In this blogpost interview, we would like to give you some insights into a quite extraordinary recruitment process. High bureaucratic hurdles led to a two-year hiring process for Joshua from Lagos (Nigeria), but neither Joshua nor door2door gave up and today he works as a software engineer in the Analytics team. But let him tell his story:
How long have you been working for door2door and what is your position?
Joshua: I started on 1 July 2021. My position is that of a software engineer in the Analytics team.
What are you doing there exactly?
Joshua: It’s a mix of web development, data engineering and analysis. The Analytics team is responsible for providing insights about the operations of our services. We know there’s a wealth of information locked in the driver and passenger behaviour. This data is relevant to understanding the market and the service, and as a member of the team, I build pipelines that ingest and transform this data and also visualize it on dashboards.
How did you find out about door2door?
Joshua: That was in July 2019. I had gotten involved in big data technology and was looking for a full-time role in that space. So I went searching on Twitter and I saw a tweet that said: “We’re hiring at door2door.” I read it and it sounded good. I sent a direct message and said: “I love the purpose of the company and the description of the job. I am interested.” I got a response encouraging me to apply. I did, and the HR department contacted me the next day to start the process with interviews.
What happened then?
Joshua: I had an introduction interview. I was given a test which I had to submit in seven days. I did it, I got a positive review, and I was moved to the final interviewing round with the Engineering team. That also went well and I got the offer which came with relocation to Berlin. The company tried to get me an appointment at the German consulate, but the website stated the wait period was 16 months. I also tried myself but I saw the same message, 16 months! door2door had to fill the position and couldn’t wait that long, which I totally understood. We both had to move on.
Why does it take so long to get an appointment at the consulate?
Joshua: I think there are a lot of appointments in the queue and it just takes time to get through all of them. This was also pre-pandemic. I’m sure the lockdown must have further slowed down the process.
Did you really make an appointment for 16 months later?
Joshua: Yes, back in 2019, I booked the appointment hoping things would get sorted out once it was registered in the system. I waited for a while, but nothing changed. Months later, I accepted another job offer.
Fast forward to 2021: I received an email from the consulate stating that my appointment would be in 30 days. So I had 30 days to reach out to door2door, find out if there was an opening, and see if I could get a renewed offer. I contacted door2door’s HR department via email saying: “Hello, do you remember me from 2019? I have an appointment now.” I wasn’t confident things would work out, but I got a reply saying: “Yes, we remember you, the role is gone. But we can talk to the teams to know if there is a need.” Then they came back and said: “Yes, there is a position in the Analytics team”. I was happy, my initial role was a full stack developer role; this role was similar, but revolved around big data, which was perfect. The team sent me a test, I completed the test, they liked the result and I had interviews with members of the team.
You had to do the whole process again?
Joshua: Yes, I was tested on data pipelines, analysis and modelling, which is different from the test I had initially done. It was a fast process. The company understood that I was on a tight schedule, so the process was done in good time. I remember Thiago had to take a call with me while he was away on vacation.
Did everything go smoothly after you got the new job at door2door?
Joshua: Not right away. One of the required documents for the interview was an affidavit. I didn’t have the document and the courts in Nigeria were on strike at the time. I was troubled by this, because I didn’t want my application to get rejected on this basis. Fortunately, a week before the appointment, the judicial chapter in my city relaxed the strike and partially resumed activities and I got the document.
There was another scare. After the interview, there was an issue with the recognition of my university degree, and the process of getting a degree recognized starts with sending the transcript from the university. The transcript process is usually slow in many Nigerian universities. It sometimes takes months to process, and I got worried. But fortunately again, the issue was resolved, my degree was recognized in the database and I received the visa.
Did you ask the consulate why it all took so long?
Joshua: No I didn’t, the funny thing was during the interview, the visa officer saw my contract and said: “This contract is from 2019. What took you so long?” It was amusing, because I felt that was what I should have been asking.
Why were you so keen to join door2door?
Joshua: I was sold on the mission “A city for people, not cars”. Where I’m from, it’s not unheard of to spend three hours commuting between home and the workplace. Vehicle congestion is the culprit most times, and this affects many things: the environment, quality of life, productivity, etc. I believe what we do as a company is important for sustainable life and I am happy that my love for building data-driven solutions is aligned with this mission.
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Thanks, Joshua, for the interview! We are very happy to finally have you here on the door2door team.
Would you also like to apply at door2door? Have a look at our job postings. We’re also happy to help you with a move, and we really hope it doesn’t take as long as it did for Joshua :)
