Kumari Trishya

Hire IQ by HackerEarth is a new initiative in which we speak with recruiters, talent acquisition managers, and hiring managers from across the globe, and ask them pertinent questions on the issues that ail the tech recruiting world.

Next up in this edition is Patricia Gatlin, Diversity Lead/Talent Sourcing Specialist, at Johns Hopkins. She is also the curator of #BlackLinkedin ✊🏾 where she mentions how biased the LinkedIn algorithm is due to which her DEI posts were not getting the same exposure as everyone else.

We keep saying the tech world needs to break out of its “boys only” mode and become more inclusive when the tech we use on an everyday basis could be the very reason that relevant voices like hers are not getting seen, or heard.

All the more reason for this conversation with Patricia—to learn about her journey and understand inclusivity and diversity in the tech world, at a micro level.

Settle in, and let’s get to it!

P.S. If you missed the previous edition of HireIQ where we sat down with Colet Coelho from Recruit CRM, you can read it here 🙂

HackerEarth: You mention on your site that #BlackLinkedin was born out of shared knowledge of how Black and brown voices are discriminated against by the AI on LinkedIn. Have you seen this discrimination on other social sites, too? Could you share a few examples of this discrimination and how it has affected your work in the DEI space?

Patricia: Yes, I have seen it on other sites such as Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube, Facebook, etc.

Algorithmic bias is systemic and it creates unfair circumstances for particular users and promotes access to privilege.

At the root of it all, are the rules – the platforms’ IFTTT framework gets coupled with messages from a certain section of society who may be classist, racist, or phobic.

Let’s be honest, not everyone had a computer when they first came out but guess who did? White affluent males, and therefore they were the first ones in the race while everyone else was catching up. We fail to acknowledge that white males have the most disposable incomes because they are getting paid more. So, if you started with a UX being focused on your target audience being white and having white privilege then, of course, you’re going to see AI issues.

Every mainstream social media platform has discrimination built into it. For example, TikTok is a Chinese-based company in a society that is monoethnic, and consequently, they don’t have to live in a polyethnic society like America, and the platform too, isn’t built to accommodate the nuances of a polyethnic American society. In fact, most countries aren’t polyethnic. Most societies don’t deal with the same racial and cultural constructs that America does. If a society deems whiteness as the most virtuous then a video platform will be biased toward that. We live in a global world that centers privilege and access around whiteness.

There is a strong need to be proactive in my quest to support black and brown content over people who are not of color. When I’m building out a talent pipeline I can already assume that if I’m doing a Boolean or X-ray search of Google I will see white candidates first because most likely the algorithm is based on social constructs that don’t support black professionals. Even if you are using YouTube and you search for a video data engineer you will most likely see men, mostly white, and a few men of color.

Why? Because white men most likely had privileged access either to education, the job interview, or to have camera gear to shoot content about their job. As a DEI specialist, it’s my job to find the problem, address it, and correct it with whatever tools I can find. First, I must admit there’s a systemic or institutionalized issue for POC in Tech, and only then can I begin to deconstruct what that looks like for them.

Also, read: 10-Step Diversity Hiring Handbook

HackerEarth: Post creating #BlackLinkedIn, have you seen a change in the way your posts are being received online? Could you detail some of the wins of the movement for us?

Patricia: I have seen a change because the hashtag exists, and people know where to find mine and others’ content on the platform. I think the biggest win of the movement is BIPOCs’ finding each other on the platform, creating safe spaces, and connecting more; which is leading to more people landing opportunities through referrals or getting mentorship.

The hashtag has become a watercooler for us to hang out and tell our truths about what it means to a professional in and outside of the workplace.

We have a long way to go with growing support around it. In addition, I have put up an informative site and added a quarterly virtual event called, The Digital Cookout, where we get to gather and discuss hot topics from the water cooler (hashtag). Our last event was about over employment and how to navigate that as a black or brown professional.

HackerEarth: How do you think the DEI space has evolved since George Floyd and Black Lives Matter? In your opinion, is there an added emphasis on POCs in tech recruiting, or was it just a phase?

Patricia: The DEI space has dramatically changed, there are more activists now than before when everyone was just a human resource professional or community or social justice advocate. DEI has allowed activists, like me, to be considered ‘professionals’ and get paid for the emotional labor we do. Unfortunately, George Floyd had to die for people to really see how racism affects the black community in America. With his death, we saw Fortune 500 companies, and especially tech companies, pledge to become the change we so desperately need.

For some companies, it was just performative because they never put any action behind it or they simply just put money into it and left black and brown people to solve an issue they didn’t create.

Not only that but, many companies secretly support the systematic injustice of black and brown people on the back end. If you donate to politicians or groups who actively support the phobia of blacks, LGBTQ+, women’s rights, etc. then you are canceling out your public displays of advocacy which makes it performative. There’s an added emphasis from those companies now to hire POCs and I’ve seen some great discussions, accelerators, and apprenticeships come out of it but I can’t speak for the results because it may be 2-3 years before we see it.

Also, read: Recruiters Versus Bias: Who’s Winning This War?

HackerEarth: With inflation and layoffs, do you think that the emphasis placed on creating diverse teams in the days right after COVID will be lost?

Patricia: No I don’t think the emphasis will be lost but I believe the reasons could be twisted. Let me explain, junior and mid-level professionals tend to make up the majority of BIPOC. In addition, departments and teams that are deemed unnecessary tend to house a majority of BIPOC for example talent acquisition, administrative, facilities, marketing, etc. When you look at who makes up those teams you will see women and people of color.

The issue with inflation is people are cutting their budgets, but this is the time for companies to start looking at their diversity pipelines and discover what they can do better. Instead, what I see companies doing is, hiring BIPOC in their mid-COVID pipelines for low salaries. They blame it on having a lean budget, but we all know the CEO isn’t getting furloughed. Some companies are targeting BIPOC because they know that inflation can make them desperate. Therefore, some are using diverse pipelines as a lure to keep their ships from sinking and not really because they believe in the mission.

HackerEarth: According to you – what are the top 3 global tech companies who are doing DEI right, and what can others learn from them?

Patricia: If I’m being honest, I don’t co-sign for companies I haven’t been hired to audit myself or been hired at because I have heard horror stories from employees at some of the best companies. We must stop seeing DEI as a badge of honor when it’s actually what should have always been done. You can have the trophy one day and the next it’s been taken away. Don’t incentivize DEI because people will start doing it for the wrong reasons. But if I had to give an answer, from what I’ve heard, Twilio, Microsoft, and Blend (no further comment than that).

Also, read: How To Build Safe And ‘PROUD’ Workplaces – A Personal Story

HackerEarth: What is the on-ground reality among POCs applying for roles in tech? Is there more trust among the community, or are there vital issues that they think are not being addressed?

Patricia: Inflation is not going away or slowing down for another 2-3 years if that.

Hiring freezers are real if you want to get into big tech. Yes, you might be able to snag a contract role but that’s not FTE and people of color need full benefits.

The tech industry has gotten more competitive due to TikTok influencers marketing six-figure salaries and luxury lifestyles. Tech is making it even harder to get an interview or get an offer because tech companies are combating career influencers who give out elaborate narratives about the industry.

We’re also not discussing the Gen Zs who don’t want to work harder but smarter and how that will affect retention rates in the future. Luckily there is more trust amongst POCs who are sharing amazing IRL information about what it means to work in this industry. I love BlackTechTwitter and all the Facebook groups for POCs in different fields. Yet, a vital issue is that there are even more gatekeepers in tech now because of all that I previously mentioned.

HackerEarth: What are 3–5 pieces of advice you have for organizations looking to improve the impact of their D&I strategies?

Patricia: When DEI professionals are burned out they can’t solve problems.

Put your money where the problem is, don’t just say you want to work on DEI strategies and not pay DEI professionals well and then not give them a team to support those efforts.

BIPOCs are just as capable as anyone else but they also need support before, during, and after the interview phase. For every employee it’s going to look different, for example, one might need relocation assistance even if they aren’t a director or VP. The others might need a buddy system or mentorship to guide them through working at your corporation for the first 90 days. Another might simply need a roadmap on how to climb the ladder at your corporation. Have a collaborative plan with your BIPOC so they can become pillars at the job and not just metrics. These are retention methods you should be considering.

Promote black and brown people at the C-Suite level. It’s that simple. Black women are the most educated group in America and eventually the world. Create a seat at the table or be prepared to be sitting alone. The world is becoming more diverse (brown) by the minute and Gen Z will not put up with the same things previous generations have.

Stop taking weeks and months to interview candidates, especially BIPOC because most people are living paycheck to paycheck. The average cost for a company to interview a candidate is 4k and the cost for a candidate to interview with a company given they make it to the last round is half of that. People can’t afford to wait months to go without an answer. Candidates can’t afford to do 3-4 rounds of interviews and an assessment that’s just overkill.

About Patricia Gaitlin

My name is Patricia (Sonja Sky) Gatlin. I’m a New York Times featured activist, DEI Specialist, EdTechie, and Founder of Newbies in Tech. I live in the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas, Nevada. I’ve worked 10+ years in Higher Education and 3+ years in Tech. I’ve recently merged the two fields and currently work part-time as a Diversity Lead sourcing and recruiting STEM professionals to teach gifted students. In addition, I’m a full-time Coordinator flexing my project management, instructional design, and community engagement skills. My goal is to inspire people and become a Chief Diversity Officer and Tech influencer.

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Hiring and talent acquisition are the cornerstones of business growth. When you need to scale your business, you look at the recruiting teams to bring in the talent needed for success. Hiring at scale is not an easy feat, and doing it well without having an analytical and data-driven recruiting approach is even harder.

Why is data important in tech recruiting? Let’s break this down logically. When you hire in large numbers – say thousands of tech hires in a year; you want to be as efficient as possible. To do so you need to know which channels are working better than others. Are most of your hires responding to your LinkedIn ad, or is GitHub the platform of choice for new hires? Conversely, are the channels different when it comes to hiring interns versus lateral hires?

What is data-driven recruiting?

TTH (Time To Hire) is a metric every recruiter is familiar with. Ideally, recruiters like to keep their TTH low. You cannot, however, do this if you’re not aware of what works and what doesn’t. This is possible only when you have looked at the hiring data and found patterns that work, and those that don’t. Data-driven recruiting makes this possible.

In the simplest of terms, data-driven recruiting is a scientific method of collecting, analyzing, and using analytical data about candidate behavior to make inferences that are used to drive decisions throughout the tech hiring funnel.

What are the benefits of data-driven recruitment?

We know that tech recruiting is a multi-dimensional process. There are a number of elements that affect every stage of the recruitment funnel. Being aware of the right metrics enables tech recruiters in streamlining and optimizing every step of the funnel to increase overall effectiveness.

Also Read: How To Get Your Recruiting Metrics Right In 2022

There is a singular goal to this process: to hire better and get the best possible ROI for the time that a recruiter spends trying to fill a vacant role. In many ways, data-driven recruitment empowers recruiters to make educated opinions and change their hiring strategy (if needed) through the long-winding process of developer recruitment.

What kind of data should I be tracking?

One of the most important aspects of using data for decision making is to know which data to look at, and which is irrelevant. Let’s take a look at some of the key recruitment metrics related to tech hiring that every recruiter needs to keep an eye on.

These metrics would provide a good launch platform to optimize your recruiting and onboarding process with available data:

1. Cost To Hire (CTH)

The end result of hiring is onboarding a developer with a definite CTC. That, however, is not the only expense involved in hiring said developer.

The CTH of hiring a developer can be split into two halves:

a. Internal recruiting costs: This involves any and every internal expense including (but not limited to) employee referral incentives, recruiters’ salaries, and interviewing costs. You can calculate interviewing costs by the following formula:

Interviewing Cost = Number of hours of interviews X Hourly salary of involved employees

Since tech recruiting can involve interviews with engineering managers and CTOs, hence the interviewing cost for every developer would take into account all shareholders across the process.

b. External recruiting costs: This includes expenses incurred as part of banding and marketing costs, recruitment software and events, and external recruiter agency fees.

Your final CTH or cost per hire would then be calculated as:

CPH = Total internal cost + Total external cost / Total number of hires

2. Time To Fill (TTF) and Time To Hire (TTH)

While both these terms sound similar, the difference is very important for recruiters.

‘Time To Fill’ refers to the time taken to fill a position from the moment the position was advertised, until a candidate accepts the job offer, and the position is filled.

‘Time To Hire’ on the other hand only estimates the time it takes from first contact (i.e. the first phone call or meeting) until the job offer is accepted.

If a position is taking longer to fill, then you must take a look at the strategy for advertising and outreach. Is the job position easily noticeable and searchable on the website? Has there been enough efforts on the social handles to promote the role?

However, if your TTH is on the higher side, then you have to consider if your interviews are longer than needed. Are you spending too much time on assignments, or are there any other stages of the hiring process that you can cut down? Sometimes, a lot of time goes by in trying to get all stakeholders on the same page, and getting feedback post-interview. If these are the steps that are inflating your TTH, then you should have a talk with all involved team members.

3. Candidate Experience Metrics

In recent years, the term candidate experience has gained notoriety in tech hiring circles. It refers to candidates’ overall impression of your company’s recruitment processes. This takes into account all the various touch points right from the moment a candidate browses your careers page, the emails and other communiques sent out to them, the process of assessments and interviews, up until they receive a job offer or rejection email (or are ghosted in some cases).

At every step of the way, candidates are forming an opinion not just about your company, but also about how you treat a prospective employee. Many developers choose to share their opinions on sites like Glassdoor or with their friends and colleagues, and these reviews and word-of-mouth opinions can impact your reputation as an employer.

In order to understand what candidates think about your brand, get the data from the horses’ mouth (figuratively speaking!). Hiring a third-party research company to create anonymous, objective measurements and surveys is a great idea. Alternatively, you can create a candidate experience survey yourself, and send it to a large pool of candidates and new hires. Remember to include candidates that have rejected your offer, or dropped off after the initial chat. The more diverse the sample pool, the better your insights.

4. Quality Of Hire (QoH)

Quality is indeed a subjective metric, but there are ways in which you can compare the quality of a current hire with past hires. Look at the value the new hire is adding to the organization i.e. the new hire’s performance as compared to pre-hire expectations. The QoH of any hire should be determined within the first year of their joining the organization. Doing so helps you understand the outcomes delivered by your current recruitment practices.

Sometimes, a candidate can check all the right boxes during assessments and interviews, only to find that they are not up to the daily work routine. Research says that as many as 1 in 4 new hires will quit a job in their first six months. If this is an issue you are grappling with, then it’s time to question the quality of your hires and find out ways to improve your QoH.

There is no exact formula to define QoH, but some recruiters like to define it as:

QoH = (Indicator A% + Indicator B% + Indicator C%…) ÷ Number of Indicators

This formula uses agreed upon indicators of performance to calculate QoH. For a tech hire, these indicators can be the number of projects they complete in a month, or their code quality.

Another way to calculate QoH is by using the Net Hiring Score. This is a scale of 0-10 (with 0 being poor, and 10 being excellent), which managers can use to rate a new hire. The employee is also given a similar scorecard which they can use to rate job fit and whether the company meets their expectations.

Your Net Hiring Score is therefore defined as:

Net Hiring Score = Percentage of poor fits (0-6) – Percentage of great fits (scaled 9 or 10) X 100

If the result is <0, too many poor fits are being hired, but a number greater than 0 indicates more great fits are being hired, which is what recruiters should be aiming for.

5. Diversity and inclusion metrics

For a long time, diversity was limited to having an equal ratio of men and women in the workplace. Today, the definition of diversity extends beyond gender to include race, nationality, education level, age, disability, family status, employment status (full-time, part-time, flexible), immigration status, and much more.

Monitoring these metrics should be contextual to an organization’s local milieu. Recruiters should look at the issues being highlighted by the tech community in their area and try to address those. Every nation has different legal, political, historical, and cultural environments which determine relevant diversity metrics. While gender inequality is a global issue, some locations may have an additional religious or ethnical bias, which you would need to correct.

While we agree that developing a multicultural organization with all-inclusive policies can be challenging, this is where data analytics can play a huge role in creating awareness. By identifying patterns of behavior and bias, we can highlight the areas where a company, or an individual who’s also a decision maker, is being exclusive or prejudiced. Identifying these voids is the first step to adapting and developing diversity in recruitment. You can then use these insights to create a process that sidesteps these challenges and promotes equity and equality.

How to implement a data-driven recruiting process?

There is an apt idiom in the tech world -Data in, Data out. To fuel a data-driven hiring process, you need to first ensure you are collecting data efficiently. Choose the metrics you want to measure, and create a streamlined methods of collecting these data points.

A data-driven recruiting strategy can be designed using the following steps:

• Create Applicant Funnels
• Evaluate At Scale
• Improve Close Rate
• Post-Hiring Evaluations

At HackerEarth, we like to use the following funnel:

Engage > Source > Assess > Interview > Onboard > Upskill

This allows us to have a bird’s eye view of the entire hiring and retention funnel, while being able to break it down into segments and measure each effectively. For instance, if the Source > Assess segment is showing a huge time lag, then we know that we have to increase the speed at which we create and send assessments to candidates. Or if the Assess > Interview segment is what is slowing us down, then we can improve on how we gather feedback and action upon it, and connect with the hiring managers to ensure their availability for interviews.

Whether you are evaluating thousands of developers for a role, or talking to passive candidates for a lateral role, the larger your data set and the more detailed your report, the stronger your process will be. Keep details of every candidate interaction and action. How long did it take candidates to submit a coding assessment? How long for feedback, or interviews? Having these metrics on paper will help you point out the gaps in your process and improve your close rate.

And yes! Don’t forget about the post-hiring evaluations. Many recruiters think their job ends the moment says yes to a role. However, once you have closed a role you can then ask the developer for feedback and improve your data-driven recruiting process. Or, you can look at the segments of the funnel where you think you lost time and figure out to make those time sinks disappear.

Tech recruiting is known to be tedious, and I hope these tips will help you make the long hours more productive. Happy hiring!

Further Reading

Technical Screening Guide: All You Need To Know

Dogfooding. Hmm, maybe something my pet Labrador would love to chat about.
Thus thought I, when this topic first landed on my desk. Oh, how wrong I was!

The term ‘dogfooding’ has been in a coding lexicon since the late 1980s. It perhaps has its origin in the Alpo dog food commercials headed by actor Lorne Green. The phrase ‘eating your own dog food’ shows that one was proud enough of the products they built to use it on their own.

In the IT world, the use of the word ‘dogfooding’ can be traced back to Microsoft’s Paul Maritz who, in 1988, challenged the company’s employees to use the products they built. The idea behind it was very simple – if Microsoft’s own were not confident enough to use the software they spent hours making, why would someone else pay for it?

So, what really is dogfooding?

More importantly, how is dogfooding different than the normal QA tests that every product has to go through? Let’s clarify!

While both alpha and beta testing phases are important in software development, dogfooding is slightly different than both. While both processes – dogfooding and testing – involve using the software to see how it holds up in different use cases, the focus during alpha and beta testing is on finding code bugs and errors. Dogfooding, too, can help dig up errors in the product; however, the main focus here is to interact with the software as a user and find how the developers can improve upon the base infrastructure.

Let’s take an example here.

Say you were testing out an email client. During the QA phase you would look at how the client performs when handling bulk emails; if the spam filter is working well; if image-heavy newsletters are rendering well. These are known use cases that every quality check would include.

During the dogfooding phase, you spend days, weeks, months using the product. You are not actively looking for bugs, but trying to sense if the product you built is easier to use versus other email clients you have used in the past. Is the UI/UX easy to navigate? Are the features useful? Most importantly, how much do you itch to go back to your previous email sender? If you itch for a change, most probably your prospective users will, too.

How do you integrate dogfooding in your testing strategy?

Dogfooding can be used as a complementary and cost-effective testing strategy that works in tandem with your established alpha and beta testing process. Dogfooding can in fact, be used synonymously with internal beta testing.

Letting the internal team test out a new product before the end users is beneficial for two reasons:

• External users who come across major difficulties or bugs in your product will most likely stop using it. This effect is easily counteracted by dogfooding.
• Second, you will not only spare the customer support team a lot of heartache, but also help them prepare better for user queries.

What makes dogfooding a great beta testing strategy?

Google, that much-loved tech giant loves dogfooding. Here’s what they say about using dogfooding and beta testing on the Google Testing Blog: “We have a large ecosystem of development / office tools and use them for nearly everything we do. Because we use them on a daily basis, we can dogfood releases company-wide before launching to the public.”

When a name like Google stands behind a process, you know it has some merit. Here are some of the benefits of dogfooding during standard testing:

1. Allows you to scale quality testing environments with real-time feedback: Dogfooding helps developers flag the flaws in their original design. We know that it is very hard to exhaust a product in terms of testing – it takes months; and the whole process repeats itself when you add new features. When developers ‘eat their own dog food’, it helps widen the QA pool and look for nuances no one would have thought of.

2. No risk of losing customers: A lot of the time, businesses are under tremendous pressure to release a product. While timelines need to be adhered to, they cannot come at the cost of quality. By turning your company employees into users, you ensure that quality is maintained and no customer is irked or lost in the process.

3. Cuts down on development and support costs: What’s easier – shipping a half-baked product and then hiring a huge support staff to field customer calls and queries, or spending time and effort testing the product and then asking customers to use it? By using dogfooding as a beta testing standard, you can cut down on all these extra overheads.

4. Creates a collaborative environment and breaks down departmental silos: When every employee in the org uses their products, they have a better understanding of how things work. It will help the product team close the distance between them and the end users, and prepare your CSM team to handle incoming requests.

While these are some good reasons to use dogfooding, there may be instances in which it may not be a good fit for your company. A couple of them come to mind:

Scenario 1: When you have created a specialized software

If you create a software for a very niche target audience, then it may not be a good idea to have your team use it and send feedback. Let’s say you have a product aimed at doctors, then you cannot have someone who has no knowledge of medicine using the product and testing it.

Scenario 2: When your product is still in an immature stage

Dogfooding should be done only when the product enters a certain stage of development. If you have just created an MVP, asking your entire team to test it may not be a good idea. While you may receive a ton of feedback, it might end up creating obstacles in product development instead of speeding things up.

How to roll out a dogfooding program?

The first step is to create a product that users are going to love. In the world of SaaS, they say that you should create products that “solve your own problem”. Once you have this figured out, the rest is a 4-step process that I will list out below:

1. Secure the right buy-ins: Dogfooding is an org-wide exercise and it is important that everyone knows why it is necessary, and what are the expectations from them. Folks in non-technical functions like marketing or sales may not always know how to spot or report an error. A small crash course will help tons! Moreover, it will prevent your teammates feeling like they have been forced to do QA on behalf of the product/engineering team, and give up the right to use products and platforms they actually would on a daily basis.

2. Segment the testers: Different user segments would have different requirements from the same product. It is a good idea to segment your colleagues into buckets so you know what kind of requests are coming from the CXO-level users, and what are the main pain points of a mid-level manager. You can then choose to address these issues based on your internal priority list.

3. Set up a feedback mechanism: Going back to point #1, not every person in your company is a QA or an engineer, or even familiar with the process of reporting bugs, or raising a feature request. Create a feedback mechanism which is simple to use and help your co-workers familiarize themselves with it before you ask them to test the product.

4. Incentivize the process: Last but not the least, have fun with it! Gamification is a proven way to get people involved in serious tasks like hunting bugs 🙂 So, add incentives and giveaways for colleagues who report major issues, and whose feedback helps in improving the product.

5. Account for bias: At the end of the day, your colleagues and co-workers may have a bias towards the product because it’s their handiwork. Don’t forget to factor that in when you look at the feedback. In this case, your harshest critic is your best friend!

Eat the dog food, but don’t make it dinner!

I hope this piece has helped you understand the dos and don’ts of dogfooding during product development. Remember this though – dogfooding is not an alternative to alpha and beta testing, neither should it be the sole bulwark supporting your product development cycle.

Use it wisely and it can make a world of difference to your engineering teams. Now back to feeding the Labrador, I go!

The job market is always changing – and with it, the way companies recruit and hire new employees. From in-person interviews to virtual job interviews to now job simulations, companies are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to assess candidates. Job simulations are a relatively new addition to the hiring process, but they’re quickly becoming one of the most popular tools employers use to assess candidates. Job simulations are precisely what they sound like – simulations of real-world job tasks. They can be used for various positions, from customer service reps to salespeople to engineers. One of the benefits of job simulations is that they allow candidates to show off their skills in a realistic setting. In a job simulation, candidates can demonstrate their ability to problem-solve, work under pressure, and think on their feet – skills that are often difficult to assess in a traditional job interview.

What is a job simulation?

Job simulations are tests that ask applicants to perform tasks that are similar to tasks they would do every day on the job. Job simulations are an increasingly popular way to help hiring managers make good decisions about whom they choose as employees. They provide a more realistic assessment of what it will be like working with them, giving you valuable insight into whether or not this person would fit into your business well and produce great results for the company overall. There are different types of job simulations, but they all have one goal in common: to help you assess a job candidate’s skills, abilities, and potential job fit. For example, some job simulations might ask candidates to complete a series of online exercises similar to what they would do on the job while others might be more like role-playing exercises, where the candidate is put in a simulated work environment and asked to complete tasks or solve problems.

Also read: Hire The Best Coders For Your Team With HackerEarth’s Coding Assessment

Job simulation benefits that you need to know about

Job simulations offer several benefits for both employers and job candidates. Job simulations allow employers to assess job candidates’ skills, abilities, and knowledge in a real-world setting. This type of assessment is especially beneficial for positions that require problem-solving skills or decision-making ability. For job candidates, job simulations offer a chance to demonstrate their skills and abilities in a pressure-free environment. They also provide an opportunity to receive feedback from an employer on their performance. Overall, job simulations are valuable for both employers and job candidates. Given below are the most commonly used simulations:

A better understanding of the job:

Job applicants can learn about what they will be doing on the job which means that if they are hired, they will know exactly what is expected of them. This gives them peace of mind because employers are more transparent about available positions. Positions have detailed descriptions of what the employee is responsible for. This will help the employee do well under pressure and follow protocol.

Predict on-the-job performance:

You can find out in advance what a candidate’s true performance on the job is like by using simulations, which are unique to hiring. With these tasks given to new employees and their real-life results compared against one another, it will give you confidence that your decision was correct when making someone an offer or not.

Easy and time-saving:

Job simulations are a time-saving, cost-effective, and user-friendly alternative to pre-employment tests. They can be completed in just minutes without any hassle or difficulty which makes them perfect for busy hiring managers looking to get the job done quickly.

Impartiality:

People can understand how they measure up to other people for certain jobs. They know that this system is fairer than other systems because it is not possible to know what skills were used during training sessions.

Predict job satisfaction:

You want your employees to be happy and enjoy their work. This is because they will perform better if they are happy. One way to make sure people know if they will like the job is by simulating a real work environment. This will help the candidate understand more about what the job entails. When someone understands that they will enjoy the job tasks, they are more likely to enjoy the job itself. It is great for you because you can make a wise decision, and it is also great for them because they can have a better understanding of the job.

Employers stick to their main objective:

You should not just hire someone because you like them. If everyone is similar, there will not be a good balance in the workplace. It is better to have a team of people who are different from each other. You can do this by using job simulations. This will help you to choose the best candidate based on their skills and not on personal biases.

Personalized simulations:

You can create simulations that are personalized to the job. This will help you to assess if the candidate has the specific skills that are required for the job. It is important to have a simulation that is as close to the real job as possible. This way, you can be sure that you are making the best decision for your company.

Customizable:

You can customize simulations to assess different skills. For example, if you want to assess teamwork skills, you can create a simulation that requires candidates to work together to complete a task. If you want to assess customer service skills, you can create a simulation in which candidates have to deal with difficult customers.

Objective:

Simulations are objective and provide data that can be analyzed. This data can be used to make decisions about who to hire.

Valid:

The validity of simulations means they accurately reflect the job. If a simulation is not valid, it will provide inaccurate data about jobs to be performed on them.

Reliable:

Simulations are reliable and produce consistent results. If a simulation is not reliable, it will not provide accurate data about the job.

Option to opt-out:

Opting out is an option that applicants have. It might seem like a disadvantage at first, but it’s better for both the candidate and employer if they leave before being hired because leaving after hiring will affect your workforce management whereas opting out during the job posting process won’t.

Promotes diversity:

Company leaders are realizing that they need to have a diverse workforce for their company to succeed. Without it, customers will go elsewhere and growth might never happen. Many companies struggle to find employees that represent the full spectrum of society. Some businesses have trouble retaining them and others might not be able to hire applicants at all because their job descriptions are too general, which can lead employers into unconscious hiring bias where they subconsciously select candidates based on race or gender rather than qualifications such as skillset.

Also, read: Diversity And Inclusion in 2022: 5 Essentials Rules To Follow

Some common problems people face when trying to create inclusive workplaces include employee retention issues due to ongoing support from management. The need for more diverse recruitment tactics to succeed with this task as hiring managers are having difficulty finding qualified workers. The solution lies in making sure everyone feels valued. Job simulations allow people to explore jobs without any risk or consequences, allowing them to find out if it’s something they want before investing time and energy into starting a new career. Many times candidates go through this process early on in their search so that they get more information about what type of job would be best suited for them. This makes sure that once things do become serious between two companies there is no confusion as far as what is expected of either side. Job simulations provide an invaluable service for both employer and employee, taking the guesswork out of the hiring process and allowing everyone to move forward with confidence. Job simulation exercises have been used for many years to prepare employees before they take on new roles. These simulations allow companies to measure both knowledge of the position and ability, but also interpersonal skills through role-plays where people get infinite chances at making mistakes without any consequences.

Types of job simulations

There are many different types of job simulations. You might have to do an assignment in person, take a test online, or do a project at home. You might also have to act out a role, give a presentation, or do a simulation on the computer. Given below are a few of the most common job simulation examples:

Hands-on tests:

Hands-on tests are a way for potential employers to see how you would do the job. They will ask you to do things that are similar to what you would do on the job. This could be writing code, working with others to design a website, or completing an onsite construction task.

Also, read: 6 things to look for in your coding assessment tool

Live job simulations:

Live simulations are a way to see how you might handle different situations. They can be done in a virtual room or in person. You might have to do a role-play, group interview, presentation, or case study. The goal is to see how you solve problems, use your skills, and understand the role. Group interviews can show who has leadership skills, who works well independently, or who is good with clients.

Role-Playing:

Role-playing is a common way to test someone’s skills in a work environment. In this type of simulation, you will be asked to pretend to be in a work situation and deal with the challenges that come up.

Take-home tests:

Some companies prefer to give candidates a take-home assignment instead of a timed skill test or live simulation. Here, job seekers should take-home assignments to show how they work independently and without hands-on management. Some experts believe this is less accurate than doing the job in person, but if you’re looking for an insight into someone’s skill set it can be a good strategy.

Situational tests:

Situational judgment tests are questions about work-related scenarios. The test-taker is asked to use their judgment to find a solution that will work out for everyone involved. These tests are good for jobs such as customer service and supervisory roles.

In basket tests:

In-basket exercises test how well you can do certain tasks such as responding to emails, taking phone calls, and handling grievances in a set amount of time. They are often used to test administrative and managerial skills.

Live presentations:

Presentations can be a great way to assess candidates’ ability to present in a convincing, enthusiastic, and engaging way with their audience. Presentations allow you to see how well someone can structure a presentation and how they adapt when something unexpected happens. Presentations are the best way to find people for jobs in sales, marketing, human resources, and training and development.

Group interviews:

Group exercises are when more than one person is invited to work together. The people in the group are assessed on their performance and behaviors. Many customer-facing positions, like sales, consulting, or management positions use group exercises. This way, you can see how well the candidates work in a team, communicate, as well as delegate tasks. Group interviews are also helpful when you want to save time and money. You can also use this opportunity to spot leaders, reduce biases, and compare candidates in real-time.

Live Case Studies:

In this type of interview, you will be given a challenging and relevant business scenario to solve. These interviews are good for higher-level positions as they put candidates in difficult environments with high pressure which can assess their problem-solving skills or adaptability abilities. As you can see, there are many different types of job simulations that you can use in your hiring process. By using a variety of job simulations, you can get a better idea of how the candidate would perform on the job and how to prepare for job simulation practice tests. If you’re looking to improve your hiring process, consider using some or all of these different types of job simulations.

How to set up and run a job simulation assessment for tech hiring

Incorporating job simulations into the tech hiring process offers a direct window into a candidate’s practical skills and problem-solving abilities. Here’s a comprehensive step-by-step breakdown of the process:

• Conduct a ‘Needs Analysis’

Begin by understanding the core responsibilities and challenges of the job role. Engage with team members to identify crucial tasks and potential scenarios that can be used in the simulation. Tech recruiters can sync up with engineering leads and CTOs, to understand the nuances of an open role and the expectations from a developer who fills the role.

• Develop the scenario

Design a task that mirrors the real-world responsibilities that align with the given role. Ensure it’s challenging enough to gauge a candidate’s skills but feasible within the given timeframe.

• Establish a controlled environment

Utilize platforms like virtual machines, sandboxed environments, or specific simulation software. This ensures that candidates have a realistic experience without the risk of disrupting main systems.

• Clarify objectives and guidelines

Set clear expectations. Candidates should be aware of the objectives, available tools, time limits, and the process of evaluation

• Monitor and evaluate

While the candidate is engaged in the task, observe their approach, resourcefulness, and efficiency. It’s not just about the end result; the process can be equally telling.

• Feedback and reflection

Post-simulation, hold a debriefing session. Discuss the candidate’s approach, thought process, and areas of improvement. This feedback will help both the candidate and the evaluator understand clearly if said candidate is the right person for the job.

Examples of common job simulation tests

In the realm of tech hiring, job simulations can vary widely based on the role in question. Here are some useful examples:

Code writing and debugging simulations: This is a staple for developer roles. Candidates might be asked to write code fulfilling specific criteria or debug existing code to rectify issues.

System Design simulations: Especially relevant for architect roles, this simulation assesses the ability to design robust systems given certain constraints and requirements.

Pair programming: Candidates collaborate with a current team member to co-create a solution, offering insights into their teamwork and coding abilities simultaneously.

Technical troubleshooting: Particularly helpful for IT support or system admin roles, simulations might revolve around diagnosing and resolving tech issues within a system.

When and where to use online job simulation test in tech hiring

Post the initial screening: Once resumes have been shortlisted and basic qualifications are vetted, engineering leaders can use simulations to delve deeper into a candidate’s practical skills.

Before conducting an in-person interview: Before investing time in comprehensive interviews, simulations can provide a skill-based shortlist, ensuring only the most competent candidates move through to the next stage.

For remote evaluations: With the rise of remote work, simulations offer a consistent metric to evaluate candidates globally and understand their real-world skills.

For lateral hiring and specialized roles: For roles that demand deep expertise or are pivotal to business operations, simulations can provide a more nuanced understanding of a candidate’s capabilities.

Also, read: Complete Coding Assessment Guide – Definition, Advantages, and Best Practices

Create the perfect online job simulation assessments with HackerEarth

If you’re looking for the perfect online job simulation assessment for developers, HackerEarth has exactly what you need. Our job simulation questions are specifically designed to test a developer’s skills and knowledge, and they can be customized to match the job you’re hiring for. Plus, our platform makes it easy to administer the assessment and track results.

Also, read: How To Create An Automated Assessment With HackerEarth

Over 13000+ questions

HackerEarth Assessments provides an excellent library of coding questions that you can use for assessment purposes. It also offers the ability to create custom test items if needed, with 13000+ unique exam-building possibilities at your disposal. Get the ability to ask 12 different types of questions, including project-type problems with custom data sets and test cases.

Automated invigilation and robust proctoring

HackerEarth’s automated invigilation with robust proctoring gives you the security of knowing that your assessments are completely fair. It also prevents impersonation, reports tab switching for all hackers on screen at once, and customizable stringency settings to make sure no one gets treated unfairly or willingly cheats and plagiarizes their work which is why we recommend this powerful tool.

40+ programming languages

With the ability to code in 40+ programming languages, a real-time editor, and compatibility with Jupyter Notebooks. HackerEarth Assessments make it easy for developers who love learning new things on their terms while also being able to provide employers valuable feedback through assessments.

Detailed reporting

HackerEarth has made it easy to find and evaluate developers. With detailed reports on each candidate’s performance, insight-rich software that captures all the important data about codes executed during interviews as well as a replay feature for those wanting more detail – HackerEarth is your one-stop shop when looking at potential new hires.

Data-driven dashboards

The HackerEarth Assessments dashboard is a data-driven insight to help finetune the hiring funnel. It gives you an in-depth analysis of your coding tests and creates industry-leading processes for finding new talent, enabling any business or organization that needs it with no artificial intelligence required.

Enterprise-level features

HackerEarth is the perfect place for any enterprise looking to build their tech team with no worries. We offer industry-leading compliance, security, and scalability so you can be confident in whatever size of the organization that suits your needs best. In a world where the job market is becoming increasingly competitive, it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re doing everything in your power to set yourself apart from the rest. Work simulations are one way of doing just that. They give candidates a chance to experience what it would be like to do the job they’re applying for. Not only that, but as mentioned above, job simulation training also has several other benefits that can help both employers and employees alike. If you’re looking for ways to create better online job simulations while hiring developers, check out HackerEarth as it has everything you need under one roof.

FAQs on job simulations in tech hiring:

#1 How extensive should a job simulation be?

It should be comprehensive enough to gauge necessary skills but should not demand too much of a candidate’s time. Understand that many candidates are working employees who may not have too much time on their hands to devote to a simulation test. Creating a really long test will only result in drop offs. A good time limit for such tests usually ranges between 30 minutes to 2 hours.

#2 How do job simulations compare to traditional interviews?

Simulations are more task-oriented, focusing on practical skills. Traditional interviews, while also essential, often emphasize soft skills and cultural fit. Simulations can help in finding the right candidate for specialized roles, and gives developers a way to showcase their skills in real time. Traditional interviews may lack this component of real-time skill testing, and hence fall behind job simulations in terms of efficacy.

#3 Is there a candidate preference for job simulations?

Many candidates appreciate the clarity and fairness simulations offer, allowing them to demonstrate skills in a realistic context, rather than abstract discussions.

#4 Are job simulations adaptable for all tech roles?

Absolutely, but the design and complexity should be tailored to align with the specific responsibilities and challenges of the role in question.

Ever since the pandemic hit, employers have had to fill positions without requiring candidates to go through an extensive in-person interview process. As a result, many companies have turned to virtual hiring programs as well as hackathons to reach their recruiting goals. A study found that 40% of companies use a hackathon hiring process as part of their recruitment strategies.

So what exactly is a hackathon and how to conduct one?

What is Hackathon?

Hackathons are events where computer programmers and other technology professionals come together to create new products or solve technological problems. They typically last for several hours and sometimes even go up to several days. Teams are often formed at hackathons, which are made up of people with different skill sets. At the end of the event, these teams present their product or solution to a panel of judges. Hackathon hiring processes are usually sponsored by companies that want to promote innovation within the tech world.

Types of Hackathons

The top 2 types of hackathons are external hackathons and internal hackathons:

• External hackathons:

At an external hackathon hiring process, participants create their own projects. They might work on coding tools, websites, or mobile apps that can be used by other people in the tech world. Employers sponsor these events to find new hires and engage with potential recruits. They also offer a valuable learning experience for attendees or students who may be interested in pursuing a career in technology.

Recommended read – Virtual Hackathons: All You Need To Know

• Internal hackathons:

These are internal or company-sponsored events that allow employees to engage in innovation and creativity. They can be used by companies to find new talent, foster teamwork among employees, and identify job applicants with the most potential.

Recommended read – Internal Hackathons: Drive Innovation And Increase Engagement In Tech Teams

Here’s a closer look at how these hackathons can benefit your organization.

External Hackathons

With hackathon recruiting, companies are replacing the intimidating interview setting with a competitive drill where candidates can show their skills. As recruiters get to observe them apply these abilities in real-time they are better placed at analyzing candidate competency and making informed hiring decisions. These projects can be used as portfolios to help participants build their brands and show off what they’ve accomplished. Participants could also use these products as a way to gain exposure or to see if it is feasible for them to turn the project into a business venture.

Recommended read – How To Run The Perfect Virtual Hackathon: Do’s And Dont’s

Its benefits include:

1. Build a diverse team from all around the world:

The hackathon hiring process creates a unique opportunity for people from all over the world to come together and work on a project. Participants who network with these people during hackathons might be able to add them as contacts when they return to the office, thus building company connections that would not have been possible otherwise.

2. Join hands with industry experts:

Industry experts and sponsors of the event actively participate as judges or mentors. This allows them to network with new people and gain access to the latest trends in the tech industry. Attendees make valuable contacts at hackathons which can be beneficial for your company even after the events are over.

3. Expand your developer community:

Companies use the hackathon hiring process to attract developers who might not otherwise come in contact with your brand. This offers a way for you to interact with the tech community and establish new relationships. It also allows you to identify potential candidates who might be looking for a job opportunity

4. Find the best talent for your business:

The hackathon hiring process offers a way to identify the best developer talent in the industry. It also helps you create a larger pool of qualified applicants for future roles. In addition to hiring developers, hackathons can help you identify other employees as well as interns who would be a good fit for your team.

Because hackathons are team-based events, it also allows you to see how candidates interact with their peers. You can assess how comfortable and confident they feel when working alongside others and whether they’re open to feedback and suggestions.

5. Boost corporate branding:

Hackathons offer a great opportunity to increase awareness about your brand and what you have to offer. Corporate hackathon ideas allow companies to showcase their product or service in a new way that is often more effective than advertising campaigns.

Recommended read – Building An Employer Brand: Everything You Need To Know

6. Crowdsource ideas:

Hackathons also offer a valuable way for companies to crowdsource ideas from people who matter the most. People from different departments and backgrounds can share their thoughts on improving daily operations, which allows your team to come up with solutions that would not have been possible otherwise.

Internal Hackathons

Most companies hold internal hackathons for team building. They can be a great way to get your employees excited about their work while allowing them to collaborate and build relationships with one another outside of the normal office environment. Internal hackathon ideas are perfect for tapping into the skills of the company’s workforce.

Participants could be tasked with creating an internal service or tool that solves a particular problem within the company, such as reducing costs or increasing efficiency. At the same time, learning and development programs are also offered at these events which can help employees develop new skills.

Recommended read – Hackathon Survival Guide: What You Need To Know Going Into A Hackathon

This is how it benefits your company:

1. Boosts morale:

Hackathons are a great way to get employees excited about their work again. It creates an environment that fosters teamwork and allows people to interact with each other in ways they normally wouldn’t be able to inside the office. It builds stronger connections between employees which can improve workplace satisfaction overall.

Hackathons can be a great way to build camaraderie among your team members. The shared experience of working on a project as a group allows employees to work together and accomplish tasks they never thought possible. Additionally, the opportunity to interact with other teams in friendly competition helps generate excitement and establish positive relationships.

2. Great team building activity:

Hackathons give employees a fun and rewarding opportunity to get out of their comfort zone. It encourages people to work together towards a common goal while building on each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Employees can also learn new skills that they will be able to use in the future.

3. Employees are pushed out of their comfort zone:

Hackathons encourage employees to work together and build on each other’s strengths. It pushes people out of their comfort zone and allows them the opportunity to try something different.
Hackathons offer a low-risk, cost-effective way for you to promote creativity within your team.

4. Gives employees a chance to enrich their portfolio and grow in their careers:

Hackathons allow employees to try something new and possibly even learn a new skill. It allows them to build on their existing skillset and creates a great addition to anyone’s resume.

5. Employee retention:

Hackathons offer a competitive environment that allows employees to work together and encourage each other. It provides a sense of accomplishment and fun while also giving them something to look forward to.

6. Teams can come up with new products – or even new businesses:

Hackathons are a great way for employees to come up with new ideas that can eventually become successful products or services. For example, Box Brownie, the easy-to-use tool for removing backgrounds from images or enhancing them with professional features; DanceBattle, an innovative app that helps you compete in dancing battles with others using the camera of your phone or laptop, and EchoLoco, the audio map with real-time cues that helps the visually impaired stay safe and move faster in urban areas or crowded places, are all results of internal hackathons.

Hackathons typically last for 24 to 48 hours and bring together large groups of people from the tech community. Competitors compete to build a product or solution that offers a specific benefit, such as improving medical care or connecting communities.

The hackathon hiring process allows companies to scout high potential candidates in the tech world, build relationships with top talent, and provide valuable learning opportunities for potential hires.

Conduct hackathons with HackerEarth

HackerEarth’s online hackathon platform gives companies the opportunity to host internal, corporate, or private hackathons from anywhere in the world.

Following are the benefits of hosting hackathons using HackerEarth:

• It provides a curated experience for your company to get the engagement they need without any bandwidth drain.
• The HackerEarth platform makes it easy to manage your hackathons or hiring challenges from anywhere in the world
• HackerEarth provides a large community of qualified developers who are ready to work with you.
• It lowers your operational costs by ensuring that you are able to meet your hiring goals at a fraction of the cost.
• It helps you build a community of developers and engineers who can become your future employees.

Here are a few HackerEarth Statistics of 2021 alone:

• HackerEarth’s hackathon platform has organized over 134 hackathons creating 6,000+ challenges that helped create 2,000+ prototypes
• More than 60,000 developers registered as participants across the globe
• Over 1,700 companies around the world use HackerEarth’s hiring platform to find their next rockstar developer recruitment.
• 17,000+ tests were created that helped assess 14,00,000+ developers, reducing our clients’ time to hire by half

If you’re not already using hackathons, you may want to consider adding them to your recruiting toolkit. Hackathons can help you identify talented potential employees, engage and hire top performers, and even train new hires. Also, hackathons can be put together quickly and easily with the right tools, such as HackerEarth’s hackathon platform.