We had the pleasure of talking recruitment with Marie TerrouTalent & Development Manager at Weglot!
This conversation highlighted a company that doesn't just translate words, but strives to create connections and promote diversity. A pleasure to behold!
💡 Weglot is a SaaS for translating and distributing a website in multiple languages. 70,000+ websites already use Weglot for multilingualism and translation.
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Hello Marie! Can you introduce yourself and Weglot for our readers?
Hello ! After just over 2 years as HR Manager in a Legaltech, I joined Weglot in December 2022 as Talent & Development Manager. I'm in charge of recruitment and career management. By career management, we mean supporting each individual in his or her professional development by setting up career and training plans. It is therefore with great satisfaction that I wear this hat as a coach and contributor to the development of talent.
Now let's talk about Weglot. It's a no-code solution that translates and distributes websites in multiple languages. The platform was created in 2016 by Augustin Prot and Rémy Berda. The idea came from Rémy who, when he set up his first company in 2014, realized that translating his website was a real ordeal. There was no product that provided efficient machine translation, and so the idea for Weglot was born.
Today, we have over 70,000 websites translated. We have a team of 42 people, and have experienced strong growth, with 15 new recruits in 2022. Our ambition is to become the world leader in website translation. To achieve this, we are focusing our efforts on the customer experience, as we are convinced that this is what makes the difference. We have a strong customer support team and we strive to ensure that our customers are satisfied and become good ambassadors for us.
So you're mainly active in France at the moment?
Although we have customers all over the world, our offices are based in Paris and we have no teams abroad. However, wherever they are, our customers may need to translate their site, and that's where Weglot comes in. In fact, most of our market is not in France, but rather in the Canada and USA region.
That's very interesting. I assume then that all your teams are bilingual?
Yes, English is a key skill with us, and we have employees from all over the world. We are a multicultural team, which makes our daily interactions even more enriching.
If you had to define your corporate culture in a few words?
I'd say it's human, efficient and product-oriented.
Firstly, our culture is human and caring. Working conditions and the well-being of all team members are our number one priority. We constantly strive to offer the best to our team in terms of benefits, flexibility, recognition and events. Without the team, Weglot wouldn't exist. So it's vital that we take care of the team. For example, we go beyond the legal minimums by covering 100% of the employee's pass navigo and health insurance, and offering extra time off for maternity and paternity leave.
Secondly, we have a performance-driven culture. We are ambitious in setting Weglot's growth targets, and we all give 100% to achieving them.
For example, we managed to double our sales in 1.5 years, without doubling our team. We have put in place processes and automations that have enabled us to gain in efficiency.
Finally, our culture is product-centric. When you join Weglot, you have to want to understand this highly technical product, and be able to explain it. Every member of the team is involved in improving the product, notably through dedicated meetings, where everyone can share their ideas and give their opinion on new features. We're committed to continually improving the product so that it best meets our customers' needs.
The following question makes the link between your values and your talent attraction strategy! If you had to convince a candidate to join you, what would you say?
Ah, what an excellent exercise! So, why should we join Weglot? The reason is simple: we have a lot to offer. We have a mature product in a market that offers enormous opportunities worldwide. Our culture is sound, with strong values that strike the perfect balance between ambition and humanity.
We have a multicultural team with diverse profiles. And by diversity, I mean not only different nationalities, but also a wide range of career profiles, from juniors to seniors, including those who have undergone professional retraining. This diversity enriches our working environment and encourages daily learning.
At Weglot, each team member is an expert in his or her own field and manages his or her own projects. We don't micromanage. Everyone is empowered and encouraged to take initiative.
Finally, we firmly believe in our product and our team. We are committed to supporting each team member in their professional development. All good reasons to join Weglot today!
What does a "Made in Weglot" recruitment process look like?
Today, we find that when candidates meet us during the recruitment process and learn more about Weglot and our product, they are often seduced and want to join us. We're able to create this excitement by demonstrating our passion for the web and our cultural and professional diversity.
The recruitment process is structured in several stages. We start with an HR interview to make sure that the proposed position matches the candidate's aspirations. Next, we send the candidate a technical test to complete independently, enabling us to assess certain key skills.
After the test, we organize an interview with the team manager, where the candidate has the opportunity to ask more detailed questions about the position, the team, the organization, etc. Finally, the process ends with an interview with the co-founders, who remain very involved in the recruitment of the Weglot team.
We are very reactive and we make sure that this process is as quick as possible, generally no more than 15 days, taking into account the candidate's availability.
What about onboarding?
At Weglot, we believe that onboarding starts long before a new recruit's first day on the job. We maintain an ongoing relationship with them from the recruitment process right through to their arrival. We invite them to take part in in-house events, such as aperitifs and team-building events, even before their first day. This allows them to familiarize themselves with the team and feel more at ease when they arrive for their first day.
So, a few days before their arrival, we send them a powerpoint with information about the team and their schedule for the first week. This helps future team members to plan ahead.
Indeed, during their first week, each new onboarder has a meeting with someone from each team to understand the overall organization of Weglot. We also organize "shadow sessions", to observe other team members at work to understand their role, the processes and the organization.
Gradually, new onboarders begin to work on their own tasks, but they are always accompanied.
At the end of the first week, a follow-up meeting is organized with the manager to see how things are going and to get as much feedback as possible.
Finally, we're planning to set up an astonishment report at the end of the first month to get additional feedback from the HR side.
A best practice to share, in terms of talent engagement or retention?
Employee retention is a major issue for any company, and especially for fast-growing startups like ours.
At Weglot, we have a series of practices that help retain our employees. For example, each person has an annual training envelope.
We also organize weekly knowledge-sharing events, both technical and non-technical, to help our employees develop professionally.
In addition, we have established an open and transparent working environment, where communication is encouraged and valued. We have regular team meetings where we share the latest company news, discuss challenges and celebrate successes.
Finally, we firmly believe that the well-being of our employees is essential. The fact that we always try to offer the best working conditions and benefits is proof of this, and helps to build team loyalty.
What positions are you currently looking for?
As explained earlier in the interview, we recruited a lot in 2022. We expect to recruit less in 2023, even though we have just completed two strategic recruitments in our Technical Support team.
We currently have an opening for a "Growth Marketing Ops" internship in our Marketing team. The idea of this end-of-studies internship is to support our Growth Manager Victor, on the data and automation side, in order to identify more business opportunities and better measure performance.
Stay tuned, we may have new opportunities in the coming months!
Last question: why should we NOT join you?
Good question!
We work in a dynamic and constantly changing environment, and this agility is necessary if we are to remain competitive in our field. That's why people who prefer a more stable or slower-paced working environment may not find their place with us.
What's more, we have a very international corporate culture. We believe in the importance of diversity and inclusion, and our multicultural team is a daily source of learning. This means that fluency in English is essential for working with us, as it is our main working language.
However, we also believe that these aspects of our corporate culture are what make us unique and enable us to bring value to our customers. So, while these characteristics may not suit everyone, they are essential to us and help make Weglot a stimulating and rewarding place to work.
Many thanks for your time, Marie!
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