Trudi Lyons explains how Citi has continued to hire throughout Covid-19 and the types of jobs the company is currently recruiting for in Dublin.
Trudi Lyons is a recruitment manager at Citi in Dublin. She oversees hiring processes, ensuring they run smoothly for teams within the business and for job candidates. Her team consists of five recruiters, who have continued to work throughout the disruption caused by Covid-19.
Between March and June of this year, the team in Dublin has conducted more than 1,500 remote interviews, and around 70 new employees have been onboarded since restrictions began.
We spoke to Lyons to find out more about moving hiring and onboarding processes online, the kinds of positions her team is currently hiring for, and her advice for anyone thinking of applying.
What types of positions is Citi hiring for right now?
We have been steadily recruiting throughout this pandemic. We have a large variety of roles available at the moment with fantastic opportunities across all our business areas.
Citi as a bank has a huge focus on technology. We are always looking for Java developers, net developers, technical business analysts and solution architects. On the business side, we are recruiting for a number of fund accounting positions and our compliance area is also steadily growing.
What can applicants expect of the hiring process right now?
The hiring process in Citi luckily is running really smoothly for candidates. As a large international organisation with teams that are globally based, audio and video interviews were normal for us, so we already had the infrastructure in place to support remote interviews. Between March and June 2020, we conducted over 1,500 interviews in Dublin, all done remotely.
For candidates preparing for a remote interview, they should make sure they have a quiet space where they won’t be interrupted. I think that testing their audio and video to ensure their microphone and camera are working is essential for them not to worry about any potential technical issues on the day. But mainly, just relax and prepare for it as they would for any interview.
Trudi Lyons. Image: Citi
How is Citi currently managing onboarding for new staff?
In Citi, all onboarding is conducted online. Candidates receive and sign their contracts online and their background screening is also completed online – this hasn’t changed for us. Over 70 new joiners have been successfully onboarded since lockdown started in March.
What is new is that new joiners are no longer able to come to the office on their first day to meet their team and get set up on systems. This is all done remotely. We have technology in place to enable remote working from the first day and support guides in place for both hiring managers and new hires on how to manage the process.
I have hired someone onto my own team in the last month and was delighted with how quickly he had full system access. Making new hires feel part of the team is essential, so virtual coffee dates are encouraged. Utilising video technology for team meetings and training has been a vital part of the onboarding experience.
Do you see your hiring and onboarding processes changing once you go back to the office?
In Citi, we always try to be adaptable and flexible to any situation. Managers have seen the benefits of remote interviewing, so while I do believe that face-to-face interviews will start again when we return to the office, I think that remote interviewing will continue to play a big role in the future.
What are the most important skills and attributes you’re looking for in candidates at the moment?
In general, we value honesty, ambition and a strong work ethic in Citi. You need to be willing to learn and constantly expand your knowledge of new innovations in your chosen field so you can adapt to the needs of the organisation.
In return, you will be rewarded with amazing opportunities to succeed. We value internal mobility and want our employees to have the opportunity to move around our organisation globally.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of applying to a job at Citi?
I think it is important that if you are interested in working for Citi that you do your research. There is a wealth of resources online as well as on our careers page.
Talk to people you know who already work in Citi to find out about our culture, know what your own medium and long-term careers goals are and don’t be afraid to ask questions to see if these aspirations match the opportunities we have available in Citi.
