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How I used VibeCode Arena platform to build code using AI and learnt how to improve it

I Used AI to Build a "Simple Image Carousel" at VibeCodeArena. It Found 15+ Issues and Taught Me How to Fix Them.

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My Learning Journey

I wanted to understand what separates working code from good code. So I used VibeCodeArena.ai to pick a problem statement where different LLMs produce code for the same prompt. Upon landing on the main page of VibeCodeArena, I could see different challenges. Since I was interested in an Image carousal application, I picked the challenge with the prompt "Make a simple image carousel that lets users click 'next' and 'previous' buttons to cycle through images."

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Within seconds, I had code from multiple LLMs, including DeepSeek, Mistral, GPT, and Llama. Each code sample also had an objective evaluation score. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many solutions for the same problem. I picked gpt-oss-20b model from OpenAI. For this experiment, I wanted to focus on learning how to code better so either one of the LLMs could have worked. But VibeCodeArena can also be used to evaluate different LLMs to help make a decision about which model to use for what problem statement.

The model had produced a clean HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The code looked professional. I could see the preview of the code by clicking on the render icon. It worked perfectly in my browser. The carousel was smooth, and the images loaded beautifully.

But was it actually good code?

I had no idea. That's when I decided to look at the evaluation metrics

What I Thought Was "Good Code"

A working image carousel with:

  • Clean, semantic HTML
  • Smooth CSS transitions
  • Keyboard navigation support
  • ARIA labels for accessibility
  • Error handling for failed images

It looked like something a senior developer would write. But I had questions:

Was it secure? Was it optimized? Would it scale? Were there better ways to structure it?

Without objective evaluation, I had no answers. So, I proceeded to look at the detailed evaluation metrics for this code

What VibeCodeArena's Evaluation Showed

The platform's objective evaluation revealed issues I never would have spotted:

Security Vulnerabilities (The Scary Ones)

No Content Security Policy (CSP): My carousel was wide open to XSS attacks. Anyone could inject malicious scripts through the image URLs or manipulate the DOM. VibeCodeArena flagged this immediately and recommended implementing CSP headers.

Missing Input Validation: The platform pointed out that while the code handles image errors, it doesn't validate or sanitize the image sources. A malicious actor could potentially exploit this.

Hardcoded Configuration: Image URLs and settings were hardcoded directly in the code. The platform recommended using environment variables instead - a best practice I completely overlooked.

SQL Injection Vulnerability Patterns: Even though this carousel doesn't use a database, the platform flagged coding patterns that could lead to SQL injection in similar contexts. This kind of forward-thinking analysis helps prevent copy-paste security disasters.

Performance Problems (The Silent Killers)

DOM Structure Depth (15 levels): VibeCodeArena measured my DOM at 15 levels deep. I had no idea. This creates unnecessary rendering overhead that would get worse as the carousel scales.

Expensive DOM Queries: The JavaScript was repeatedly querying the DOM without caching results. Under load, this would create performance bottlenecks I'd never notice in local testing.

Missing Performance Optimizations: The platform provided a checklist of optimizations I didn't even know existed:

  • No DNS-prefetch hints for external image domains
  • Missing width/height attributes causing layout shift
  • No preload directives for critical resources
  • Missing CSS containment properties
  • No will-change property for animated elements

Each of these seems minor, but together they compound into a poor user experience.

Code Quality Issues (The Technical Debt)

High Nesting Depth (4 levels): My JavaScript had logic nested 4 levels deep. VibeCodeArena flagged this as a maintainability concern and suggested flattening the logic.

Overly Specific CSS Selectors (depth: 9): My CSS had selectors 9 levels deep, making it brittle and hard to refactor. I thought I was being thorough; I was actually creating maintenance nightmares.

Code Duplication (7.9%): The platform detected nearly 8% code duplication across files. That's technical debt accumulating from day one.

Moderate Maintainability Index (67.5): While not terrible, the platform showed there's significant room for improvement in code maintainability.

Missing Best Practices (The Professional Touches)

The platform also flagged missing elements that separate hobby projects from professional code:

  • No 'use strict' directive in JavaScript
  • Missing package.json for dependency management
  • No test files
  • Missing README documentation
  • No .gitignore or version control setup
  • Could use functional array methods for cleaner code
  • Missing CSS animations for enhanced UX

The "Aha" Moment

Here's what hit me: I had no framework for evaluating code quality beyond "does it work?"

The carousel functioned. It was accessible. It had error handling. But I couldn't tell you if it was secure, optimized, or maintainable.

VibeCodeArena gave me that framework. It didn't just point out problems, it taught me what production-ready code looks like.

My New Workflow: The Learning Loop

This is when I discovered the real power of the platform. Here's my process now:

Step 1: Generate Code Using VibeCodeArena

I start with a prompt and let the AI generate the initial solution. This gives me a working baseline.

Step 2: Analyze Across Several Metrics

I can get comprehensive analysis across:

  • Security vulnerabilities
  • Performance/Efficiency issues
  • Performance optimization opportunities
  • Code Quality improvements

This is where I learn. Each issue includes explanation of why it matters and how to fix it.

Step 3: Click "Challenge" and Improve

Here's the game-changer: I click the "Challenge" button and start fixing the issues based on the suggestions. This turns passive reading into active learning.

Do I implement CSP headers correctly? Does flattening the nested logic actually improve readability? What happens when I add dns-prefetch hints?

I can even use AI to help improve my code. For this action, I can use from a list of several available models that don't need to be the same one that generated the code. This helps me to explore which models are good at what kind of tasks.

For my experiment, I decided to work on two suggestions provided by VibeCodeArena by preloading critical CSS/JS resources with <link rel="preload"> for faster rendering in index.html and by adding explicit width and height attributes to images to prevent layout shift in index.html. The code editor gave me change summary before I submitted by code for evaluation.

Step 4: Submit for Evaluation

After making improvements, I submit my code for evaluation. Now I see:

  • What actually improved (and by how much)
  • What new issues I might have introduced
  • Where I still have room to grow

Step 5: Hey, I Can Beat AI

My changes helped improve the performance metric of this simple code from 82% to 83% - Yay! But this was just one small change. I now believe that by acting upon multiple suggestions, I can easily improve the quality of the code that I write versus just relying on prompts.

Each improvement can move me up the leaderboard. I'm not just learning in isolation—I'm seeing how my solutions compare to other developers and AI models.

So, this is the loop: Generate → Analyze → Challenge → Improve → Measure → Repeat.

Every iteration makes me better at both evaluating AI code and writing better prompts.

What This Means for Learning to Code with AI

This experience taught me three critical lessons:

1. Working ≠ Good Code

AI models are incredible at generating code that functions. But "it works" tells you nothing about security, performance, or maintainability.

The gap between "functional" and "production-ready" is where real learning happens. VibeCodeArena makes that gap visible and teachable.

2. Improvement Requires Measurement

I used to iterate on code blindly: "This seems better... I think?"

Now I know exactly what improved. When I flatten nested logic, I see the maintainability index go up. When I add CSP headers, I see security scores improve. When I optimize selectors, I see performance gains.

Measurement transforms vague improvement into concrete progress.

3. Competition Accelerates Learning

The leaderboard changed everything for me. I'm not just trying to write "good enough" code—I'm trying to climb past other developers and even beat the AI models.

This competitive element keeps me pushing to learn one more optimization, fix one more issue, implement one more best practice.

How the Platform Helps Me Become A Better Programmer

VibeCodeArena isn't just an evaluation tool—it's a structured learning environment. Here's what makes it effective:

Immediate Feedback: I see issues the moment I submit code, not weeks later in code review.

Contextual Education: Each issue comes with explanation and guidance. I learn why something matters, not just that it's wrong.

Iterative Improvement: The "Challenge" button transforms evaluation into action. I learn by doing, not just reading.

Measurable Progress: I can track my improvement over time—both in code quality scores and leaderboard position.

Comparative Learning: Seeing how my solutions stack up against others shows me what's possible and motivates me to reach higher.

What I've Learned So Far

Through this iterative process, I've gained practical knowledge I never would have developed just reading documentation:

  • How to implement Content Security Policy correctly
  • Why DOM depth matters for rendering performance
  • What CSS containment does and when to use it
  • How to structure code for better maintainability
  • Which performance optimizations actually make a difference

Each "Challenge" cycle teaches me something new. And because I'm measuring the impact, I know what actually works.

The Bottom Line

AI coding tools are incredible for generating starting points. But they don't produce high quality code and can't teach you what good code looks like or how to improve it.

VibeCodeArena bridges that gap by providing:

✓ Objective analysis that shows you what's actually wrong
✓ Educational feedback that explains why it matters
✓ A "Challenge" system that turns learning into action
✓ Measurable improvement tracking so you know what works
✓ Competitive motivation through leaderboards

My "simple image carousel" taught me an important lesson: The real skill isn't generating code with AI. It's knowing how to evaluate it, improve it, and learn from the process.

The future of AI-assisted development isn't just about prompting better. It's about developing the judgment to make AI-generated code production-ready. That requires structured learning, objective feedback, and iterative improvement. And that's exactly what VibeCodeArena delivers.

Here is a link to the code for the image carousal I used for my learning journey

#AIcoding #WebDevelopment #CodeQuality #VibeCoding #SoftwareEngineering #LearningToCode

Behind the code - What our developer superheroes want in 2020

Findings from the HackerEarth Developer Survey, 2020.

Developers are pretty awesome. Think of all those times that a developer had come to your rescue. As the keepers of code, they have incredible skills to create some amazing things.

While we all can agree that they just seem to be superheroes among men (developing lightning-fast code and fixing loose ends without even wrinkling their capes), most of us forget the ‘Clark Kent’ side of them—what they want, like, and dislike just like any of us.

We went behind the scenes to understand both these alter egos - what truly makes them the superheroes we look up to as well as the little joys they seek when they go about saving your day. Here are the findings of The 2020 HackerEarth Developer Survey, where we highlight the priorities and concerns of over 16,000+ developers from across 76 countries.

Data Science is still the demigod

From student developers (63%) to experienced ones (61%), everyone wants to have a slice of the Data Science pie. No wonder this is the most sought after developer skill. According to Glassdoor, the national average salary of a data scientist in the United States is $1,17,345, and Firstround.com says that in a competitive field like Data Science, strong candidates often receive three or more offers.

Other skills that student developers are looking out for include Cybersecurity and IoT, while professionals are interested in IoT and BlockChain.

Everyone wants Go in their arsenal

Go is this year’s most sought-after and popular programming language, with 29% of students and 32% of experienced developers seeking to add it to their programming arsenal. Other popular programming languages that student developers prefer are JavaScript, Kotlin, and C#. On the other hand, experienced developers want to learn Python and Kotlin.

The survey showed us that the top programming languages that student developers currently know include C++, Python, and HTML/ CSS, while senior developers frequently code in SQL, Java, and HTML/ CSS.

Use LinkedIn for your next coding mission

Are you looking for a new coding project? 56% of student developers and 57% of working professionals use LinkedIn more frequently than other channels, such as job boards and referrals, to find new coding gigs.

We also came across some interesting job avenues, such as hackathons, which student developers (13%) use to find new jobs. If you’re new to hackathons, this guide will equip you with some much-needed info.

Up for a challenge? Try a take-home coding test

Most experienced developers favor take-home coding tests, followed by an onsite interview for assessing coding skills. Surprisingly, 10% of developers who took the survey said that they wanted an option to decide their interview process.

A majority of developers, 70% of students, and 53% of working professionals, make use of coding assessment platforms such as HackerEarth to upskill themselves.

Try your next coding challenge here.

Aborting a mission midway? Let the developer know

If you’re leaving developers hanging after an interview, you need to stop, now! Developers hate it when no feedback is conveyed to them. 45% of the developers said that recruiters need to stop doing this right away.

Other reasons that irked them the most include too many interview rounds and misleading job descriptions.

Meetings are like kryptonite to developers’ productivity

You’d want your developers to be a ‘Jack of all trades’, but very often we forget that this comes along with a ton of ideation meetings that could very well spell doom for developers’ productivity. It is no surprise that when asked what they’d need to achieve 100% productivity at work, 70% of the developers opted for fewer meetings.

Other options that could help developers be more productive include multiple monitors, clutter-free working spaces, and a no interruption policy when they have their headphones on.

Developers play foosball and watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S in their fortress of solitude

When they are not coding, most developers spend their time playing indoor games such as foosball and table tennis (29%). They also love watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S (42%). Other TV shows they spend downtime watching include Game of Thrones and Big Bang Theory.

For more on our coding superheroes, download the developer survey report.

Developing is hard work, and it takes a coding superhero to do it well. Developers, keep using your powers to the best of your abilities to create powerful stuff. We at HackerEarth will always be cheering for you from the sidelines. Here’s to creating code that matters! :)

Top 5 tech interview no-nos

A tech interview is one of the most strenuous things that a programmer can be put through. Companies like Google and Facebook put prospective employees through as many as 8 to 9 rounds of interviews before making a hiring decision. Each round is tougher than the previous round and the number of mistakes that you can make is directly proportional to it.

Most mistakes are hardly ever technical. They're mostly related to interpersonal skills or the lack thereof!

Here are 5 ways in which you can mess up your tech interview.

Talking too much

Alright. You're interviewing with Google. You're excited! That's understandable. But being too excited can cost you that job like it did for Prakash Tibrewal.

Here is his story.

"During campus selections, I had an interview with Facebook. I had butterflies in my stomach!

The interview duration was 50 min. When the interview started, the interviewer was talking about what he was working on (just to make me comfortable). I was so excited that I asked him questions for the next 25 minutes.

That, believe it or not, was my biggest mistake. After those first 25 minutes, he gave me a problem to solve. While I figured out the algorithm quickly, I couldn't finish writing the code in time.

My interview as over after round 1.

This experience taught me that I must gauge a situation and learn to ask questions at the right time."

While asking too many questions can be unfavorable, asking a few or no questions can be interpreted as a display of lack of interest in the company. It is important to get the balance right.

However, as a rule of thumb, it is better to let the interviewer do most of the asking.

Being over confident

Coding interviews can be a nerve-racking ordeal. You may know the answer to every question but nervousness can get the better of you and you are prone to making silly mistakes.

Prakash Deivakani let nervousness get the better of him at his interview with Facebook.

Here's his story.

"I was interviewed by Ajay Somani of Facebook (Red in Topcoder). I was a grey coder by then. He asked me to solve a problem on the board.

I made a mistake and he asked, "Are you sure your solution is correct?" I identified the mistake and corrected it.

He asked again, "Are you sure your solution is correct?". Again, I identified the mistake and corrected it.

He asked yet again, "Are you sure your solution is correct?". While I remained silent, he said, "Your solution is correct. You can wait outside."

There are a few coders who are overconfident bordering on arrogant. It is very important to be confident yet humble. Any sign of arrogance is just going to tell the recruiter that you could be a bad team player.

Find that sweet spot between confidence and humility and you should be fine.

Hackerearth Challenges

Taking the competition into office

Do some ground work about the company you are going to interview with. Who knows, using your favorite device might not go down too well with your prospective employer.

Here's what Doug Luce found out.

"I pulled out an iPad mid-interview to google the interviewer's question. He became visibly agitated and told me I couldn't do that.

The rest of the interview went downhill from there."

We're not quite sure if he was upset about the iPad or the fact that he was googling the question.

Rajat Khandelwal also had a similar experience.

"On the day of interview, I went to the Google office and just as I reached there, I realized that the bag I had was the one I got from InMobi. I didn't think ahead and carried that bag. I don't know but I like to think that it was one of the factors.

The interviewer asked a few questions, which I answered as best as I could. And in the end I asked him this question:

I've heard rumors that all good projects at Google are moved to MtV office so working at Google India is not as great as the name suggests. How true is this?

As soon as I asked the question, I realized that it was inappropriate. Even though my interview was great, my application was terminated at that level."

It's just that simple. Don't ask inappropriate questions or google your interviewer's questions.

Being too eager about the perks and privileges

IT companies set benchmarks in spoiling their employees. From free lunches and unlimited snacks to family severance packages and free health insurance—IT companies have probably covered every possible perk and privilege. This doesn't mean that you ask for it.

Naveen Kumar found it out the hard way.

"I was making a jump from Google to Facebook and I'd heard about the great perks that the Facebook office provides. I was particularly interested in the exotic meals that they provided—so excited that I asked a lot of questions about the meals and other benefits at Facebook to the interviewer.

I think the interview went off quite well, but I never heard back from them. Maybe they thought I was greedy."

Maybe they did. Questions about perks and benefits should be reserved for the HR preferably after you receive a job offer. Stay away from what's-in-it-for-me questions till then.

Not getting enough sleep before the interview

Whether its nervousness or plain old fun, lack of sleep before a big day has never helped anyone. Especially before an interview.

Nakul Agarwal made this mistake and he lost it all.

"I had just completed an interview with DirectI from 2 AM - 4 AM.

Earlier that day I had given two written tests for DirectI (for around 4 hours).

Yet there I was sitting in a black suit all ready for my interview at 5:30 AM with Intel India Pvt. Ltd.

I also had an Nvidia interview at 10 AM.

You can imagine the stress and exhaustion.

So I walk in, he asks me to sit down and asks my name. I give a smile and tell him my name. He then directly starts with the technical questions.

Interviewer: Can you write code for merge sort?

Me: Do you really want me to write the code for merge sort? Won't an explanation suffice? (I mean it is a well known algorithm! What can you possibly test by that?!)

Interviewer: Yes. Please write the code.

Me (writing on the paper) - void mergesort(int a[], int n) { }

Me: Do you really want me to write the code?

Interviewer: Yes

Me: I am not able to write it.

Interviewer (Smiles): Thanks. That will be enough.

Me: Thanks (A sigh of relief)

I go to my room and sleep like a child. I got late for Nvidia test next day :P and still finished first and went back to sleep. Like a child.

Now that's how you screw up interviews.

I didn't get through DirectI, Intel or Nvidia."

Always get enough sleep before your interview. Also, try to space interviews and schedule them for different days.

Episode 3: How to up your collaborative hiring game in 2020 ft. Breaking Bad

We hope you are enjoying our series on #NetflixandHire and that it’s helped you be productive and get better at recruiting while binge-watching a TV show! For our third episode, we learn some lessons on collaborative hiring from a show so iconic that even the Simpsons paid a tribute to it.

Just in case you've missed our first 2 episodes, here they are - Episode 1 and Episode 2

(Drumroll!) Breaking Bad 😎

Why did we choose it? Because it takes collaboration to heights like no other. If you’re wondering why so many people are enthralled by the antics of two meth cooks, we’ve tried to explain the show’s awesomeness with 3 iconic collaborative hiring takeaways for recruiters—Breaking Bad style.

1) Never compromise on the quality (of your candidate experience)

Viewers who have seen the show can easily relate to Blue Meth, a 99.1% pure form of crystal meth that the lead character, Walter White, creates. In fact, White was so obsessed with the quality of the Meth that he wouldn’t even let a fly get into his Meth lab. His product was so potent that he couldn’t tolerate even 0.01% of depreciation!

Breaking Bad - Collaborative hiring

Source: Behance.net

Maybe as recruiters, it’s impossible (and a little unhealthy) to have Walt’s irrational and obsessive quest for perfection, but running a near-perfect hiring process can have its perks.

Now think about it—you provide a candidate experience so supreme that:

  • ✅ Candidates remain positive and engaged and can’t wait to work with your organization.
  • ✅ You build a great developer brand that they can’t say no to.
  • ✅ And, as a result, you end up building a stronger talent pipeline.

In a nutshell, providing a great experience by collaborating well with your candidates should be one of the main objectives of your collaborative hiring process.

At HackerEarth, we take pride in being a developer-first company and we follow a few steps to provide a great candidate experience:

  1. Simple and clear job descriptions.
  2. A short and mobile-friendly application process.
  3. A bias-free screening process using an assessment platform.
  4. Acknowledging, communicating with, and thanking candidates at every step of the hiring process.

2) It takes two flints to make a fire (so make your employees your brand advocates)

While Walter White can cook meth like nobody’s business, Jesse Pinkman (his sidekick) has the street smarts to connect the product with the customer. Honestly, both these characters could never function without each other. In Walt’s own words—

"You kill me, you have nothing. You kill Jesse, you don't have me."

Breaking Bad - Walter White and Jesse Pinkman

Source: Amazon

If this doesn’t spell collaboration, we don’t know what does. Collaborating well with both your internal and external community can spell great benefits when you go about making a hire. And the best part is, you can inculcate this into your hiring process by making your tech team your brand advocates. This is one of the most effective ways of bringing in talent and here’s how you can do it:

Collaborative hiring through referrals

Every time you are looking to close a position, make sure you check internally for referrals. You could run some really cool referral programs for your employees. Perks could include handsome referral bonuses or a chance to win some awesome tech gadgets.

Collaborative hiring through developer experiences

If you've followed step 1 to a T, you'd now know how to provide a great screening experience for your candidate. The next step is to have these developers share their experience either working for your organization or interviewing for it on social media. This is one of the best ways to showcase what you stand for as a brand. These recommendations also attract other developers to try out your brand, thus helping you generate a pipeline of developer talent with almost no effort.

3) It takes a village (to build your dream team)

Fans of the show will know who Gustavo Fring is. For the uninitiated, Gus is a respected restaurateur who uses his business savvy to run an extremely successful meth distribution empire. But when Gus isn’t orchestrating drug operations or running his legitimate fast-food business, he gives his time to his community (whether providing food for the entire Albuquerque police department or glad-handing with the DEA)

Breaking Bad - Gus

Source: Pinterest

Just like Gus, forging ties between your company and your community has big benefits, especially for a recruiter. Collaborating with a tech community gives you a chance to discover potential hires. Here is a great example of leveraging a developer community like GitHub to make your collaborative hiring goals come true:

Collaborative hiring via GitHub

GitHub is one of the world’s largest code hosts, with close to 31 million developers. A developer’s GitHub profile gives you a wealth of information. Before you start shortlisting profiles on GitHub, make sure that the developer is open to recruiters approaching him/her with jobs. Once this is sorted, follow these steps to find the best talent on GitHub.

Other great forums to find some amazing developer talent include StackOverflow, Kaggle, HackerEarth, and HackerNews.

Other ways that you could run a collaborative hiring process:

  • Recruit through virtual job fairs
  • Find great developer talent at your local meetup
  • Hire from social media

You could read more about collaborative hiring in this Ebook. There you have it—our lessons on collaborative hiring vis a vis Breaking Bad. See you at our next one!

Tower of Hanoi recursion game algorithm explained

Tower of Hanoi game is a puzzle invented by French mathematician Édouard Lucas in 1883.

History of Tower of Hanoi

There is a story about an ancient temple in India (Some say it’s in Vietnam – hence the name Hanoi) has a large room with three towers surrounded by 64 golden disks.

These disks are continuously moved by priests in the temple. According to a prophecy, when the last move of the puzzle is completed the world will end.

These priests acting on the prophecy, follow the immutable rule by Lord Brahma of moving these disk one at a time.

Hence this puzzle is often called Tower of Brahma puzzle.

Tower of Hanoi is one of the classic problems to look at if you want to learn recursion.

It is good to understand how recursive solutions are arrived at and how parameters for this recursion are implemented.

What is the game of Tower of Hanoi?

Tower of Hanoi consists of three pegs or towers with n disks placed one over the other.

The objective of the puzzle is to move the stack to another peg following these simple rules.

  1. Only one disk can be moved at a time.
  2. No disk can be placed on top of the smaller disk.

Before we proceed, let’s understand Recursion –

What is Recursion?

When a function calls itself, it’s called Recursion.

It will be easier for those who have seen the movie Inception.

Leonardo had a dream, in that dream he had another dream, in that dream he had yet another dream, and that goes on.

So it’s like there is a function called dream()dream(), and we are just calling it in itself.

function dream()
    print "Dreaming"
    dream()

Recursion is useful in solving problems which can be broken down into smaller problems of the same kind.

But when it comes to solving problems using Recursion there are several things to be taken care of.

Let’s take a simple example and try to understand those.

Following is the pseudo code of finding the factorial of a given number XX using recursion.

function factorial(x)
    if x is 0                    // base case
        return 1
    return x*factorial(x-1)       // break into smaller problem(s)

Detailed explanation to Recursion can be found – Here

Tower of Hanoi algorithm explained

Let’s try to solve a puzzle – Tower of Hanoi using recursion.

Take an example with 2 disks: Disk 1 on top of Disk 2 at peg A. The target is to move both these disks to peg B.

Looks simple, Right!

Move Disk 1 from peg A to peg C. Then move disk 2 from peg A to peg B and, finally, move disk 1 from peg C to peg B.

This solution takes 3 steps.

You can easily move this stack from peg B to any other peg using these 3 steps.

But what if we have 3 disks – 1,2, and 3 stacked in peg A.

To move the stack to peg B you would have to expose disk 3 and to do that disk 1 and 2 have to be moved to peg C.

So by ensuring that you do not break the rules, using the above subsets of 3 steps in the previous case, you would move disk 1 and 2 to peg C, leaving disk 3 exposed with no disk above it.

https://www.hackerearth.com/blog/become-better-developer

Now to solve the problem, recursively move disk 3 from peg A to peg B.

Then disk 1 from peg C to peg A. After which disk 2 can be moved above disk 3 at peg B.

The puzzle is finally completed by moving disk 1 from peg A over disk 2 and 3 at peg B.

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!

What if you have 4 disks?

  • Recursively solve the problem of moving disk 1,2, and 3 from peg A to peg C
  • Move disk 4 from A to C
  • Recursively solve the problem of moving disk 1,2 and 3 from peg C to peg B

Eventually, you figure out that there is some pattern to the puzzle and with each increment in disks, the pattern could be followed recursively.

While the 3-disk puzzle required 7 steps. 4-disk requires 7+1+7 = 15 steps to be solved.

Check the GIF here for 4 disks

  • Create a function Tower with int ‘a’ – for number of disks, char ‘from’ – for from peg, char ‘aux’ – for a secondary peg, char ‘to’ – for destination peg
  • Put ‘if’ loop
  • If (a=1) i.e. if number of disk = 1, move it from ‘initial peg’ to the ‘destination peg’
  • Else, call function tower for ‘a-1’ i.e. the number of disk -1, recall function tower for n-1 disk and move it ‘from’ to ‘to’
  • Recall function again using recursion until an or number of the disk is 1.
void tower(int a,char from,char aux,char to){
    if(a==1){
       cout<<"\t\tMove disc 1 from "<<from<<" to "<<to<<"\n";
       return;
    }
    else{
       tower(a-1,from,to,aux);
       cout<<"\t\tMove disc "<<a<<" from "<<from<<" to "<<to<<"\n";
       tower(a-1,aux,from,to);
    }
}

Call the function ‘tower’ in the main program

void main(){
     clrscr();
     int n;
     cout<<"\n\t\t*****Tower of Hanoi*****\n";
     cout<<"\t\tEnter number of discs : ";
     cin>>n;
     cout<<"\n\n";
     tower(n,'A','B','C');
     getch();
}

Tower of Hanoi maths explained

By now, you might have identified that to move N disks from one peg to another, you need 2N−1.

So, the number of steps almost double every time you insert another disk in the stack.

Let us prove that the number of steps in 2N−1

The question is what is the minimum number of moves(aN) required to move all the N−disks to another peg.

Let’s look at a recursive solution

One can already see that a1=1,a2=3,a3)=7 and so on.

For a given N number of disks, the way to accomplish the task in a minimum number of steps is:

  1. Move the top N−1 disks to an intermediate peg.
  2. Move the bottom disk to the destination peg.
  3. Finally, move the N−1 disks from the intermediate peg to the destination peg.

Therefore, the recurrence relation for this puzzle would become:

a1=1,a2=3;aN=2aN−1+1;N≥2

Tower of hanoi, recursion, algorithm , explained, Tower of hanoi explained, Recursion explained

Now one can solve this relation in an iteration as follows-

Tower of hanoi recursion explained, Tower of Hanoi, Tower of Hanoi recursion, Recursion explained, Tower of Hanoi explain

But what about the prophecy for the tower of Hanoi where the priests are using 64 disks?

Suppose that these priests are highly powerful and can move these massive disks at a speed of 1 per second per hour every day.

At this speed, they would need 2^64 -1 move to complete the task.

That is, 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 moves to complete, which would take about 580 billion years.

Considering our Milky Way is about 13.21 billion years old and our planet is only 5 billion years old, that is a lot of time for the prophecy to be true.

Tower of Hanoi dynamic programming problem

Now that you have understood the algorithm and reasoning behind the Tower of Hanoi problem, it’s time to take up a small assessment to test your understanding of the Tower of Hanoi

Tower of Hanoi recursion sample problem in C++

Tower of Hanoi is a common dynamic programming problem used in various competitive programming challenges.

Here is one such question from HackerEarth Challenge

Q. Bob and Alice like to play the game Tower of Hanoi. One day Alice challenges Bob to build the tallest tower from a set of disks of different height and radius. The Tower of Hanoi can be built by stacking disks on top of each other. To put disk A on top of disk B, the radius and height of A must be strictly smaller than those of B. Help Bob win the challenge.

Here is the Tower of Hanoi program using C++

#include <bits/stdc++.h>
#define lli long long
using namespace std;
lli dp[202];
int main()
{
  int t,n;
   lli x,y;
   cin >> t;
   assert(t<=10);
   while ( t-- ) {
      cin >> n;
     assert(n<=200);
       vector < pair<lli,lli> > v;
       for ( int i = 0; i < n; i++ ) {
           cin >> x >> y;
           assert(x<=1000000000);
           assert(y<=1000000000);
           v.push_back(make_pair(x,y));
       }
       sort(v.begin(),v.end());
       dp[0] = v[0].second;
       lli ans = v[0].second;
       for ( int i = 1; i < n; i++ ) {
           dp[i] = v[i].second;
           for ( int j = 0; j < i; j++ ) {
               if ( v[i].second > v[j].second && v[i].first > v[j].first ) dp[i] = max(dp[i], dp[j]+v[i].second);
         }
  ans = max(ans, dp[i]);
       }
       cout << ans << endl;
   }
   return 0;
}

Time to end the world on a doomsday or by Tower of Hanoi all can be calculated by mathematics.

Mathematics holds the solution for most of the complex problems, from football betting to banking.

Practice and learn more such algorithms and on CodeMonk and participate in HackerEarth challenges.

Subscribe now for more such article on Algorithms.

Kruskal’s algorithm (Minimum spanning tree) with real-life examples

Most of the cable network companies use the Disjoint Set Union data structure in Kruskal’s algorithm to find the shortest path to lay cables across a city or group of cities.

Which leads us to this post onthe properties of Disjoint sets union and minimum spanning tree along with their example.

Before we proceed with an example of Kruskal’s algorithm, let’s first understand what disjoint sets are.

What are Disjoint Sets?

A disjoint set is a data structure which keeps track of all elements thatare separated by a number of disjoint (not connected) subsets.

With the help of disjoints sets, you can keep a track of the existence of elements in a particular group.

Let’s say there are 6 elements A, B, C, D, E, and F. B, C, and D are connected and Eand F arepaired together.

This gives us 3 subsets that haveelements (A), (B, C, D), and (E, F).

Disjoint sets help us quickly determine which elements are connected and close and tounite twocomponents into asingle entity.

A disjoint set data structure consists of twoimportant functions:

Find() – It helps to determine which subset a particular element belongs to.

It also helps determine if the element is in more than one subset.

Union() – It helps to check whether a graph is cyclic or not. And helps connect or join two subsets.

Implementation of Disjoint Set

For the previous example, we assumethat for the set (B, C, D), B is a parent node.

For the disjoint set, we keep a single representative for each node.

If we search for an element in a particular node, it leads us to the parent of that particular node.

Therefore, when you search for D, the answer would be B.

Similarly, we can connect the subset (A) to (E, F ) which would result in node Aas the parent node.

Now we have twosubsets, but both B and A don’t have any parent node.

Each tree is an independent disjoint set, that is if twoor more elements are in the same tree, they are part of the same disjoint set, else they are independent.

So if for a particular tree B is a representative, then Parent[i]=B.

If B is not a representative, we can move up the tree to find the parent or representative for the tree.

You can read more here about Basics of Disjoint sets.

What is Kruskal’s algorithm?

Spanning tree is the sum of weights of all the edges in a tree.

A minimum spanning tree (MST) is one which costs the least amongall spanning trees.

Here is an example of aminimum spanning tree.

minimum spanning tree, kruskal's algorithm, spanning tree, kruskal algroithm, kruskal

Kruskal’s Algorithm and Prim’s minimum spanning tree algorithm are two popular algorithms to find the minimum spanning trees.

Kruskal’s algorithm uses the greedy approach for finding a minimum spanning tree.

Kruskal’s algorithm treats every node as an independent tree and connects one with another only if it has the lowest cost compared to all other options available.

Step to Kruskal’s algorithm:

  • Sort the graph edges with respect to their weights.
  • Start adding edges to the minimum spanning tree from the edge with the smallest weight until the edge of the largest weight.
  • Only add edges which don’t form a cycle—edges which connect only disconnected components.

Or as a simpler explanation,

Step 1 – Remove all loops and parallel edges

Step 2 – Arrange all the edges in ascending order of cost

Step 3 – Add edges with least weight

But how do you check whether twovertices are connected or not? That’s where the real-life example of Disjoint Sets come into use.

Kruskal’s algorithm example in detail

I am sure very few of you would be working for acable network company, so let’s make the Kruskal’s minimum spanning tree algorithm problem more relatable.

On your trip to Venice, you plan to visit all the important world heritage sites but are short on time. To make your itinerary work,you decide to use Kruskal’s algorithm using disjoint sets.

Here is amap of Venice.

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Let’s simplify the map by converting it into a graph as below and naming important locations on the map with lettersand distance in meters (x 100).

Cannaregio Ponte Scalzi Santa Corce Dell ‘Orto Ferrovia Piazzale Roma San Polo Dorso Duro San Marco St. Mark Basilica Castello Arsenale
A B C D E F G H I J K L

Let’s understand how Kruskal’s algorithm is used in the real-world example using the above map.

Step 1- Remove all loops and parallel edges

So for the given map, we have a parallel edge running between Madonna dell’Orto (D) to St. Mark Basilica (J), which is of length 2.4kms(2400mts).

We will remove the parallel road and keep the 1.8km (1800m) length for representation.

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Step 2 – Arrange all the edges on the graph in ascending order. Kruskal’s algorithm considers each group as a tree and applies disjoint sets to check how many of the vertices arepart of other trees.

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Step 3 –Add edges with least weight; we begin with the edges with least weight/cost. Hence, B, C is connected first considering their edge cost only 1.
Kruskal's algorithm,minimum spanning tree algorithm, Kruskal’s algorithm,Disjoint set union, Minimum spanning tree, Kruskal’s algorithm real world application, Disjoint set application, Minimum spanning tree real life application, Kruskal’s algorithm explained, Minimum spanning tree vs travelling salesman problem, Difference between kruskal’s algorithm and traveling salesman problem, Implementation of Disjoint set union
I, J has cost 1; it is the edge connected next.

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Then, we connect edges with weight = 2.

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Similarly, we connect node K, Lwhich has an edge with weight = 3.

Kruskal's algorithm,minimum spanning tree algorithm, Kruskal’s algorithm,Disjoint set union, Minimum spanning tree, Kruskal’s algorithm real world application, Disjoint set application, Minimum spanning tree real life application, Kruskal’s algorithm explained, Minimum spanning tree vs travelling salesman problem, Difference between kruskal’s algorithm and traveling salesman problem, Implementation of Disjoint set union

As given in the table above, all the edges are connected in ascending order, ensuring no loop or cycle is formed between 2 vertices.

Thisgives us the following graph, which is the minimum spanning tree forthe given problem.

Kruskal's algorithm,minimum spanning tree algorithm, Kruskal’s algorithm,Disjoint set union, Minimum spanning tree, Kruskal’s algorithm real world application, Disjoint set application, Minimum spanning tree real life application, Kruskal’s algorithm explained, Minimum spanning tree vs travelling salesman problem, Difference between kruskal’s algorithm and traveling salesman problem, Implementation of Disjoint set union

Here Kruskal’s algorithm using C++

#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
#include <utility>
#include <algorithm>

using namespace std;
const int MAX = 1e4 + 5;
int id[MAX], nodes, edges;
pair <long long, pair<int, int> > p[MAX];

void initialize()
{
    for(int i = 0;i < MAX;++i)
        id[i] = i;
}

int root(int x)
{
    while(id[x] != x)
    {
        id[x] = id[id[x]];
        x = id[x];
    }
    return x;
}

void union1(int x, int y)
{
    int p = root(x);
    int q = root(y);
    id[p] = id[q];
}

long long kruskal(pair<long long, pair<int, int> > p[])
{
    int x, y;
    long long cost, minimumCost = 0;
    for(int i = 0;i < edges;++i)
    {
        // Selecting edges one by one in increasing order from the beginning
        x = p[i].second.first;
        y = p[i].second.second;
        cost = p[i].first;
        // Check if the selected edge is creating a cycle or not
        if(root(x) != root(y))
        {
            minimumCost += cost;
            union1(x, y);
        }    
    }
    return minimumCost;
}

int main()
{
    int x, y;
    long long weight, cost, minimumCost;
    initialize();
    cin >> nodes >> edges;
    for(int i = 0;i < edges;++i)
    {
        cin >> x >> y >> weight;
        p[i] = make_pair(weight, make_pair(x, y));
    }
    // Sort the edges in the ascending order
    sort(p, p + edges);
    minimumCost = kruskal(p);
    cout << minimumCost << endl;
    return 0;
}

After understanding how Kruskal’s algorithm works, it’s important to understand the difference between MST and TSP.

Minimum Spanning Tree vs. Traveling Salesman problem

A minimum spanning tree helps you build a tree which connects all nodes, or as in the case above, all the places/cities with minimum total weight.

Whereas, a traveling salesman problem (TSP) requires you to visit all the places while coming back to your starting node with minimum total weight.

Following are some of the other real-life applications ofKruskal’s algorithm:

  1. Landing Cables
  2. TV Network
  3. Tour Operations

If you understood the example and working with disjoint sets, you are all set to join the CodeMonk challenge on the Disjoint Sets Union.

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7 Tech Recruiting Trends To Watch Out For In 2024

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

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

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

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

7 tech recruiting trends for 2024

6 Tech Recruiting Trends To Watch Out For In 2022

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

Trend #1—Leverage data-driven recruiting

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

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

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

Trend #2—Have impactful employer branding

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

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

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

Trend #3—Focus on candidate-driven market

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

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

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

Recommended read: What NOT To Do When Recruiting Fresh Talent

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

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

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

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

—Swetha Harikrishnan, Sr. HR Director, HackerEarth

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

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

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

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

Trend #6—Conduct remote interviews

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

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

Trend #7—Be proactive in candidate engagement

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

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

—Narayani Gurunathan, CEO, PlaceNet Consultants

Recruiting Tech Talent Just Got Easier With HackerEarth

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

Our tech recruiting platform enables you to:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s get to it, shall we?

Hire great developers

What constitutes a good interview question?

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

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

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

Hire GREAT developers by asking the right questions

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

#1 How do you plan your day?

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

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

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

Value-based interview questions to ask

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Developer Hiring Statistics

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

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

Recruit GREAT developers by asking the right questions

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

#1 Write an algorithm for the following

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#3 Some high-level design (HLD) questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is Pre-Employement Assessment?

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

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

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

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

Why pre-employment assessments are key in hiring

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

  • Improved decision-making:

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

  • Reduced bias:

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

  • Increased efficiency:

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

  • Enhanced candidate experience:

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

Types of pre-employment assessments

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

1. Skill Assessments:

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

2. Personality Assessments:

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

3. Cognitive Ability Tests:

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

4. Integrity Assessments:

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

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

Leading employment assessment tools and tests in 2024

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

  • HackerEarth:

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

  • SHL:

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

  • Pymetrics:

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

  • Wonderlic:

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

  • Harver:

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

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

Choosing the right pre-employment assessment tool

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

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

Comparative analysis of assessment options

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

  • Technical skills assessment:

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

  • Soft skills and personality assessment:

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

  • Candidate experience:

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

Additional tips:

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

Best practices for using pre-employment assessment tools

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

  • Define your assessment goals:

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

  • Choose the right assessments:

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

  • Set clear expectations:

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

  • Integrate seamlessly:

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

  • Train your team:

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

Interpreting assessment results accurately

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

  • Use results as one data point:

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

  • Understand score limitations:

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

  • Look for patterns and trends:

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

  • Focus on potential, not guarantees:

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

Choosing the right pre-employment assessment tools

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

  • Industry and role requirements:

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

  • Company culture and values:

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

  • Candidate experience:

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

Budget and accessibility considerations

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

  • Budget:

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

  • Accessibility:

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

Additional Tips:

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

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

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

Future trends in pre-employment assessments

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

  • Artificial intelligence (AI):

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

  • Adaptive testing:

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

  • Micro-assessments:

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

  • Gamification:

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

Conclusion

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

Tech Layoffs: What To Expect In 2024

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

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

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

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

What are tech layoffs?

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

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

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

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

Causes for layoffs in the tech industry

Why are tech employees suffering so much?

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

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

In addition, some common reasons could be:

Financial struggles

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

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

Changes in demand

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

Restructuring

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

Automation

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

Mergers and acquisitions

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

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

Will layoffs increase in 2024?

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

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

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

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

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

What types of companies are prone to tech layoffs?

2023 Round Up Of Layoffs In Big Tech

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

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

Large tech firms

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

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

Startups

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

Small and medium-sized businesses

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

Companies in certain industries

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

Companies that lean on government funding

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

How to track tech layoffs?

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

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

Use tech layoffs tracker

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

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

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

News articles

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

Social media

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

Online forums and communities

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

Government reports

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

How do companies reduce tech layoffs?

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

Salary reductions

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

Implementing a hiring freeze

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

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

Non-essential expense reduction

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

Reducing working hours

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

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

Tech layoffs to bleed into this year

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

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

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

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

What is Headhunting in recruitment?

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

How do headhunting and traditional recruitment differ from each other?

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

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

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

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

Types of headhunting in recruitment

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

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

How does headhunting work?

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

Identifying the role

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

Defining the job

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

Candidate identification and sourcing

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

Approaching candidates

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

Assessment and Evaluation

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

Interviews and negotiations

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

Finalizing the hire

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

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

Common challenges in headhunting

Despite its advantages, headhunting also presents certain challenges:

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

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

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

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

Advantages of Headhunting

Headhunting offers several advantages over traditional recruitment methods:

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

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

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

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

Conclusion

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

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