the role they are applying for now that they have had the opportunity to learn more about Pure and the role.
For some roles a Technical skills test may be required (either prior to the face to face interview or during it) and this is usually followed by a series of competency-based questions that focus on Pure's values of Honesty, Simplicity and Responsibility.

Technical Services: Management Information and Reporting Team

What we're looking for

We are looking for pro-active learners who are happy to self-study and develop, and so anyone who has conducted CPD (this can be soft and hard skills) above and beyond company provided training always stands out. We will spend a lot of time together as a team if the candidate is successful so we look to the candidate's personality and try to see if they are someone who will fit well with the team and bring more than their skills.

We want to know about the person and some details of the CPD work they do above and beyond doing the job itself, what keeps them relevant and progressive and what it is about the role that excites them. In terms of CV we like it short and to the point, 2 sides of A4, summarising previous roles and listing key skills within each. We look for role specific buzz words that are present in the job description and how much experience the person has overall.

The Interview Process

There are 2 stages to the interview:

Looking at the S.T.A.R. model (Situation, Task, Action, Result), or similar, to answer the questions and if someone brings notes with them then extra points for organisation and planning.
We conduct tests, fairly basic tests that look at some of the core hard skills required for the role, so a general SQL/ Db knowledge test and a practical SQL test using SSMS and the non-data warehouse version of the Adventure works database 2017.
We also make sure to ask the candidate if they have any questions for us and the people we have generally employed are those who have a few questions, again this just shows a real interest in the role and the company.

Technical Services: Software Development Team

What we're looking for

We are looking for candidates that take an interest in their own career as demonstrated by self-learning, keeping their technical skill-set modern and being enthusiastic about the technology they are working with. Engagement with both the online and local software development community is also a positive. We value a can-do, positive and proactive attitude.

The Interview Process

The interview covers a range of technical and core competency questions. With the technical questions we are looking to have a conversation around a subject with the intent of learning what the candidate knows, not what they don't know.
There is often a simple coding test as part of the interview to give the candidate an opportunity to demonstrate their coding style and best practice in how they work.

Technical Services: Product Owner/Business Analysis

What we're looking for

We like a covering letter with a CV that is tailored to the role you are applying for. It's good to see the candidate demonstrate that they have done some research into the company as well as understanding the requirements for the role.

We look for some key words in the CV relevant to the role, for example;

Creating User Stories,
Impact Mapping,
Collaboration across business and development teams.

Exposure to different delivery methodologies is also advantageous. We're looking for candidates who will challenge the status quo but not just for the sake of it; an individual who thrives on delivering product change for the benefit of customers (Internal and External) whilst helping to drive the technology roadmap. It's also good to see someone who refreshes and adds to their skills and qualifications whether that is formally through independent study or through communities of practice in the area/online.

The Interview Process

Telephone chat to get the feel of the person - do they have the right attitude, will they fit in with the team, have they got the right skill set to meet the needs of the role.
If successful we then progress to the F2F Interview where we explore their CV in more depth, asking them to explain how their previous experience is relevant to the role and what they think they have to offer. We elaborate on some of the key words to ensure they didn't just add them to the CV without having the experience to back it up.
Some core competency-based questions and conversation. The conversation is key here - as a PO candidate they need to demonstrate how they handle specific situations (e.g. conflict, resistance to change, varying project priorities & demands). Ability to listen, understand a question and answer it fully. Not afraid to say they don't know but will say they'll go and find out. A can-do attitude.
We don't have any technical tests in the interview at present but it is something we may introduce in the future.

What our Property Underwriting team says about us

Working in the MI Team is a collaborative experience. We're all available to help and support each other.

Charlotte Westrop, Junior MI Developer & Analyst

By encouraging personal learning and also my attempting to keep up to date with technologies, Pure has helped me to develop professionally. Our team culture encourages developers to be helpful and approachable.

David Foley, Software Developer

The Development team at pure is a friendly and inclusive group of hard-working individuals which makes coming to work every day a pleasure.

Rhys Jones, Junior Software Developer

There is a sense of a strong team-bonding with a one-for-all-and-all-for-one mind-set, and of course lots of fun.

Edgars Vansovics, Junior Software Developer