Candidate Experience

5 Steps To Create A Remote-First Candidate Experience In Recruitment

This article has been updated on April 7th, 2023.

The pandemic-led era opened an entirely different world to us: tech companies transitioned to working on-site to working remotely.

With this came the shift in hiring processes too. While it’s been exciting for candidates to get hired virtually, it’s an ongoing battle for tech companies to create an engaging, remote-first candidate experience.

Companies like Docusign and Twilio have created an interactive virtual candidate experience for their candidates and so can you.

Wondering how? Well, this article will breakdown the 5 steps you need to take to create an interactive virtual candidate experience.

Keep reading.

What is candidate experience?

Candidate experience refers to how candidates feel about your company once they’ve been through the wringer, in terms of your hiring process. And these candidate ‘feelings’, whether good, bad or ugly, influence candidates in their decision to apply to your company or accept your job offer.

A good candidate experience will encourage candidates to think about working for your company after they see how you treat them. A better candidate experience might make them want to spread goodwill about your company, helping build up your brand.

A twitter user talking about how valuable a candidate is

Source

On the other hand, a bad candidate experiencewill make candidates lose respect for you, both as an employer and as abrand.

Why is a positive candidate experience important?

Probably, there shouldn’t be the ‘why’ for developing a positive candidate experience. Like your company wants to serve your customers better for them to turn into repeat buyers, you need to develop a positive candidate experience for the following reasons:

Attract and recruit better talent

A lengthy and complicated recruitment process results in higher attrition, with candidates dropping off midway due to poor experience. A strong candidate experience strategy identifies such gaps and helps you tweak the process to ensure more talented candidates stick it out till the end. Now you have a bigger and better talent pool to choose from.

Recommended Read: Ultimate Playbook for Better Tech Hiring

Improves your company’s bottom line

A stronger candidate experience is a direct reflection of how streamlined your hiring is. Investing in creating a positive candidate experience adds a lot more to the bottom line than all the other resources that you invest in your hiring process.

Enhances your employer brand

Your employer branding, especially in 2021, is directly related to candidate experience. Bad reviews on social media and Glassdoor will adversely affect hiring new talent, with newer candidates becoming discouraged from applying for a position at your company. If you want to hire the best candidates in the market, you have to take special care of them at every step in the hiring process.

The impact of bad candidate experience

63% of job seekers will likely reject a job offer because of a bad candidate experience, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.Be it through social media, word of mouth, or employer review sites, any negative connotations associated with your organization will spread like wildfire and it can be hard to discourage or control.

You check multiple reviews of a restaurant before ordering food from that place. How many reviews would a candidate go through before deciding not to work with your company?

One review of a negative experience is enough to create a far-reaching ripple effect; top talent will be deterred from applying for your company, candidates will drop off midway through the application process, or getting candidates to say yes to your offer letter becomes harder than it should be. This directly leads to a decline in profitability.

5 steps to improve candidate interview experience

Good candidate experience is a package. It starts right from the time a candidate applies to your organization up until the candidate accepts your offer letter. How to improve candidate experience in recruitment?

Here are 5 steps you can take to get your candidate experience from good to great in recruitment.

How to create a remote-friendly candidate experience

Step #1—Understand the candidate journey better

A candidate’s journey starts right from the point they start looking for a job. But how are they going to land to your advertised role, apply for it, and most of all—how are you going to keep them engaged through the entire cycle?

You see? Candidate journey is a multi-step process which includes:

Awareness
Consideration
Interest
Application
Selection
Hire
Onboarding

If we break down these steps into a basic cycle, here’s what it looks like:

Alex, a Front-end Developer is looking for a new role. He gets to know about HackerEarth hiring for the Front-end Developer role from one of his colleagues; scrolls through the company’s website, their social media, and their Glassdoor reviews.

He is interested in working with the company. So, he fills out the job application.

This is the pre-selection phase. Now, the role of the organization comes into play to make the candidate’s experience positive and nurturing.

The company sends the email to Alex about his selection and what the next selection steps would look like. He has to complete an assessment—the first qualification step in his selection criteria.

Once Alex submits his assessment, the recruiter emails him about the next steps that will take place in both the scenarios—whether he gets selected or not.

Case 1: Alex gets selected

Alex will receive an email invite to join the Facecode’s call where the HRs will ask him their questions, and give live feedback on the code he submitted in his assessment.

Case 2: Alex does not get selected

If Alex fails to pass the assessment, he will receive the email from recruiter about his application not moving forward.

In both the cases, Alex knows he’ll not be left hanging in the middle of the process—and that’s a relief!

Step #2—Master the basic remote interview etiquette

#1 Use online skill assessment tools as the first step of your remote interview process to screen candidates from a high volume of applicants. This cuts down the actual number who progress to the video interview stage, allowing you to spend more time on creating a better candidate experience.

#2 Be accessible to your candidate. With everything operating remotely they will be bound to have plenty of questions, and they need to feel connected to you. Keep them engaged with personalized communication like sending them emails with pointers on what equipment they will need for the interview, and how to create a distraction-free environment.

#3 Send candidates useful resources to help prepare for their interview. Give them references of questions they might be asked, and other similar tips.

Step #3—Showcase company culture

A successful recruitment process builds excitement about working for your company. It highlights company culture, values, mission and gives a glimpse into a candidate’s future work environment.

While it’s often easier to show them your company’s culture in person, it’s limited in the remote setup. Here’s what you can do instead:

Show them the fun team building activities your company does to keep the entire team bonded.
Show them instances of how the managers interact and take care of their team members.
Set up informal video calls with the rest of the team for the candidate to get a sense of who they’ll be working with.

Step #4—Don’t leave candidates hanging

In a remote setting, regular communication is key. Set expectations on:

How and when you will communicate?
What the interview process will be?
How long it will take?

Describe each stage of the remote interview along with what tools you will be using. Proactively communicating changes to your hiring process and any hiring delays will help avoid confusion and improve the candidate experience.

How to follow up with candidates after interviewing them

How to follow up with candidates after interviewing them

Source

Lack of feedback post interview is a major peeve of candidates as stated by 40% of the respondents of HackerEarth’s Developer Survey 2021. Send out timely feedback after each phase of the process.

And if the candidate was not selected for the role, that needs to be communicated too. Ghosting candidates as a form of rejection is an absolute NO. Tell them what they did well and give actionable tips on how to do better the next time. Candidates will appreciate that you took the time out to inform them personally.

Recommended read: How You Can Leverage Candidate Experience To Attract Top Talent

Step #5—Use remote interviewing tools

When you integrate intelligent remote interviewing tools into your hiring process, it’s easy for hiring managers in all departments and locations to replicate the same experience for each candidate, ensuring consistency.For example, use collaborative coding tools for your developer candidates like FaceCode to see the candidate's code in-action, give them live updates, send automated summaries and recordings.

Reinvent your remote candidate experience

Candidates and recruiters alike are dealing with unprecedented circumstances and anxieties that were unimaginable just over a year ago. A rethink in your remote hiring process to provide candidates a favorable experience is necessary at this point. Doing so, you showcase them the value of empathy.

There's no time like the present to fight the good fight! Invest in candidate-first practices to create a positive candidate experience that is rivaled by none and most importantly, stay empathetic.

Candidate Experience

How to improve candidate experience using developer assessments

David Heinemeier, the creator of Ruby on Rails tweeted:

Several organizations still use whiteboard interviews as a standard process to hire developers.

In a whiteboard interview, developers are given a problem statement for which they have to provide the solution on a whiteboard.

The most common tasks include recalling algorithms and writing them bug-free on the whiteboard.

The important thing to consider is that a whiteboard is not a code editor. Developers can’t actually run the code to see if it works, let alone benchmark it.

Hence, many developers dislike whiteboard-based interview questions. It’s easy to find someone or the other venting about it on various social media platforms.

The problem is not just limited to whiteboard interview processes. Developers around the world face a lot of challenges during interviews pertaining to lengthy recruitment processes, being ghosted by recruiters, coding in an uncomfortable environment, being asked irrelevant questions, etc. The phrase, “the recruitment process is broken,” is used so commonly by developers that it has become a cliché.

Unfortunately, most of these issues are falling on deaf ears. This ultimately gives rise to negative candidate experience. Negative candidate experience can cost companies more than just losing out on good candidates. It can even result in a significant monetary loss. The most famous example is that of Virgin Media where a bad candidate experience cost the company 5.4 million USD per annum.

This is where developer assessments come into play. When developers apply for a job, major organizations consider technical assessments as an integral part of the interview process. Here are a few points on how developer assessments can improve candidate experience:

With developer assessment tools, candidates can code from anywhere in an environment of their choice. They do not need to travel long distances to give interviews, code on whiteboards, or get rejected based on a phone conversation during the screening process.
Developer assessment tools ensure that interviews are structured. This means that all the candidates are asked the same set of questions and interviewers do not know the specifics of each candidate such as gender, age, ethnicity, etc. This assures the candidate that the hiring decision will be unbiased and they will be benchmarked the right way.
Irrespective of what the hiring decision is, candidates, feel that they have had a fair shot at showcasing their skills through an engaging process of developer assessments without any human bias.

So, how can you ensure a seamless candidate experience using developer assessments?

We, at HackerEarth, are aware that enabling a good candidate experience is extremely important. When it comes to technical hiring, HackerEarth’s Assessment software optimizes candidate experience to help you stand apart from your competitors.

Here are 5 ways how HackerEarth Assessment ensures a better candidate experience:

1. Let candidates use the assessment platform in the language of their choice

We understand that developers live in every corner of the world.

Hence, HackerEarth’s Assessment software supports various spoken languages so that developers can use the platform easily.

The languages that are supported include:

English
Japanese
Chinese
French
Portuguese
Russian

This instills a sense of belonging among candidates and they are bound to be happy.

2. Know the value of a candidate’s time

“You know why everyone loves a vacation? Because it’s the only time it’s okay to waste time.”

If you’re on the hunt for a new candidate to fill a job position, do whatever you can to save their time.

Time is a great equalizer, and every minute that a candidate uses for one task can be used for another, especially during interviews.

HackerEarth has a user-friendly coding environment in which candidates can write code in any language.

When they compile their code, they are shown errors in real time and this helps them review their code and make it better. They can also run their code against custom input and output.

One of the features that HackerEarth’s coding environment has is code stubs. Code stubs are boilerplate code that is required whenever a candidate writes code.

For example, the following C++ code is a code stub. This will be available to candidates in the code editor when they select C++ as the programming language:

#include <iostream>

#include <string>

using namespace std;

int main()

{

}

In this example, the candidate can focus on writing the code that will help in solving the problem statement. This saves the candidates time allowing them to focus more on the approach that they want to follow.

Another feature in HackerEarth’s Assessment software that saves a candidate’s time is the Autocomplete feature.

This feature in which the code editor predicts and displays the name of the related functions, methods, standard classes and objects, operators that you are typing.

For example, when a candidate types java.util, they see suggestions of various functions that can then be imported into their code by pressing Ctrl and the space bar.

improve candidate experience using developer assessments

Also, you can check whether a code submitted by the candidates is written efficiently or not. We use an open-source platform, SonarQube, to inspect code quality. It performs automatic reviews of code to detect bugs, vulnerabilities, etc.

The code quality score is determined by calculating the average of four key metrics: maintainability, reliability, security, and cyclomatic complexity. In other words, the code-quality score is an average value of key metrics that represent the best practice to write code.

3. Let candidates know if something is wrong

With HackerEarth’s Assessment software, candidates get proactive alerts in their test environment if there’s any error pertaining to network failure, server error, errors in loading JavaScript files, etc.

This eliminates confusion, making it easier for them to fix their code before they submit it.

4. Conduct online video interviews

Online video interviews are great and serve as a valuable tool for providing a seamless candidate experience. HackerEarth’s live interview platform lets candidates take an interview from the comfort of their home or a location of their choice.

All they need is a working webcam and a computer with a working Internet connection.

HackerEarth’s Assessment software integrates interviews with a candidate’s Google calendar. Relevant emails are automatically sent to candidates when interviews are scheduled, rescheduled, or canceled.

It also has a default system check where a candidate’s system is automatically checked for the following:

Versions of the operating system and browser
Whether the JavaScript language is enabled
Dimensions of the screen size that is being used
Whether cookies are enabled
Whether the candidate’s webcam and microphone/speaker are working

In addition to writing code in real-time, candidates can explain technical concepts via high-quality video calls. Using the multi-room text chat in video interviews, candidates can easily communicate with their recruiters.

Online interviews can connect the best candidates with the best companies out there. However, it is important for both candidates and recruiters to be aware of things that they need to do to ensure that the interview is hassle-free.

5. Light side vs. dark side

You must have heard some coders tossing phrases such as “I am much better at reading dark text on a white background” or “The dark background minimizes distraction. It lets you focus on the only light source, which is your desktop/laptop.”

So, what do we choose? The light theme or the dark theme?

We understand that different developers have different perceptions about coding and themes are a personal preference. Hence, HackerEarth’s Assessment software lets developers code in a theme of their choice—light or dark—whichever they are comfortable with.

Other best practices

So far, we have spoken about providing a seamless candidate experience using developer assessments. Here are other small tips to keep in mind to ensure that you attract the right talent, make their experience worthwhile, and retain them.

Write accurate job descriptions

Job descriptions allow you to make informed hiring decisions. Most importantly, before a candidate actually applies for a job, a clear job description is what motivates them to do so.

Let’s take a look at a few examples of good and bad jobs posts.

Bad job post

Source: Upwork Global Inc.

Good job post

Source: HackerEarth

A good job description uses a clear job title, speaks directly to candidates, describes tasks, and most importantly, sells your job.

They provide the required information to candidates to help them assess if they are suitable for the position.

Remember that the candidate is also evaluating your organization and you based on such small but important details.

Address the company culture with enthusiasm

Company culture is what makes the company; it is the inherent personality of an organization.

Also, it is the top concern for millennials in particular. Hence, it is not enough to simply tell candidates that your organization offers a great company culture.

You have to give the candidate an accurate view of what it’s actually like to work for your organization. Start by citing examples of employees who have been in the organization for a long time and what culture means to them, define your core values, etc.

Make faster hiring decisions

Faster hiring decisions do not mean you make a rush hire. It means that you value the candidate’s time and want to make the interview process as seamless as possible.

For faster hiring, organizations can:

Schedule interviews shortly after receiving the application
Ask for work samples ahead of time
Make the candidate meet multiple parties in one day

Keep candidates in the loop

Candidates may get frustrated if they send in applications for a job role and never hear from the company or fill an online job application and get an email saying their profile will be reviewed.

No one ever says by whom and by when. Also, after they appear for an interview and if they are not selected, they often hear recruiters say, “We shall get back to you.”

Be modest. Let candidates know whether they have made the cut or not. If they have not been selected, send them encouraging emails listing their areas of improvement, which can help them in their next job application.

This opens up a door of positivism and respect in the candidate’s mind for your organization.

Do not let them wonder where they stand. It is always a wise thing to keep them informed, no matter what the hiring decision is.

Here’s an example of a good rejection email.

Source: Beamery

Do your homework

Research what qualifies as a competitive salary for the open position. It is important that candidates with the desired skill sets, who strive to do their best, and who can perform exceptionally well, feel sufficiently compensated for their worth.

Final thoughts

To sum up, high-quality talent expects a high-quality candidate experience. Starting from the initial recruiting process—sending emails or conducting phone calls—to rolling out a job offer, candidates these days expect the best out of an interview process.

We hope this article will help you provide a seamless candidate experience during your next tech assessment.

Feel free to get in touch by writing to me at ashmita@hackerearth.com

Happy hiring!

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Candidate Experience

3 Ways For Recruiters To Deal With Professional Ghosting By Candidates

Finally. After months of searching for the perfect candidate, you’ve won the lottery. It seems like it anyway.

You walk into work with a spring in your step.

Just when you think life is looking up, you notice an insistent buzz.

It’s the team lead on the phone wondering where the newbie is. You try reaching the candidate, but you can’t.

All your frantic attempts have hit a brick wall.

Guess what? You’ve been “professionally” ghosted.

When a candidate disappears into thin air

Have you gone through professional ghosting by candidates?

For years companies have ghosted candidates. The tables have turned now and the harsh truth is that it is a candidate’s market.

The lack of professional courtesy is obviously frustrating, yet, not surprising anymore, because it’s all in a day’s work for a recruiter in today’s time.

— Jamini Pulyadath, Talent Acquisition Manager, HackerEarth

Could it be payback? Or plain bad manners? Was it a nicer way to avoid the awkwardness that accompanies refusal? Whatever the reason, ghosting has become a common phenomenon in the job market.

Professional ghosting by candidates occurs when that candidate goes incommunicado abruptly with no explanation. This is particularly harrowing for recruiters who have spent months trying to get the right person for a role.

They are gutted when their purple unicorns go AWOL. From wondering if a spaceship has beamed up a candidate to hoping that no unforeseen accident has befallen the candidate, recruiters are in a frenzy trying to make contact.

It isn’t that no-shows and last-minute refusals are new for a hiring team.

When a candidate doesn’t respond to the final job offer post interviews or show up on the first day of work or reply to urgent emails during the hiring process, you can kiss your incentives goodbye.

However, let’s see how getting ghosted after candidate interviews (or after multiple interviews) or accepting a job offer is truly a recruiter’s biggest nightmare.

Why are you getting professionally ghosted?

I think ghosting is a failure of the process: not setting the tone and expectations and not understanding your candidate. If you ask beforehand where are you in the process with other companies and your candidate is in final rounds or in offer negotiations when your candidate ghosts you, you might think it was the role, but, in actuality, it was another offer.

—Eileen Hennessey, Head of US HR Operations at LexInsight

#1 Job seekers don’t like to be ghosted either

Most have been at the receiving end at one time or another. They’ve spent several nail-biting moments waiting for that call or that email from a hirer.

To be harsh, the companies brought this upon themselves. Could they have been more respectful or transparent when turning down employees?

Look at this poorly worded rejection email a candidate shared on Twitter.

Poor rejection emails lead to professional ghosting by candidates

No wonder dejected employees feel strongly about the apathy and lack of courtesy HR managers show when rejecting a candidate.

Pro tip:

Recruiters could take solace in the fact that such behavior doesn’t bode well for a healthy employer-employee relationship in the future had the candidate shown up. Remember that it pays to be courteous even if your candidate decides to call you after a few days.

Also read: 5 Reasons For Bad Candidate Experience In Tech Interviews

#1 Job applicants don’t particularly like to disappoint recruiters

Often, people avoid picking up calls when they are sure the conversation is likely to be uncomfortable

Refusing a job offer at the nth minute is unprofessional (without good reason), and they know it.

Pro tip:

Recruiters could just file it away like a bad experience and get back on the hunt and hope for success.

#3 Ghosters have poor etiquette

They have no further use for you — they got a better offer, or they heard scary things about your company, or they simply changed their mind because they didn’t like your recruiting approach.

They are neither courteous enough nor smart enough to offer excuses and not burn bridges.

Pro tip:

Recruiters should consider it an example of good riddance to bad rubbish. Or, hirers could just give them the benefit of the doubt and move on. More importantly, it could be time to change your hiring process.

3 ways to respond to professional ghosting by candidates

#1 Pay attention to the candidate experience

Candidate experience, which must be optimized at every stage of the recruiting funnel, is directly linked to recruitment performance. Indeed, a recent report by Appcast shows that a whopping 92% of candidates are put off by and do not complete filling out long-drawn-out online job applications.

Next would be to identify where and why the candidate has abandoned you (candidates start the application process but don’t complete it; they don’t respond to calls or show up at interviews; they reject the offer at the last minute or become a no-show.)

Additionally, what recruiters could also do to avoid professional ghosting by candidates is:

Decrease the time taken for a candidate to go from an interview to an offer
Ensure the application process is easy and straightforward
Make sure your evaluation process is free from unconscious bias
Set firm deadlines for every step of the hiring process
Find ways to improve candidate engagement and build a better relationship with your candidates
Use automated talent assessment tools or a blind hiring approach to create a positive candidate experience
Optimize your application process for mobile devices
Invest in a candidate engagement platform to drastically reduce the application abandonment rate.
Send timely updates and provide constructive feedback to all your candidates, even the ones that were not selected

All the above steps might prevent a no-show on the first day. At the end of the day, doing your bit to keep candidates engaged throughout is what’s in your hands. The rest is up to fate.

Also read: 6 Must-Track Candidate Experience Metrics To Hire Better

#2 Do to others as you would have them do to you

There is no excuse for blatant disregard. Sometimes, recruiters get ghosted because they have at some point in time or the other failed to respond to candidates after an interview.

These disappointed candidates (who are your customers as well and could affect sales even) would have spoken to other potential hires about their bad experiences.

As a direct result of that, your employer branding will take a hit and soon enough, no candidate wants to apply for your company.

Bad experiences are long-lasting and widely shared. Looks like it pays to be nice, doesn’t it?

It really is a small world; let candidates know when they don’t make the cut and why in time.

Treat people the way you would like to be treated
Be professional and communicative, and you may see fewer candidates ghosting you
Timely, personalized communication is linked to a positive impression after all
The best way to reject candidates is by calling them. Be kind with your comments

#3 Ask the right questions and watch for warning signals

Recruiters should remember to ask candidates about counteroffers, their aspirations, what motivates them, and what concerns they may have about showing up for the interview or signing on the dotted line

Set expectations right from the onset
Be upfront and clear about every step in your recruitment process
Give your candidate a real glimpse into your company
Keep the line of communication open and be personable

Some red flags to look out for would be: candidates who are not that interested in learning about the role, the company, or your role within the organization, and candidates who state they are in the final stages with other companies already.

What to do when a candidate ghosts you?

It’s the day of the scheduled interview, and you’re waiting… but the candidate never shows up. No email, no call. They’ve vanished without a trace, leaving you with an empty slot in your calendar and a myriad of questions.

We pray this never happens to you but if it does, here are some tips that may come in handy:

Don’t take it personally. It’s easy to feel slighted when a candidate ghosts you, but it’s important to remember that it’s not always personal. There may be a legitimate reason why they couldn’t make it to the interview, such as an illness, a family emergency, or a car accident.
Try to reach out to the candidate. If you haven’t heard from the candidate after a few days, try reaching out to them via email or phone. Be polite and professional, and let them know that you’re still interested in learning more about their qualifications and experience.
If the candidate doesn’t respond, move on. There’s no point in wasting your time on a candidate who isn’t serious about the job. If the candidate doesn’t respond to your follow-up attempts, move on to the next candidate on your list.
Update your hiring process. If you’re finding that you’re being ghosted by a lot of candidates, it may be time to update your hiring process. Make sure that your job postings are clear and concise, and that your interview process is efficient and respectful of candidates’ time.
Don’t burn bridges. Even if a candidate ghosts you, it’s important to be professional and courteous. You never know when you might cross paths with them again. If they reach out to you in the future, consider giving them a second chance.

Here are some additional tips that may help you avoid being ghosted by candidates:

Be responsive to candidates’ inquiries. When a candidate reaches out to you, be sure to respond promptly. This shows that you’re interested in their candidacy and that you respect their time.
Be transparent about the hiring process. Let candidates know what to expect during the hiring process, including how long it will take and what steps they can expect. This will help to set expectations and reduce the chances of candidates getting frustrated and giving up.
Be flexible with scheduling. Try to accommodate candidates’ scheduling needs as much as possible. This will make it easier for them to schedule time for the interview and reduce the chances of them having to cancel or reschedule.
Be respectful of candidates’ time. Keep interviews on time and avoid asking unnecessary questions. This will show candidates that you value their time and that you’re serious about the hiring process.

By following these tips, you can reduce the chances of being ghosted by candidates and improve your overall hiring experience.

We can’t always be “ghost” riders!

Within a candidate-driven market, it has become increasingly important to have always your plan B ready to go as more candidates attempt to withdraw after they’ve formally accepted your job offer.

You can never be 100% sure if a candidate will actually join, until their first day in the office. Offering the best candidate experience from A to Z throughout the entire hiring process is all you can do to attract talent for your company.

—Jesse, a corporate recruiter in the European fashion industry.

In many parts of the world, you can see that hiring is often tricky because it is a candidate-driven market. There are more white-collar workers refusing to turn up for interviews or work than before.

That being case, recruiters have to plot their strategy carefully, ensuring that the candidate has a great experience at every step, and you are in no danger of ending up with a non-starter.

Have you had similar experiences? Do tell us.

Candidate Experience

7 ways recruiters can increase their offer to joining ratio

“More than 36% of university graduates and 68% of lateral hires do not join a company even after getting an appointment letter.”

With the economy growing appreciably and over 2 million job positions opening up every year, sometimes an employer forgets that candidates, especially great ones, have more than one exciting offer up their sleeve.Sometimes when a candidate has done well in all rounds of interviews, seems to be “exactly right” for the position and is a good cultural fit, hiring him or her is a no-brainer.

Then, the candidate turns down your offer. So, why do candidates turn down job offers? How can the offer to joining ratio be improved?

Here is what Promedica’s James Saelzer comments in response to an article on LinkedIn:

Two experiences stand out to me as reasons why I left a company’s application site without completing an application. One was asking for more information than I was prepared to provide with an initial contact. In short, I do NOT want to leave my social security number on their server until we’re better acquainted.

The other reason is the inability to save my application to pick up later on, especially when the application asks for obscure information that is not immediately available. If at that point I cannot save the application, allow me to get the requested information, and resume at that point my opinion of the employer is seriously impaired. This is a place that apparently cannot or will not think through the processes they employ before putting them into practice.

Let’s look at a few possible reasons why candidates backtrack after accepting an offer.

7 ways recruiters can increase the offer to joining ratio

1. Candidate compensation and benefits

Often when a candidate says “I have a better offer,” it usually refers to a better salary being offered by another company. Compensation-benefits issue is considered one of the most common reasons for not honoring their acceptance of an offer. The reasons can vary from better offers to poor negotiation tactics. With great talent comes a great paycheque (although not necessarily). But that doesn’t mean you need to go after every candidate with an unheard-of salary.

Ensure that the candidate has been offered compensation commensurate with his experience and profile. Avoid useless or disrespectful negotiations, starting low or increasing it by a paltry sum of 5 or 10k.Skimping pennies is also not advisable. Negotiating to the last cent is a bad idea because it reflects poorly on the company.Judge candidates appropriately before you make an offer and then offer an increment if they are unhappy with the initial number, based on their replies.

2. Clear job description

One of the biggest reasons people turn down an offer is because they don’t have clarity about their KRAs and the company culture.From the outset, ensure communication is really clear; whether it’s the salary or the JD, do not exaggerate or sketch a murky picture.

Companies with great onboarding programs often let candidates get in touch with their reporting managers, or assign them, buddies.Such steps ensure that candidates have access to the people they would be working with. This eventually helps them get a better idea about the culture and what their job really entails.

3. Right timing

The more I read, the more I realize that rolling out a job offer is more about doing it at the right time than about the compensation, especially for candidates who have been headhunted.Offering a position too quickly and being pushy can put off a candidate. Similarly, delaying an offer too much can often mislead the candidate, letting them believe that the employer is no longer interested.

A better solution can be this: Ask the candidates how much time they would need to mull over the offer. Ask them what they think about the nitty gritty of the offer and if they believe they’d be a good fit in the company. If they take too long, send them an email; ask candidates if everything’s fine and connect them with someone from the teams they’ve been hired for.

4. Streamline your screening

Assessing and skills testing typically take more than 8 days in most companies. This is tiresomely long when the recruitment team is trying to reduce drop-offs. Using appropriate recruitment tools such as (HackerEarth Assessments) can help assess candidates in an unbiased, quick, and accurate manner.

Also, when using online interviews, pre-interview skill tests, and tailored assessment approaches, there is a lot of saving in terms of effort, cost, and time while sending the right message across. The right recruitment tools indicate a progressive hiring policy, valuing candidates based on skill alone.

Conduct accurate coding assessments with HackerEarth and reduce your time to hire. Find out more.

5. Regular update to candidates

Regular updates help candidates in the pipeline remain interested in the company. Acknowledging emails and sharing updates tell potential hires that the company cares. Even drop-offs are unlikely to leave with a less-than-rosy view, entertaining the possibility of considering another offer in the future.

Remember that unexpected delays reflect badly on company culture. Use pre-boarding software to schedule automated and personalized updates for every potential hire.

6. Communication

Currently, poor communication is the biggest pain point according to most applicants. With most of the hiring activities now being done online, the personal touch has been lost. Every update must be communicated to the candidate. Pre-boarding software similar to shared above helps recruiters share accurate results with a candidate, giving them clarity about what’s going on.

Candidate drop offs, 7 Ways to Prevent Candidates from Dropping Out of the Hiring Process, hiring process problem, hiring problem, candidate not joining, candidate post interview, not joining after appointment, offer to joining ratio

Ask for feedback post-interview, listen to candidates’ experiences, and try to improve on what was labeled unsatisfactory. Ensure that questions like “Is there any possible reason you might decline the offer?” or “Are you fine with relocation?” are asked at the right time.

7. Candidate engagement

Keeping selected candidates engaged is crucial to avoid applicant drop-offs. Most candidates could be serving their notice period. Inviting them to meet the team could help them understand the company culture better. Here are some brilliant ideas on to-dos before an employee’s first day at work.

Companies can invite applicants to participate in tech activities like hackathons and events over the weekend, where interesting problems are shared among peers and applicants to develop something new and innovative.Such activities not only bridge the gap between candidates and their peers but also help companies come up with new solutions to existing problems.

Typically, these are internal employee engagement initiatives; but you can make up new ways of leveraging the events. Drop-offs have been a serious issue for HR in the past few decades. With more and more options available, applicants seem to be less committed and loyal than their more experienced peers.

(Read – 3 ways to respond to professional ghosting)

Deliver a delightful candidate experience during screening candidates. Find out more.

Need help? Let our team know

HackerEarth has helped over 4000 companies, including several Fortune 500 companies, assess and retain excellent tech talent. Get in touch with us to learn more.

Try For Free Now

Candidate Experience

My summer internship at HackerEarth

My summer internship at HackerEarth has ended, but the learning over the past two months has been more enriching than any education I’ve ever received. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to work with one of the most talented startup teams out there. These two months made for one of the best experiences I’ve had so far. And if you ask me how it feels to intern at a startup, here’s what I’d say:

Startup = Growth

True. I definitely feel a sense of personal and professional growth from this internship. The skills I’ve acquired here could only be gained in a startup environment with the help of an awesome team. While I interned as a software developer, I also gained insight into how startups function—how tech companies prioritize goals and iterate quickly with user experience in mind. I also picked up a few other important lessons.

The most important thing I learned:
"Shit happens and will keep on happening. The only thing you can do is minimize it. Learn from your mistakes and get motivated." I say this because I’ve seen things get rectified after going terribly wrong.

I am a programmer, I like to develop

With very little experience in Python, my first task—writing a realtime server—seemed especially challenging. Read more about it at The Robust Realtime Server (Engineering Blog). I also wrote unit tests that made testing a lot easier.

Every task or project I was assigned had immediate relevance to HackerEarth. That meant I couldn’t just sit back when stuck on a problem. I got a lot of help from Praveen and Vivek during the continuous deployment project. Some things went over my head, but working as a team made it fun and educational.

During the last two weeks, I developed an application to monitor the status of various services and backends at HackerEarth.

Here’s a quick summary of what I learned and worked on: Python, Django, Tornado, RabbitMQ, Fabric, Celery, RethinkDB, and AWS.

Work hard, party harder

Fun at HackerEarth isn’t overshadowed by the monotony of corporate life. Whenever we wanted to go out, we just did. Sometimes we worked on weekends and took weekdays off to have fun. Wonderla was one such amazing and memorable trip. I got to try laser tag, go-karting, and rock climbing!

At Wonderla!

It was a summer full of fun, laughter, and hard work. I enjoyed every single day. Now that I’m back in college, it’s going to feel strange attending classes again. I’ll truly miss the time I spent at HackerEarth.

Goodbye HackerEarth, and thank you for the farewell party!

Authors

Meet our Authors

Get to know the experts behind our content. From industry leaders to tech enthusiasts, our authors share valuable insights, trends, and expertise to keep you informed and inspired.

Ruehie Jaiya Karri

Kumari Trishya

Hiring Strategies

Forecasting Tech Hiring Trends For 2023 With 6 Experts

2023 is here, and it is time to look ahead. Start planning your tech hiring needs as per your business requirements, revamp your recruiting processes, and come up with creative ways to land that perfect “unicorn candidate”!

Right? Well, jumping in blindly without heeding what this year holds for you can be a mistake. So before you put together your plans, ask yourselves this—What are the most important 2023 recruiting trends in tech hiring that you should be prepared for? What are the predictions that will shape this year?

We went around and posed three important questions to industry experts that were on our minds. And what they had to say certainly gave us some food for thought!

Before we dive in, allow me to introduce you to our expert panel of six, who had so much to say from personal experience!

Meet the Expert Panel

Radoslav Stankov has more than 20 years of experience working in tech. He is currently Head of Engineering at Product Hunt. Enjoys blogging, conference speaking, and solving problems.

Mike “Batman” Cohen is the Founder of Wayne Technologies, a Sourcing-as-a-Service company providing recruitment data and candidate outreach services to enhance the talent acquisition journey.

Pamela Ilieva is the Director of International Recruitment at Shortlister, a platform that connects employers to wellness, benefits, and HR tech vendors.

Brian H. Hough is a Web2 and Web3 software engineer, AWS Community Builder, host of the Tech Stack Playbook™ YouTube channel/podcast, 5-time global hackathon winner, and tech content creator with 10k+ followers.

Steve O'Brien is Senior Vice President, Talent Acquisition at Syneos Health, leading a global team of top recruiters across 30+ countries in 24+ languages, with nearly 20 years of diverse recruitment experience.

Patricia (Sonja Sky) Gatlin is a New York Times featured activist, DEI Specialist, EdTechie, and Founder of Newbies in Tech. With 10+ years in Higher Education and 3+ in Tech, she now works part-time as a Diversity Lead recruiting STEM professionals to teach gifted students.

Overview of the upcoming tech industry landscape in 2024

Continued emphasis on remote work and flexibility: As we move into 2024, the tech industry is expected to continue embracing remote work and flexible schedules. This trend, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has proven to be more than a temporary shift. Companies are finding that remote work can lead to increased productivity, a broader talent pool, and better work-life balance for employees. As a result, recruiting strategies will likely focus on leveraging remote work capabilities to attract top talent globally.

Rising demand for AI and Machine Learning Skills: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) continue to be at the forefront of technological advancement. In 2024, these technologies are expected to become even more integrated into various business processes, driving demand for professionals skilled in AI and ML. Companies will likely prioritize candidates with expertise in these areas, and there may be an increased emphasis on upskilling existing employees to meet this demand.

Increased focus on cybersecurity: With the digital transformation of businesses, cybersecurity remains a critical concern. The tech industry in 2024 is anticipated to see a surge in the need for cybersecurity professionals. Companies will be on the lookout for talent capable of protecting against evolving cyber threats and ensuring data privacy.

Growth in cloud computing and edge computing: Cloud computing continues to grow, but there is also an increasing shift towards edge computing – processing data closer to where it is generated. This shift will likely create new job opportunities and skill requirements, influencing recruiting trends in the tech industry.

Sustainable technology and green computing: The global emphasis on sustainability is pushing the tech industry towards green computing and environmentally friendly technologies. In 2024, companies may seek professionals who can contribute to sustainable technology initiatives, adding a new dimension to tech recruiting.

Emphasis on soft skills: While technical skills remain paramount, soft skills like adaptability, communication, and problem-solving are becoming increasingly important. Companies are recognizing the value of these skills in fostering innovation and teamwork, especially in a remote or hybrid work environment.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): There is an ongoing push towards more diverse and inclusive workplaces. In 2024, tech companies will likely continue to strengthen their DEI initiatives, affecting how they recruit and retain talent.

6 industry experts predict the 2023 recruiting trends

#1 We've seen many important moments in the tech industry this year...

Rado: In my opinion, a lot of those will carry over. I felt this was a preparation year for what was to come...

Mike: I wish I had the crystal ball for this, but I hope that when the market starts picking up again...

Pamela: Quiet quitting has been here way before 2022, and it is here to stay if organizations and companies...

Pamela Ilieva, Director of International Recruitment, Shortlister

Also, read: What Tech Companies Need To Know About Quiet Quitting

Brian: Yes, absolutely. In the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer report...

Steve: Quiet quitting in the tech space will naturally face pressure as there is a redistribution of tech talent...

Patricia: Quiet quitting has been around for generations—people doing the bare minimum because they are no longer incentivized...

Patricia Gatlin, DEI Specialist and Curator, #blacklinkedin

#2 What is your pro tip for HR professionals/engineering managers...

Rado: Engineering managers should be able to do "more-with-less" in the coming year.

Radoslav Stankov, Head of Engineering, Product Hunt

Mike: Well first, (shameless plug), be in touch with me/Wayne Technologies as a stop-gap for when the time comes.

Mike “Batman” Cohen, Founder of Wayne Technologies

It's in the decrease and increase where companies find the hardest challenges...

Pamela: Remain calm – no need to “add fuel to the fire”!...

Brian: We have to build during the bear markets to thrive in the bull markets.

Companies can create internal hackathons to exercise creativity...

Also, read: Internal Hackathons - Drive Innovation And Increase Engagement In Tech Teams

Steve: HR professionals facing a hiring freeze will do well to “upgrade” processes, talent, and technology aggressively during downtime...

Steve O'Brien, Senior Vice President, Talent Acquisition at Syneos Health

Patricia: Talk to hiring managers in all your departments. Ask, what are the top 3-5 roles they are hiring for in the new year?...

Also, watch: 5 Recruiting Tips To Navigate The Hiring Freeze With Shalini Chandra, Senior TA, HackerEarth

#3 What top 3 skills would you like HR professionals/engineering managers to add to their repertoire in 2023 to deal with upcoming challenges?

6 industry experts predict the 2023 recruiting trends

Rado: Prioritization, team time, and environment management.

I think "prioritization" and "team time" management are obvious. But what do I mean by "environment management"?

A productive environment is one of the key ingredients for a productive team. Look at where your team wastes most time, which can be automated. For example, end-to-end writing tests take time because our tools are cumbersome and undocumented. So let's improve this.

Mike: Setting better metrics/KPIs, moving away from LinkedIn, and sharing more knowledge.

Metrics/KPIs: Become better at setting measurable KPIs and accountable metrics. They are not the same thing—it's like the Square and Rectangle. One fits into the other but they're not the same. Hold people accountable to metrics, not KPIs. Make sure your metrics are aligned with company goals and values, and that they push employees toward excellence, not mediocrity.
Freedom from LinkedIn: This is every year, and will probably continue to be. LinkedIn is a great database, but it is NOT the only way to find candidates, and oftentimes, not even the most effective/efficient. Explore other tools and methodologies!
Join the conversation: I'd love to see new names of people presenting at conferences and webinars. And also, see new authors on the popular TA content websites. Everyone has things they can share—be a part of the community, not just a user of. Join FB groups, write and post articles, and comment on other people's posts with more than 'Great article'. It's a great community, but it's only great because of the people who contribute to it—be one of those people.

Pamela: Resilience, leveraging data, and self-awareness.

Resilience: A “must-have” skill for the 21st century due to constant changes in the tech industry. Face and adapt to challenges. Overcome them and handle disappointments. Never give up. This will keep HR people alive in 2023.
Data skills: Get some data analyst skills. The capacity to transfer numbers into data can help you be a better HR professional, prepared to improve the employee experience and show your leadership team how HR is leveraging data to drive business results.
Self-awareness: Allows you to react better to upsetting situations and workplace challenges. It is a healthy skill to cultivate – especially as an HR professional.

Also, read: Diving Deep Into The World Of Data Science With Ashutosh Kumar

Brian: Agility, resourcefulness, and empathy.

Agility: Allows professionals to move with market conditions. Always be as prepared as possible for any situation to come. Be flexible based on what does or does not happen.
Resourcefulness: Allows professionals to do more with less. It also helps them focus on how to amplify, lift, and empower the current teams to be the best they can be.
Empathy: Allows professionals to take a more proactive approach to listening and understanding where all workers are coming from. Amid stressful situations, companies need empathetic team members and leaders alike who can meet each other wherever they are and be a support.

Steve: Negotiation, data management, and talent development.

Negotiation: Wage transparency laws will fundamentally change the compensation conversation. We must ensure we are still discussing compensation early in the process. And not just “assume” everyone’s on the same page because “the range is published”.
Data management and predictive analytics: Looking at your organization's talent needs as a casserole of indistinguishable components and demands will not be good enough. We must upgrade the accuracy and consistency of our data and the predictions we can make from it.

Also, read: The Role of Talent Intelligence in Optimizing Recruitment

Talent development: We’ve been exploring the interplay between TA and TM for years. Now is the time to integrate your internal and external talent marketplaces. To provide career experiences to people within your organization and not just those joining your organization.

Patricia: Technology, research, and relationship building.

Technology: Get better at understanding the technology that’s out there. To help you speed up the process, track candidate experience, but also eliminate bias. Metrics are becoming big in HR.
Research: Honestly, read more books. Many great thought leaders put out content about the “future of work”, understanding “Gen Z”, or “quiet quitting.” Dedicate work hours to understanding your ever-changing field.
Relationship Building: Especially in your immediate communities. Most people don’t know who you are or what exactly it is that you do. Build your personal brand and what you are doing at your company to impact those closest to you. Create a referral funnel to get a pipeline going. When people want a job you and your company ought to be top of mind. Also, tell the stories of the people that work there.

Hiring Strategies

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

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.

Developer Insights

Code In Progress - The Life And Times Of Developers In 2021

Developers. Are they as mysterious as everyone makes them out to be? Is coding the only thing they do all day? Good coders work around the clock, right?

While developers are some of the most coveted talent out there, they also have the most myths being circulated. Most of us forget that developers too are just like us. And no, they do not code all day long.

We wanted to bust a lot of these myths and shed light on how the programming world looks through a developer’s lens in 2021—especially in the wake of a global pandemic. This year’s edition of the annual HackerEarth Developer Survey is packed with developers’ wants and needs when choosing jobs, major gripes with the WFH scenario, and the latest market trends to watch out for, among others.

Our 2021 report is bigger and better, with responses from 25,431 developers across 171 countries. Let’s find out what makes a developer tick, shall we?

Developer Survey

“Good coders work around the clock.” No, they don’t.

Busting the myth that developers spend the better part of their day coding, 52% of student developers said that they prefer to code for a maximum of 3 hours per day.

When not coding, devs swear by their walks as a way to unwind. When we asked devs the same question last year, they said they liked to indulge in indoor games like foosball. In 2021, going for walks has become the most popular method of de-stressing. We’re chalking it up to working from home and not having a chance to stretch their legs.

Staying ahead of the skills game

Following the same trend as last year, students (39%) and working professionals (44%) voted for Go as one of the most popular programming languages that they want to learn. The other programming languages that devs are interested in learning are Rust, Kotlin, and Erlang.

Programming languages that students are most skilled at are HTML/CSS, C++, and Python. Senior developers are more comfortable working with HTML/CSS, SQL, and Java.

How happy are developers

Employees from middle market organizations had the highest 'happiness index' of 7.2. Experienced developers who work at enterprises are marginally less happy in comparison to people who work at smaller companies.

However, happiness is not a binding factor for where developers work. Despite scoring the least on the happiness scale, working professionals would still like to work at enterprise companies and growth-stage startups.

What works when looking for work

Student devs (63%), who are just starting in the tech world, said a good career growth curve is a must-have. Working professionals can be wooed by offers of a good career path (69%) and compensation (68%).

One trend that has changed since last year is that at least 50% of students and working professionals alike care a lot more about ESOPs and positive Glassdoor reviews now than they did in 2020.

To know more about what developers want, download your copy of the report now!

We went a step further and organized an event with our CEO, Sachin Gupta, Radoslav Stankov, Head of Engineering at Product Hunt, and Steve O’Brien, President of Talent Solutions at Job.com to further dissect the findings of our survey.

Tips straight from the horse’s mouth

Steve highlighted how the information collated from the developer survey affects the recruiting community and how they can leverage this data to hire better and faster.

The insight where developer happiness is correlated to work hours didn’t find a significant difference between the cohorts. Devs working for less than 40 hours seemed marginally happier than those that clocked in more than 60 hours a week.

“This is an interesting data point, which shows that devs are passionate about what they do. You can increase their workload by 50% and still not affect their happiness. From a work perspective, as a recruiter, you have to get your hiring manager to understand that while devs never say no to more work, HMs shouldn’t overload the devs. Devs are difficult to source and burnout only leads to killing your talent pool, which is something that you do not want,” says Steve.

Roughly 45% of both student and professional developers learned how to code in college was another insight that was open to interpretation.

“Let’s look at it differently. Less than half of the surveyed developers learned how to code in college. There’s a major segment of the market today that is not necessarily following the ‘college degree to getting a job’ path. Developers are beginning to look at their skillsets differently and using various platforms to upskill themselves. Development is not about pedigree, it’s more about the potential to demonstrate skills. This is an interesting shift in the way we approach testing and evaluating devs in 2021.”

Rado contextualized the data from the survey to see what it means for the developer community and what trends to watch out for in 2021.

Node.js and AngularJS are the most popular frameworks among students and professionals.

“I was surprised by how many young students wanted to learn AngularJS, given that it’s more of an enterprise framework. Another thing that stood out to me was that the younger generation wants to learn technologies that are not necessarily cool like ExtJS (35%). This is good because people are picking technologies that they enjoy working with instead of just going along with what everyone else is doing. This also builds a more diverse technology pool.” — Rado

22% of devs say ‘Zoom Fatigue’ is real and directly affects productivity.

“Especially for younger people who still haven’t figured out a routine to develop their skills, there is something I’d like you to try out. Start using noise-canceling headphones. They help keep distractions to a minimum. I find clutter-free working spaces to be an interesting concept as well.”

The last year and a half have been a doozy for developers everywhere, with a lot of things changing, and some things staying the same. With our developer survey, we wanted to shine the spotlight on skill-based hiring and market trends in 2021—plus highlight the fact that developers too have their gripes and happy hours.

Uncover many more developer trends for 2021 with Steve and Rado below:

View all

Hiring Strategies

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.

Hiring Strategies

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?

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! :)

Hiring Tools

What is Headhunting In Recruitment?: Types & 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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Candidate Experience

5 Steps To Create A Remote-First Candidate Experience In Recruitment

What is candidate experience?

Why is a positive candidate experience important?

Attract and recruit better talent

Improves your company’s bottom line

Enhances your employer brand

The impact of bad candidate experience

5 steps to improve candidate interview experience

Step #1—Understand the candidate journey better

Step #2—Master the basic remote interview etiquette

Step #3—Showcase company culture

Step #4—Don’t leave candidates hanging

Step #5—Use remote interviewing tools

Reinvent your remote candidate experience

How to improve candidate experience using developer assessments

So, how can you ensure a seamless candidate experience using developer assessments?

1. Let candidates use the assessment platform in the language of their choice

2. Know the value of a candidate’s time

3. Let candidates know if something is wrong

4. Conduct online video interviews

5. Light side vs. dark side

Other best practices

Write accurate job descriptions

Address the company culture with enthusiasm

Make faster hiring decisions

Keep candidates in the loop

Do your homework

Final thoughts

3 Ways For Recruiters To Deal With Professional Ghosting By Candidates

Have you gone through professional ghosting by candidates?

Why are you getting professionally ghosted?

#1 Job seekers don’t like to be ghosted either

Pro tip:

#1 Job applicants don’t particularly like to disappoint recruiters

Pro tip:

#3 Ghosters have poor etiquette

Pro tip:

3 ways to respond to professional ghosting by candidates

#1 Pay attention to the candidate experience

#2 Do to others as you would have them do to you

#3 Ask the right questions and watch for warning signals

What to do when a candidate ghosts you?

We can’t always be “ghost” riders!

7 ways recruiters can increase their offer to joining ratio

7 ways recruiters can increase the offer to joining ratio

1. Candidate compensation and benefits

2. Clear job description

3. Right timing

4. Streamline your screening

5. Regular update to candidates

6. Communication

7. Candidate engagement

Need help? Let our team know

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Technical Screening Guide: All You Need To Know

Explore HackerEarth’s top products for Hiring & Innovation

Meet our Authors

Forecasting Tech Hiring Trends For 2023 With 6 Experts

Meet the Expert Panel

Overview of the upcoming tech industry landscape in 2024

6 industry experts predict the 2023 recruiting trends

#1 We've seen many important moments in the tech industry this year...

#2 What is your pro tip for HR professionals/engineering managers...

#3 What top 3 skills would you like HR professionals/engineering managers to add to their repertoire in 2023 to deal with upcoming challenges?

7 Tech Recruiting Trends To Watch Out For In 2024

7 tech recruiting trends for 2024

Trend #1—Leverage data-driven recruiting

Trend #2—Have impactful employer branding

Trend #3—Focus on candidate-driven market

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

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

Trend #6—Conduct remote interviews

Trend #7—Be proactive in candidate engagement

Recruiting Tech Talent Just Got Easier With HackerEarth

Code In Progress - The Life And Times Of Developers In 2021

“Good coders work around the clock.” No, they don’t.