Watching Netflix with a cup of hot beverage wearing your favorite pair of sweatpants and a loony T-Shirt has undeniably become one of our most likable Sunday rituals. We’re vigorously discussing the latest Black Mirror episode and waiting impatiently for the next season of Game of Thrones. Yep, we are having Netflix addiction and we absolutely love it! But have you ever asked yourself how can you get paid to watch Netflix or seriously considered this giant of an entertainment industry as a great place of work? If you do, continue reading, because we are about to give you a bunch of useful information on how to be hired by Netflix.
Step 1: Exploring career opportunities
There are no entry-level jobs at Netflix, so if you have just graduated from college, then most likely you have nothing to do here. However, occasionally the entertainment company makes exceptions for very gifted and promising graduates.
James Schek is currently working at Netflix and claims that the company is not interested in junior developers with no hands-on experience – they are looking for highly qualified professionals or candidates with very rare and specific skills. Although, if the company’s development strategy is aimed to involve graduates to produce a new pool of senior specialists, you might have a chance to jump on board.
Step 2: Discovering culture values
Netflix culture manifesto has rapidly become famous and received major approval since it was first made public in 2009. Currently, it is considered as a gold standard of a corporate culture document among the high tech companies of Silicon Valley and beyond. So if you want to become a part of the Netflix team you should be aware of the company’s values - spare no efforts and study the document carefully.
It is important to realize that company puts a lot of emphasis on freedom and responsibility encouraging the employers to look after themselves whether it is a question of trash on the office floor or a long-term self-development plan. Remember, you are expected to be self-disciplined, proactive, and passionate about what you do.
Step 3: Getting insight into working at Netflix
There is a whole list of reasons why people dream of working at Netflix. Here is a partial list of Netflix employment benefits:
- Day-offs and vacations. You don’t need to ask your manager if you want to go on a trip to South Africa next Thursday – just inform your team. Plus, your absence is not tracked.
- No micromanagement. This type of management is not encouraged here. Actually, it is considered to be a malignant tumor that ruins the working process and kills strategic leadership.
- Convenience. Soundproofing and acoustic partitions, high and low seats, sofas, and sacks. Make yourself comfortable and say goodbye to an open-space nightmare.
- Salaries. Netflix is constantly analyzing the labor market to monitor the salary levels. Thus, as soon as your average price on the market has increased you receive a pay raise.
- Parental leave. Netflix's parental leave policy is: “take care of your baby and yourself.” New parents are encouraged to take the time they feel is right to take care of their newborns or adoption of a child and to ease back in as they want.
- Employee Giving Program. Netflix careers about the others. You have the ability to impact the world through your work, revolutionizing internet entertainment and sharing great storytelling globally. In case you want to make an impact by giving to the charity to the organizations you care about – the company does their part to support and match contributions up to $10,000.
Step 4: Customizing your resume to thrill the hiring manager
There is no better way to impress a recruiter than to meet all the requirements listed in the job description. However, there are still some useful tips that may help you to get the desired job and stand out from the crowd. Firstly, read the job description and collect information on which personality traits and overall skills are in-demand for the position. Next, craft your resume according to the position. Highlight your strengths, specify your achievements and remember - do not to exceed two pages. After that, spell check your resume and get ready to send a job application.
Step 5: Preparing for an interview
The Netflix interview process might seem quite nerve-wracking for those who haven’t been around the block. Netflix's hiring process is described by the “hire slow, fire fast” rule. Here’s what Netflix employees said:“About 40-50% of the interview is aimed to make sure your personality fits the culture of the company. The rest of the time – your technical skills are evaluated. They invited me for an interview, paid for the flight, after that we talked for eight hours. You communicate with eight people or so, starting with HR, then with several people from management, and with a couple of people from the team. Usually, if you are not approved by at least one of them, you are unlikely to be hired. The final decision is made by the recruiting team, but they very rarely bypass the rule of at least one no.”
“Netflix is definitely much rougher than any other company I’ve worked for when it comes to getting rid of the “ballast”. If you do not show results, whatever the reasons are, no one will consider it appropriate to keep you”
Step 6: Differentiating from other candidates
To be able to stand out from the others you should be aware of company’s values and philosophy and have a clear understanding of what they are looking for in the candidate. Besides that, even if you think you are a perfect match for the position, do not behave as an arrogant narcissist and do not be sassy. Most of the candidates come for an interview showing too much self-confidence and hit the blacklist immediately.
Step 7: Pitfalls of Netflix career
CEO and co-founder of Netflix, Reed Hastings believes the company’s success is provided by the high level of talent density - only rock stars are welcomed. Since you become a part of the team you instantly realize that mediocre results only lead to a generous termination pay. It was noted that one-third of the team members were fired due to the lack of proactivity and critical thinking while technical skills are not mentioned as the main reason of lay off.
If you decided to build your career at Netflix you should be ready to work hard and think strategically. Be ready to dive into the process and show your dedication to the team. Remember that Netflix's corporate social responsibility level is extremely high and focuses on self-disciplined and business-savvy people that are able to show enthusiasm and inspire others to show better results. If you share the same values and have the guts to do it you have all the chances to be hired.