Get To Know Our Hiring Process

Thanks for being here and for your interest in joining our team!

At Onja, we believe that hiring the right people is the key to our success. Our people are at the heart of what we do and as we continue to grow, we are committed to building a team that can deliver Onja’s mission.

Below, you can find some guidance outlining how we do hiring at Onja so you know what to expect during the process

At Onja, We Want To:

Hire the best people we can

We are looking for the most suitable people who will best deliver Onja’s mission. Finding the right fit for a role takes a lot of time and care. We do our best to constantly reflect this and improve our processes.

Stand out

Our acceptance rate is around 2%. But often we are looking for specific and unique qualities and attributes which means that sometimes 'unorthodox' candidates are selected over 'ideal candidates' - so don't hesitate to apply!

Ensure an inclusive candidate experience to the best of our ability

It is really important to us that all candidates feel respected during the process, and get the opportunity to show who they are at every stage.

About Our Hiring Process

💡 Some of our interviews are in person if you are located in Madagascar, while overseas applicants will do video interviews

👌 We value human connection and we see interviews as conversations, a two-way exchange, where both sides can see if it is a good match.

🎤 We record interviews for maximal fairness and efficiency. This allows a diverse panel of people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives to assess and reassess the candidate based on set criteria, even after the interview has been completed. We are very strict with access to these recordings and they are shared only with relevant interviewers/hiring team members.

Once you submit your application, we will take a closer look to see if your experience and skills are matching and are relevant to the position you have applied for. Please always submit your application by English language only, since we are a multicultural team and English is our common working language.

You will be able to submit your application easily through our website and we encourage you to upload any supplementary forms and/or links that might be useful for the hiring team to know.

We try to get back to everyone within two weeks at most, and at best, within one week. Whatever the outcome,it is important to us that we let every candidate know either way.

From submitting your application to receiving an offer, the entire process normally takes around 4 weeks. This might change according to the workload of our team and the types of assessments required per role.

Steps of Our Hiring Process

Introductory call

A 50-60 min. casual chat to get to know each other, answer the questions you may have about Onja and potentially moving to Toamasina, and get an initial sense of whether you’d be a good fit for the team. We will give you more information on what to expect if you were to join Onja, practicalities regarding relocation (if applicable to you) and benefits, as well as answer any questions or concerns you might have. To book this call, you’ll receive a calendly link to select a time slot that suits you.

In-depth interview

If you and the team think that this could be a good match, then we will invite you for a 1 hour interview, usually with 2 team members; the Hiring Manager and potential direct line Manager. This is a deeper exploration of how you work, and gives us insight as to position alignment. This will also give you the chance to get to know how the team operates and explore the potential for a good team fit from both sides.

Writing Samples and/or role-related task

For some roles we might ask you for a writing sample. We try to be respectful of your time so we don’t ask you to write anything specifically for us but rather just link us to any previous writing you may have done. Occasionally, where the position demands it, we may ask for a small task that we would like you to prepare for in your own time, and then will schedule a call with a member of the team to walk through what you’ve done in a working session.

References

If we see it as a good fit, as a final step before making an offer, we will request two professional references, preferably managers. The Hiring Manager or hiring team will contact your references. We ask you for their email so that we can send them a calendar link to book a quick 15 minute conversation with us at a time convenient to them. We understand that in some places reference calls are not a common practice, and in this case a letter of recommendation is sufficient.

A reference check is not the sole decision making factor to hire. However, where applicable, a reference check can be used in the final decision for making an offer, taking into consideration the interview and interview team feedback.

Casual chat with other team members (optional)

We offer optional conversations with staff members to get to know what it's like to join our team. It’s a good opportunity to ask a lot of questions and get an understanding of what it would be like to work together. Keep in mind, these aren’t interviews!

Formal offer

After the interview, the hiring team will discuss and make a decision based on our evaluation criteria and reference checks. Successful candidates will be offered the position via email or call.

What we do to make our hiring inclusive

We’re always learning about different ways our hiring process can be more accessible and inclusive for all candidates. Here is what we are doing so far (we welcome feedback throughout the whole process):

➡️ We make sure to include a diverse set of interviewers and evaluators that are representative of Onja’s multicultural work environment.

➡️ We work to have fair evaluations for all candidates using set criteria to help us determine organisational and position fit.

➡️ We don’t make any decisions during the interview, we know that sometimes first impressions can be biased, so we try to take a reminder to pause and be more deliberate in catching ourselves.

➡️ We encourage applicants to apply even if they don’t 100% meet all the requirements.

➡️ Easy scheduling and calendar invite for accessing Google Meet interviews

➡️ We value attitude and fit over qualifications

➡️ Throughout the interview process, you can discuss any reasonable adjustments you might require and how you can be accommodated.

And last but not least, we're looking forward to hearing from you! Head to our careers page to see and apply for our current open positions.