We sat down with Emily Aydt (l) a hiring manager on the team, and recruiter Violet Oliver (r) to find out more about life on the team, the opportunities and what they look for in a candidate.
Accounting & finance are key business partners at Zillow
Emily: Our teams are close partners with the business and actively consult on new product offerings. Teams will come to accounting with a potential product proposal, and we’ll work through a return on investment analysis and advise on how to structure the new product. We liaise with people throughout the company to help inform business decisions.
Violet: Working on the team, you get to see how the business grows and changes each month in a functional way. Staff accountants and senior accountants typically work on month-end close, journal entries, annual audits, quarterly reviews; they also work to automate existing processes. The monthly reports accountants produce go to management and leadership. The work is highly collaborative and visible.
We look for people who are deeply committed to always doing the right thing and willing to stand up for what Zillow believes in, and what they believe in.
Violet Oliver
What we look for in a candidate
Emily: We look at two areas: technical ability and values. On technical ability, we want someone who is highly detail-oriented and committed to excellence. We review documents and SEC filings that have thousands of numbers, and there’s no room for error. One of Zillow’s core values is “Do the Right Thing.” In the accounting profession, that’s particularly important. We look for people who are deeply committed to always doing the right thing and willing to stand up for what Zillow believes in, and what they believe in.
Violet: We want people who have done their research and are passionate about what we’re doing as a company. It’s a fast-paced, changing environment so it’s really valuable to have experience creating scalable processes and procedures. Beyond the job function, we look for people who align with our values and see themselves as people who can contribute and add to our culture.
I really think that if a pandemic can’t stop us, then nothing can.
Emily Aydt
The Zillow opportunity
Emily: Zillow is constantly moving and changing. When I first started, Zillow was a technology company that sold advertising online and the platform has evolved to give power to the consumers. We now have a family of businesses that includes buying and selling real estate through our Zillow Offers program, and originating mortgages through Zillow Home Loans. Even in the pandemic, our teams are highly committed to our goals and our leaders are committed to the employees and doing what’s right. I really think that if a pandemic can’t stop us, then nothing can.
Violet: Zillow’s culture is the number one reason why people want to come and work with us. Creating an environment of belonging has always been at the core of our culture and employees are committed to upholding our values. Equally as important, we’re doing some really cool, new things as a business – hard things that challenge and push us. It’s just a really exciting time to be working here.
Violet’s five tips on preparing and being your best self during video interviews
- Find a quiet place where you have good Wi-Fi, or even better, use a cable.
- We know remote interviews are a little bit more awkward and so try to relax, be comfortable and just be yourself.
- We embrace diversity and we have a very inclusive culture. When interviewing, we want you to show up as your most authentic self. During that interview process, we want to see the person behind the “candidate.”
- Research our core values and think about your experience and how it relates to our core values. It’s really important for us to find candidates that align with the values so come with examples of where our values and your values match.
- It’s okay to make mistakes. We all do. We just want to get to know you and learn more about your skills and experience how you can add to our culture and make us better, and you can grow your skills and career with us.
Learn more at www.zillowgroup.com/careers