Careers at Thoughtworks
Less interviews, more JoI
While Thoughtworks hires technologists all around the world, our recruiters encounter similar questions from candidates regardless of their location. We asked recruiters from multiple countries for the most frequently-asked questions they get from candidates. Here are the top 7 FAQs.
1. What are the main technologies that Thoughtworks works with?
Thoughtworks has offices around the world and even if we’re aligned among all our regions, we use different technologies to solve different challenges in each market. For example, you could be involved in a banking project using Java, a fintech project with Golang, or build AI using Python.
We’re always keen to speak with polyglots (those who are willing to learn multiple languages) especially if they’re willing to share their knowledge with others. But the most important quality in a candidate is a commitment to software excellence, regardless of the technology being used.
2. What sort of projects will I work on? What sort of industries does Thoughtworks work with?
Most of the projects we work on are web-based, customized software development projects. We also work on infrastructure, platform, data empowerment and AI projects. Our goal is to help our clients become modern digital businesses. We work across a variety of industries, including healthcare, finance, retail, not-for-profit and more. You can learn more about the type of work we do here!
3. How does Thoughtworks ensure its employees have the skills needed to work on projects with different or new technologies?
At Thoughtworks, we care about your past experience and the skills you’ve learned over the course of your career because these factors have shaped you into the technologist you are today! Nevertheless, what’s more important to us is how well you’re able (and willing) to adapt and grow. You’ll be working with many different Thoughtworkers on a variety of teams, using different technologies to solve varying challenges across industries.
Although potential and adaptability are difficult to measure, our hiring process helps us assess certain attributes that give us an idea of whether or not a candidate is truly willing to stretch and grow. Attributes are assessed thanks to a variety of questions about past experiences and situations.
4. What do career paths look like at Thoughtworks?
That’s really up to you! There is no ‘typical’ career path here, as at Thoughtworks you are free to make your mark. We have cases of Thoughtworkers who started as recruiters and years later became developers or BAs; we’ve also seen developers become project managers. Our senior leadership team is also quite varied in their backgrounds; for example, our Chief Talent Officer started off as a developer. Fun fact: our CEO started his Thoughtworks journey as a developer!
While your career growth here is really self directed (which isn’t right for everyone), if you’re a naturally curious person who enjoys learning new things and collaborating with folks from diverse backgrounds, Thoughtworks’ environment could be perfect for you.
5. What are the possibilities of remote working in your company?
This is obviously a huge topic of discussion at Thoughtworks due to COVID-19. Our office in Wuhan, China was the first location to successfully transition our workforce to an entirely-remote setup. As 2020 progressed, the rest of our offices made similar transitions. We’ve been fortunate to have such a strong community and a culture that puts its people first.
In North America, for example, leadership has provided regular updates regarding business performance and has answered Thoughtworkers’ questions in weekly town hall discussions. As the pandemic ebbs and flows around the world, we’re staying agile to ensure we’re making the right decisions for our clients and Thoughtworkers. Remote working is something that each of our regions are addressing at a more local level and does also depend on our clients’ comfortability with remote delivery.
6. What makes Thoughtworks unique compared to other tech consulting firms?
What makes Thoughtworks unique is our culture. We’re a community of curious, passionate technologists who love developing software with good practices and agile methodologies in order to solve difficult problems. We’re also pioneers in open-source products and love sharing knowledge with others. Thoughtworkers have written the books that many companies use today for developing software and we’re also committed to using technology to make positive social change in the world.
7. How are teams structured at Thoughtworks? How do they work together?
At Thoughtworks, you’ll work on diverse, collaborative, agile and cross-functional teams, blending designers, developers, business and quality analysts and more. This ensures that teams are self contained and empowered to deliver a successful end-to-end experience. Some of the practices among the teams are: pair-programming, retrospectives, feedback, short delivery iterations and TDD.
We foster pair-programming both internally and with our clients not only to ensure high-quality solutions, but also to share knowledge and help our clients evolve how they work. Teams organize retrospectives to reflect on a period of activity or milestone, to celebrate achievements and to create a plan for future improvements together. This commitment to continuous learning and the recognition of progress made underscores the fact that collaboration leads to better outcomes and cultivates a strong sense of connection.
Lastly, one of the most important things at Thoughtworks is feedback. We love feedback! Giving, requesting, and receiving feedback are all encouraged at all times. While it can be difficult to receive or give feedback, we have workshops to help Thoughtworkers feel more comfortable with the practice. We believe feedback is integral to professional and personal growth and also helps teams work better together.
1. What are the main technologies that Thoughtworks works with?
Thoughtworks has offices around the world and even if we’re aligned among all our regions, we use different technologies to solve different challenges in each market. For example, you could be involved in a banking project using Java, a fintech project with Golang, or build AI using Python.
We’re always keen to speak with polyglots (those who are willing to learn multiple languages) especially if they’re willing to share their knowledge with others. But the most important quality in a candidate is a commitment to software excellence, regardless of the technology being used.
2. What sort of projects will I work on? What sort of industries does Thoughtworks work with?
Most of the projects we work on are web-based, customized software development projects. We also work on infrastructure, platform, data empowerment and AI projects. Our goal is to help our clients become modern digital businesses. We work across a variety of industries, including healthcare, finance, retail, not-for-profit and more. You can learn more about the type of work we do here!
3. How does Thoughtworks ensure its employees have the skills needed to work on projects with different or new technologies?
At Thoughtworks, we care about your past experience and the skills you’ve learned over the course of your career because these factors have shaped you into the technologist you are today! Nevertheless, what’s more important to us is how well you’re able (and willing) to adapt and grow. You’ll be working with many different Thoughtworkers on a variety of teams, using different technologies to solve varying challenges across industries.
Although potential and adaptability are difficult to measure, our hiring process helps us assess certain attributes that give us an idea of whether or not a candidate is truly willing to stretch and grow. Attributes are assessed thanks to a variety of questions about past experiences and situations.
4. What do career paths look like at Thoughtworks?
That’s really up to you! There is no ‘typical’ career path here, as at Thoughtworks you are free to make your mark. We have cases of Thoughtworkers who started as recruiters and years later became developers or BAs; we’ve also seen developers become project managers. Our senior leadership team is also quite varied in their backgrounds; for example, our Chief Talent Officer started off as a developer. Fun fact: our CEO started his Thoughtworks journey as a developer!
While your career growth here is really self directed (which isn’t right for everyone), if you’re a naturally curious person who enjoys learning new things and collaborating with folks from diverse backgrounds, Thoughtworks’ environment could be perfect for you.
5. What are the possibilities of remote working in your company?
This is obviously a huge topic of discussion at Thoughtworks due to COVID-19. Our office in Wuhan, China was the first location to successfully transition our workforce to an entirely-remote setup. As 2020 progressed, the rest of our offices made similar transitions. We’ve been fortunate to have such a strong community and a culture that puts its people first.
In North America, for example, leadership has provided regular updates regarding business performance and has answered Thoughtworkers’ questions in weekly town hall discussions. As the pandemic ebbs and flows around the world, we’re staying agile to ensure we’re making the right decisions for our clients and Thoughtworkers. Remote working is something that each of our regions are addressing at a more local level and does also depend on our clients’ comfortability with remote delivery.
6. What makes Thoughtworks unique compared to other tech consulting firms?
What makes Thoughtworks unique is our culture. We’re a community of curious, passionate technologists who love developing software with good practices and agile methodologies in order to solve difficult problems. We’re also pioneers in open-source products and love sharing knowledge with others. Thoughtworkers have written the books that many companies use today for developing software and we’re also committed to using technology to make positive social change in the world.
7. How are teams structured at Thoughtworks? How do they work together?
At Thoughtworks, you’ll work on diverse, collaborative, agile and cross-functional teams, blending designers, developers, business and quality analysts and more. This ensures that teams are self contained and empowered to deliver a successful end-to-end experience. Some of the practices among the teams are: pair-programming, retrospectives, feedback, short delivery iterations and TDD.
We foster pair-programming both internally and with our clients not only to ensure high-quality solutions, but also to share knowledge and help our clients evolve how they work. Teams organize retrospectives to reflect on a period of activity or milestone, to celebrate achievements and to create a plan for future improvements together. This commitment to continuous learning and the recognition of progress made underscores the fact that collaboration leads to better outcomes and cultivates a strong sense of connection.
Lastly, one of the most important things at Thoughtworks is feedback. We love feedback! Giving, requesting, and receiving feedback are all encouraged at all times. While it can be difficult to receive or give feedback, we have workshops to help Thoughtworkers feel more comfortable with the practice. We believe feedback is integral to professional and personal growth and also helps teams work better together.
Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Thoughtworks.
