Behind the Match:
14 Years of Building Softwarium's People Function

Finding an engineer who can work effectively within an existing team involves considerably more than matching technologies and years of experience.

When Olexandra Shkuratova joined Softwarium 14 years ago, there was no HR function. She was the company's first HR professional. The company grew and Olexandra became HR Director and established the HR and recruitment process we have now. She is one of the reasons behind Softwarium’s friendly atmosphere, effective one-to-ones, and high retention rate. 

In this conversation, she explains how Softwarium approaches the human side of engineering delivery: how client requirements are translated into a recruitment strategy, how technical and working-style fit are assessed, what happens during onboarding and probation, who handles people management during an engagement, and what keeps engineers engaged with the same client for years.

Olexandra is also a current member of the National Psychological Association of Ukraine, within the Psychoanalytic Psychology and Psychotherapy division, with professional interests that include business psychology and coaching.

HRD: With 25+ years of experience we are finally content with our engagement process. As our business is all about people and skills, and it begins with an interview about your business run by Yuliia, our Head of Recruitment. She focuses on three things. 

The first is working-style culture. Yulia learns how your team works: communication style, decision-making, collaboration, and expectations around ownership.

The second is the product itself: what stage it's at, whether an early idea or a live MVP, what it does, and its technical shape. That tells us what kind of engineer will actually move the project forward.

The third thing is the processes. We strive to match the client with people already experienced with similar processes, so our client avoids a lengthy transition period.

HRD: We follow a detailed process with defined parameters we assess at each stage. First, we gather the client’s requirements, and recruitment drafts a job description for their approval. We align with the client again before the vacancy goes live. 

At this stage, we agree on the desired level of involvement: whether the client makes the final decision, meets the candidates first, and whether technical verification happens on their side. This upfront work is what allows us to select specialists who genuinely match. Respecting our customer’s time and vision is the reason we work this way.

Once the vacancy is live, we build a candidate funnel.The sourcing strategy defines the target talent pool, expected compensation range, relevant companies, and preferred channels.The most relevant candidates then make it to an HR interview. 

We use a structured script to verify experience and key competencies, which lets us filter out anyone who falls short of the technical requirements before the technical stage is in motion. We ask about their biggest technical challenges and the hardest or most interesting problems they've solved. 

We also assess working style against client needs: if a strong team player is needed, yet a candidate has freelanced for the last five years, that counts against the latter here. Practical factors such as remote or hybrid work and openness to business travel are clarified when relevant. 

Our recruiters are trained and certified to assess English proficiency. They use the STAR methodology (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and to assess teamwork, adaptability, critical thinking, time management, stress resilience, problem-solving, initiative, creativity, potential, and leadership.

From there, technical specialists run the technical interview and score competencies. Only the strongest candidates reach you.

HRD: Most onboarding naturally happens on the client side, and our role is to reduce the risk around it. We give the employee our own onboarding guide, contact the representative responsible for the new employee, handle accounts and access, and align with you on equipment in advance – especially if it's anything particular. 

Most onboarding naturally happens on the client side, and our role is to reduce the risk around it. We give the employee our own onboarding guide, contact the representative responsible for the new hire, handle accounts and access, and align with the client on equipment in advance, especially anything specialized. We also schedule a review to gather feedback after probation, so nothing goes unaddressed.

HRD: We do. Softwarium owns that side of the engagement, regardless of the delivery model. When a person joins, our HR manager introduces them to how we work together and what they can expect from us: support with vacations, payments, relocations, and day-to-day questions. 

When a Softwarium manager oversees the project, that manager runs the one-to-ones. We provide full-cycle people management, from search to exit interview, and we watch for early signs of burnout or friction so we can act preemptively. 

When an employee is ready to grow, whether through a course or more responsibility, we flag it to the client. The practical benefit is that your business unit and HR team carry no extra load for the people they've engaged through us. Conversations about rates also sit with us, and when a request is reasonable, we bring it up for the client’s consideration.

HRD: We fully adapt to how the client runs their processes, and process flexibility is one of the core values we uphold. If we don't have someone in-house who already knows the relevant processes, we find the right specialist, so the transition into the team stays smooth.

HRD: Probation runs two months, and we gather the customer’s feedback throughout. If it's clearly not working after the first month, we don't wait it out. We replace the person – either from our reserve or through a fresh search, and close all the contract and settlement matters cleanly. If a fit doesn't hold well after probation, our mutual notice period is 30 days.

HRD: Around 70% of it is the project itself: current technology and meaningful work keep people engaged and aspiring to grow. What we add is attention. We stay in regular contact and check that the person is doing well, so we can step in early and prevent a downward trend. Rest is a real part of this, since burnout is often irreversible. If workload keeps someone from taking leave for too long, we raise it with management and with you, since a rested person is the one who can actually step up when a project hits a crunch. Once aligned with the client, we organize team-building or business trips whenever needed, handling the visa support and travel arrangements ourselves. We also support learning through field-specific conferences, certifications, and exams.

HRD: Time zone is settled at the selection stage. If the request is for the team working in the client’s time zone, we source for that; if zones differ, we work out the overlap that gives you the best collaboration outcomes. Holidays are local by default, though we consider individual schedules when requested, and we keep time sheets when you need them.

HRD: The smoothest starts share a pattern. 

• The essentials are ready on day one: work email, security checks, access, key/access passes, and certificates. 

• Someone on the client side, the team lead or a teammate, is present to walk the new person through requirements, expectations, plans, and goals, so they know what a tangible success looks like from the start. 

Where security requirements apply, we take on organizing the background check. Best practice is also to provide equipment and meet the team at least once or twice a year, either hosting them or visiting one of our hubs. Those are the relationships that keep the people longest.

HRD: Mainly, a clear picture of the result you want from the specialist, framed by a clear plan. The sharper and clearer that is, the better our match. Once all the relevant requirements are with us, we return within two weeks with a first pool of candidates for you or your CTO to meet.