Senior Recruiter

It’s time for #OpentaggerOnFocus! 🌟 Meet Anzhelika Hnatenko, Senior Recruiter, as she sheds light on the behind-the-scenes, the emotional side of the role, and what makes her work truly meaningful. 💡 ❓ What first drew you to a career in recruitment, and what keeps you motivated today? 💡 It actually started after my very first interview after university. I was genuinely impressed by how much influence the process has. The right hire can shape a team, a product, even the direction of a company. That idea really stayed with me. What keeps me motivated today is still the same - people. I enjoy conversations, getting to know different personalities, and that moment when someone gets excited about a new opportunity. There’s a lot of positive energy in this job, and it makes the work feel meaningful. ❓ What is something people might find surprising about the work recruiters do behind the scenes? 💡 I guess less visible is the emotional side of the job. Rejecting candidates - especially the ones you genuinely like and see as a strong culture fit - is never easy. And it doesn’t really get easier with time. You can have a great connection with someone and still have to say no, and that part stays with you more than people might expect. There’s also a lot happening behind the scenes - aligning expectations, managing changes, coordinating between different people. It’s a bit more complex than it looks from the outside. ❓ What quality do you look for in candidates that doesn’t always show up on a CV? 💡 Things like attitude, communication, openness, and self-awareness don’t really show up on a CV - but you notice them almost immediately. Especially energy - it’s one of those things you can’t really fake. You can feel when someone is genuinely engaged… and when they’re just politely getting through the interview. 🙂 I also really value honesty. When people share their real reasons for looking for a new role - not the classic “I’m looking for new challenges :)” answer, but something more real and human - it instantly makes the conversation more interesting. ❓ If you could swap roles with anyone in the company for a day, who would it be? 💡 That’s a really interesting question. I think I would choose Rea, our CTO - but definitely just for one day. 🙂 It’s such a challenging role: a lot of responsibility, constant decision-making, and it feels like everyone needs something from you all the time. I’d be really curious to see how everything works on that level. I have a feeling that after one day, I’d come back to recruitment with a completely new perspective… and a lot more appreciation for what he does. 😄 ❓ Is there a candidate story or moment in your career that has stayed with you? 💡 There was one situation that really stayed with me… 👉 I’ve shared the full story in the comments below - it’s one worth reading. 👇 - - - More inspiring stories from our team coming soon - follow us! #opentagger #opentaggeronfocus #bestteamever