DEI Hiring

A Note On Our New Leave Policies

Equality

Noun

Dictionary Meaning: the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, or opportunities.

Equity

Noun

Dictionary Meaning: the quality of being fair and impartial.

At first glance, they both seem the same. Words that define the quality of being just, and providing uniform opportunities to everyone. There is a stark difference though.

Equality achieves fairness by treating everyone the same regardless of need. Equity does so by putting said need at the forefront of everything.

You’ll know in a bit why these words are important. Grammar session done; now let me dive into the facts of the matter. Some time ago, we asked the company if we should introduce period leave, and relook at our paternity leave —two policies intricately linked with gender. We knew these were thorny issues, and hearing everyone’s opinion was important to us. Zomato famously irked India when it introduced period leave earlier in 2020. But it wasn’t the first. In fact, the Bihar government has provided two extra days of casual leave for women employees since 1992. In 1947, Japan became the first country in the world to grant women the right to menstrual leave. So, were we doing something new? Absolutely not. Why did it take us time to implement this policy then? Because, bias. In the course of thinking about whether or not to include period leave into our system, I have become acutely aware of my personal biases in this regard. I am not someone who has horrible periods. I don’t have debilitating pain, and I’m good at hiding my mood swings. At times, I've had extreme reactions to situations — the curse of the 1st day — for which I've gone back and apologized. I do have colleagues, friends, and family who have acute pain and discomfort during this time. One of the critiques of period leave is that it bundles all women up in a category labeled ‘On Period, Must Rest.’ By not giving them this leave, however, aren’t we just putting them in another category labeled ‘Can Handle Period, Is Forever Fine’? I can handle my periods; what about those who can’t? What about the women who are forced to come to work because they would rather save their medical and sick leave for something more important than a mere period? Asked to evaluate this objectively on behalf of the company, I have had to acknowledge, accept, and embrace both the differences and similarities associated with 'gender'. We are biologically different as women, and we need to appreciate this and provide a space for inclusion. Placing women in either category as above doesn’t solve the issue. Asking them to camouflage a biological necessity as ‘sickness’ and take a medical leave instead isn’t helpful, either.

Giving them the option to choose whether they want to avail a ‘period leave’ depending on how they feel, is. Hence, we added 12 period leave days per year to our policy.

Figuring out paternity leave was even harder.

So far, we’ve had a 5-day leave policy as per traditional practices. We knew, however, that this isn’t enough. Women are given 6 months postpartum, and again this is ruled by biology. It, however, rules out any window for new dads to bond with their children, or to be part of their newborn’s growth process. It rules out any window for them to be there for their spouses, or be the fathers they imagine themselves being. We didn’t want anyone apologizing for not being available for work because of their parental duties — we wanted to enable them to proudly hold the bastion at home, without feeling guilty for slacking off work.

But how much leave time was enough?

In the US, the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act says that organizations with more than 50 workers should provide 12 weeks of unpaid paternity leave. In reality, only a few (about 14%) offer paternity leave by choice. In Sweden, new dads get about 90 days paternity leave with 80% pay of their normal salary, with both parents getting a total of 480 days off. Since there is no set rule here, we held an internal discussion to understand what the dads-to-be in the company would like, and how they thought this would affect them. An inherited, unconscious bias is at play here as well. That ancient belief that men are made to hunt beasts and slay demons, and women are supposed to take care of home and hearth has led to many men neglecting their responsibilities towards their family. Research says that paternity leave has direct benefits in that it stops women from dropping out of the workforce, and fosters closer bonds between men and their children. And if you know anything about us, you know that we are all for science! Extending our paternity leave policy from the usual 5 days to a month is our way of ensuring that our Hacksters and their families can experience the joys of parenthood without any glitches.

It doesn’t stop with policies though.

I have always said that companies need to put people first and the policies will follow. Japan might have introduced period leave seven decades ago, but a Guardian Report says that women in the country loathe taking this time off, worrying it might antagonize male colleagues, or create a sense of weakness. Similarly with the paternity leave — in countries where these leaves are unpaid, we can imagine just how many men would want to ask for them. When the new leave policy was formally announced on our internal company channels, our team flooded us with messages to tell us how excited they were. They said we had done the right thing. And that’s all the validation that matters. I’m glad our women don’t have to worry about speaking the dreaded ‘P’ word in office anymore, or our men don’t have to take last-minute work calls when on a diaper-shopping spree. Policies don’t create equality, or an equitable workplace (remember the words I used before?). Creating an atmosphere where differences are respected — even biological ones — and common ground is a safe space for both genders is what an equal, and equitable, workplace is all about. I’m proud of the work that HackerEarth has done so far to create that safe space for our employees. I also know that our efforts to create bias-free, people-centric workplaces will never stop. Period.

DEI Hiring

The Unvarnished Truth of being a Woman in Tech

In our fifth episode of Breaking404, we caught up with Monica Bajaj, Senior Director of Engineering, Workday to hear out the different biases that exist in tech roles across organizations and how difficult it can get for a woman to reach a senior position, especially in tech. We also talked about the best recruiting practices that Engineering Leaders should follow in order to hire the best tech talent without any biases.

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Arbaz: Hello everyone and welcome to the 5th episode of Breaking 404 by HackerEarth, a podcast for all engineering enthusiasts, professionals, and leaders to learn from top influencers in the engineering and technology industry. This is your host Arbaz and today I have with me Monica Bajaj, the Senior Director of Engineering at Workday, an American on‑demand financial management and human capital management software vendor. She is also a Board Member of Women in Localization, a leading professional organization with a mission to create a strong place for women to develop their careers in localization and provide mentorship. Welcome, Monica! We are delighted to have you as a guest for our podcast. For our audience to know you better, let’s start off with a quick introduction about yourself and how your professional journey has been?

Monica: Definitely. I am originally from India from a city called Indore (central part of India). I did my high school and under-graduation from Indore. I came to the US almost 20 years back for work and settled here. My professional journey has been very interesting. Right after my undergrad in CS, I started my career as an Assistant professor teaching Computer science Teaching has always been close to my heart since it creates a platform of learning without any expectations. Later I did my Masters in CS at IIT Mumbai which was indeed a turning point in my career. I decided to join the tech industry in India, joined Wipro, and came to the US on an assignment. I was one of the early on developers at WellsFargo when they were going through the transformation of being an Online banking application. I started my career as a full stack developer and stayed as a developer for almost 10 plus years. In 2005 I got an opportunity at a Startup to transition my career into management. I had no idea about people management but decided to take this challenge. As I embarked on this new challenge, I realized that people management and building teams are something that I truly enjoy. I never looked back. I have been fortunate that as I moved from one industry to another, I was able to develop my engineering management experiences and align with the business needs. I have had great opportunities working for startups, mid-size, and giant tech companies such as Cisco, NetApp, Perforce, Ultimate software mostly in the enterprise space. I recently joined Workday as a Senior Director of Engineering, building their Community Platform.

Arbaz: What was the first programming language you started to code in and was the code to print “Hello World”?

Monica: My first programming language was BASIC. I never had exposure to computers until I went to college and started my undergrad in CS. We worked on BBC Microcomputers saving our programs on Floppy disks. Resources were limited in India and yes it sounds pretty old but it definitely shows the journey of innovation that has happened in just last 20 years

Arbaz: While we were looking out for guests for this podcast, out of the more than 100 potential engineering leaders that we found, just 5-10% were females. Do you think that there still exists an inequality/bias in terms of gender especially in tech roles? Also, have you ever experienced this yourself and how difficult/challenging is it to reach a senior position for women in tech?

Monica: Definitely Gender bias in the tech industry is very prevalent. If we just look at the tech industry in the mid-1980s, 37% of CS majors were women. You would think that things must have gotten better as we advanced in this century. In fact,it has dipped to 18%. Today women make up only 20% of engineering graduates. Only 26% of computing jobs are held by women and have been steadily declining. The turnover rate is more than twice as high for women than it is for men in the tech industry 41% vs 17%. 56% of women are leaving their employers mid-career ( 22% get self-employed, 20% leave the workforce, and 10% work with some startups). Only 5% of leadership positions in the tech sector are held by women; they make up only 9% of partners at the top 100 venture capital firms. On top of this, if you are a woman of color, the challenges get even harder when it comes to growth negotiations. These challenges increase as you embark into key Senior leadership roles: Principal Engineers, Architect, Directors, and Senior Directors, VPs, and above. Yes, I have personally experienced this in my career a few times. Once I was being told by my senior leader that Indian women are not meant for leadership due to cultural bias. It was heartbreaking and at the same time, it made me very angry. I did not hold back and did state that things have changed so much. This did cost me my job and I was asked to move to another group. Another story I have is where I had to deal with Cultural Bias and lack of understanding of being a mom. I was being told by my boss,” why do you need to drop kids to school and be late to work. I have pets and I leave them and they figure it out. “ I was shocked. Rather than going to HR, I resigned and moved on since I knew no action would be taken. Sometimes such experiences can lead to folks leaving industry/companies. There is a bias and women many times downplay their technical credentials. On the other hand, men do the reverse. Studies have proven that when it comes to applying for a job men apply when they meet 60% of the qualifications and women continue to have second thought even when they are meeting 100% of the qualifications.

Arbaz: These are really motivational stories and shocking at the same time. It’s really great to hear how you fought all of them. These numbers are really horrifying numbers. We often discuss how women empowerment has been a movement off late. Just a follow-up to that, have you seen any particular changes that companies are taking to bring these differences down?

Arbaz: You’ve worked with top companies including Cisco, NetApp, Perforce, Ultimate Software and now you are with Workday. What is the biggest technical or product challenge you have experienced? How did you overcome it?

Monica: The biggest technical challenge any organization faces today is bringing in Digital transformation. Digital transformation is imperative for all businesses and lets us not delude ourselves that the tech industry does not need it., It applies from the small to medium to enterprise and definition changes similar to the definition of the following Agile development process. Digital transformation is hard but if you have the right strategy and clear vision it can do miracles. The key focus has to be Customer experience, Operational Agility, Culture and Leadership, Workforce Enablement, and Digital Technology Integration. As an engineering leader, I had an opportunity to be a part of this journey in my recent role. One of the goals while building a product was to move from an application-centric view to a services-based view. While building this new product on a Microservices based architecture, it was also important to convert a monolith module to a microservice and integrate with other Microservices in the new architecture. It has a significant benefit because the services are autonomous, specialized, can be updated, deployed, and scaled to meet the demand for specific functions of an application. It definitely required organizational transformation around convincing, and prioritization clashes with other initiatives. On the technology and process side, we uncovered a few challenges around integration, deployment, and migration of these services to Kubernetes. Automation was a must requirement to go with. I had the state of art DevOps team who was an integral part of the development process right from the design phase. This really helped us in making sure that we have the strategy around deploying, monitoring, and alerting of these services.

In the current situation at Workday, I have an opportunity to stand a new platform for an existing product called Workday Community. Choices are Buy Vs Build, keeping an equal focus on the existing product and the future development, Defining the game changers and enriched user experience for our customers and most important keeping in mind the sentiments of the current team to come along in this journey of transformation.

Arbaz: Two things that we most often see engineering leaders focused on are: Technical Debt and High Quality of Code. Keeping this in mind, how do you maintain a balance of technical stability (minimize technical debt) while still delivering quality code at a high velocity?

Monica: As smart financial debt can help us reach our life goals faster, not all technical debt is bad. The key thing is managing it well while delivering at a high pace to meet the customer needs and balancing with emerging opportunities. There are three kinds of Tech debt:

Deliberate Tech debt ( where we incur tech debt to reduce time to market)

Accidental Tech debt: More of a design tech debt. It is important to thoroughly consider nuances around design else it can lead to rework. Refactoring of the system can help

Bit rot: This is where the functionality just ages over years due to incremental changes, workarounds. Most of the organizations face this kind of tech debt.

In my mind, the evaluation of tech debt and its consequences is more of an art than a science.

In order to maintain the overall stability, I make sure that I address 20% of my stories focused on Tech debt in every sprint planning. This again entails negotiations, prioritization against new feature development. If we start seeing that the team is losing velocity it is a good indicator that tech debt may exist. Test coverage, code smells, code coverage helps in uncovering the gaps around design, and functionality. Developer productivity is important to keep in mind which includes best engineering practices, managing tech debt well, creating reusable components, and building an architecture that allows for decoupling if needed.

Arbaz: That’s really a great approach. At the end of the day, it’s important to keep the balance correct. Just deviating a little bit from our technical talks and getting to know Monica, the person, a little more. What is your favorite leisure-time activity and how do you make sure that you keep that hobby in-tact and not let it die under your workload?

Monica: Gardening and Outdoor activity such as hiking and road trips. I believe that if you prioritize it and if it means something for you, it will happen irrespective of your workload. In fact more than a hobby, I continue to learn leadership lessons from my garden. Organizations are like gardens and they need a lot of love and care similar to growing plants in your garden.

Arbaz: Recruiting and engineering, while we are partners, we operate differently. How do you work together? How do you align recruiters and hiring managers to achieve the overall objective of hiring a talented developer? From your perspective when you’re on that table with your recruiter, are you seeing alignment, or are you seeing discordance and how are you handling that?

Monica: Hiring the right people should be the highest priority for any business. I have a great partnership with our recruiting teams. I strongly believe that the onus is on the hiring manager since he/she knows the best what they need from the candidate. In order to make sure that the recruiter has a good understanding of what to look for I work with our recruiting team to define the traits, technical skills, and the overall recruiting process.( Phone screen, technical challenge, panel interviews). It is very important that the messaging around the role, team and company culture is consistent during all the conversations that recruiter and the hiring manager have with the candidate.

Arbaz: There is a lot of debate on the coding interviews right now having algorithm problem-solving skills, and you don’t necessarily use data structures in your real-world coding. But companies globally do emphasize on having questions around Data structures and Algo in the assessment. Do you think it’s a good approach? How do you reconcile the two and do you think the problem-solving questions give you a good idea of their future performance?

Monica: I think Data structures and Algorithms are fundamentals or core plumbing. While interviewing, I want the candidate ( for a developer or QA role) to go through a problem and see if they can apply the core principles of software engineering such as algorithms, testing, debugging logging, scale, performance. As a hiring manager, I like to see how an individual is able to think out of the box and be creative. It also helps individuals agility around picking new technologies and come up with the best approach to solve the problem. In fact, the candidate should be able to speak to their resume, hence better storytelling. Having the candidate go through live examples in their resume speaks for collaboration, cultural fit, observance, team building.

Arbaz: What is the most challenging part of any technical assessment and interview? If there is anything that you would like to change in the assessment and interview process, what would it be?

Monica: The most challenging part of technical assessment is to ensure that the entire panel is of the same understanding around the expectations and level of any given role. As a hiring manager, it is our job to ensure that. In terms of bringing a change in this interview process: I am not a big fan of the process where rather than focusing on the job role and the candidate’s experience, the companies start asking these random questions such as “ How will you deploy software on Mars or how will you move Mount Fuji ?” Companies do not realize that the candidate is also interviewing them so it is fair game on both sides. You always want to hire smarter people than you so that you can bring in new talent and ideas rather than converting them or making them fit in your model of thinking. I consider this as “ hurting their creativity and hence diminishing the impact they can make if they get hired”. If you approach a candidate, you need to value and embrace their experience and see how it aligns to fit your business and organizational needs.

I want to bring in a diversity of thought and creativity. I do not want candidates to be pre-programmed to speak the buzzwords that the company is looking for or the structure that they publish.

Arbaz: It’s wonderful how you shed light on how important it is to foster learning and growth for talent and the candidate is also assessing the company. Now as the Senior Director of Engineering at Workday, do you still code, and if not do you sort of miss coding? We would love to know how the role changes because a lot of times developers have this thing of – Do I need to go in the path of a developer, a senior developer, a principal engineer instead of like a chief architect, or do you want to go down the developer, engineering manager, director, and CTO journey. And sometimes you can end up being a CTO or VP of engineering from multiple paths. So how did you choose to go which path you wanted to take?

Monica: No, I do not code and neither do I miss it. ( Most of the companies offer two tracks in any given role. If you love to be close to only technical aspects ( coding, architecture, design ) you can grow as an Individual contributor such as architect, principal engineer, and be on a technical track. However, if you are more inclined towards people management, mentor, and be able to invest in people, hire the best talent, you can be on the management track. Many of us get lost when we have to make a call at this turning point of being a manager and not doing hands-on every day. It is hard to let go of things that you are comfortable with. I was a developer by career for more than a decade and then I got my first break into management ( due to my dev and tech skills). Soon I realized that I enjoyed people management and never looked back. One important thing I would like to share is keeping a fine balance between being hands-on and being a manager. Managing an organization cannot be a part-time job. You can easily fall into the trap of being hands-on since you are comfortable with it. You may think that you are contributing but in fact, you might be hurting them by taking their space and creativity and also ignoring your first priority of investing in your people.

Arbaz: Which software framework/tool do you admire the most and consider as a gift from God?

Monica: IaaS: Infrastructure as a code. Modern Marvel of Cloud engineering where you don’t have to worry about maintaining the infrastructure, worry about the scale and other services such as monitoring, security, logging, disaster recovery, load balancing, backup, etc. It allows a greater level of automation and orchestration also speeds up the overall delivery process.

Arbaz: Considering the current scenario around the COVID-19 outbreak where companies have asked their employees to work remotely, what do you think is the biggest problem/challenge with managing remote engineering teams? What do you think is the best way to keep a team of engineers motivated?

Monica: With COVID, the boundary between homework and work from home has been blurred. The working hours have become much longer due to flexibility and hence the balance between family and work does get impacted. More importantly, since everyone is at home, it can get harder for folks to focus on their work more so if they have space limitations or little kids. Communication with the entire team has also become all virtual. I joined Workday 5 weeks back and I was virtually onboarded and now I am learning and building relationships with my team via a virtual platform. I agree that nothing beats in-person engagements. If you look at the pros, it has given an opportunity for people to save their commute from 2-3 hours everyday to none which is indeed priceless. For many people, it has improved the overall quality of life but given us a pace where we can stop, admire, and focus things around us. It has allowed people to rejuvenate themselves rather than chasing the rat race of life.

When it comes to your teams, stay in touch, be transparent, Value them, and continue to express gratitude.

Arbaz: If not engineering, what alternate profession would you have seen yourself excel in?

Monica: I would be a Master Gardener. My parents are avid gardeners so I would say that I inherited some of those traits from them. I love outdoors, I need quiet time where I can just sync in my Garden. I feel it is a way for me to communicate with Mother Nature. You are constantly growing and learning about these plants. I feel the same way in my career where I continue to learn and grow every day.

Arbaz: What would be your 1 tip for all Engineering Managers, VPs, and Directors for being the best at what they do?

Monica: Try to hire people who are not clones of yourself.

Arbaz: It was a pleasure having you today as part of this episode, I really appreciate you taking your time. It was informative and insightful, and I definitely enjoyed listening. I hope our listeners also have a great time listening to you. Thank you. So, this brings us to the end of today’s episode of Breaking 404. Stay tuned for more such awesome enlightening episodes. Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel ‘Breaking 404 by HackerEarth’ on Itunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud and TuneIn. This is Arbaz, your host signing off until next time. Thank you so much, everyone!

About Monica Bajaj

Monica Bajaj is an engineering leader with a wide variety of experience around building high performing globally distributed Engineering teams aligning with product delivery and customer satisfaction. Her prime focus has always been around developer productivity and enriched experience for customers. Monica is currently Senior Director of Engineering at Workday where she is responsible to build a Community 2.0 platform along with other partner teams. Prior to Workday, she worked at various Tech giants such as Cisco, NetApp, and Ultimate Software. She also serves as a Board member at WomenInLocalization, a global organization focused on Women mentorship and localization activities. She is a featured mentor on Plato and Everwise mentorship platforms.

Monica holds a CS undergrad from Indore and grad from IIT Mumbai in India.

Finding outdoor activities keeps her refreshed. When she is not working, she is either gardening, hiking, or mentoring. She can be reached on:

Twitter: @mbajaj9

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mobajaj/

DEI Hiring

This is Recruiting - Demystifying bias in recruiting and how to tackle it.

Welcome to another interesting episode of "This is Recruiting", a series that equips HR professionals and tech recruiters across the globe to gain actionable insights from fellow recruiters to take their hiring to the next level.

In this episode, we caught up with somebody special, someone with a gold mine of useful information regarding technical recruitment. David Windley, CEO, IQTalent Partners, who is also Board Chair for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) shares with us a generation's worth of recruiting wisdom and valuable insights that he's picked up over the decades. Having spent around 30 years in corporate HR, David is one of the leading industry experts in the world of recruitment. From all his years of observing, dealing with, and building processes around bias in hiring, he has much to say and offers us timeless advice on some of the best ways to tackle it.

The first step is always to call it out, he says. It begins with acknowledging that bias exists, then by rooting out the bad biases that aren't performance-driven out of the process, and lastly by building workable systems around that.

He maintains that the only way to overcome bias is by having recruiters zero back to the original principle of assessing the individual based on merits alone, remembering that they need to have the best interests of the broader organization in mind, and not give in to their personal inhibitions and prejudices.

This is Recruiting - Reducing bias in the hiring cycle.

Sachin:

In your opinion, how important is it for an organization to focus on reducing bias while hiring?

David:

So, let's set aside the social issues. There are reasons to do it because of the broader social good. But let's just talk as a business.

Our goal when we're trying to hire people is to really find the right people that will be the best performers in our organisation - as an individual and collectively within our culture and company. So, when we're trying to find the right characteristics that will lead to good performance and when we have bias creep in here - it's only going to hinder our process of finding the ideal candidate for the position.

Bias that's unrelated directly to performance will only cause you to sub-optimize in your decisions. From a pure business perspective - all of us should want to address this issue.

Sachin:

I'm sure you would have seen the length and breadth of different organizations and the functions within. In your experience, do you see certain functions that tend to be more diverse? Or the converse of that?

David:

Yeah. Depending on how you talk about diversity. There is ethnic diversity, there is gender diversity, and then the broadest of all - diversity in thought and perspectives. But, yeah. If you just look at demographics and statistics, there are certain functions that lean more towards certain gender demographics and also ethnic demographics. So that's true.

Again, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we should just then assume -- because at a macro level -- those statistics are what they are. That means anything for any individual.

So going back to the first question. A very good example of how bias creeps in is when someone looks at a macro and just makes an assumption based on ‘association by group’. But how much of those macro statistics have bias built into it is due to maybe reasons like bias in society, etc. So yes, at a macro level there are just historical differences in certain functions. The point is for any individual that you are assessing, you are trying to discern that person's capabilities, skill sets, and competencies; whether they're going to be a good performer and fit for your organization.

The Go-Getter’s guide to diversity hiring in tech

Sachin:

Considering that humans are hardwired to align with people similar to themselves; affinity bias is so hardwired into us that it isn't that easy to overcome. So, in such a situation what are your guiding principles that help you make the right decisions in the recruiting process? And what have you done with your team over the years?

David:

Yes, I think you make a really good point. That's where we start with this issue on bias - to understand that it is natural for humans to categorize. That's just how our brains work.

There is just so much information out there that we have to categorize things and it's how we work. We need to just realize that bias is a natural thing and that we all have biases.

We all hear messages, we grow up in our societies, and whatever messages or things we learn or observe in those societies, they enter our unconscious and conscious mind.

So, let's first just demystify it. Bias exists. And the first thing to do about it is admitting that that's the case. The issue now is to deal with the unrelated biases and to get that out of the process, so it doesn't get in the way.

Why do I say that? Since there are obviously some good biases too. For example, I have a bias for people that are self-starters. I think that's an okay bias because it's performance-related. But having a bias about someone's gender, or someone's ethnicity, or race is not directly related to those sorts of performance behaviors. So, from a process point of view,

It's good to have a structured interview assessment process that identifies the characteristics and competencies that you're looking for.
Having structured questions around that and having a nice feedback loop as a team to make sure that when you're assessing, you are, in fact, talking about those characteristics.
Not relying on the shorthand - "Joe is a good guy. I like Joe." That is not a good assessment. That doesn't work.

Want to keep going? Sachin and David go on to talk about centralized recruiting teams, the role of AI in reducing bias, hiring patterns and outlier statistics, diversity training, and more.

Listen to our entire conversation with David here.

DEI Hiring

D&I lessons to learn from top global organizations

Today, diversity and inclusion is one of the biggest challenges facing the tech industry. The tech world has been talking about D&I for decades. There are books, podcasts, panels at conferences, and so much more dedicated to the topic.

Yet, the numbers are still quite discouraging. According to studies, only 20 to 25% of entry-level technical jobs are filled by women.

The adverse effects of technology bias are already being seen. Research shows that most facial recognition software can identify white faces quickly, but can’t consistently identify people with other skin tones. This is because those algorithms are trained on data that features primarily white faces.

Companies worldwide are looking to tackle the issue of diversity hiring in tech, but very few have made strides in the right direction. Hence, we have handpicked the following top 4 lessons from global companies to help you promote a diverse and inclusive workforce.

Lesson 1: Build products with everyone and for everyone

Organization in focus: Google

“When communities are underrepresented in our workforce, they can be underserved by our products. Business and product inclusion is the intentional practice of designing products and services for a diverse range of consumers and communities by better understanding their unique needs. The goal is a better user experience and accelerated business growth.” —Google diversity annual report 2019

Diversity and inclusion are business imperatives for Google. The organization believes that D&I improves outcomes for its employees, products, and users. Here are a few D&I lessons that we can learn from the world’s most renowned multinational technology company.

Google offers inclusive design and engineering training as part of its onboarding curriculum for new tech hires on its New York and Mountain View campuses. All employees of Google residing anywhere in the world can participate in it.
Google works with external partners to improve its products for everyone. For example, as part of the Grow with Google program, Digital Coaches at Google host workshops, working with women- and minority-owned businesses that are part of Google’s Supplier Diversity program. The organization collects user feedback from communities to build products with inclusion in mind. Additionally, Google spent $400 million on businesses owned by people from underrepresented groups in 2018.
Google offers online crowdsourcing platforms to encourage anyone and anywhere to help improve the inclusivity of the organization’s products. For instance, Project Respect helps create more inclusive AI algorithms in line with Google’s AI Principles. Also, at Accelerate with Google, the organization “open sources” research, best practices, and guidance on inclusive design. This brings an inclusive lens to the design process for all its products, making the organization user-centric.

Lesson 2: Use empathy to lead innovation

Organization in focus: Microsoft

“Technology can empower people to achieve more, help strengthen education opportunities, and make the workplace more inviting and inclusive for people with disabilities. And with more than one billion people with disabilities in the world, Microsoft believes accessibility and inclusion are essential to delivering on our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”—Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft.

Microsoft believes that diverse and inclusive companies are not only more profitable and innovative but also fair well in retaining top talent who can meet the requirements of customers from a wide range of communities. The better organizations represent global diversity internally, the more prepared they are to innovate everywhere, for everyone. Here are a few products that Microsoft built to promote a diverse and inclusive environment, not just internally but around the globe.

Microsoft holds its annual internal hackathon every year. The event invites and encourages employees at Microsoft to work on pet or experimental projects and present them to their colleagues for feedback. In 2016, a small crew of designers built the first prototype for the Xbox Adaptive Controller. The aim was to build a gamepad for people with limited mobility. That core team continued to work on the project and launched the Xbox Adaptive Controller in 2019. The game controller has inspired a number of people to build hardware and software features that let gamers with physical disabilities play the games they love.
Blur was developed by Swetha Machanavajhala, a software engineer at Microsoft who has been deaf since birth. Blur is a feature within Microsoft Teams and Skype that obscures the background in video chats. The technology was borne out of Swetha’s frustration during video chats with her parents in India, when bright lights behind them made it hard for her to read their lips. Also, the background-blurring feature turned out to be useful for privacy reasons as well, helping to hide curious café customers during job interviews or messy offices during video conference calls.
The Seeing AI app developed by Microsoft reads documents and menus, identifies currency, and recognizes people for users with disabilities. It is also useful for sighted people who need to extend their field of vision in challenging environments.

Lesson 3: Empower diverse entrepreneurs

Organization in focus: Amazon

“Diverse and inclusive teams have a positive impact on our products and services, and help us better serve customers, selling partners, content creators, employees, and community stakeholders from every background. We are constantly learning and iterating, whether through central programs or work within our business teams, through programs that are local, regional, and global.”—Amazon

Amazon’s mission is to be the world’s most customer-centric organization, with diversity and inclusion being the center of it all. Amazon enables its creators, builders, and sellers from around the globe to follow their passion and find their best future, without extensive capital or networks. Here’s how Amazon helps technologists, entrepreneurs, and authors from around the world through its products and services:

Through We Power Tech , Amazon programs with partners with over 70 organizations around the globe. The aim is to provide access to AWS credits and learning modules and support the underrepresented communities in tech. We Power Tech organizes workshops and events to support founders and entrepreneurs who are people of color, women, people with disabilities, or from the LGBTQ community.
The Amazon Business credentialing program enables veteran-owned, women-owned, minority-owned, and LGBTQ-owned small businesses to promote their products. Customers can shop at storefronts that support women-owned businesses, and the Amazon Saheli Store that displays products built by women supported by NGOs in India.
With publishing options in 40 languages, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) enables more than one million authors to publish their books globally. To encourage more people from different ethnic backgrounds to access Amazon’s services for authors and content creators, the organization promotes content creation tools at events like the AfroTech and the Congressional Black Caucus.
Amazon is intentionally incorporating content representing a variety of communities on its platforms. For instance, for Pride 2018, AMazon featured more than 60 official feature films from the Outfest LGBTQ film festivals on Prime Video. In 2018, Amazon content was awarded the ReFrame TV stamp for gender parity.

Lesson 4: Embed diversity with smart HR analytics

Organization in focus: SAP

“A rich and diverse ecosystem drives innovation and allows us to better serve our customers. We will leverage technology for inclusion, ensure our tools are accessible, and build a diverse and inclusive tech ecosystem across the entire supply chain of supplier diversity to consumer experience.”—SAP

SAP measures its progress in the areas of supplier diversity statistics, management position data for underrepresented minorities and women, and attrition and retention rates by using technologies such as Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Internet of Things (IoT). Here’s how SAP leverages technology to build a diverse and inclusive workforce:

SAP uses the Job Analyzer to integrate D&I considerations into key talent management decisions. The tool helps managers and recruiters to make gender-fluid job descriptions. This results in a richer, expanded candidate pool, which, in turn, helps business leaders to reach the most qualified candidates for every position.
The SAP SuccessFactors Calibration tool helps managers evaluate the performance management process without bias. Instead of potentially being swayed by unconscious bias when making a decision about employees because of their photo, the tool replaces the photo with a generic icon.
Functionalities within the SAP SuccessFactors Succession & Development solution enable HRs to match mentees and mentors based on competencies and skills to ensure that mentoring is equitable and inclusive.
Data analysis capabilities within the SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Analytics solution helps SAP highlight areas where D&I targets are not being met. The organization can visualize and forecast D&I trends and give executives a greater insight into its D&I efforts.

What HackerEarth does to promote a diverse and inclusive workforce

At HackerEarth, we do not treat diversity and inclusion as a separate to-do list. It is imbibed in everything we do, starting from hiring people with diverse skill sets or having someone from the LGBTQ+ community as a BU head. Not only that—we encourage all employees to speak out and challenge any out-of-date processes or practices. We hire based on skills and not pedigree and transparency is at the forefront of every managerial decision made. Additionally, our platform helps recruiters and hiring managers conduct fair technical assessments by cutting bias out of the process. We enable them to assess candidates solely on their programming abilities. We reduce bias even further by masking candidate information and evaluating them on the one thing that matters—their coding skills. Since our inception, we have implemented more structure, purpose, and impact around these efforts to foster meaningful and valuable employee engagement experiences.

If you care about diversity, we’d love to entertain a conversation. Contact us to learn more about how you can jumpstart your team’s diversity by leveraging our platform. Our email is always open: support@hackerearth.com

DEI Hiring

The Go-Getter's guide to diversity hiring in tech

Over 47% of millennials want to work at diverse companies but a lack of workforce diversity and unconscious bias are fast becoming a systemic problem in tech. Companies worldwide are looking to tackle the issue of diversity hiring in tech but very few have actually made strides in the right direction.

A diverse workforce can give you a competitive advantage and has also impacted productivity and profits in the past. This guide can help you run a more diverse and inclusive hiring process in tech which could reap huge benefits for your organization in the long run.

Why does diversity in tech still matter in 2020?

How to limit bias in your tech hiring process?

7 ways to increase diversity in tech

How to get started: D&I tech hiring examples

Why does diversity hiring in tech still matter?

Diversity has always been a top priority for recruitment and talent acquisition. In fact, it’s been doing the rounds for quite some time but very few organizations have actually built a diversity hiring process that eliminates bias – both conscious and unconscious. Though companies have hiring initiatives and focus on diversity and inclusion within their teams, very few have a formal D&I program.

There could be 2 reasons for this –

Diversity fatigue – Diversity can be complex and it requires consistent effort by organizations and when this process gets slow or non-existent, fatigue starts to set in. This could lead to paralysis and inaction.
Bias – Bias seems to be more prevalent in tech roles and the talent gap doesn’t help the cause either. With increasing pressure on closing open tech positions, recruiters can get sucked into the vacuum of forming (biased) opinions about a candidate and using that as a means for making decisions, rather than objectively analyzing a candidate’s ability to code.

Finding ways to fix these issues can help you run a better and more diverse hiring process.

How to limit bias in your tech hiring process?

While eliminating bias altogether from the tech recruiting process could be a long shot, there are a few things we can do to ensure we reduce it. Here are a few ideas that can help:

(Be) Objective – Collaborative – Decisive

Be objective in your tech hiring process: Objectively measuring a candidate’s ability to code can help you overcome bias. A tech assessment platform should be able to mask details like name, orientation, gender, race, pedigree, etc. where bias is most likely to creep in. Evaluating candidates this way ensures that they make they cut based on their skills alone and nothing else.
Allow collaboration via inclusive panels: Biases mostly arise at an individual level. Replacing one on one discussions with an inclusive panel makes sure that it’s no longer an individual opinion that stands out, but a collective one. Collaborative interviews leave little room for bias and are the logical step to follow after an anonymous skill-based assessment
Take decisive actions: Despite taking all the necessary precautions to prevent bias, recruiters can sometimes be left with the decision to make the last choice and times like these call for decisive actions. Since, so far, we’ve tried to make the process as bias-free as possible, the final decision should be based on the candidate’s skills and nothing else. This way you limit bias while not limiting talent in your hiring process.

7 ways to increase diversity in tech

1) Say “No” to racial stereotyping, legacy politics and pedigree

Many colleges in the US admit “legacies”, or students with a family connection to the university, at dramatically higher rates than other applicants. It could be a no-brainer to reach out to candidates from the top 10 schools but put that on hold. Why? – Because these schools are not very accessible to low-income students.

In order to be impartial in this process, keep your mind open to hiring diverse candidates both from ivy leagues as well as coding boot camps or state schools. While shortlisting candidates, focus on their work history and background and test their skills using a bias-free assessment platform

2) Aim for an inclusive digital transformation

Digital transformation is great for your organization but is it hurting your diversity hiring goals? Digital disruption is impacting the technology sector the most and organizations are struggling to keep up with the digital gender divide.

With no proper mentorship and upskilling opportunities available (especially for women), this gap is getting difficult to bridge. Instead, aim for an inclusive digital transformation by creating a community of female role models in tech and stimulate learning through mentorship and hands-on tech training workshops.

Would you like to get updates once a month on our latest articles? We won’t spam, we promise. Subscribe now to The HackerEarth Blog!

3) Do away with resumes

A resume at best tells you what someone has done in the past and not what they’re capable of doing in the future. If the candidate is fortunate, his or her resume is first read by a human being rather than an automated Applicant Tracking System(ATS). Also, a resume almost always includes details like gender and educational background which could create an unconscious bias among employers.

Also, resumes can never tell you if the candidate codes well or not which is another reason why you should probably do away with them. Rather, there are other ways that you can use to shortlist potential talent. Administering a personality test and testing their job competency using a skill-based developer assessment can be good alternatives.

4) Combat ageism in tech

Tech’s youth-driven culture and workforce could make some developers and engineers feel obsolete. The best way for developers to combat ageism is to never stop learning and when you’re hiring senior engineers, it’s always good to consider the whole story.

One way of doing this is to examine what the developer has done in the past two years that is tangible to a prospective employer rather than looking at their 20 plus years of experience. Also, evaluate them on values rather than on a culture-fit.

5) Hire for value fit instead of a culture fit

An assessment of culture fit should focus on how well the person’s values align with the organization’s, rather than how well their personal characteristics, such as gender, ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation, align with the current workforce. Recruiters who interview based only on culture could form biased opinions and pick candidates who think or act like them. Instead, hire for values candidates who share the company’s vision and goal.

6) Make your job descriptions gender-fluid

Being mindful of the vocabulary in your job description can make a big difference in tech. Avoiding gender-coded words like “rockstar” and “ninja” can help weed out an unconscious bias against women developers. Also, emphasizing your company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in your job description can help create a more inclusive workforce.

7) Look beyond diversity

Diversity is just the first step. Recruiters should foster a sense of belonging among employees by bringing differences together through inclusion. Allowing for freedom of expression, celebrating differences and understanding that diversity hiring is not just merely hiring women developers helps create a truly inclusive workplace for all. Here is a guide on driving inclusive hiring in tech.

How to get started: D&I tech hiring examples

Here are some initiatives by companies we absolutely admire for being flag bearers of diversity hiring in tech:

Slack : Since 2015, the company has proactively sought out candidates from outside traditional developer pipelines such as Stanford and MIT. It has also focused on recruiting tech talent from all women’s coding camps such as Hackbright and programs that focus on training black and Latino programmers such as Code2040.

Intel: Intel has made the largest-ever commitment to invest in technology companies led by women, underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans), startups led by entrepreneurs with disabilities, US-based entrepreneurs from the LGBTQ community, and US military veterans. Through September 2019, the Intel Capital Diversity Initiative has invested $381 million in companies led by diverse teams.

Buffer: Buffer uses its blog as a medium to explore issues in tech which affect underrepresented groups. The company also regularly modifies its job descriptions to include language and images that support inclusive hiring. They also sponsor awesome initiatives such as POCIT‘s Beer and Boardgames event and #wocintech‘s awesome photos

DEI Hiring

Episode 1: How to drive inclusive hiring in tech ft. Orange Is the New Black

Welcome to #NetflixandHire where we learn some great tech hiring lessons from popular TV shows. This episode is focused on inclusive hiring. Over the course of the next 4 episodes, you’ll learn 4 ways in which you can successfully screen and hire developers in 2020. Buckle up, here we go!

2018 and 2019 brought about a surge of revelations in workplace equality with the #MeToo movement, the gender pay gap disclosure, Silicon Valley’s struggle with diversity and unconscious bias, among others. Things seem to be gearing up in 2020. Companies are now working toward drastically driving inclusive hiring in the workplace.

We thought this would be a great topic to cover in our maiden episode of #NetflixandHire and what better show to learn about inclusion than Orange is the New Black!

This comedy-drama takes place in a women’s prison, and thanks to its plots, it puts a diverse set of women at the forefront. The show ended up being one of the most-watched original series on Netflix. No wonder it won an Emmy, a Golden Globe, the GLAAD awards, and the Peabody awards.

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Diversity in tech is not just about gender. It is your responsibility to ensure that hiring takes place regardless of age, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Here are 3 lessons we can learn from Orange Is the New Black to make this happen:

1. Strength lies in differences and not in similarities

The show embraces ethnicity like no other. Remember the fiery Russian Red, the entire Black cast ..Poussey, Taystee, etc., and the Hispanic gang of Maritza, Daya, and the others? The beauty of the series is it never overshadows one story over the other. Each character is given the screen space they deserve and issues of race and caste are discussed head-on.

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Inclusive hiring is no different! As a recruiter, you hold the onus of promoting diversity by ensuring a fair hiring process. You need to reassure future employees that you have their best interests at heart. Also, at an organizational level, you prepare your current employees on how to appropriately interact with different people. Overall, you need to create a welcoming workplace.

Here are some initiatives by companies we absolutely admire for being flag bearers of tech inclusion:

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Since 2015, the company has proactively sought out candidates from outside traditional developer pipelines such as Stanford and MIT. It has also focused on recruiting tech talent from all women’s coding camps such as Hackbright and programs that focus on training black and Latino programmers such as Code2040.

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Intel has made the largest-ever commitment to invest in technology companies led by women, underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans), startups led by entrepreneurs with disabilities, US-based entrepreneurs from the LGBTQ community, and US military veterans. Through September 2019, the Intel Capital Diversity Initiative has invested $381 million in companies led by diverse teams.

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Buffer uses its blog as a medium to explore issues in tech which affect underrepresented groups. The company also regularly modifies its job descriptions to include language and images that support inclusive hiring. They also sponsor awesome initiatives such as POCIT‘s Beer and Boardgames event and #wocintech‘s awesome photos.

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2. Freedom of expression

The first character that comes to our mind when we talk about freedom of expression with respect to the show is Suzanne, aka ‘Crazy Eyes’. Suzanne is portrayed as an intelligent woman, but someone who lacks social skills and is prone to spiral into emotional outbursts when agitated due to mental illness. The show is special because it never takes away from a character’s uniqueness, even if it’s someone like Suzanne. It lets her express emotions the way she wants to, be it in the form of writing a book or reciting Shakespeare’s sonnets.

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Isn’t that the whole essence of inclusive hiring? Letting candidates express their skills the way they want to help both ways —you get to see the most genuine side of candidates without putting the candidate under pressure.

But are we actually providing candidates with the means to give it their all in the tech hiring process? We think not. Take the example of a whiteboard interview in which candidates are asked to solve a coding problem in real-time. The important thing to consider is that a whiteboard is not a code editor. Candidates can’t actually run the code to see if it works, let alone benchmark it.

We suggest you opt for an anonymous coding assessment instead. This is a take-home coding test that candidates can take in an environment of their choice. It also gives candidates a chance to take the test by masking all personal identifiers. This helps eliminate bias and assures that candidates will be judged fairly. Also, since all candidates face the same set of questions, it is less likely to introduce biases that could filter out good candidates.

Create a take-home coding test for free

3. Inclusive hiring is more than just a checkbox

Are you hiring just to complete a mandate? Or does your definition of diversity hiring only mean hiring more women? It’s about time we understood that diversity is much more than that. It is the range of differences that make people unique, both seen and unseen, and this is where we get to the third lesson that we’ve learned from Orange Is the New Black—Sophia Burset’s story.

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Though the show is about women inmates, it never leaves out people based on how they identify themselves. Sophia, a transgender inmate, is given equal screen presence as anyone else and delivers a moving and hilarious performance. In fact, after the show aired, she became the first transgender person on the cover of the TIME magazine in 2014 and has used her story to empower others.

Sophia is not the only one. The show served as a platform for several people from the LGBTQ+ community to share their stories and bring more visibility to the group.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could do something similar in tech hiring?

Here are some initiatives we can all be inspired by:

‍Lesbians Who Tech is a community of over 15,000 queer women, with a mission to increase visibility in tech. It has partnered with the White House LGBT Tech and Innovation Summit to empower participants by connecting them with the Federal government information, resources, and opportunities. Additionally, it conducts three annual conferences, facilitating coding scholarships and hiring opportunities. It runs a cool new mentorship initiative called ‘Bring a Lesbian to Work Day’, a one-day shadow program with a mission to match a queer woman with a mentor.

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Out in Tech encourages underprivileged LGBTQ+ to pursue tech internships and post-secondary training by giving access to careers held by their heterosexual counterparts. The community actively works with companies to change workplace dynamics by helping evaluate diversity and inclusion.

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Microsoft Pride is Microsoft’s initiative for pushing the LGBTQ+ inclusion forward. It was one of the first corporations to include “sexual orientation in their corporate nondiscrimination policy” and “offer employee benefits to same-sex domestic partners.” It also urges employees to be more vocal about the actions that they are taking. By the way, you can download some cool LGBTQ+ buttons from their website.

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Started by Angelica Ross after being shut out of the professional world, TransTech Social Enterprises seeks to empower, educate, and employ transgender and non-gender conforming people in tech. It offers tech workshops, peer coach training, study buddies, and graphic design and web development apprenticeships. It also offers job placements through its in-house design studio and remote learning opportunities.

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We hope 2020 kicks off a culture-first decade with inclusivity being at the center of it all. Here’s to a vibrant and diversity-fuelled hiring process in the months to come. See you soon in the next episode!

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

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.

Hiring Strategies

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

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

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

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

Let’s get to it, shall we?

What constitutes a good interview question?

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

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

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

Hire GREAT developers by asking the right questions

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

#1 How do you plan your day?

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

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

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

Value-based interview questions to ask

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Developer Hiring Statistics

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

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

Recruit GREAT developers by asking the right questions

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

#1 Write an algorithm for the following

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#3 Some high-level design (HLD) questions

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

Here’s a pro-tip for you. LLD questions can be answered by both beginners and experienced developers. Mostly, senior developers can be expected to answer HLD questions. Choose your interview questions set wisely, and ask questions relevant to your candidate’s experience.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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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DEI Hiring

A Note On Our New Leave Policies

Figuring out paternity leave was even harder.

But how much leave time was enough?

It doesn’t stop with policies though.

The Unvarnished Truth of being a Woman in Tech

This is Recruiting - Demystifying bias in recruiting and how to tackle it.

D&I lessons to learn from top global organizations

Lesson 1: Build products with everyone and for everyone

Organization in focus: Google

Lesson 2: Use empathy to lead innovation

Organization in focus: Microsoft

Lesson 3: Empower diverse entrepreneurs

Organization in focus: Amazon

Lesson 4: Embed diversity with smart HR analytics

Organization in focus: SAP

What HackerEarth does to promote a diverse and inclusive workforce

The Go-Getter's guide to diversity hiring in tech

Why does diversity hiring in tech still matter?

How to limit bias in your tech hiring process?

7 ways to increase diversity in tech

1) Say “No” to racial stereotyping, legacy politics and pedigree

2) Aim for an inclusive digital transformation

3) Do away with resumes

4) Combat ageism in tech

5) Hire for value fit instead of a culture fit

6) Make your job descriptions gender-fluid

7) Look beyond diversity

How to get started: D&I tech hiring examples

Episode 1: How to drive inclusive hiring in tech ft. Orange Is the New Black

1. Strength lies in differences and not in similarities

2. Freedom of expression

Create a take-home coding test for free

3. Inclusive hiring is more than just a checkbox

Here are some initiatives we can all be inspired by:

Technical Screening Guide: All You Need To Know

Explore HackerEarth’s top products for Hiring & Innovation

Meet our Authors

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

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

What constitutes a good interview question?

Hire GREAT developers by asking the right questions

#1 How do you plan your day?

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

Value-based interview questions to ask

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recruit GREAT developers by asking the right questions

#1 Write an algorithm for the following

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

#3 Some high-level design (HLD) questions

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

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

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

What is Pre-Employement Assessment?

Why pre-employment assessments are key in hiring

Improved decision-making:

Reduced bias:

Increased efficiency:

Enhanced candidate experience:

Types of pre-employment assessments

1. Skill Assessments:

2. Personality Assessments:

3. Cognitive Ability Tests:

4. Integrity Assessments:

Leading employment assessment tools and tests in 2024

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