Company Name: Tripwire, Inc.
Company Focus: Configuration audit and control software
Headquarters: Portland, OR
Office Locations: London, Japan
Web Site: www.tripwire.com
Founded: 1997
Number Of IT Employees: 54
The Company: Tripwire is a recognized leader of configuration audit and control solutions, serving over 5,000 enterprises worldwide. Tripwire enables IT to control risk and increase operational efficiency through its advanced configuration audit and control solutions that detect and analyze all configuration events across the IT infrastructure. Global enterprises rely on Tripwire to strengthen their compliance and security, reduce unplanned work, increase availability, and accelerate success with CMDB initiatives.
Hiring Leaders: Tanya Traughber, HR representative, has 10 years of HR experience with a specific focus on recruiting, employee development and coaching.
Are you looking to hire on more IT staff this year, and if so, how many and in what skill areas?
Yes, we are looking to add IT staff this year in a variety of disciplines.
Given all the news about the talent crunch, have you or are you finding it more difficult to find qualified IT professionals?
It is more difficult, especially to find candidates with high-level java software engineering or senior level QA engineering skills.
What are your primary recruiting strategies? Do you work with recruiters, post jobs online, etc.?
Our first approach and definite preference is to source qualified candidates without needing to use outside recruiters. For example, we are well aware of the strong network of contacts that our employees have and encourage them to refer candidates that they know or may have previously worked with. We definitely post to 'free' sights such as craigslist, ladders.com and various industry specific sites but also use monster.com, Dice, etc. when necessary. We're especially interested in recruiting minority candidates and diversity " focused websites such as Women in Technology are great for this. When we do use recruiters for difficult-to-fill positions, we work with those select few with whom we have built quality, long-term relationships.
What is the hiring process?
We take our hiring process very seriously. We have a great group of people. Not only are they exceptionally talented, but they also share our core values of respect, trust, integrity and camaraderie. Hiring managers and HR conduct initial interviews, followed by group interviews or consecutive interviews with key employees. It's not uncommon to bring a candidate in for an entire day so that not only can we get a better idea of who they are, but so that they can experience a day with us.
What should candidates know before they interview at Tripwire?
They can expect an interview that not only seeks to determine 'fit' from a technical and experiential perspective, but also from an interpersonal perspective. Our employees choose to work at Tripwire not just because of the success of our product and our reputation in the industry, but because they want to work in an environment that values teamwork, good communication and personal/professional growth.
What makes for an outstanding potential hire?
Talent. Someone who is action oriented and is motivated by growth and change. Someone who really loves what they do. Someone who can work effectively with others. And someone with a good sense of perspective and humor.
What are red flags you look for when reviewing resumes, doing interviews—what are some issues that thwart candidates?
Someone who is accustomed to a micromanagement style, someone who is uncomfortable with change or with a collaborative, team-oriented work environment.
How important is the cover letter in job queries?
A professional self-introduction is important, but that can sometimes be done by a quick introductory email. We discourage a lengthy reiteration of what is already outlined in a resume and instead ask job seekers to focus on a succinct explanation of how and why the candidate is uniquely qualified for the job and for the company.
Is the IT organization looking for certified skills, is that a must have or is there any other qualification that is a must have?
This varies depending on the position.
Does the organization hire 'newbies' and invest in training and how well does that work, and if not, why not?
While Tripwire favors a qualified individual with fewer years of experience/skills and the right attitude/aptitude over a more experienced person with the wrong attitude/aptitude, we require certain technical job qualifications be met in different positions.
What characteristics or personality traits do you want in a hire, and don't want?
We look to hire individuals who support our corporate values: respect, trust, integrity and camaraderie.
What does your company offer IT specialists as an employer?
Benefits include: Medical/Dental/Rx/Vision/Life/Accident/Short and Long Term Disability; Flexible spending account ; Stock option plan ; 401K plan; Wellness program including health club reimbursement and free confidential Employee Assistance Plan; Monthly mass-transit pass or parking subsidy; Personal time off and company paid holidays. We continually evaluate our benefits package to ensure that employees' needs are met, so this list may change.
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