The Giant Swarm hiring journey

We've been a remote-first company since 2014, building a global team that solves complex platform engineering challenges together. This guide walks you through our hiring process and what to expect after joining. We've tried to be transparent about both the formal steps and the human side of becoming part of our team.

The application adventure 📋

We believe in being transparent about our hiring process. No hidden agendas, no surprises, no secret handshakes required (though if you have a cool one, we'd love to see it).

Since day one, Giant Swarm has operated on the belief that:

1. People should do their best work, and the company doesn't need to define where or when that gets done.
   
   
2. The best people naturally want self-organization and self-autonomy.
   
   
3. Without being bogged down by a physical office, we can attract the best talent from across the globe.

This philosophy extends to our hiring process, which is designed to find people who thrive in our environment. Here's what the journey looks like:

1. The application that stands out

Your journey begins with your application. While your CV matters, what really catches our attention is:

• Your "why" — Tell us specifically why you're interested in Giant Swarm (not just any tech company).
  
  
• Your work — Links to projects, PRs you're proud of, or contributions that showcase your skills.
  
  
• Your voice — A brief intro that gives us a sense of who you are beyond your resume.

Pro tip: Skip the generic cover letter and tell us your story. We'd rather read two or three authentic sentences about why you're applying than a page of formal fluff.

2. The human connection: soft skills interview

This is where we get to know you as a person, not just as a collection of technical skills. Instead, we'll chat about:

• Your experiences solving complex problems (the ones that made you question your career choices).
  
  
• How you approach collaboration (especially when someone uses tabs instead of spaces).
  
  
• What makes you tick professionally.

Behind the scenes: We're looking for clear communicators who can explain complex concepts simply — a critical skill in our remote environment. Someone who can translate "the Kubernetes cluster is experiencing pod eviction due to resource constraints" into "the computer is hangry" when needed. Show us how you build context and tell stories that don't put people to sleep.

3. The technical deep dive

Next, you'll meet with someone who's already doing a job similar to what you're applying for. This isn't about trick questions or making you reverse a binary tree on a whiteboard while standing on one foot (we save that for the company onsite). Instead, we want to see:

• How you approach real-world technical challenges.
  
  
• Your thought process and problem-solving approach (including when to have a snack and when to hit up #ask-me-anything on our Slack).
  
  
• How you respond to feedback and collaborate on solutions (especially when someone points out your code could be better... hypothetically speaking, of course).

Pro tip: Bring examples of your work that show trade-offs you've made. We love seeing how you navigate constraints and make decisions under pressure. That time you had to choose between perfect code and meeting a deadline? Yeah, we've all been there.

4. The challenge and presentation

This is your chance to shine in front of a wider audience. Don't worry, it's not the entire company — usually around eight people. Think of it like a TED talk, but with more Kubernetes and less dramatic pauses. You'll:

1. Receive a technical challenge designed to take less than eight hours (we promise it won't be "Build the next Netflix").
   
   
2. Work on it when it fits your schedule.
   
   
3. Present your solution to the team.

What we're really looking for: Your ability to communicate clearly, make thoughtful decisions, and explain your reasoning. We're not expecting perfection — we want to see how you think! Also, we secretly enjoy seeing how people handle that moment when the demo gods decide to mess with your presentation. It happens to all of us!

You're in! Now what? 🎉

Congratulations! You've impressed us, we've impressed you, and now you're about to become part of the Swarm. Here's what happens next:

Before day one

The moment you sign your contract, you'll receive:

• Your Giant Swarm email and Slack access — Yes, you can start lurking and learning before your official start date!

Day one: the beginning

Your first day won't be spent filling out boring paperwork. Instead, you'll:

• Meet with People Ops — We'll make sure you have all the access you need and answer any immediate questions.
  
  
• An introduction to your Buddy — Your go-to person for all questions, big or small.
  
  
• Receive your Giant Swarm swag package — Everyone loves swag, right?
   
• Begin mapping out your first weeks — We'll help you prioritize your learning and introductions, and figure out which Slack channels are essential (#pets is non-negotiable).

Week one: building connections

During your first week, you'll:

• Meet your immediate team — Start attending their ceremonies and get integrated into their workflows.
  
  
• Begin your 1:1 sessions — We believe in personal connections, so you'll have individual video calls with team members across the company. 
  
  
• Attend intro sessions and workshops — Learn about our product, our approach to platform engineering, and how we work.
  
  
• Join key Slack channels — From team communication to #random, where the real company culture lives.

First month: finding your flow

By the end of your first month, you'll have:

• Had most of your 1:1 sessions — Getting to know the humans behind the Slack profiles.
  
  
• Established a weekly routine — Finding the rhythm that works best for you.
  
  
• Started contributing in meaningful ways — We believe in getting you involved quickly, not watching from the sidelines.

Beyond: growing with the Swarm

At Giant Swarm, your journey doesn't end after onboarding. We're committed to your growth through:

• Newbie retros — Reflection sessions in your first 6-8 months to improve our onboarding process.
  
  
• Special Interest Groups — Dive deep into topics you're passionate about with like-minded Swarmers.
  
  
• €1,000 annual development budget — Use it for self-directed training and courses that YOU decide are valuable (because you know your development needs best).
  
  
• €44 monthly book allowance — Order any reading material that sparks your interest, whether it's fiction, non-fiction, print, or digital. This has also spawned our informal book club where we chat monthly about what we've been reading.
  
  
• Employee Assistance Program — Access to a 24/7 hotline providing confidential mental health support. While we aim for openness, some challenges require privacy and expert counsel.

As our VP People Anna puts it:

"Being remote is just a form of organization. You need human structures and psychological safety regardless."

At Giant Swarm, we've built those structures specifically to help you thrive in a remote environment.

But won't working remotely be... lonely? 🤔

This is probably the most common question we get. The answer is a resounding no. (That was our extroverts typing. Our introverts would have said "No, and it's glorious!" 😉)

At Giant Swarm, remote work isn't an afterthought or a pandemic-induced necessity — it's been our intentional choice since our founding in 2014. We were remote before remote was cool.

As our co-founder Oliver Thylmann puts it:

"The benefit of being able to hire top talent anywhere needs to be weighed against the challenge of not having all employees together in one office. As an open source company, we collaborate with a global community daily — so we must solve the issues of distributed teams regardless. The pros are immense: access to diverse perspectives that improve our products and culture."

We've built our entire culture around making remote work, well, work:

• Team Facilitators — Each team has a dedicated person who focuses specifically on employee happiness and cohesion (not just project delivery). They're your go-to for both logistical and emotional support.
  
  
• Metalistening — Our open Slack channel for when work isn't the hard part — life is. The channel description says it best: "What's on your mind? What's difficult for you right now?" It's a place of vulnerability and trust among all Swarmies.
  
  
• Daily social check-ins — Optional spaces to chat about non-work stuff (like debating whether a hot dog is a sandwich – it's not, by the way).
  
  
• Annual onsites — Amazing in-person gatherings somewhere in Europe (past locations have included our own private island in Croatia, an eco-retreat in the mountains surrounding Barcelona, and a whole village in the South of France).
  
  
• Team Giant Mansions — Each team gets to pick a cool location and spend a week working together in person. Last year, 8 out of 14 teams chose Portugal (we're still investigating whether this was team telepathy or just really good viral marketing from the Portuguese tourism board).
  
• Slack channels for everything — From #pets to #cooking, we've got spaces for all your interests. 

The Giant Swarm difference ✨

Working at Giant Swarm means being part of a team that's transforming platform engineering from a boring cost center into a true driver of innovation. You'll be:

• Solving real challenges — Tackling the time, quality, and cost obstacles that hinder platform engineering teams (and occasionally rescuing developers from themselves).
  
  
• Making strategic impact — Helping organizations move beyond just "keeping the lights on" to "wow, we didn't know our platform could do that".
  
  
• Growing with autonomy — We trust you to manage your time, choose your focus, and contribute your unique strengths (want to work from 10pm-6am? Cool, as long as you show up to the meetings you committed to).
  
  
• Having actual fun — Whether it's beach volleyball at a team mansion, debating the finer points of infrastructure-as-code, or just celebrating when a complex deployment goes smoothly.
  
  
• Being part of a global community — Our remote setup means we benefit from diverse perspectives that improve both our products and our culture.

As our content writer Heather puts it:

"Remote work doesn't hamper company culture but it does expose its fault lines more clearly."

The good news? We're committed to transparency, continuous improvement, and treating each other with kindness and respect — even when things get tough. We believe collaboration flows best when people feel psychologically safe and heard.

Good company culture isn't about hiding the bad but rather cultivating a robust and resilient culture that can withstand the natural changes of life with kindness and empathy. That's the environment we've been building since 2014, and it's what makes working at Giant Swarm truly special.

Ready to join the Swarm? 🚀

If what you've read resonates with you (or even just made you chuckle), we'd love to hear from you. Check out our current openings or reach out even if you don't see a perfect fit — we're always looking for exceptional people.

And if you happen to bump into Swarmers at conferences or meetups, please come say hi! We're the ones with the cool stickers, btw. 

The journey to joining Giant Swarm might start with an application, but it continues with becoming part of something genuinely special — a global team of people who are passionate about technology, solving complex problems together, and occasionally debating the merits of different coffee brewing methods with surprising intensity.

We can't wait to meet you!