Managed services at Thoughtworks are evolving rapidly. While DAMO™ (Digital application management and operations) Managed Services officially came to life in 2024, our community is set to expand even further in 2025. This growth means more career opportunities, exciting projects, and an increasing demand for talented professionals to join our team.
To help candidates navigate our hiring process and prepare for interviews, we spoke with Heytor Terra, Recruiter for the Americas at Thoughtworks and Diego Vital, Service Delivery Manager. They shared insights into what we look for in candidates, how to stand out in the selection process and what it means to be part of our managed services community.
What skills are we looking for in managed services?
Heytor: We’re looking for people who want to build a strong community and be part of something that’s still in its early stages but growing rapidly. Joining us now means having the opportunity to shape this space and make a meaningful impact.
Diego: Managed services professionals at Thoughtworks collaborate with large clients, focusing on continuous improvements, cost reductions and automation. Unlike traditional development roles, this isn’t about building projects from scratch, but about ensuring stability, efficiency and performance of existing applications. Understanding the importance of managed services as a critical part of a business strategy is key.
What is Thoughtworks looking for in a candidate?
Heytor: A mindset of continuous improvement is essential. We want people who look beyond the immediate task and think about optimizing processes, reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
Diego: The ideal candidate is proactive, independent and skilled at prioritization. We also assess investigative reasoning and the ability to ask the right questions.
What are the steps in the recruitment process for a role in DAMO™ Managed Services?
Heytor: The process is quite similar to our other technical roles, including pairing, technical, cultural, and leadership interviews. For troubleshooting evaluations, we use a case-based approach. We ask candidates to describe their daily routine, how they handle tasks and how they prioritize them. We then dive deeper into real-life examples, exploring how they managed SLAs, the challenges they faced and how they resolved issues.
How can candidates get prepared for the interviews?
Heytor: Preparation is key. Candidates who have a clear understanding of their own daily work processes and can articulate them effectively tend to perform well. For example, rather than simply listing troubleshooting steps, candidates should explain their reasoning behind problem-solving decisions. It’s also valuable to research Thoughtworks and DAMO™ Managed Services before the interview. Understanding our approach to managed services and coming prepared with thoughtful questions shows initiative and genuine interest.
What interview techniques help candidates succeed?
Heytor: I focus on competency-based interviews. When a candidate mentions a tool they’ve used, I ask about the context — what they were doing, why they used it and how it impacted the business. For example, if someone mentions working with Grafana, I don’t just want to know that they used it. I want to understand how they set it up, whether it was a shared tool and how it helped improve operations. A good preparation strategy is to learn more about this type of interview and think about how to incorporate it into your responses.
Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Thoughtworks.