“The thrill of filling a vacancy is a special kind of pleasure for a recruiter. It doesn't matter how much you earn: you just feel the satisfaction of getting it done”
12.02.2024
Last year, we launched a series of interviews with members of our team. (You can read our interviews with Lead Recruiter Valeria and Head of PR Polina.) Today, we are excited to share an interview with Maria Reiimbaeva, Head of IT Recruitment and an invaluable member of our team.
- Maria ReiimbaevaHead of IT Recruitment
— Hello, Maria! Thanks a lot for making time for me!
— Hey there! Absolutely, I'm always up for a chat.
— Could you tell me a bit about yourself? What's your role at Lucky Hunter, and how long have you been working there?
— I've been the Head of IT Recruitment for just under a year, and in December, I celebrated my fifth anniversary at Lucky Hunter. That makes me one of the "oldest" employees here.
Before my promotion, I was a Lead Recruiter working alongside a researcher. Now, I have two main roles: managing our team of recruiters and communicating with clients to understand their needs, who they are looking for, and how we can help them. I also still do some recruiting myself.
Before my promotion, I was a Lead Recruiter working alongside a researcher. Now, I have two main roles: managing our team of recruiters and communicating with clients to understand their needs, who they are looking for, and how we can help them. I also still do some recruiting myself.
— What initially drew you to the company?
I have a degree in linguistics, and I always thought I would work in a field that combined communication and foreign languages
— I didn't start out in recruiting. I have a degree in linguistics, and I always thought I would work in a field that combined communication and foreign languages. I started out on a language path, but I realised there was limited career growth in that field.
I was always interested in the IT field, and I eventually learned about IT recruiters. I remember when my friends in IT told me about a lady named Tatiana who had opened her own agency and was hiring a team. I was intrigued by this opportunity, so I reached out to her on every platform I could think of to get my foot in the door. When I joined the team, I had to learn everything from the ground up. Tatiana worked closely with us and immersed us in all aspects of the job. My English skills were definitely an advantage since we worked with international candidates and clients, but I still needed to gain experience in recruiting.
I was always interested in the IT field, and I eventually learned about IT recruiters. I remember when my friends in IT told me about a lady named Tatiana who had opened her own agency and was hiring a team. I was intrigued by this opportunity, so I reached out to her on every platform I could think of to get my foot in the door. When I joined the team, I had to learn everything from the ground up. Tatiana worked closely with us and immersed us in all aspects of the job. My English skills were definitely an advantage since we worked with international candidates and clients, but I still needed to gain experience in recruiting.
— What sets Lucky Hunter apart from other companies you worked for?
— In my previous jobs, the processes were incredibly inefficient, from the bureaucracy to the internal workflows. Other companies also have a strict hierarchical structure, with a clear separation between managers and subordinates. Lucky Hunter is very different in this regard. Our leader and founder, Tatiana, is always accessible, and she's always willing to communicate with us, train us, and help us out. You'd never see that in other companies. Here, they trust you even if you don't have a lot of experience. They believe in you, and they're always willing to help. It's really inspiring.
We also don't have any bureaucracy, and we work remotely, which was almost impossible to find in other companies before. I also like our work format. We can freely distribute our work tasks as long as we get the results. We don't have to sit around for 8-9 hours a day. The best part is the opportunity to work with people from all over the world and learn about different companies and their founders.
We also don't have any bureaucracy, and we work remotely, which was almost impossible to find in other companies before. I also like our work format. We can freely distribute our work tasks as long as we get the results. We don't have to sit around for 8-9 hours a day. The best part is the opportunity to work with people from all over the world and learn about different companies and their founders.
— Could you share a memorable moment from your career at the company?
Despite all the challenges, closing a vacancy and getting an offer is still the best part of the job. Nothing beats that feeling!
— Oh, there's never a dull moment around here!
One of the best things was getting my first offers. It was so exciting at first to realise that I had successfully filled a vacancy. I remember my first offer was for a Java engineer position. It was a tough one because it required relocation to a small town and had very high technical requirements.
Another memorable moment was when my area of responsibility changed. I remember the first time I communicated with a client on my own and handled everything for them. It was nerve-wracking! I had to talk to the CEO of an American startup, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to answer all their questions. But of course, over time you get used to everything, and now I don't get stressed out about these kinds of meetings.
Another cool thing happened recently. We have been working on a vacancy for a large company for a long time. It was traditionally very difficult to hire managers and team leads there because of a very rigorous selection process. But finally, I managed to break through and find the perfect candidate. Despite all the challenges, closing a vacancy and getting an offer is still the best part of the job. Nothing beats that feeling!
One of the best things was getting my first offers. It was so exciting at first to realise that I had successfully filled a vacancy. I remember my first offer was for a Java engineer position. It was a tough one because it required relocation to a small town and had very high technical requirements.
Another memorable moment was when my area of responsibility changed. I remember the first time I communicated with a client on my own and handled everything for them. It was nerve-wracking! I had to talk to the CEO of an American startup, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to answer all their questions. But of course, over time you get used to everything, and now I don't get stressed out about these kinds of meetings.
Another cool thing happened recently. We have been working on a vacancy for a large company for a long time. It was traditionally very difficult to hire managers and team leads there because of a very rigorous selection process. But finally, I managed to break through and find the perfect candidate. Despite all the challenges, closing a vacancy and getting an offer is still the best part of the job. Nothing beats that feeling!
— How did your career develop? How did you grow professionally?
— When I first joined the company, we were all junior recruiters. We didn't have separate researcher and recruiter roles, so we acted as our own researchers. I had to learn everything from scratch and absorb a massive amount of information.
I remember my brain buzzing because, on top of learning to recruit, I needed to understand the specifics and nuances of software development. During my time at Lucky Hunter, I have gained a solid understanding of the IT world, and now I can confidently hold a conversation with any developer and grasp their work.
My career path has been like this: I started as a junior recruiter and progressed to an independent recruiter, where I took full ownership of my tasks without constant supervision. Then, I became a Lead Recruiter, partnering with a researcher. This opened up a new experience of being responsible for not only myself but also my colleagues. Finally, I reached the position of Head of IT Recruitment, where I oversee my colleagues. However, our team is highly independent, and I am immensely grateful to them - they are absolute professionals who excel at their work. It is hard to imagine a better team than this one.
I remember my brain buzzing because, on top of learning to recruit, I needed to understand the specifics and nuances of software development. During my time at Lucky Hunter, I have gained a solid understanding of the IT world, and now I can confidently hold a conversation with any developer and grasp their work.
My career path has been like this: I started as a junior recruiter and progressed to an independent recruiter, where I took full ownership of my tasks without constant supervision. Then, I became a Lead Recruiter, partnering with a researcher. This opened up a new experience of being responsible for not only myself but also my colleagues. Finally, I reached the position of Head of IT Recruitment, where I oversee my colleagues. However, our team is highly independent, and I am immensely grateful to them - they are absolute professionals who excel at their work. It is hard to imagine a better team than this one.
— What motivates you to work?
— I think we'll all have the same answer, ha-ha. Of course, the financial aspect of our work is a big motivation. The thrill of closing a vacancy is a special kind of pleasure for a recruiter. It doesn't matter how much you earn: you just feel the excitement and satisfaction of getting it done.
Of course, it's great to see how the candidates you've worked with grow professionally. When you see that you've helped someone get into a good company and start a promising career, it's very inspiring.
Another motivation for me is that as an agency, we communicate with both candidates and companies. I enjoy interacting with in-house recruiters from all over the world. This allows me to learn about the workflows in different companies and to actually work in them.
Of course, it's great to see how the candidates you've worked with grow professionally. When you see that you've helped someone get into a good company and start a promising career, it's very inspiring.
Another motivation for me is that as an agency, we communicate with both candidates and companies. I enjoy interacting with in-house recruiters from all over the world. This allows me to learn about the workflows in different companies and to actually work in them.
— How do you organise your workday?
— Right now, my workdays are pretty chaotic because of the many diverse tasks. In the first half of the day, I usually try to catch up on all the emails and other messages that have come in overnight. Later, I'll have calls with clients, our team, or candidates. And in the evening, during the last few hours of work, I can finally sit down and focus on sending emails. This is when everyone is offline, so I can be most productive.
— What advice would you give to new employees?
— My first advice is to absorb all the available information, both from your colleagues and online resources. There are so many different communities out there where people share insights and materials and host conferences. This wasn't always the case - in the past, you had to Google things, eavesdrop on conversations, ask questions, or "torture" more experienced colleagues. Now you can find all of this information easily, so my first advice is to constantly learn new things.
My second advice is to be assertive, persistent, and never give up. It was my perseverance that helped me get into Lucky Hunter.
My second advice is to be assertive, persistent, and never give up. It was my perseverance that helped me get into Lucky Hunter.
— Do you have any professional goals? Could you share them?
In the long term, I would love to see our company collaborate with major international companies like FAANG
— I'm currently focused on settling into my current role. I still feel like I have room to grow and develop my skills. I want to get to a place where I feel completely comfortable and confident in my abilities. In the long term, I would love to see our company collaborate with major international companies like FAANG. It would be fascinating to get a glimpse into their operations and see how they structure their processes. Ultimately, my goal is to help our team continue to grow, develop, and build its expertise.
— What are your hobbies and interests? What do you do in your free time?
— I don't have a ton of free time, but I recently discovered a new, meditative hobby: drawing. I'm not a professional artist by any means, but I really enjoy painting with gouache. It's a great way to relax and unwind in the evenings. As for active hobbies, I love to travel. I always enjoy exploring new countries and cities. I'm also a big fan of movies, TV shows, and anything related to cinema.
— If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be?
— That's a tough question. On the one hand, it would be amazing to meet the founders of big companies and well-known products. On the other hand, they're constantly giving interviews, so I don't know if I would learn anything new from them.
I also thought about Noam Chomsky, a scientist who has fascinated me since I was at university. He is a pivotal figure in linguistics, but his work also touches politics, philosophy, and other areas. His work is remarkably fascinating, and I am impressed by his intelligence and personality.
Another person I would love to meet is Tatiana Chernigovskaya. She is an incredible woman and a brilliant scientist who is always at the forefront of her field. She has been very vocal about the development of AI, and I highly recommend listening to her performances.
I also thought about Noam Chomsky, a scientist who has fascinated me since I was at university. He is a pivotal figure in linguistics, but his work also touches politics, philosophy, and other areas. His work is remarkably fascinating, and I am impressed by his intelligence and personality.
Another person I would love to meet is Tatiana Chernigovskaya. She is an incredible woman and a brilliant scientist who is always at the forefront of her field. She has been very vocal about the development of AI, and I highly recommend listening to her performances.
— If you could describe working at the company using the title of a song/movie/TV series, what would it be?
— The song "Can't Stop" by Red Hot Chili Peppers perfectly describes our team. No matter what challenges we face, we always keep moving forward. This is true of all the ladies who work at Lucky Hunter. They are always up for a challenge, and they find a way to get the job done.
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Maria Reiimbaeva
Head of IT Recruitment
Specialization: Product Manager, Project Manager, Go, PHP, .NET, Ruby, Ruby on Rails.
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Alexandra Godunova
Content Manager in Lucky Hunter
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