Hypoport is a network of 30 product companies that develop innovative solutions for the credit, insurance, and real estate sectors. Each of the companies plays a key role in its field and contributes to the development of the network as it is today – a market leader in the FinTech industry in Germany.
Without a doubt, one of the biggest companies in the network is Europace AG. Last year the company cooperated with Hypoport Sofia and expanded its team including Bulgarian developers as part of its staff.
About the cooperation between the two companies, the future plans, and the leading factors in the selection of their team, we talked to Yuna Morgenstern, Team Lead and Tech Lead at Europace responsible for the recruitment, team development, and technical strategy of Europace.
Tell us a bit more about the history of Europace and the platform you are developing?
Yuna Morgenstern: Europace has a rich history, but I’m more focused on shaping its future. Our team product is a document management system where advisors can upload documents. AI technology automatically categorizes and extracts data from these documents. Advisors can easily navigate and review them before releasing them within just one click to several banks for credit applications.
Since 2022 your team has grown and now you have a team in Bulgaria. How did you end up cooperating with Hypoport Sofia and what has been your experience so far?
Yuna Morgenstern: Expanding our team to Bulgaria was a strategic move to utilize available resources. After comparing the quality of different Recruiting progresses, we partnered with Hypoport Sofia.
We chose to cooperate with the company because of the higher quality and faster interview process. It also allowed us to tap into English-speaking candidates and avoid being limited to the German market. Fast interviews benefit both us and the candidates, saving time and ensuring motivated and energetic team members.
How would you describe the Bulgarian market compared to the German market?
Yuna Morgenstern: I didn’t have much experience with the Bulgarian market overall. However, the candidates we found through Hypoport Sofia exhibited higher quality compared to the German market.
What are the main qualities you look for when selecting teammates?
Yuna Morgenstern: When selecting teammates, we prioritize team fit, motivation, energy, and knowledge of technologies. Clean code is also essential. Motivation and team fit are crucial because a motivated team can achieve great things. We assess problem-solving skills to determine the candidate’s level (junior, mid, senior), and we value the ability to find answers (if not known) in the tech field.
How do you maintain team spirit from a distance?
Yuna Morgenstern: Maintaining team spirit while working remotely is a challenge, but we’re fortunate to have the Sofia office as a place for team members to meet. We also schedule dedicated time for pair programming at work and have also focus days like technical maintenance days and a meeting-free Friday. I can’t do much small talk by myself, but this is also one of the keys to keeping the motivation. Additionally, we organize team events like the Summer Party and plan to explore virtual team events in the future.
What are your plans for the team in Bulgaria and your work with it?
Yuna Morgenstern: Our plan is to continue recruiting team members from Bulgaria as soon as possible. We believe in the talent and potential of the Bulgarian team and want to strengthen our collaboration.
Recent Comments