#AlumniTalks: Interview with Anastasia Molodyko, ex-Talent Sourcer at A-Players Recruiting

#AlumniTalks is a series of interviews with experts, clients, and partners we were lucky to meet through A-Players Recruiting. For the past three years, we have collected numerous stories about impact, digital nomads, and partnership in a team, so we would like to share them with you! The first interview features the skilled Anastasia Molodyko who was a Talent Sourcer in our team from January 2020 to June 2021.

— Nastia, please tell us how you joined the team of sourcers at A-Players Recruiting and what your experience was.

— Actually, I found out that sourcing was a separate field after joining A-Players Recruiting. Before that, I had worked as an HR Generalist and performed various tasks: from communication with candidates to event organization. All in all, I decided to focus on a particular area and opted for recruiting. But after discussion with the A-Players team and completing the test task, I realized that sourcing could be very interesting as well.

Even though I had looked for talents before, I learnt about sourcing of absolutely another level and scale here. For example, a significant aspect is that everyone in the team — including sourcers — communicates with clients. Thanks to that, I had the opportunity to meet the founders of the best companies in Ukraine and the world: it inspired me. Also, it helps understand the business needs better and focus on finding the perfect person for a specific position because sourcing at A-Players Recruiting is not about just closing a candidate.

I learnt to pay attention to little things and look for signs of top performers even at the stage of profile screening. Also, I developed the skill to write the first personalized message that is more likely to get a reply. To this end, you need to broaden your outlook: it helps you grow as a professional and person. As a result, you begin to look at things and act differently in other aspects of life.

— How did you meet Lesya Arnold, the company founder, and how did the interview go?

— I saw a job opening on Djinni: according to the description, it was extremely different from the typical offers. I wanted to manage my schedule and travel more, so the remote-first position and digital nomadism at A-Players Recruiting got me hooked, and I replied.

I remember my first conversation with Lesya very well — I was pleasantly surprised! I am not exaggerating when I say it was my best interview: easy and pleasant communication and a story about the company’s history and mission — I liked everything. I was so happy when I found out that I would join the team because I had never encountered such a company in the market before.

— How was your first month in the team?

— I accepted the offer at the end of January — at the beginning of February, I was in Kyiv and met with the team at an event. We got to know each other better and talked informally. I used to dislike Kyiv, but then I saw the city differently, and I loved it.

I was very grateful that the A-Players Recruiting team organized everything for me during this trip: from the schedule, support, and answers to all questions to financial concerns and logistics. I think those few days were the most incredible start of work that could ever happen!

About a month later, I took part in organizing our school for recruiters, Recruiting Pumping. The same month, my team and I went to Lviv: we had a team-building at SPA and then organized an introductory event for recruiters where we told about the mission, values, ​​and processes at A-Players Recruiting.

I received a lot of new and valuable information and significantly extended my network. Well, my first month at A-Players Recruiting was intense and memorable!

— How can you describe relationships in the team?

— During the first months, I immediately felt the approach towards the team at A-Players Recruiting: considerate and thoughtful. You can feel appreciation here because people treat you with respect. I could share my personal and work troubles with anyone in the team. There was always a feeling that you would receive understanding and could share anything. I am still amazed that it can be so warm and friendly!

— What client do you remember the best?

— Each client’s product is precious and unique. Recently, we have worked with Esper Bionics that creates prostheses and helps diagnose diseases at the early stages. When you realize that you are a part of this and communicate with candidates for such positions, you feel proud that you are helping change the world for the better.

They are more than just job openings — it is about finding people who care about what they do and the path they choose. These people think out of the box: communicating with them is valuable and fills life with purpose. I met captivating personalities both among clients and candidates all the time, and I learnt certain things from everyone.

— How did you change as a person while being in the team?

— It is crucial to me that I have learned to express my opinion, talk about what I would like to change, openly share my ideas, and not hesitate to suggest them. It happened gradually, and it took some time before I noticed that.

Another important detail for me is freedom. Finally, I completely controlled my schedule and began to travel more. It gave me strength and energy, and I cannot imagine another work format after learning that it is possible to work like that.

By the way, on my last day at work, the girls from the team recorded and edited a video: each of them said a few words about me, and I realized how much I had improved during my work at the company.

Overall, my job at A-Players Recruiting was meaningful and full of cool people and ideas. It had an indescribably warm atmosphere.

— And the last question: why would you choose A-Players Recruiting again?

— Because it is the company and people who care. They sincerely and honestly want to change the world for the better. Their key mission is to help improve and develop products and teams that have a positive influence on lives and the environment.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with people who have the coolest experience and backgrounds. They are professionals who can teach you many things, with whom you communicate and learn something new every day, and you can always ask questions and be sure that you will receive support and understanding. Moreover, there is freedom in everything: you choose which clients to work with, with what positions, when, and where.

All this together — is there anything better? I think it is perfect! I am sure that everyone will find something important and valuable here and give that back because A-Players Recruiting acts on the principle of ‘give back to the community’.