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5 reasons why China is growing so fast

#DidYouKnow: China, and not US, added the maximum number of billionaires in the global economy in 2016. The country’s contribution stands at 67, that’s one billionaire every 5th day!

Majorly due to China’s contribution, Asia (637 billionaires) has superseded US (538 billionaires) in the total number of billionaires per continent.

Currently, the US has a higher concentration of billionaire wealth but Asia will overtake in three to four years. According to reports, the major driver in Asia’s progress in technology.

#DidYouKnow: Tesla fired its workers in the US but is rigorously looking out for 500 recruits in China.

Tesla is looking at manufacturing its cars in China, and not just this, the brand has taken an ambitious project of doubling the number of stores in China in near future.

The country contributes to one-seventh of the net revenue of Tesla despite the prices being 50% higher than in the US. Also, Tesla is poised to kickstart its biggest charging station in the world in Shanghai.

This makes us take a closer look at China and it’s economy’s dynamics.

Despite being a closed economy and plagued with language barriers, China has managed to pull off its position as a global innovation and manufacturing hub.

It is not just standing at par with global giants but is also beating them at their own game. It’s attracting the manufacturers and the best talent.

5 Reasons why China is growing so fast

  • Relaxation of permanent-residence requirements and other government support

Firstly, a lot of credit for this development goes to the relaxation of permanent-residence requirements and other government support provided to individuals and organizations alike.

The Chinese government put into effect some twenty measures on March 1, 2016, to attract managerial-level professionals, Chinese born abroad, entrepreneurs, fresh graduates of foreign origin.

Other than this, the Chinese 3.0 leadership, as we call it, is emphasizing the importance of creating new growth drivers that will eventually take over the older economy issues.

This is clearly visible in various industry initiatives of China, they are now even giving implicit approval to foreign investment in technology.

This has been seen over time and also in industry initiatives like the implicit approval for foreign investment in technology.

Chinese entrepreneurs are keen on hiring overseas staff as it helps them build stronger links between international markets and Chinese companies.

From common entrepreneurs to Nobel Laureates, China is becoming a preferred destination for business ideas.

  • Promoting a ‘revolving door’ policy

Secondly, China is following the USA’s suite of promoting a ‘revolving door’ policy in the political landscape to encourage a seamless exchange of thoughts and ideas between the government and non-government bodies.

In the US, the think tank staff often engages in government services, and, similarly, former government officials ‘revolve’to replace these think tanks in their organization.

This has been extremely effective in driving technology and business growth in the US. China, on the other hand, had the ‘revolving door’ culture but only partially, it only saw former government employees joining think tanks but never the reverse.

But in the current scenario, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping’s initiatives are bringing a change. In the last two years, he has continuously worked on developing the Chinese think tanks.

In one of his speeches in April 2016, he even talked about the readiness of the Chinese government in recruiting party leadership from the think tank community.

This has lead to a fresh wave of appreciation among the think tank community and their will to stay and promote the Chinese business landscape and as a major reason why China is growing so fast.

  • China is attracting talent and businesses from the world.

Thirdly, China is sending out a clear message that it’s on a rigorous reformative mission. The Chinese economy has grown at a faster pace than the global markets.

China’s three-step development strategy which it opted for a way back in 1980 aimed to quadruple its gross national product by the end of the 20th century.

Successful execution of this policy has not just put China at par with the global economies but has left the country with surplus resources and products to share with the world.

In its quest for development, China is attracting talent and businesses from the world.

Success to why China is growing so fast can be explained by what a young entrepreneur, Nils Pihl has to say about the country’s support system for foreign nationals.

“Beijing offered us cheap housing and food, a network of experienced mentors that were happy to take the time to help, steady access to some of the world’s greatest engineering talent at a sixth of the cost of a junior engineer in Silicon Valley and access to a vast market of clients.”

Nils Pihl, originally from Sweden, tried his luck in the Silicon Valley and the New York and then finally moved to Beijing to set up a tech startup.

There are enough examples of such young minds from developed and developing nations who are ready to make China their home.

A policy like this is helping the country encourage the exchange of ideas among its youth.

Chinese youngsters, despite the language barrier, are getting exposed to global trends and are building products for international markets.

  • Improved the quality of life of the citizens

Fourthly, China is not just focusing on rapid development but it’s also keen on improving the quality of life of the citizens and countering issues such as wealth gap and pollution.

In a recent speech, President Xi Jinping directed the global giants operating in China to work on employee welfare and ensure better living standards for them.

Over the years, global players such as Intel, Ford, and others have banked on the advantage of being a good corporate citizen and have shared knowledge with local citizens via research centers and startup engagement.

“Multinationals and local companies will need to cope with this agenda of more balanced growth and the focus on the quality of life,” said Weiwen Han, Greater China managing partner for Bain & Co. in Shanghai. He further added, “When they look at China as an opportunity, they cannot seek growth as the primary target.”

Taking a cue from the president’s move, Starbucks Corp., the global coffee brand that has more than 2,800 outlets in China has committed to provide health insurance that covers not just them and their spouse but also their parents.

Other than this, the massive outrage against rising pollution has opened an opportunity for electric carmakers such as Tesla and Anhui Zotye Automobile Co. to push for business expansion.

Even traditional auto manufacturers such as Ford are now talking about venturing into the hybrid cars space.

  • Relaxed the rules for Foreign Direct Investment and global partnerships

Lastly, China with its vast population and high rate of smartphone and social media penetration gives enough data for analysis for the companies.

Technology leaders are banking on Big Data generated to feed algorithms and identify trends. These trends will go a long way in defining customer personalization for the brands.

Also, the Chinese government has now relaxed the rules for Foreign Direct Investment and global partnerships, making it an attractive venue for business. (Also read – Hiring and recruitment challenges in Japan)

China is laying strong emphasis on compassionate capitalism and is changing the rules of business globally. They are ensuring that they attract enough talent from the globe and at the same time build new opportunities for their own.

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How can mathematics make you a better recruiter!

Hiring the right talent is crucial to any organization’s growth and success. “By implementing recruiting best practices and supporting technology, you can potentially reduce your time to hire by up to 50 percent, reduce cost per hire by up to 70 percent, and improve recruiter efficiency while finding the talent you need for driving business results.”1

Companies try everything from recruiting agencies to job boards to employee referrals to social media. But the efficacy of these approaches can be often debatable. But that’s a post for another day.

Here, we bring you some sure-fire concepts that will boost hiring efficiency.

Did you say mathematics?

Yes, you read it right. Mathematics! Perhaps the most hated subject ever, math can help recruiters solve one of the most prominent problems they face while trying to zero in on great talent.

Let’s see how exactly it helps.

How many candidates should you interview before making a decision to hire? Imagine a situation where you have a hundred applicants for a position. The problem is that neither will you interview just one candidate nor will you interview all hundred. The dilemma is not whom to pick but how many to even consider before you hire (or you give up).

The most intuitive answer would be that it requires a balance between looking and leaping - that you must look at enough candidates to build a standard and decide on whatever satisfies the established standard. This looks like the perfect answer but here is the catch. Most people can’t say what this standard or balance should be. Luckily, mathematics comes to your rescue and provides the answer. Optimal Stopping Theory...

It is an idea “that every decision is a decision to stop what you are going to make a decision.”2 The theory suggests that you should reject the initial 37% of all the applicants and hire only after that. After this point, you should select the next applicant who is better than all candidates you interviewed before the cutoff. This is not intuition or a compromise between looking and leaping. It is a probable result.



Here look at this example if you have five weeks to choose a primary contractor. You could expect to see possibly four a week; that is an anticipated total of 20 suppliers. If you selected normally and selected the first ‘good enough’ option, the probability of finding the optimum supplier is just 5%. However, if you rejected the first 37% suppliers, in this case, 18 suppliers, and then selected the next supplier that was better than all the previous suppliers, then your odds of selecting the optimum supplier would increase to 40% (For the more curious people, go here to read about the famous example, the Secretary problem.)

This is just one of the mathematical theories that can help recruiters. To list a few more, there is Negativity Threshold which can help you identify the candidates that are inconsistent in their interview answers or are withholding information. Negativity Threshold was presented by Hannah Fry in her TED talk “The Mathematics of Love.” It was coined by John Gottman by observing how couples interact with each other.

The equations look something like this:

Mathematics, Recruiter, Mathematics in hiring, mathematics example, Recruitment, Hiring, Mathematics in recruitment

The left-hand side of the equation tells how positive or negative a wife/husband will be in the next thing she/he says. Here, w is the mood of the wife in general, r_w.W_t is the mood of the wife when she’s with her husband and I_(HM) is the influence that her husband’s actions will have on her. Researchers have plotted the effects the two partners have on each other. The plot looks as follows:

Mathematics, Recruiter, Mathematics in hiring, mathematics example, Recruitment, Hiring, Mathematics in recruitment

Here, the term T_ is the negativity threshold. At this point, the husband’s negative impact becomes so high that the wife responds with more negativity. To know more about this theory you can watch [ted talk link] or read this.

The negativity threshold suggests you be upfront about any issues and get all sorts of concerns out in open to avoid issues further down the line.

Another interesting equation that is worth looking at is The Drake Equation. The equation was conceived in 1961 by Dr. Frank Drake in an attempt to find the number of potential extraterrestrial bodies with life in the universe. He took something extremely complex and daunting and broke it down into something easy to understand. The Drake equation looks something like this:
N = R*•fp• ne• fl• fi• fc• L

The equation involves various factors such as the average rate of star formation in our galaxy, the fraction of stars that have formed planets, and much more which we will not get into. But, what how does this apply to hiring practices? A very obvious similarity is that both use data to pinpoint something or “someone” out there.

An important step in hiring candidates is determining the business factors your company wants to improve, says Emilio J. Castilla, Nanyang Technological University professor of management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Determining these factors brings clarity to the business and helps everyone understand their roles. For instance, there is something called Sales Velocity, defined as:
Sales Velocity = Work In Progress ? Win Rate ? Avg. Deal Size ÷ Time Taken To Close

This equation does not help in identifying the top performers but also helps in determining the areas where an individual needs to improve. Drake’s theory is extremely useful when it comes to bringing order to a chaotic world.

Although most of the recruiting process is often dominated by emotion, mathematics is the one subject which can be applied everywhere, even hiring, without this particular bias.

Can you math enthusiasts think of any more? Let us know in Comments.

& for some of you who are super busy or are less inclined to "appreciating" math concepts, let us do the work for you.

Take a free trial for our Online Assessment software to hire the best mathematician (or developers) in your talent pipeline

Best Talent Assessment Tools for Human Resource 2024

“The human workforce is valued at $ 1.2 quadrillion, compared to $ 521 trillion value of physical Assets,”

says Korn Ferry, an executive search, and recruiting firm. With such value being placed on people, resources that typically appreciate over time, there really is little need to underline the need for top quality talent if organizations hope to walk confidently into the future.

We couldn’t agree more.

Changing perceptions and technological advances have redefined the role of Human Resources. In the realm of talent management, HR is no longer confined to tasks such as screening, interviewing, and hiring candidates. HR Managers are transforming into Talent Acquisition Managers, Happiness Officers, People’s Operation Managers, and a lot more. They have now become the harbingers of change in dynamic business models.

What is a talent assessment tool?

A talent assessment tool is a software application used by HR professionals to evaluate candidates’ skills, abilities, and potential for specific job roles. These tools use various methods, such as psychometric tests, cognitive assessments, and skills evaluations, to provide a comprehensive understanding of a candidate’s qualifications.

Talent assessment tools use data-driven insights to help organizations make informed hiring decisions, identify high-potential employees, and tailor development programs. They enhance the recruitment process, ensuring a better match between job requirements and candidate capabilities, ultimately leading to improved organizational performance.

What challenges do they need to overcome?

“Human resources are like natural resources; they’re often buried deep. You have to go looking for them, they’re not just lying around on the surface. You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves.” (Ken Robinson)

When it comes to talent acquisition, be it a Fortune 500 company or a startup, their hiring concerns are quite similar. Apart from struggling to find skilled, committed workers, they have to deal with so much more. One in four candidates complaints about bad recruiting experiences and that hampers the brand image considerably. With companies like PepsiCo adopting location-free work arrangements to retain talent and companies like Panasonic touting ‘Learn, Live, Achieve’ as their core philosophy, job seekers now demand a better recruitment experience. The HR personnel is expected to make this happen and deal with any fallout. (Read: 7 ways recruiters can increase the offer to joining ratio & avoid drop off)

Instead of leaving you to wonder how you can get the most suitable talent for the job roles you advertise, we’ve got a near-perfect solution for you. Switch to a talent assessment tool that can resolve the fundamental concerns of managing volumes of applicants while ensuring you shortlist the right technical candidates.

Why are talent management tool important for human resource?

Newspaper advertisements and paper-based job applications are a thing of past. Brick-and-mortar offices are changing into work-from-anytime-anywhere business models. You no longer have tons of skilled candidates, and struggles of ‘talent hunts’ are real. Millennials are the “new adventure” for HR managers as they don’t often stick to a place for long anymore. Employees now demand real-time feedback and innovative recruitment campaigns.

These changes need new kinds of approaches, out-of-the-box thinking, and more. This shift in the role of HR has compelled the industry to think of technology solutions that not only help HR managers understand the right skill set easily but also help them retain and encourage the right resources while ensuring candidates enjoy personalized experiences and regular constructive feedback.

For example, to deal with a deluge of applicants and find the brightest software developer, Microsoft included a small test at the time of application. Those who had the requisite know-how and a mathematical bent of mind easily cracked a cryptic phone number in the test and were shortlisted for further rounds. A gamification of this sort increased the volume of quality candidates and helped the company reject candidates with a concrete reason, hinting at a scope for improvement.

Talent assessment tools track the applicants through their performance on a coding platform like HackerEarth and other sources and help the HR to build a personalized experience for the candidates based on their performance in each challenge they have participated. This includes mapping their journey from the time they apply for a job to their joining and service with the company.

Talent assessment tool, why use talent assessment tool, Tech talent assessment tool, Tech talent assessment, talent assessment

When do you need a talent assessment tool?

More than 60% millennials believe in proper background research on organizations and the job roles they’re applying for.

HR has to make the company look good. Negative reviews can do serious damage.

This has made the job of HR managers tougher. The one-shoe-fits-all approach needs to change and they’re now responsible for painting a better picture of the organization and ensure complete transparency.

To showcase the best of company culture, Twitter did a “Join the Flock”recruitment campaign. It was a hack week for employees as they were challenged to make the best/worst recruiting video. The campaign culminated in a video that featured the company CEO, Dick Costolo, who shared the hiring information and at the same time mocked the outdated workplace and their training material. A campaign of this sort leads to better employee engagement and also gets the message across interestingly.

Managers can no longer reject candidates without giving them concrete answers. Talent management assessment tools, empowered with predictive and prescriptive analytics, empower HR with the right recommendations to aid decision-making while selecting candidates.

How do you find the best talent assessment tool?

That’s a tricky question. HR personnel is constantly dealing with the dilemma of deciding to buy a tool or develop it in-house. Most of the time, the latter case gets ruled out due to limited technical knowledge in HR departments. The right approach is to rely on experts with proven experience in the HR-tech domain. It’s important to hire vendors who understand your business models and the needs of the job profiles.

Tools using Machine Learning and BigData Analytics are considered better and more reliable as compared to tools which lack data analysis and in depth candidate report. Organisations can use Social Media Analytics and other forms of data analysis to get an in-depth knowledge of candidate behavior. These tools give you solutions like work samples and simulations, cognitive ability tests, personality, or conscientiousness tests, structured interviews, unstructured interviews and a lot more effective forms of candidate examination. (Read: How to pick right assessment tool?)

5 best talent assessment tools

  1. HackerEarth HackerEarth is a comprehensive coding assessment platform that helps organizations identify and evaluate technical talent through coding challenges, hackathons, and real-world projects. Its user-friendly interface and robust features make it a popular choice for both recruitment and employee development. The platform offers automated grading, anti-cheating measures, and detailed analytics, ensuring accurate and fair assessments. Additionally, it provides real-world projects that simulate on-the-job tasks, helping to assess practical skills and problem-solving abilities.
  2. Criteria Corp Criteria Corp offers a wide range of pre-employment tests designed to measure cognitive aptitude, personality, and skills. Their scientifically validated assessments help organizations predict job performance and ensure a good fit between candidates and roles. The platform’s user-friendly interface and detailed reporting make it a valuable tool for HR professionals.
  3. SHL SHL provides a variety of talent assessment solutions, including cognitive ability tests, personality assessments, and situational judgment tests. Their tools are backed by extensive research and are used globally to improve hiring decisions, identify high-potential employees, and support talent development initiatives.
  4. iMocha iMocha is an advanced skills assessment platform that offers a wide range of tests covering technical, cognitive, and soft skills. It features an AI-powered proctoring system, automated grading, and detailed analytics to ensure comprehensive and unbiased assessments. The platform supports over 500 skill assessments, making it versatile for various industries.
  5. Mettl Mettl is a robust online assessment platform that provides a suite of tools for pre-employment testing, employee development, and certification. It offers customizable assessments, real-time proctoring, and detailed reporting. Mettl’s platform is highly scalable and supports a wide range of assessment types, including cognitive, technical, and behavioral tests.

How do HR analytics technologies help?

According to PwC’s Global HR Tech survey 2017, only 14% employers are very satisfied with the HR analytics technologies they have on board. This throws open massive opportunities for HR managers and domain experts to come up with viable solutions for talent management. Here are a few recommendations to improve your HR technology support and planned implementations.

  • Draft a report which gives insights beyond basic operational and compliance statistics
  • Do not be afraid to integrate data from external resources
  • Select the right metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and place them in easy to understand dashboards
  • Invest in applying Big Data concepts
  • Leverage Cloud Technology to safeguard data for predictive and prescriptive analytics
  • Increase the use of analytics and data-driven decisions

What are the benefits of talent assessment tools?

Like we said earlier, talent assessment tools are the need of the hour. Technology is now the key enabler in businesses and helps in strategic decision making. The biggest benefit is that these tools help you counter the volume of applicants with a lot more ease. Machine Learning algorithms shortlist the best candidates on the parameters you want and leave you with results that are to the point. This also confers a global mindset to the organizations by ensuring the best applicant experience for their potential candidates.

Real-time feedback, which you get from talent assessment tools, plays a crucial role in ensuring an employee’s progress and loyalty. Gamification is another advantage as it helps employers up their game in terms of employee engagement. The best example of gamification for recruitment and employee engagement possibly comes from Marriott Hotels. The global hotel chain designed virtual tours and video games on their website to attract potential employees through their websites. The players completing some of the “tasks” were shortlisted and later called for interview.

What is the next step?

The future belongs to those who will lead the change and that can happen only if you acquire and retain the right talent. Join the bandwagon of change and get your talent assessment tool today to see your organization scale up in your quest for transformation.

Signing off with a thought from industry leader Jay Samit, Independent Vice Chairman of Deloitte Digital:

“To thrive, all businesses must focus on the art of self-disruption. Rather than wait for the competition to steal your business, every founder and employee need to be willing to cannibalize their existing revenue streams in order to create new ones. All disruption starts with introspection.”

HackerEarth Recruit – A talent Assessment Platform

PS: For more such insights on tech recruitment, we invite you to join our LinkedIn group – “Yours Truly HR”

Benefits of creating a campus hiring strategy in India

Reports are mixed about the efficacy of campus hiring.

Say, Amazon India is quite gung-ho about it. But Indian PSUs are going to stop the practice. And to stir the pot a bit, we have some companies not honoring their promises to recruited graduates.

“Campus placements didn’t work for one of every three IIT students expected to graduate in 2017.”

By 2020, campus recruitment is expected to decrease by about 25% according to People Strong. “There are various reasons for this gradual decrease. Some of them include a reduction in hiring numbers of IT giants due to the global economic slowdown, automation of transaction-heavy jobs through Artificial Intelligence and lack of job-readiness in the campus pass-outs,” says the firm’s CEO Pankaj Bansal.

Graduates from these hallowed institutions have always taken great jobs for granted! Why?

Visa restrictions? Automation of lower-level jobs? Economic downturn? Wrong evaluation practices? Reskilling existing employees?

Manipulating global downturns or visa policies may be out of our hands, but using better assessment methods and upskilling employees aren’t.

What is campus recruitment?

Campus recruitment encompasses the strategies and efforts undertaken by employers to engage, assess, and hire graduating students for roles that match their academic background and career aspirations. This initiative is mutually beneficial: students gain direct access to potential employers and career opportunities, while employers get the chance to select from a pool of fresh, talented individuals who are eager to start their professional journeys.

Key features of a good campus recruitment strategy

  • On-site visits and presentations: Companies often visit educational campuses to conduct informational sessions, workshops, and presentations. These events are designed to introduce the company to the student body, showcasing their culture, values, and the opportunities available.
  • Recruitment drives: These are the core of campus recruitment, where companies conduct tests, interviews, and group discussions to evaluate candidates' abilities and fit for various roles.
  • Internship offers: Many organizations use campus recruitment to offer internships to students. These internships can sometimes lead to full-time job offers upon graduation, depending on the student's performance and the company's hiring needs.
  • Diversity in hiring: Campus recruitment allows companies to enhance diversity in their workforce. Students from different academic backgrounds, cultures, and regions bring a variety of perspectives and ideas to the company.
  • Early identification of talent: By engaging with students before they graduate, companies can identify and secure talented individuals early in their career search, often leading to long-term employment and loyalty.

Why campus hiring in India is a great bet

President Obama certainly thought so with his Pathways Program.

Where else can you find a huge and assured pool of enthusiastic potential hires who have undergone rigorous and top quality academic programs? Although most on-campus programs of top companies target only Tier-1 colleges, campus hiring is largely non-discriminatory. (The world be a much happier place if people understood that prestige doesn’t necessarily mean quality. Wonder how they plan to achieve diversity goals?)

Think of the time and money you save by going to campuses and comparing students of a great caliber to pick only the best. (Check out this ROI calculator when you hire better performers.) And, it is quite likely they are up-to-date with what’s happening in their field; they can get into the swing of things easily enough.

“We like their energy, passion, willingness to roll up their sleeves, desire to find an answer when a solution doesn’t exist, ability to dive deep into (a) specific issue and not just stay at a superficial level, and their ability to look at a problem differently, thereby finding a solution that is good for our customers,” says Amazon’s Asia-Pacific HR Head, Raj Raghavan about hiring young talent.

Benefits of campus hiring strategy?

Obviously, conventional methods, such as career fairs, are fast losing their usefulness. Better strategies to improve campus hiring include
  • Connecting early with aspiring young minds
  • Building an online personality that can’t be faulted
  • Re-designing time-worn pre-placement presentations
  • Infusing creativity into existing hiring practices and performance-based exercises
  • Using a smart sourcing/screening/interviewing approach through online tools*
*Online assessment tools, such as those for psychometric or skill testing, score over pen and paper based tests in terms of time, speed, validity, authenticity, and intrinsic motivation.

(For more ideas, check 5 strategies for campus recruitment)

The amazing turnaround time and lack of prejudice are USPs of automated evaluation tools. As the first level for filtering candidates, for example for a tech-related role, use customized coding tests or hackathons to identify exceptional talent. Most automated tools, such as Recruit and Codility platforms, come with a plagiarism detector, window proctoring, curated question library, and webcam monitoring.

Hire for the long term

As Marsha Forde, Workopolis HR Director, says, “More and more companies are realizing the necessity for a solid campus recruitment strategy.” Apart from getting a leg up on changing demographics, campus recruiting allows you to engage with emerging talent, right on their own turf. This can be invaluable to your company’s future, providing key intel for recruiting and marketing initiatives, among others.”

Efficient campus hiring practices do not revolve around branding or sourcing or dedicated recruitment teams. It isn’t about swag. It is about being an Equal Opportunity Employer who values great talent and rewards it no matter where it comes from.

Be the smartest brand on campus. Try HackerEarth Recruit for campus hiring.


PS: For more such insights on tech recruitment, we invite you to join our LinkedIn group - "Yours Truly HR"

Minimax Algorithm with Alpha-beta pruning

It is the best choice so far for the player MAX. We want to get the highest possible value here.
Beta: It is the best choice so far for MIN, and it has to be the lowest possible value.

Note: Each node has to keep track of its alpha and beta values. Alpha can be updated only when it’s MAX’s turn and, similarly, beta can be updated only when it’s MIN’s chance.

How does alpha-beta pruning work?

  1. Initialize alpha = -infinity and beta = infinity as the worst possible cases. The condition to prune a node is when alpha becomes greater than or equal to beta.alpha beta pruning
  2. Start with assigning the initial values of alpha and beta to root and since alpha is less than beta we don’t prune it.
  3. Carry these values of alpha and beta to the child node on the left. And now from the utility value of the terminal state, we will update the values of alpha and be, so we don’t have to update the value of beta. Again, we don’t prune because the condition remains the same. Similarly, the third child node also. And then backtracking to the root we set alpha=3 because that is the minimum value that alpha can have.
  4. Now, alpha=3 and beta=infinity at the root. So, we don’t prune. Carrying this to the center node, and calculating MIN{2, infinity}, we get alpha=3 and beta=2.
  5. Prune the second and third child nodes because alpha is now greater than beta.
  6. Alpha at the root remains 3 because it is greater than 2. Carrying this to the rightmost child node, evaluate MIN{infinity,2}=2. Update beta to 2 and alpha remains 3.
  7. Prune the second and third child nodes because alpha is now greater than beta.
  8. Hence, we get 3, 2, 2 at the left, center, and right MIN nodes, respectively. And calculating MAX{3,2,2}, we get 3. Therefore, without even looking at four leaves we could correctly find the minimax decision.
Pseudocode (Source: NPTEL Course):
evaluate (node, alpha, beta)

     if node is a leaf

        return the utility value of node

     if node is a minimizing node

        for each child of node

            beta = min (beta, evaluate (child, alpha, beta))

            if beta <= alpha

                return beta

            return beta

     if node is a maximizing node

        for each child of node

            alpha = max (alpha, evaluate (child, alpha, beta))

            if beta <= alpha

                return alpha

            return alpha

Conclusion

Games are very appealing and writing game-playing programs is perhaps even more exciting. What Grand Prix racing is to the car industry, game playing is to AI.Just as we would not expect a racing car to run perfectly on a bumpy road, we should not expect game playing algorithms to be perfect for every situation.So is the minimax algorithm. It may not be the best solution to all kinds of computer games that need to have AI.But given a good implementation, it can create a tough competitor.

6 AI-based apps making smartphones smarter

Kids from the 80’s and 90’s would recall that there were

  1. Floppies for data storage with a capacity varying from 90 KB to 240 MB
  2. Walkman and cassettes for listening to music
  3. Camera films thatneeded several days to be developed just to discover that most of the pictures were not good

All of these have been replaced by a single device. Yes, you guessed it right. Smartphones! We now have phones witha memory of 128GB (=128000 MB). There are 41 MP cameras in smartphones (Nokia Lumia 1020) where we can instantly get to know the quality of the picture. Smartphones have been referred to as the most popular innovation in the field of technology over the last decade. With apps like Whatsapp, we have almost forgotten SMS text messages and MSN messenger.

Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine life without smartphones. But how can we make the smartphones smarter? Artificial Intelligence is the answer. There is nothing to fear because it is already there on phones.AI is no longer only apart of movies as fictional characters, it is ubiquitous now. We are leveraging it through smartphones and mobile apps.

The impact that artificial intelligence has in our everyday lives is similar to that of smartphones. The need to reduce human error has led to the rise of artificial intelligence. AI means to develop systems that exceed or at least equal human intelligence.To know more about AI, you can refer toArtificial Intelligence 101: How to Get Started.

Here we have listed 6 apps that make your life simpler and your phones smarter. This will surelygive you some ideas for building your own solution for IndiaHacks 2017.

India Hacks 2017-Artificial Intelligence

Allo

Allo is an AI-centric messaging app developed by Google. It was launched on September 21, 2016, and is available for both Android and iOS. At first glance,you’ll feel that it is very similar to many other messaging apps out there. Be it sign up with thephone number, one-on-one or group chats, voice messages, themed stickers, or images with adoodle, it is pretty much what any messaging app offers.

What is new in Allo? Allo hints atGoogle’s vision of an AI-filled future. Allo showcases its smartness through a feature called Smart Replies. The app suggests words or phrases throughout a conversation.

What’s even more exciting is its image recognition feature. It is able to suggest replies not only based on the text but also the images shared within the conversation. But this is just a beginning of what Allo has to offer.

Google Assistant is an AI-based chatbot. You can interact with itin two ways:

  1. Direct chat: Assistant appears along with other conversations in the app.
  2. Within a chat: It can be called while chatting with friends with a message that starts with @Google.

In both cases, it can be used for quick Google searches, translations, directions, conversions, and advanced features such asimage recognition.

Socratic

Every kid wishes that somebody could tell the answers to all the homework questions. There you go! Socratic is an app that says “Homework in a Snap.”

Socratic is a free app available on iOS for Apple devices. It is a tutor app that can give answers to math homework problems and also explain how to solve it just by taking a picture of the problem. Not only math, it currently provides help in 23 different subjects, including Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, Physics, English grammar, Calculus, History, and Psychology.

It uses AI to analyze the information required and then returns explanations along with videos to give step-by-step help.

The company explains that “Socratic’s AI combines cutting-edge computer vision technologies, which read questions from images, with machine learning classifiers built using millions of sample homework questions, to accurately predict which concepts will help you solve your question.”

Microsoft Pix

Microsoft Pix is a smartphone app that helps click better photographs automatically without extra effort. Its tagline is “Point. Shoot. Perfect.” It is only available for devices running on iOS 9 or newer such as iPhone 5s and newer, iPad Air & Air 2, and iPad Mini 2, 3, 4.

Some of its features include

  1. Smart Settings: It automatically checks the lighting and scene between each shutter tap and updates settings in between shots.
  2. Live Image: It creates a short looping video by joining together the frames from the burst into a live image. But it happens only when some motion is sensed in the shot so that it doesn’t waste the phone’s memory.
  3. Face recognition: It optimizes capture settings automatically when a face is detected in the shot to help people look their best.

Microsoft Pix captures 10 frames with each shutter click and uses AI to pick up to three best and unique shots.

The Roll

The Roll is an app released by EyeEm, a German startup. It is an intelligent camera roll that helps in finding the bestshots by assigning scores. It uses image recognition technology which helps groupthe photos based on their content and highlights the best ones.

Photos get automatically tagged and are displayed in groups according to these categories. It helps in searching and sharing without any confusion.

Thescoring technology uses the EyeEm Vision algorithm whichcombines the artistic principles in photography with cutting-edge deep learning technology. EyeEm Vision usesmillions of assisted photos to learn and replicate the choices of professionals and applies scores to photos from 0 to 100.

The Roll is current an iOS-only app but is anticipated to come to Android phones soon. It is an app that gives a critique in terms of the score and helps you become a better photographer.

EasilyDo

EasilyDo is an app whichhelps youmanage calendar, contacts, and to-do lists. The tagline is “Easily Do: Your Smart Assistant. Never Miss Anything.” It tries to do some jobs that a real-life assistant would do by offering an artificial intelligence-based organization.

It directly connects to email services such as Gmail and Exchange and to many other services and apps such as LinkedIn, Evernote, and Facebook.

Some of its features are

  1. It sends cards in the feed with any photos of you tagged on Instagram from the last 24 hours. Any of the photos can beliked or shared from the gallery view.
  2. All the email attachments received within the past 7 days arecollected and placed in a card in the feed which helps you searchfor an attachment required for quick reference.
  3. It automatically creates a digital boarding pass from an online check-in confirmation email in the EasilyDo feed.

Apart from these features, there are more such asFacebook birthday reminders and track packages. It helps complete the action for any actionable email.

EasilyDo is available on both Android and iOS. Most of the features are free, but the access to the full range starts at around $5 permonth.

ELSA

ELSA stands for English Language Speech Assistant, and it is a mobile app whichuses AI to help people improve their pronunciation. Itis the first and the world’s smartest AI pronunciation tutor. This app was co-founded byVu Van and Xavier Anguera. Vu Van herself suffered with pronunciation issues while she was studying at Stanford.

Different curriculum options can be accessed based on interests, such as professional or travel settings. Users arethen lead through a series of vocabulary phrases and words, and ELSA’salgorithms analyze their speech. In case, ELSAdetects a mispronunciation, it tells the user the correct pronunciation and also teaches the user how to move the tongue and lips to form the word correctly.

It is available on Android as well as iOS and is absolutely free. It won the award at SXSWEdu Launch 2016, the world’s largest startup competition.

This is not an exhaustive list of apps that have used Artificial Intelligence to make life simpler. There are many more AI-based apps out there.

Hope you could find yoursource of inspiration for thesolution you want to build for IndiaHacks 2017.

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7 Tech Recruiting Trends To Watch Out For In 2024

The last couple of years transformed how the world works and the tech industry is no exception. Remote work, a candidate-driven market, and automation are some of the tech recruiting trends born out of the pandemic.

While accepting the new reality and adapting to it is the first step, keeping up with continuously changing hiring trends in technology is the bigger challenge right now.

What does 2024 hold for recruiters across the globe? What hiring practices would work best in this post-pandemic world? How do you stay on top of the changes in this industry?

The answers to these questions will paint a clearer picture of how to set up for success while recruiting tech talent this year.

7 tech recruiting trends for 2024

6 Tech Recruiting Trends To Watch Out For In 2022

Recruiters, we’ve got you covered. Here are the tech recruiting trends that will change the way you build tech teams in 2024.

Trend #1—Leverage data-driven recruiting

Data-driven recruiting strategies are the answer to effective talent sourcing and a streamlined hiring process.

Talent acquisition leaders need to use real-time analytics like pipeline growth metrics, offer acceptance rates, quality and cost of new hires, and candidate feedback scores to reduce manual work, improve processes, and hire the best talent.

The key to capitalizing on talent market trends in 2024 is data. It enables you to analyze what’s working and what needs refinement, leaving room for experimentation.

Trend #2—Have impactful employer branding

98% of recruiters believe promoting company culture helps sourcing efforts as seen in our 2021 State Of Developer Recruitment report.

Having a strong employer brand that supports a clear Employer Value Proposition (EVP) is crucial to influencing a candidate’s decision to work with your company. Perks like upskilling opportunities, remote work, and flexible hours are top EVPs that attract qualified candidates.

A clear EVP builds a culture of balance, mental health awareness, and flexibility—strengthening your employer brand with candidate-first policies.

Trend #3—Focus on candidate-driven market

The pandemic drastically increased the skills gap, making tech recruitment more challenging. With the severe shortage of tech talent, candidates now hold more power and can afford to be selective.

Competitive pay is no longer enough. Use data to understand what candidates want—work-life balance, remote options, learning opportunities—and adapt accordingly.

Recruiters need to think creatively to attract and retain top talent.

Recommended read: What NOT To Do When Recruiting Fresh Talent

Trend #4—Have a diversity and inclusion oriented company culture

Diversity and inclusion have become central to modern recruitment. While urgent hiring can delay D&I efforts, long-term success depends on inclusive teams. Our survey shows that 25.6% of HR professionals believe a diverse leadership team helps build stronger pipelines and reduces bias.

McKinsey’s Diversity Wins report confirms this: top-quartile gender-diverse companies see 25% higher profitability, and ethnically diverse teams show 36% higher returns.

It's refreshing to see the importance of an inclusive culture increasing across all job-seeking communities, especially in tech. This reiterates that D&I is a must-have, not just a good-to-have.

—Swetha Harikrishnan, Sr. HR Director, HackerEarth

Recommended read: Diversity And Inclusion in 2022 - 5 Essential Rules To Follow

Trend #5—Embed automation and AI into your recruitment systems

With the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT, automation is being adopted across every business function—including recruiting.

Manual communication with large candidate pools is inefficient. In 2024, recruitment automation and AI-powered platforms will automate candidate nurturing and communication, providing a more personalized experience while saving time.

Trend #6—Conduct remote interviews

With 32.5% of companies planning to stay remote, remote interviewing is here to stay.

Remote interviews expand access to global talent, reduce overhead costs, and increase flexibility—making the hiring process more efficient for both recruiters and candidates.

Trend #7—Be proactive in candidate engagement

Delayed responses or lack of updates can frustrate candidates and impact your brand. Proactive communication and engagement with both active and passive candidates are key to successful recruiting.

As recruitment evolves, proactive candidate engagement will become central to attracting and retaining talent. In 2023 and beyond, companies must engage both active and passive candidates through innovative strategies and technologies like chatbots and AI-powered systems. Building pipelines and nurturing relationships will enhance employer branding and ensure long-term hiring success.

—Narayani Gurunathan, CEO, PlaceNet Consultants

Recruiting Tech Talent Just Got Easier With HackerEarth

Recruiting qualified tech talent is tough—but we’re here to help. HackerEarth for Enterprises offers an all-in-one suite that simplifies sourcing, assessing, and interviewing developers.

Our tech recruiting platform enables you to:

  • Tap into a 6 million-strong developer community
  • Host custom hackathons to engage talent and boost your employer brand
  • Create online assessments to evaluate 80+ tech skills
  • Use dev-friendly IDEs and proctoring for reliable evaluations
  • Benchmark candidates against a global community
  • Conduct live coding interviews with FaceCode, our collaborative coding interview tool
  • Guide upskilling journeys via our Learning and Development platform
  • Integrate seamlessly with all leading ATS systems
  • Access 24/7 support with a 95% satisfaction score

Recommended read: The A-Zs Of Tech Recruiting - A Guide

Staying ahead of tech recruiting trends, improving hiring processes, and adapting to change is the way forward in 2024. Take note of the tips in this article and use them to build a future-ready hiring strategy.

Ready to streamline your tech recruiting? Try HackerEarth for Enterprises today.

(Part 2) Essential Questions To Ask When Interviewing Developers In 2021

The first part of this blog stresses the importance of asking the right technical interview questions to assess a candidate’s coding skills. But that alone is not enough. If you want to hire the crème de la crème of the developer talent out there, you have to look for a well-rounded candidate.

Honest communication, empathy, and passion for their work are equally important as a candidate’s technical knowledge. Soft skills are like the cherry on top. They set the best of the candidates apart from the rest.

Re-examine how you are vetting your candidates. Identify the gaps in your interviews. Once you start addressing these gaps, you find developers who have the potential to be great. And those are exactly the kind of people that you want to work with!

Let’s get to it, shall we?

Hire great developers

What constitutes a good interview question?

An ideal interview should reveal a candidate’s personality along with their technical knowledge. To formulate a comprehensive list of questions, keep in mind three important characteristics.

  • Questions are open-ended – questions like, “What are some of the programming languages you’re comfortable with,” instead of “Do you know this particular programming language” makes the candidate feel like they’re in control. It is also a chance to let them reply to your question in their own words.
  • They address the behavioral aspects of a candidate – ensure you have a few questions on your list that allow a candidate to describe a situation. A situation where a client was unhappy or a time when the developer learned a new technology. Such questions help you assess if the candidate is a good fit for the team.
  • There is no right or wrong answer – it is important to have a structured interview process in place. But this does not mean you have a list of standard answers in mind that you’re looking for. How candidates approach your questions shows you whether they have the makings of a successful candidate. Focus on that rather than on the actual answer itself.

Designing a conversation around these buckets of interview questions brings you to my next question, “What should you look for in each candidate to spot the best ones?”

Hire GREAT developers by asking the right questions

Before we dive deep into the interview questions, we have to think about a few things that have changed. COVID-19 has rendered working from home the new normal for the foreseeable future. As a recruiter, the onus falls upon you to understand whether the developer is comfortable working remotely and has the relevant resources to achieve maximum productivity.

#1 How do you plan your day?

Remote work gives employees the option to be flexible. You don’t have to clock in 9 hours a day as long as you get everything done on time. A developer who hasn’t always been working remotely, but has a routine in place, understands the pitfalls of working from home. It is easy to get distracted and having a schedule to fall back on ensures good productivity.

#2 Do you have experience using tools for collaboration and remote work?

Working from home reduces human interaction heavily. There is no way to just go up to your teammate’s desk and clarify issues. Virtual communication is key to getting work done. Look for what kind of remote working tools your candidate is familiar with and if they know what collaborative tools to use for different tasks.

Value-based interview questions to ask

We went around and spoke to our engineering team, and the recruiting team to see what questions they abide by; what they think makes any candidate tick.

The result? – a motley group of questions that aim to reveal the candidate’s soft skills, in addition to typical technical interview questions and test tasks.

Recommended read: How Recruiting The Right Tech Talent Can Solve Tech Debt

#3 Please describe three recent projects that you worked on. What were the most interesting and challenging parts?

This is an all-encompassing question in that it lets the candidate explain at length about their work ethic—thought process, handling QA, working with a team, and managing user feedback. This also lets you dig enough to assess whether the candidate is taking credit for someone else's work or not.

#4 You’ve worked long and hard to deliver a complex feature for a client and they say it’s not what they asked for. How would you take it?

A good developer will take it in their stride, work closely with the client to find the point of disconnect, and sort out the issue. There are so many things that could go wrong or not be to the client’s liking, and it falls on the developer to remain calm and create solutions.

#5 What new programming languages or technologies have you learned recently?

While being certified in many programming languages doesn't guarantee a great developer, it still is an important technical interview question to ask. It helps highlight a thirst for knowledge and shows that the developer is eager to learn new things.

#6 What does the perfect release look like? Who is involved and what is your role?

Have the developer take you through each phase of a recent software development lifecycle. Ask them to explain their specific role in each phase in this release. This will give you an excellent perspective into a developer’s mind. Do they talk about the before and after of the release? A skilled developer would. The chances of something going wrong in a release are very high. How would the developer react? Will they be able to handle the pressure?

SUBSCRIBE to the HackerEarth blog and enrich your monthly reading with our free e-newsletter – Fresh, insightful and awesome articles straight into your inbox from around the tech recruiting world!

#7 Tell me about a time when you had to convince your lead to try a different approach?

As an example of a behavioral interview question, this is a good one. The way a developer approaches this question speaks volumes about how confident they are expressing their views, and how succinct they are in articulating those views.

#8 What have you done with all the extra hours during the pandemic?

Did you binge-watch your way through the pandemic? I’m sure every one of us has done this. Indulge in a lighthearted conversation with your candidate. This lets them talk about something they are comfortable with. Maybe they learned a new skill or took up a hobby. Get to know a candidate’s interests and little pleasures for a more rounded evaluation.

Over to you! Now that you know what aspects of a candidate to focus on, you are well-equipped to bring out the best in each candidate in their interviews. A mix of strong technical skills and interpersonal qualities is how you spot good developers for your team.

If you have more pressing interview questions to add to this list of ours, please write to us at contact@hackerearth.com.

(Part 1) Essential Questions To Ask When Recruiting Developers In 2021

The minute a developer position opens up, recruiters feel a familiar twinge of fear run down their spines. They recall their previous interview experiences, and how there seems to be a blog post a month that goes viral about bad developer interviews.

While hiring managers, especially the picky ones, would attribute this to a shortage of talented developers, what if the time has come to rethink your interview process? What if recruiters and hiring managers put too much stock into bringing out the technical aspects of each candidate and don’t put enough emphasis on their soft skills?

A report by Robert Half shows that 86% of technology leaders say it’s challenging to find IT talent. Interviewing developers should be a rewarding experience, not a challenging one. If you don’t get caught up in asking specific questions and instead design a simple conversation to gauge a candidate’s way of thinking, it throws up a lot of good insight and makes it fun too.

Developer Hiring Statistics

Asking the right technical interview questions when recruiting developers is important but so is clear communication, good work ethic, and alignment with your organization’s goals.

Let us first see what kind of technical interview questions are well-suited to revealing the coding skills and knowledge of any developer, and then tackle the behavioral aspects of the candidate that sets them apart from the rest.

Recruit GREAT developers by asking the right questions

Here are some technical interview questions that you should ask potential software engineers when interviewing.

#1 Write an algorithm for the following

  1. Minimum Stack - Design a stack that provides 4 functions - push(item), pop, peek, and minimum, all in constant order time complexity. Then move on to coding the actual solution.
  2. Kth Largest Element in an array - This is a standard problem with multiple solutions of best time complexity orders where N log(K) is a common one and O(N) + K log(N) is a lesser-known order. Both solutions are acceptable, not directly comparable to each other, and better than N log(N), which is sorting an array and fetching the Kth element.
  3. Top View of a Binary Tree - Given a root node of the binary tree, return the set of all elements that will get wet if it rains on the tree. Nodes having any nodes directly above them will not get wet.
  4. Internal implementation of a hashtable like a map/dictionary - A candidate needs to specify how key-value pairs are stored, hashing is used and collisions are handled. A good developer not only knows how to use this concept but also how it works. If the developer also knows how the data structure scales when the number of records increases in the hashtable, that is a bonus.

Algorithms demonstrate a candidate’s ability to break down a complex problem into steps. Reasoning and pattern recognition capabilities are some more factors to look for when assessing a candidate. A good candidate can code his thought process of the algorithm finalized during the discussion.

Looking for a great place to hire developers in the US? Try Jooble!

#2 Formulate solutions for the below low-level design (LLD) questions

  • What is LLD? In your own words, specify the different aspects covered in LLD.
  • Design a movie ticket booking application like BookMyShow. Ensure that your database schema is tailored for a theatre with multiple screens and takes care of booking, seat availability, seat arrangement, and seat locking. Your solution does not have to extend to the payment option.
  • Design a basic social media application. Design database schema and APIs for a platform like Twitter with features for following a user, tweeting a post, seeing your tweet, and seeing a user's tweet.

Such questions do not have a right or wrong answer. They primarily serve to reveal a developer’s thought process and the way they approach a problem.

Recommended read: Hardest Tech Roles to Fill (+ solutions!)

#3 Some high-level design (HLD) questions

  • What do you understand by HLD? Can you specify the difference between LLD and HLD?
  • Design a social media application. In addition to designing a platform like Twitter with features for following a user, tweeting a post, seeing your tweet, and seeing a user's tweet, design a timeline. After designing a timeline where you can see your followers’ tweets, scale it for a larger audience. If you still have time, try to scale it for a celebrity use case.
  • Design for a train ticket booking application like IRCTC. Incorporate auth, features to choose start and end stations, view available trains and available seats between two stations, save reservation of seats from start to end stations, and lock them till payment confirmation.
  • How will you design a basic relational database? The database should support tables, columns, basic field types like integer and text, foreign keys, and indexes. The way a developer approaches this question is important. A good developer designs a solution around storage and memory management.
Here’s a pro-tip for you. LLD questions can be answered by both beginners and experienced developers. Mostly, senior developers can be expected to answer HLD questions. Choose your interview questions set wisely, and ask questions relevant to your candidate’s experience.

#4 Have you ever worked with SQL? Write queries for a specific use case that requires multiple joins.

Example: Create a table with separate columns for student name, subject, and marks scored. Return student names and ranks of each student. The rank of a student depends on the total of marks in all subjects.

Not all developers would have experience working with SQL but some knowledge about how data is stored/structured is useful. Developers should be familiar with simple concepts like joins, retrieval queries, and the basics of DBMS.

#5 What do you think is wrong with this code?

Instead of asking developer candidates to write code on a piece of paper (which is outdated, anyway), ask them to debug existing code. This is another way to assess their technical skills. Place surreptitious errors in the code and evaluate their attention to detail.

Now that you know exactly what technical skills to look for and when questions to ask when interviewing developers, the time has come to assess the soft skills of these candidates. Part 2 of this blog throws light on the how and why of evaluating candidates based on their communication skills, work ethic, and alignment with the company’s goals.

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Best Pre-Employment Assessments: Optimizing Your Hiring Process for 2024

In today's competitive talent market, attracting and retaining top performers is crucial for any organization's success. However, traditional hiring methods like relying solely on resumes and interviews may not always provide a comprehensive picture of a candidate's skills and potential. This is where pre-employment assessments come into play.

What is Pre-Employement Assessment?

Pre-employment assessments are standardized tests and evaluations administered to candidates before they are hired. These assessments can help you objectively measure a candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and personality traits, allowing you to make data-driven hiring decisions.

By exploring and evaluating the best pre-employment assessment tools and tests available, you can:

  • Improve the accuracy and efficiency of your hiring process.
  • Identify top talent with the right skills and cultural fit.
  • Reduce the risk of bad hires.
  • Enhance the candidate experience by providing a clear and objective evaluation process.

This guide will provide you with valuable insights into the different types of pre-employment assessments available and highlight some of the best tools, to help you optimize your hiring process for 2024.

Why pre-employment assessments are key in hiring

While resumes and interviews offer valuable insights, they can be subjective and susceptible to bias. Pre-employment assessments provide a standardized and objective way to evaluate candidates, offering several key benefits:

  • Improved decision-making:

    By measuring specific skills and knowledge, assessments help you identify candidates who possess the qualifications necessary for the job.

  • Reduced bias:

    Standardized assessments mitigate the risks of unconscious bias that can creep into traditional interview processes.

  • Increased efficiency:

    Assessments can streamline the initial screening process, allowing you to focus on the most promising candidates.

  • Enhanced candidate experience:

    When used effectively, assessments can provide candidates with a clear understanding of the required skills and a fair chance to showcase their abilities.

Types of pre-employment assessments

There are various types of pre-employment assessments available, each catering to different needs and objectives. Here's an overview of some common types:

1. Skill Assessments:

  • Technical Skills: These assessments evaluate specific technical skills and knowledge relevant to the job role, such as programming languages, software proficiency, or industry-specific expertise. HackerEarth offers a wide range of validated technical skill assessments covering various programming languages, frameworks, and technologies.
  • Soft Skills: These employment assessments measure non-technical skills like communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and critical thinking, crucial for success in any role.

2. Personality Assessments:

These employment assessments can provide insights into a candidate's personality traits, work style, and cultural fit within your organization.

3. Cognitive Ability Tests:

These tests measure a candidate's general mental abilities, such as reasoning, problem-solving, and learning potential.

4. Integrity Assessments:

These employment assessments aim to identify potential risks associated with a candidate's honesty, work ethic, and compliance with company policies.

By understanding the different types of assessments and their applications, you can choose the ones that best align with your specific hiring needs and ensure you hire the most qualified and suitable candidates for your organization.

Leading employment assessment tools and tests in 2024

Choosing the right pre-employment assessment tool depends on your specific needs and budget. Here's a curated list of some of the top pre-employment assessment tools and tests available in 2024, with brief overviews:

  • HackerEarth:

    A comprehensive platform offering a wide range of validated skill assessments in various programming languages, frameworks, and technologies. It also allows for the creation of custom assessments and integrates seamlessly with various recruitment platforms.

  • SHL:

    Provides a broad selection of assessments, including skill tests, personality assessments, and cognitive ability tests. They offer customizable solutions and cater to various industries.

  • Pymetrics:

    Utilizes gamified assessments to evaluate cognitive skills, personality traits, and cultural fit. They offer a data-driven approach and emphasize candidate experience.

  • Wonderlic:

    Offers a variety of assessments, including the Wonderlic Personnel Test, which measures general cognitive ability. They also provide aptitude and personality assessments.

  • Harver:

    An assessment platform focusing on candidate experience with video interviews, gamified assessments, and skills tests. They offer pre-built assessments and customization options.

Remember: This list is not exhaustive, and further research is crucial to identify the tool that aligns best with your specific needs and budget. Consider factors like the types of assessments offered, pricing models, integrations with your existing HR systems, and user experience when making your decision.

Choosing the right pre-employment assessment tool

Instead of full individual tool reviews, consider focusing on 2–3 key platforms. For each platform, explore:

  • Target audience: Who are their assessments best suited for (e.g., technical roles, specific industries)?
  • Types of assessments offered: Briefly list the available assessment categories (e.g., technical skills, soft skills, personality).
  • Key features: Highlight unique functionalities like gamification, custom assessment creation, or seamless integrations.
  • Effectiveness: Briefly mention the platform's approach to assessment validation and reliability.
  • User experience: Consider including user reviews or ratings where available.

Comparative analysis of assessment options

Instead of a comprehensive comparison, consider focusing on specific use cases:

  • Technical skills assessment:

    Compare HackerEarth and Wonderlic based on their technical skill assessment options, focusing on the variety of languages/technologies covered and assessment formats.

  • Soft skills and personality assessment:

    Compare SHL and Pymetrics based on their approaches to evaluating soft skills and personality traits, highlighting any unique features like gamification or data-driven insights.

  • Candidate experience:

    Compare Harver and Wonderlic based on their focus on candidate experience, mentioning features like video interviews or gamified assessments.

Additional tips:

  • Encourage readers to visit the platforms' official websites for detailed features and pricing information.
  • Include links to reputable third-party review sites where users share their experiences with various tools.

Best practices for using pre-employment assessment tools

Integrating pre-employment assessments effectively requires careful planning and execution. Here are some best practices to follow:

  • Define your assessment goals:

    Clearly identify what you aim to achieve with assessments. Are you targeting specific skills, personality traits, or cultural fit?

  • Choose the right assessments:

    Select tools that align with your defined goals and the specific requirements of the open position.

  • Set clear expectations:

    Communicate the purpose and format of the assessments to candidates in advance, ensuring transparency and building trust.

  • Integrate seamlessly:

    Ensure your chosen assessment tool integrates smoothly with your existing HR systems and recruitment workflow.

  • Train your team:

    Equip your hiring managers and HR team with the knowledge and skills to interpret assessment results effectively.

Interpreting assessment results accurately

Assessment results offer valuable data points, but interpreting them accurately is crucial for making informed hiring decisions. Here are some key considerations:

  • Use results as one data point:

    Consider assessment results alongside other information, such as resumes, interviews, and references, for a holistic view of the candidate.

  • Understand score limitations:

    Don't solely rely on raw scores. Understand the assessment's validity and reliability and the potential for cultural bias or individual test anxiety.

  • Look for patterns and trends:

    Analyze results across different assessments and identify consistent patterns that align with your desired candidate profile.

  • Focus on potential, not guarantees:

    Assessments indicate potential, not guarantees of success. Use them alongside other evaluation methods to make well-rounded hiring decisions.

Choosing the right pre-employment assessment tools

Selecting the most suitable pre-employment assessment tool requires careful consideration of your organization's specific needs. Here are some key factors to guide your decision:

  • Industry and role requirements:

    Different industries and roles demand varying skill sets and qualities. Choose assessments that target the specific skills and knowledge relevant to your open positions.

  • Company culture and values:

    Align your assessments with your company culture and values. For example, if collaboration is crucial, look for assessments that evaluate teamwork and communication skills.

  • Candidate experience:

    Prioritize tools that provide a positive and smooth experience for candidates. This can enhance your employer brand and attract top talent.

Budget and accessibility considerations

Budget and accessibility are essential factors when choosing pre-employment assessments:

  • Budget:

    Assessment tools come with varying pricing models (subscriptions, pay-per-use, etc.). Choose a tool that aligns with your budget and offers the functionalities you need.

  • Accessibility:

    Ensure the chosen assessment is accessible to all candidates, considering factors like language options, disability accommodations, and internet access requirements.

Additional Tips:

  • Free trials and demos: Utilize free trials or demos offered by assessment platforms to experience their functionalities firsthand.
  • Consult with HR professionals: Seek guidance from HR professionals or recruitment specialists with expertise in pre-employment assessments.
  • Read user reviews and comparisons: Gain insights from other employers who use various assessment tools.

By carefully considering these factors, you can select the pre-employment assessment tool that best aligns with your organizational needs, budget, and commitment to an inclusive hiring process.

Remember, pre-employment assessments are valuable tools, but they should not be the sole factor in your hiring decisions. Use them alongside other evaluation methods and prioritize building a fair and inclusive hiring process that attracts and retains top talent.

Future trends in pre-employment assessments

The pre-employment assessment landscape is constantly evolving, with innovative technologies and practices emerging. Here are some potential future trends to watch:

  • Artificial intelligence (AI):

    AI-powered assessments can analyze candidate responses, written work, and even resumes, using natural language processing to extract relevant insights and identify potential candidates.

  • Adaptive testing:

    These assessments adjust the difficulty level of questions based on the candidate's performance, providing a more efficient and personalized evaluation.

  • Micro-assessments:

    Short, focused assessments delivered through mobile devices can assess specific skills or knowledge on-the-go, streamlining the screening process.

  • Gamification:

    Engaging and interactive game-based elements can make the assessment experience more engaging and assess skills in a realistic and dynamic way.

Conclusion

Pre-employment assessments, when used thoughtfully and ethically, can be a powerful tool to optimize your hiring process, identify top talent, and build a successful workforce for your organization. By understanding the different types of assessments available, exploring top-rated tools like HackerEarth, and staying informed about emerging trends, you can make informed decisions that enhance your ability to attract, evaluate, and hire the best candidates for the future.

Tech Layoffs: What To Expect In 2024

Layoffs in the IT industry are becoming more widespread as companies fight to remain competitive in a fast-changing market; many turn to layoffs as a cost-cutting measure. Last year, 1,000 companies including big tech giants and startups, laid off over two lakhs of employees. But first, what are layoffs in the tech business, and how do they impact the industry?

Tech layoffs are the termination of employment for some employees by a technology company. It might happen for various reasons, including financial challenges, market conditions, firm reorganization, or the after-effects of a pandemic. While layoffs are not unique to the IT industry, they are becoming more common as companies look for methods to cut costs while remaining competitive.

The consequences of layoffs in technology may be catastrophic for employees who lose their jobs and the firms forced to make these difficult decisions. Layoffs can result in the loss of skill and expertise and a drop in employee morale and productivity. However, they may be required for businesses to stay afloat in a fast-changing market.

This article will examine the reasons for layoffs in the technology industry, their influence on the industry, and what may be done to reduce their negative impacts. We will also look at the various methods for tracking tech layoffs.

What are tech layoffs?

The term "tech layoff" describes the termination of employees by an organization in the technology industry. A company might do this as part of a restructuring during hard economic times.

In recent times, the tech industry has witnessed a wave of significant layoffs, affecting some of the world’s leading technology companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, Meta (formerly Facebook), Apple, Cisco, SAP, and Sony. These layoffs are a reflection of the broader economic challenges and market adjustments facing the sector, including factors like slowing revenue growth, global economic uncertainties, and the need to streamline operations for efficiency.

Each of these tech giants has announced job cuts for various reasons, though common themes include restructuring efforts to stay competitive and agile, responding to over-hiring during the pandemic when demand for tech services surged, and preparing for a potentially tough economic climate ahead. Despite their dominant positions in the market, these companies are not immune to the economic cycles and technological shifts that influence operational and strategic decisions, including workforce adjustments.

This trend of layoffs in the tech industry underscores the volatile nature of the tech sector, which is often at the mercy of rapid changes in technology, consumer preferences, and the global economy. It also highlights the importance of adaptability and resilience for companies and employees alike in navigating the uncertainties of the tech landscape.

Causes for layoffs in the tech industry

Why are tech employees suffering so much?

Yes, the market is always uncertain, but why resort to tech layoffs?

Various factors cause tech layoffs, including company strategy changes, market shifts, or financial difficulties. Companies may lay off employees if they need help to generate revenue, shift their focus to new products or services, or automate certain jobs.

In addition, some common reasons could be:

Financial struggles

Currently, the state of the global market is uncertain due to economic recession, ongoing war, and other related phenomena. If a company is experiencing financial difficulties, only sticking to pay cuts may not be helpful—it may need to reduce its workforce to cut costs.

Also, read: 6 Steps To Create A Detailed Recruiting Budget (Template Included)

Changes in demand

The tech industry is constantly evolving, and companies would have to adjust their workforce to meet changing market conditions. For instance, companies are adopting remote work culture, which surely affects on-premises activity, and companies could do away with some number of tech employees at the backend.

Restructuring

Companies may also lay off employees as part of a greater restructuring effort, such as spinning off a division or consolidating operations.

Automation

With the advancement in technology and automation, some jobs previously done by human labor may be replaced by machines, resulting in layoffs.

Mergers and acquisitions

When two companies merge, there is often overlap in their operations, leading to layoffs as the new company looks to streamline its workforce.

But it's worth noting that layoffs are not exclusive to the tech industry and can happen in any industry due to uncertainty in the market.

Will layoffs increase in 2024?

It is challenging to estimate the rise or fall of layoffs. The overall state of the economy, the health of certain industries, and the performance of individual companies will play a role in deciding the degree of layoffs in any given year.

But it is also seen that, in the first 15 days of this year, 91 organizations laid off over 24,000 tech workers, and over 1,000 corporations cut down more than 150,000 workers in 2022, according to an Economic Times article.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a huge economic slowdown and forced several businesses to downsize their employees. However, some businesses rehired or expanded their personnel when the world began to recover.

So, given the current level of economic uncertainty, predicting how the situation will unfold is difficult.

Also, read: 4 Images That Show What Developers Think Of Layoffs In Tech

What types of companies are prone to tech layoffs?

2023 Round Up Of Layoffs In Big Tech

Tech layoffs can occur in organizations of all sizes and various areas.

Following are some examples of companies that have experienced tech layoffs in the past:

Large tech firms

Companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Twitter, Better.com, Alibaba, and HP have all experienced layoffs in recent years as part of restructuring initiatives or cost-cutting measures.

Market scenarios are still being determined after Elon Musk's decision to lay off employees. Along with tech giants, some smaller companies and startups have also been affected by layoffs.

Startups

Because they frequently work with limited resources, startups may be forced to lay off staff if they cannot get further funding or need to pivot due to market downfall.

Small and medium-sized businesses

Small and medium-sized businesses face layoffs due to high competition or if the products/services they offer are no longer in demand.

Companies in certain industries

Some sectors of the technological industry, such as the semiconductor industry or automotive industry, may be more prone to layoffs than others.

Companies that lean on government funding

Companies that rely significantly on government contracts may face layoffs if the government cuts technology spending or contracts are not renewed.

How to track tech layoffs?

You can’t stop tech company layoffs, but you should be keeping track of them. We, HR professionals and recruiters, can also lend a helping hand in these tough times by circulating “layoff lists” across social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter to help people land jobs quicker. Firefish Software put together a master list of sources to find fresh talent during the layoff period.

Because not all layoffs are publicly disclosed, tracking tech industry layoffs can be challenging, and some may go undetected. There are several ways to keep track of tech industry layoffs:

Use tech layoffs tracker

Layoff trackers like thelayoff.com and layoffs.fyi provide up-to-date information on layoffs.

In addition, they aid in identifying trends in layoffs within the tech industry. It can reveal which industries are seeing the most layoffs and which companies are the most affected.

Companies can use layoff trackers as an early warning system and compare their performance to that of other companies in their field.

News articles

Because many news sites cover tech layoffs as they happen, keeping a watch on technology sector stories can provide insight into which organizations are laying off employees and how many individuals have been affected.

Social media

Organizations and employees frequently publish information about layoffs in tech on social media platforms; thus, monitoring companies' social media accounts or following key hashtags can provide real-time updates regarding layoffs.

Online forums and communities

There are online forums and communities dedicated to discussing tech industry news, and they can be an excellent source of layoff information.

Government reports

Government agencies such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publish data on layoffs and unemployment, which can provide a more comprehensive picture of the technology industry's status.

How do companies reduce tech layoffs?

Layoffs in tech are hard – for the employee who is losing their job, the recruiter or HR professional who is tasked with informing them, and the company itself. So, how can we aim to avoid layoffs? Here are some ways to minimize resorting to letting people go:

Salary reductions

Instead of laying off employees, businesses can lower the salaries or wages of all employees. It can be accomplished by instituting compensation cuts or salary freezes.

Implementing a hiring freeze

Businesses can halt employing new personnel to cut costs. It can be a short-term solution until the company's financial situation improves.

Also, read: What Recruiters Can Focus On During A Tech Hiring Freeze

Non-essential expense reduction

Businesses might search for ways to cut or remove non-essential expenses such as travel, training, and office expenses.

Reducing working hours

Companies can reduce employee working hours to save money, such as implementing a four-day workweek or a shorter workday.

These options may not always be viable and may have their problems, but before laying off, a company owes it to its people to consider every other alternative, and formulate the best solution.

Tech layoffs to bleed into this year

While we do not know whether this trend will continue or subside during 2023, we do know one thing. We have to be prepared for a wave of layoffs that is still yet to hit. As of last month, Layoffs.fyi had already tracked 170+ companies conducting 55,970 layoffs in 2023.

So recruiters, let’s join arms, distribute those layoff lists like there’s no tomorrow, and help all those in need of a job! :)

What is Headhunting In Recruitment?: Types &amp; How Does It Work?

In today’s fast-paced world, recruiting talent has become increasingly complicated. Technological advancements, high workforce expectations and a highly competitive market have pushed recruitment agencies to adopt innovative strategies for recruiting various types of talent. This article aims to explore one such recruitment strategy – headhunting.

What is Headhunting in recruitment?

In headhunting, companies or recruitment agencies identify, engage and hire highly skilled professionals to fill top positions in the respective companies. It is different from the traditional process in which candidates looking for job opportunities approach companies or recruitment agencies. In headhunting, executive headhunters, as recruiters are referred to, approach prospective candidates with the hiring company’s requirements and wait for them to respond. Executive headhunters generally look for passive candidates, those who work at crucial positions and are not on the lookout for new work opportunities. Besides, executive headhunters focus on filling critical, senior-level positions indispensable to companies. Depending on the nature of the operation, headhunting has three types. They are described later in this article. Before we move on to understand the types of headhunting, here is how the traditional recruitment process and headhunting are different.

How do headhunting and traditional recruitment differ from each other?

Headhunting is a type of recruitment process in which top-level managers and executives in similar positions are hired. Since these professionals are not on the lookout for jobs, headhunters have to thoroughly understand the hiring companies’ requirements and study the work profiles of potential candidates before creating a list.

In the traditional approach, there is a long list of candidates applying for jobs online and offline. Candidates approach recruiters for jobs. Apart from this primary difference, there are other factors that define the difference between these two schools of recruitment.

AspectHeadhuntingTraditional RecruitmentCandidate TypePrimarily passive candidateActive job seekersApproachFocused on specific high-level rolesBroader; includes various levelsScopeproactive outreachReactive: candidates applyCostGenerally more expensive due to expertise requiredTypically lower costsControlManaged by headhuntersManaged internally by HR teams

All the above parameters will help you to understand how headhunting differs from traditional recruitment methods, better.

Types of headhunting in recruitment

Direct headhunting: In direct recruitment, hiring teams reach out to potential candidates through personal communication. Companies conduct direct headhunting in-house, without outsourcing the process to hiring recruitment agencies. Very few businesses conduct this type of recruitment for top jobs as it involves extensive screening across networks outside the company’s expanse.

Indirect headhunting: This method involves recruiters getting in touch with their prospective candidates through indirect modes of communication such as email and phone calls. Indirect headhunting is less intrusive and allows candidates to respond at their convenience.Third-party recruitment: Companies approach external recruitment agencies or executive headhunters to recruit highly skilled professionals for top positions. This method often leverages the company’s extensive contact network and expertise in niche industries.

How does headhunting work?

Finding highly skilled professionals to fill critical positions can be tricky if there is no system for it. Expert executive headhunters employ recruitment software to conduct headhunting efficiently as it facilitates a seamless recruitment process for executive headhunters. Most software is AI-powered and expedites processes like candidate sourcing, interactions with prospective professionals and upkeep of communication history. This makes the process of executive search in recruitment a little bit easier. Apart from using software to recruit executives, here are the various stages of finding high-calibre executives through headhunting.

Identifying the role

Once there is a vacancy for a top job, one of the top executives like a CEO, director or the head of the company, reach out to the concerned personnel with their requirements. Depending on how large a company is, they may choose to headhunt with the help of an external recruiting agency or conduct it in-house. Generally, the task is assigned to external recruitment agencies specializing in headhunting. Executive headhunters possess a database of highly qualified professionals who work in crucial positions in some of the best companies. This makes them the top choice of conglomerates looking to hire some of the best talents in the industry.

Defining the job

Once an executive headhunter or a recruiting agency is finalized, companies conduct meetings to discuss the nature of the role, how the company works, the management hierarchy among other important aspects of the job. Headhunters are expected to understand these points thoroughly and establish a clear understanding of their expectations and goals.

Candidate identification and sourcing

Headhunters analyse and understand the requirements of their clients and begin creating a pool of suitable candidates from their database. The professionals are shortlisted after conducting extensive research of job profiles, number of years of industry experience, professional networks and online platforms.

Approaching candidates

Once the potential candidates have been identified and shortlisted, headhunters move on to get in touch with them discreetly through various communication channels. As such candidates are already working at top level positions at other companies, executive headhunters have to be low-key while doing so.

Assessment and Evaluation

In this next step, extensive screening and evaluation of candidates is conducted to determine their suitability for the advertised position.

Interviews and negotiations

Compensation is a major topic of discussion among recruiters and prospective candidates. A lot of deliberation and negotiation goes on between the hiring organization and the selected executives which is facilitated by the headhunters.

Finalizing the hire

Things come to a close once the suitable candidates accept the job offer. On accepting the offer letter, headhunters help finalize the hiring process to ensure a smooth transition.

The steps listed above form the blueprint for a typical headhunting process. Headhunting has been crucial in helping companies hire the right people for crucial positions that come with great responsibility. However, all systems have a set of challenges no matter how perfect their working algorithm is. Here are a few challenges that talent acquisition agencies face while headhunting.

Common challenges in headhunting

Despite its advantages, headhunting also presents certain challenges:

Cost Implications: Engaging headhunters can be more expensive than traditional recruitment methods due to their specialized skills and services.

Time-Consuming Process: While headhunting can be efficient, finding the right candidate for senior positions may still take time due to thorough evaluation processes.

Market Competition: The competition for top talent is fierce; organizations must present compelling offers to attract passive candidates away from their current roles.

Although the above mentioned factors can pose challenges in the headhunting process, there are more upsides than there are downsides to it. Here is how headhunting has helped revolutionize the recruitment of high-profile candidates.

Advantages of Headhunting

Headhunting offers several advantages over traditional recruitment methods:

Access to Passive Candidates: By targeting individuals who are not actively seeking new employment, organisations can access a broader pool of highly skilled professionals.

Confidentiality: The discreet nature of headhunting protects both candidates’ current employment situations and the hiring organisation’s strategic interests.

Customized Search: Headhunters tailor their search based on the specific needs of the organization, ensuring a better fit between candidates and company culture.

Industry Expertise: Many headhunters specialise in particular sectors, providing valuable insights into market dynamics and candidate qualifications.

Conclusion

Although headhunting can be costly and time-consuming, it is one of the most effective ways of finding good candidates for top jobs. Executive headhunters face several challenges maintaining the g discreetness while getting in touch with prospective clients. As organizations navigate increasingly competitive markets, understanding the nuances of headhunting becomes vital for effective recruitment strategies. To keep up with the technological advancements, it is better to optimise your hiring process by employing online recruitment software like HackerEarth, which enables companies to conduct multiple interviews and evaluation tests online, thus improving candidate experience. By collaborating with skilled headhunters who possess industry expertise and insights into market trends, companies can enhance their chances of securing high-caliber professionals who drive success in their respective fields.

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