How we determine Seniority levels at Bornfight

This ebook is a simple positioning guide that explains how to implement a transparent system of professional development into any company. The system explained within this guide enables managers and employees to define the exact level of seniority they or their team members are currently at, what is expected from them at their current positions and what they should do in order to advance to the next level. Download it for free!
 

WHY IS TRANSPARENCY IMPORTANT TO US?

 With everything we do we try to be transparent. Multiple studies indicated that transparency was employees’ number one factor when determining their workplace happiness. It is also important to let employees know that they are valuable enough to know as much information as possible as it can result in much better communication which leads to better overall performance. 

Our Seniority ebook was first created to help each person at Bornfight set clear career and development paths. With it, we all can know exactly what our professional development will look like, what is expected of us in each of the positions and what we can expect from other people we work with.

In it, you can find a clear and simple definition of expectations by positions and seniority (Junior, Middle, Senior…)  and that will enable everyone to position themselves in relation to what’s expected from them at Bornfight, and to find out what they should do in order to advance to a higher level.

There’s a number of complex competency systems that are used for achieving the goal stated above, but we want to make that much simpler and completely change the process. We want to give everyone the opportunity to define their level of knowledge and experience without needing to know and understand how competencies are set and defined.

HOW DOES THE EVALUATION GO?

Through a process of re-evaluation which is carried out twice a year, we’ll ensure a greater level of transparency when it comes to professional development of employees – this system will standardize the criteria for advancement between all teams and departments.

BENEFITS FOR TEAM MEMBERS

With a minimal effort and in just a few minutes, you’ll be able to pinpoint the exact position and level you’re currently at within this seniority matrix – you’ll see what’s expected from you and what you should do to advance to a higher level or position.

BENEFITS FOR TEAM LEADS AND HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS

You will be able to easily position the people you lead and use the information you have gathered to define (with the members of your team or department) accurate plans for their careers and professional development.

CHEAT SHEET

At the beginning of the ebook, we put a cheat sheet which shows the most important aspects of each position and it will allow our employees to find their real position in a couple of minutes. 

Here you will find an example of how the cheat sheet looks for Juniors. 

In it, you can notice brief descriptions for each seniority level – categorized by the task/project/process/result system. Each cell has a description of the responsibilities and expectations, so starting from the beginning,  our employees can analyze each of the cells, and then determine whether they meet the criteria or not. 

The highest level for which they meet the criteria in all four of these categories is their realistic position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE POSITION

Now that our employees determined in what category they might fit the best it is time for them to discover more about the position. That is why on the next pages of the ebook there are detailed descriptions of the position. 

Each position has a brief description of what is expected of them. An example would be: If they are a Middle Level 1, they are expected to be able to make big decisions about how they will accomplish their tasks and they also take full responsibility for the way the tasks are done.

They can also learn about each position’s responsibilities and about key aspects of this position. As well as get a general overview of each position through points like tasks, project, process and result.

Here, we will share with you how the detailed description for Junior Level 1 looks like.

JUNIOR LEVEL 1

Most of the time, you are still a student, so this position in other companies is often called an internship. It does not require any prior knowledge of our industry processes and practices – it is enough to have some theoretical knowledge and a strong desire to learn quickly and to learn a lot.

General overview of this level

Responsibilities and expectations

1. You absorb the knowledge – how team works, how to act during meetings, how to use specific tools, what are the basic processes…
2. You complete the tasks you receive according to set instructions and within the agreed time frame
3. You don’t underestimate simple tasks
4. After completing a task, you ask about its purpose and the bigger picture
5. You know how to receive both positive and negative feedback – you don’t get offended, but learn from them
6. You are not responsible for the final result of the project, but only for completing the task according to the instructions and within the allotted time frame
7. If you can’t finish your task within the allotted time, you’ll notify others as soon as possible
8. If you get stuck anywhere, you’ll always ask for help

Key aspects of this position

1. Onboarding for this position usually lasts up to a month
2. Every task you get will be specified in detail by a more experienced person
3. There will be no baptisms by fire – you will work on simpler tasks and gradually evolve
4. You will go through the process and solution of each task with a more experienced person

As a Junior, you will be assigned a mentor. whose role is to show you how something is done and how processes work. Stick to them – it’s your responsibility to get the most out of your mentor.

TEAM LEAD

And lastly, we have our Team Leads. Their main responsibilities are recruiting new people and conducting activities related to maximizing engagement, satisfaction, performance, development and education of all team members. Also, they are the ones taking care of the structure, processes, services and promotion of the entire team.

Team Leads are also divided into 3 levels as shown below.

Frequently asked questions

1. What it my current position (set before this system was implemented) is much higher than my real position (set by this guide)?

Each team member needs to make a self-assessment together with a team lead (according to this system). If there are bigger differences that can be ‘fixed’ in 6 months, your position will not change.

If the difference is significantly larger (relative to what you can currently do and what is expected), you will be offered a realistic, lower position and we will negotiate the terms (there’a chance that we won’t reach the agreement, but we need to be transparent about it).

1. When is the first positioning according to this system usually conducted?

First positioning is conducted during the interview within the selection process, and the confirmation is given to you by your team lead after your first 6 months in the team.

1. Can I reach a higher position even though I’m still a student?

You can. Your seniority level isn’t in any way connected to the fact if you’re a student or not – it depends on the results of your work and responsibilities you’ve been given (listed in this guide).

1. What if I’m somewhere between levels?

Your real position is the one for which you can say that you satisfy the responsibilities listed in all 4 categories (task, project, process and result).

IN THE END

We started using this process of seniority positioning at the beginning of the year and we are very content with the outcomes of it. In future blogs, regarding the subject of seniority ebook, we plan to write more about our employees and how they were affected by the implementation of this process.

We want to thank everyone who gave us feedback and said they loved the idea behind our Seniority ebook and we want to encourage you to think about how you can make things more transparent in the future for your company.

Also, we are very grateful that we noticed some other companies following our footsteps and doing their own version of our Seniority ebook and hope to see more of it soon!

Download the ebook here!