For the latest piece in ‘Breaking into Fintech’, Finextra’s series that goes behind the lines to see what industry leaders are looking for in future hires, we sat down with Caroline Abercrombie, chief people officer at Yapily.
Yapily is an open banking platform which works to provide infrastructure to financial institutions and innovate the payments industry.
What does Yapily want from their ideal candidates?
Yapily looks for candidates who are passionate about Yapily’s company mission and ambitions and are adaptable to the changing culture of fintechs. The main values at Yapily are tied to resilience, inclusion, and creative ambition to change the industry for
the better.
“All Yapily people share a commitment to their work, and a boundless curiosity for the industry. Excellence to us doesn’t just mean an impressive CV – it’s about how candidates approach challenges. Of course, our job specifications vary between roles, but
they are united in their search for excellent critical thinking,” explains Abercrombie.
When it comes to the evolution of the financial industry, she outlines the success of eager and innovative candidates who are able to be flexible and adapt to the consistently evolving aspect of the business.
“We want to see evidence that you are unafraid to immerse yourself in a rapidly changing culture. Show us you relish change. The open banking industry isn’t building on decades of knowledge – we’re often starting from scratch. At Yapily, we’re no longer
a start-up either, and moving into our scale-up phase.
“That means big changes, coming thick and fast. It’s so important that our candidates show us they’re eager to accelerate alongside the business; if you’re the kind of person who needs to know exactly what they’ll be working on every day of the week and
every week of the year, this industry isn’t right for you.”
What are your top tips for candidates looking to break into the industry?
1. Bring your transferable skills: Candidates should highlight their skills that can be applied to different situations. Most companies emphasise that they do not have an “ideal candidate” in mind, and are looking for hires from diverse backgrounds
that can bring something new to the role.
“The fintech sector is hungry for the best talent, no matter where candidates are from. For instance, I have a background in tech and haven’t worked in the finance sector at all, but landed this fantastic role regardless. There’s no such thing as the ‘right
experience’ for fintech, so don’t set limits for yourself.”
2. Take educated risks: Risk is intrinsically aligned with the basis of fintechs. The dynamism of the industry requires employees to be make bold decisions.
“You need to be brave to thrive in this industry, and part of that comes from having confidence in yourself and in the company you work for. The most successful fintech employees are able to take a leap of faith into a brand new industry, face the challenge,
and get out of the job what they put into it. There’s enormous potential waiting for us in the open banking space – ask yourself if you’re ready to challenge yourself, tap into that potential, take smart risks, and set the bar for generations of fintechs to
come.”
3. Find a company with values you share: New companies are not necessarily looking for the candidate with the most boxes ticked on their resumes, they want someone who can work as part of the team and benefit the company as a whole.
Abercrombie underscores that sharing values with your target workplace goes a long way: “Find a company with a mission that speaks to you.”
What strengths should candidates include in their applications and social media profiles?
Abercrombie tells us that Yapily is not looking for specific qualities in candidates, but would like new hires to express their desire to join the company and what they have to offer.
Looking back at her own experience, she adds: “For me, what I lacked in extensive financial services experience, I more than made up for with a passion for what I do. Demonstrating passion and curiosity is the most powerful thing you can do in an application
– so it would be disingenuous of me to say there’s a certain type of LinkedIn profile we look for. What we’re really looking at is how you tell your story to Yapily – show us evidence of your innovative thinking and independence, and explain how your career
history brought you to where you are today.”
What roles is Yapily currently hiring for?
Yapily currently has roles available in their Product, Engineering, and Development teams. There are positions open for a DevOps Tech Lead, Senior Product Manager, Scrum Master, and
more.
"Product and Engineering are high priority areas for us at the moment as we want to continue building and designing market-leading products that give the best possible experience to our customers. Having a range of technical expertise on board is really important to us and our ability to continue supporting a wide range of customers, from startups to Fortune 500 companies."
Why work at Yapily?
“Open banking technology is going to touch every single person’s life in coming years, and our people are at the forefront of driving that change. If you want to be a part of the future of finance, Yapily is the place to be.”
What can Yapily do for you?
Abercrombie tells us about how Yapily employees are constantly encouraged to grow and learn. The company is currently working towards creating new development processes for external training for employees.
At Yapily there is definitely room for career progression and for “Yapsters” to grow into roles where they can excel.
What does Yapily offer their employees?
Employees at Yapily are offered options for parental leave, private health insurance, mental health and first aid training, and a flexible hybrid working culture.
“All Yapsters receive stock options in the company, regardless of what level they come in at. We really believe our success is shared, and every single one of our people contributes to our wins. We actively solicit our team members’ opinions on benefits
too, as we constantly strive to evolve our offering. As we continue to grow rapidly, we are continuing to build out our employee benefits programme - most importantly starting with a company-wide survey to understand what is most important to our people.”
Want to see more fintech opportunities? Visit the Finextra Job Board for hundreds more roles, and bookmark the link for regular check-ins.