Why Work At Contentsquare: An Interview With Our Talent Acquisition Manager

We sat down with Ellen Binio, Contentsquare’s Talent Acquisition Manager, to find out how we ended up so lucky to have her and how she helps us build a first-rate team.

How did you come to work at Contentsquare?

I was recruited to work at Contentsquare by a very good friend, who isn’t actually a recruiter but kept encouraging me to look into the company. I wasn’t necessarily looking to switch companies at the time, but eventually decided it was time to transition into a new role, and I reached out. I interviewed, loved the product, loved the people, and haven’t looked back since.

What were you doing before you joined Contentsquare?

My background is in university sales recruiting — recruiting folks for masters programs etc. I eventually found myself wanting to move to New York City where I could work for an amazing company, and continue building my career.

I was referred to a staffing agency where I became a recruiter for startups. I loved helping people upgrade their careers, and saw this role as an ideal entrance into the big city. I helped build teams for early to late stage startups and nonprofits, focused mainly on finding prospective hires for finance teams.

What made you make the change to recruiting for just one company?

After working for up to 10 startups at a time for three years, I was ready to transition into internal recruiting. It was a whole new world. Going from recruiting for many companies to focusing on just one is exhilarating — you get to help build a company from the ground up.

The most tangible difference is the ability to work across all departments, building several teams out at the same time – rather than one or two roles. And with so many positions to fill, we are recruiting candidates with very different profiles, which makes each day different and fast-paced.

What are the challenges of recruiting during a period of fast growth?

The most challenging part, honestly, is scheduling so many interviews amongst busy schedules!  Despite its challenges, it’s fun for me because I’m confident in the product, and I know we have something special going on. It’s really important to know the product — I may not be certified yet but I would like to eventually. Just watching a product demo during my first week gave me a good sense of why our solution is different, and why people should come and work for us.

In today’s tight job market, candidates usually have other prospects. Potential hires want to know about the product, our culture and people — and, of course, what makes us different.

What sets Contentsquare apart from other NYC companies?

We were founded in France, but our CEO moved here to open the New York office. It’s enticing for candidates to know that senior employees from our Paris office have moved here to help scale the US. Prospective candidates love to hear that we also have offices in Paris, Munich, and London. Competition in NYC is tough, but there aren’t that many startups that can boast a truly global operation. We can.

What are the benefits of having an international team?

For one, we have an impressive 25 nationalities in our company. Plus, having a global operation encourages internal mobility between offices, and several employees have taken advantage of this.

Besides permanent moves, we also travel to other offices to collaborate. During our annual Hackathon, we fly our teams across offices to innovate together. We just recently had the entire global Marketing team meet in the NY office. Also, we host an annual World Wide Kick Off where the entire company joins together in a surprise location. Even though we’re a six year old company, we are still getting together as a whole. It’s also a great chance for me to spend time with my team in France, and meet coworkers who I’ve been Slacking with for the past few months.

You mentioned the tight job market earlier. How do you attract the right candidates in the current climate?

We want to be a competitive employer in New York City, and our HR team has made it a priority to diversify our benefit package, including adding a 401k plan. In addition to benefits, we’re making a group effort to build our company culture together #team spirit. At the end of the day, people stay at companies because of who they work with. As we continue to build culture with bake-offs, monthly office breakfasts, “Let’s Talk” town hall meetings, sports leagues, and other social occasions, I think it will all bring us even closer together.

What is a good fit for a company like Contentsquare?

We recruit candidates who enjoy collaborating with others to #create an amazing culture. We’re also looking for people who exude #ambition and #enthusiasm in all they do. If you like to celebrate #uniqueness and help the company become a market leader and thought leader in the world of UX, we want to talk to you!

So you’ve recruited the perfect candidate – what happens next?

Once the offer is “sign, sealed, and delivered,” the real fun begins! Not only do I want to help get you in the door with a good package and an understanding of what you’ll be doing, I want you to meet the right people. My job is to help set up who your buddy is and ensure a smooth transition and start to your career at Contentsquare!

Any last thoughts?

We’re hiring across all teams and offices! Check out our careers page here and we’ll see you soon!