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Why these 401 Indian GSoCers have got to make it count

In other news, the 10th edition of Google's prestigious Google Summer of Code program is about to kick off and India will be represented by 401 students — a record in the history of GSoC.

With 401 students from India selected to the prestigious GSoC program, it has outpaced every other country in contention, including the USA, which is at a more modest 167. So what exactly have these students signed up for?

They are going to spend the next 3 months or so working with one of the participating organizations of Google on a project that they submitted a proposal for and, at the end of their tenure, they return home with a neat paycheck. In fact, this paycheck has been the biggest incentive for computer science students from all around the world — 5,500 USD for 3 months of work.

Now you may wonder why this number is so significant. Well for starters, every project listed as a part of the GSoC is an open source project, so it exposes the participants to the way open source development works. Hopefully, there would be a lasting impact of the culture of open source in the minds of the people.

However, Sayan Chowdhury, my colleague and former GSoC-er, believes otherwise. He says, "In India, 5,500 USD is a lot of money and most students seem to apply for GSoC for this monetary gain. Furthermore, it's a good thing to put on your resume as it carries a lot of importance at jobs and post-graduate college admissions. A lot of my fellow GSoCer's don't contribute to open source projects after their 3 months."

Cumulatively, since the inception of GSoC, over 800 Indian students have taken part. But try and think of popular open source projects like say, Fedora or Mozilla and you can't think of a single name of this stature to have come from India. Or try and name 100 top open source contributors from India?

Linus Torvalds, the inventor of the popular operating system Linux, said this about India's contribution to open source —

This is not to say that there aren't enough open source contributors from India, but a mix of a lack of social infrastructure and too few people who write software for the joy of writing software has resulted in India's mediocre participation in the world of open source. Even the fat paycheck isn't enough to bring the Indian developer back to work on the projects that they spent the better part of their summer on.

Also, 401 students in the context of half a million engineers that graduate out of Indian colleges is a small number. For the most part, there's a huge amount of ignorance on the Indian students' part when it comes to open source.

This puts the onus on those 401 kids. Your predecessors really haven't done the best of jobs in promoting the open source culture in India and it is up to you to bring back the passion that will be infused into you in your tenure with the GSoC. Blog about it, speak about it — make it a point to get at least 10 more developers to take up open source contribution. And most importantly, continue the work on the projects that you take up.

It is beyond awesome to see so many inductees into this year's GSoC from India.

Let's make it count.

The worst thing about working at the world's best companies

No company is flawless. As the promoter of a company, you can never keep everyone happy. There will always be something that you do in your company that can be done better or even something that just isn't right about it. This happens to the best of the companies as well, including the ones that people have a cult following.

From an engineering standpoint, companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter and Apple will look at one of the best places in the world to work for. And they are. However, we've found out some interesting, some even shocking things about these companies, straight from the employees.



Google

One-half of the world's largest internet companies, Google is notorious for its unforgivingly high bars for recruitment. They hire nothing but the best. However, Google is also an organisation. And like with every other organisation, there will be mundane things to do as well. And mundane things, isn't something that you expect the brightest minds to indulge in, right?

Well, unfortunately, that's exactly what happens at Google. Here's what an ex-Google employee had to say -

"The worst part of working at Google, for many people, is that they're overqualified for their job. Google has a very high hiring bar due to the strength of the brand name, the pay & perks, and the very positive work culture. As a result, they have their pick of bright candidates, even for the most low-level roles."

"There are students from top 10 colleges who are providing tech support for Google's ads products, or manually taking down flagged content from YouTube, or writing basic code to A|B test the colour of a button on a site."

Google staff are so outstanding that there's an internal joke about it.

"I used to joke with my colleagues that Larry & Sergey go out on their yachts - tie them together, sit back on the same recliners you'll find on their jumbo jet, each on his own yacht/set of yachts, smoke cigars, and put up pictures of Googlers with little snippets like, Was a GM at multi-national telecoms company, got a Harvard MBA and is now answering Orkut tickets and then they would erupt in laughter and clink their cigars & Scotch together in celebration. This, of course, is highly unlikely given neither of them would ever smoke a cigar or drink Scotch. The remainder is plausible."

Apple

Apple's obsession with quality is unparalleled, and it shows in their brilliant products. But spare a thought for the obsessive ones; the people who work at Apple. And obsession isn't always a good thing. It takes a toll on every other aspect of your life and demands all your focus on a singular activity.

So does the same happen at Apple? Well, this ex-Apple employee surely thinks so -

"I hardly (hardly meaning never) saw my daughter during the week because the hours were so inflexible. I had also taken a substantial pay cut, but I figured I was making a long-term career investment by working for such a prestigious company. Onboarding was super bumpy, and they had so many passwords, accounts, and logins that it took nearly a month just for me to get on the server. There were meetings all the time which were disruptive to everyone's productivity, but they seemed to be a necessary evil in a company that's so large with such high-quality products."

"... coworkers that stood their ground and set boundaries seemed to end up on a shit list of sorts and were out of the inner circle of people that kissed the producer's ass. I started to become one of those people that desperately wanted Friday evening to arrive, and I dreaded Sunday nights."

Facebook

The company that has captured the dreams of every entrepreneur and every engineer. This 200 billion dollars social enigma, is home to the personal communication of at least 1/7th of the entire world's population. And when you're serving over a billion people, you're bound to face some problems. Take this Facebook engineer for example, who had to go through 6 weeks of 24-hour duty -

"The worst thing about working at Facebook for me has been on call duty. Most engineering teams run complex, frequently modified software in production. Since things have a way of going wrong, teams have a rotating responsibility for responding to unanticipated emergencies. Since these can happen anytime, day or night, and are of unknowable scope and severity, being on call is a serious responsibility; many millions of users are affected every minute the site is broken."

"My current team’s rotation lasts for two weeks, and rolls around two to three times per year. For those two weeks, I don’t leave town on the weekend; make especially sure not to have “one too many” at any social gatherings I attend; and most importantly, carry and immediately respond to a charged phone where I can be reached 24/7, including leaving the ringer on on the nightstand as I sleep. And yes, once or twice a year that phone does go off at some bizarre hour to rouse you from your slumber and go fight a fire in production."

"While it can be satisfying to help get the site back in order when it’s sick, it really is not for everyone. This part of the job just isn’t fun for me; I find debugging under time pressure through a 3am haze stressful."

He also had some nice things to say about the company too. Read the full account here

Twitter



After recently going public, Twitter garnered a lot of media attention and a lot of engineers wanted to join the tech giant. Sure, Twitter has been an effective medium in the voice of change over the internet, and has a really interesting technology stack to work with; you would think that this is a company that would be an engineer's paradise, right?

Well, not quite. Engineers often complain of the disparity between them and the non-technical folks in the company. Here's what some disgruntled twitter engineers have said -

A staff software engineer says, "Lots of engineering managers for a company of this size. Most of the engineering managers are non-technical and add little value (but do create a lot of noise). An alarming amount of internal politics for a company so small (of ~2000 people)! Feels like a company with 10x the number of people."

A data scientist says, "Manager inflation, and hierarchy, unfair and very nonuniform compensation."

And a software engineer adds: "Hiring has been heavy, but where the new workers fit into the picture is somewhat of a mystery in many groups."

Well, no company is perfect.

Want to land a job at Google? No Degree? No problem.

I was speaking with a professor at a university, which had an abysmal placement record. It was a touchy topic but I had to know what he thought were the reasons for a lack of placement. However, he seemed pretty unapologetic about it. He said, “It is an academic degree. What makes you think that it will guarantee you a job? Once you’re done with a bachelors degree, you should go on to work on masters degree and then a PhD. That is the natural progression of an academic degree, and not a job. If you want a job, get a vocational degree.”

I have never thought of an academic degree like this. No wonder you don’t even use a fraction of what you study at college at work. Because what you study, was probably NEVER meant to be of direct relevance to a job. In fact, if you stop as a graduate or a postgraduate, you’ve still dropped out of education, as you’ve not completed the whole academic progression! (technically, at least)

As a part of my previous job, I had the privilege of interviewing Sridhar Vembu, the founder of Zoho. Of the many things that he’s renowned for, his education program aimed at kids at polytechnic colleges and dropouts has been the stuff of folklore. When asked about the thought behind the motive, he said -

“See, there are many colleges in India that really don’t teach much. Even if they teach well, there is a disconnect between what they learn and what is really needed in today’s world. Most colleges in India are atrocious and there is not much going on in them. Most students waste time; they study for exams and are really not aware of the reality outside. Going to college and education are not coincidental. You spend 4 years in college and you might have learnt something incidentally.”

“There is a general complaint about college students in India by their employers and so every company has a training scheme of their own. But all of them wait for the students to finish their four years of college, which I think is a waste of time. What we have done is gone further and get them before this wasted time period.”

It seems like the rest of the world has started to come to terms with this as well. We know for a fact, through the Coding Challenges on HackerEarth, that there are many top techies in India, who haven’t completed their college education. Of course, many of them are from the premier institutions as well, but the point is, when it comes to a technical job, the place where you graduated from, hardly matters.

And the companies are seeing it too. There have been enough engineers over the years, who have got into companies like Google, without a college degree. In fact, earlier this year, Google revealed that they have started hiring people who have never been to college. Google’s VP for People Operations, Lazlo Bock, said, “After two or three years, your ability to perform at Google is completely unrelated to how you performed when you were in school, because the skills you required in college are very different. You’re also fundamentally a different person. You learn and grow, you think about things differently.”

“Another reason is that I think academic environments are artificial environments. People who succeed there are sort of finely trained, they’re conditioned to succeed in that environment. One of my own frustrations when I was in college and grad school is that you knew the professor was looking for a specific answer. You could figure that out, but it’s much more interesting to solve problems where there isn’t an obvious answer. You want people who like figuring out stuff where there is no obvious answer. “ In fact, if you’re a programmer, here’s a post that can help you understand how you really don’t need a college degree to crack the coveted job offer.

But coming back the the insight from the professor; will the system change? I don’t know. But if you’ve got good skills (as a programmer or anything else for that matter), and no college degree, do you have a chance of getting a job?

Hell yes.

Why 80% of India's engineers remain unemployable in the software sector

It's common knowledge that India has a lot of educated people. That’s wonderful. But the lacuna casts a pall over the mood.

Reality bites, rarely pleasant…You might agree with me if you read the National Employability Report by Aspiring Minds, an employability evaluation and certification company, released earlier this year. The New-Delhi based company’s research study tracks more than 150,000 engineers who graduated in 2015 from over 650 colleges in India.

Did you know?

  • Only 18.43% of the engineers are employable in the software sector
  • Only 3.84% engineers suited to tech roles in startups
  • Nearly 27% of engineers failed to even snag an interview

Most numbers in the report are grim, from an employability percentage of 3.67% of Software Engineers for IT product companies to 17.91% of Software Engineers for IT service companies. Design engineers are not too lucky either with electronic engineers being the most employable at 7.07%.

Finding these abysmal statistics thought-provoking, we had a rather animated discussion at work about the “whys” and the “hows” and have come up with a few key observations:

Outdated learning and exam culture:

outdated classroom teaching

Whatever the reasons might be for the poor show, I believe it is sad that India's best universities are nowhere in the Top 100 in the world. The best India could do as of now: The Indian Institute of Science (IISC) in Bengaluru is at 152 and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi is at 185 in the QS World University Rankings.

Indian curriculum is behind times as far programming languages are concerned. They stick with BASIC, FORTRAN, and some “marked for death” like PERL, Flash, Algol, and Object Pascal; how are these students expected to make headway into a world of Java, C, C++, Python, Ruby on Rails, etc.? (Those fortunate enough to go to some Tier I institutions do reap benefits of excellent professors and course design.)

The situation is worse in the case of core engineering such as mechanical or civil profiles. Like Aspiring Minds CTO, Varun Aggarwal, said, "The science of manufacturing has moved way ahead but we continue to teach outdated concepts to students. For India to become the world's manufacturing hub, we need to lead from the front in our understanding of cutting edge methods, knowledge-driven management and implementation capability."

Exams still force the students to memorize by rote ancient textbooks, with no comprehension of the basic concepts. It is no surprise then if they don’t bring the Nobel home, right? Most Indian children are expected to spend hours in “coaching” classes to get into engineering or medical colleges. Somehow many manage to, merit, money, no one really cares. With no passion to learn, to apply, to create, these engineers are only interested in finishing their 4-or 5-year degrees. What happens after is something else altogether.

Theory vs. Practice

theory vs practice

“It’s the learning ability. It’s the ability to process on the fly. It’s the ability to pull together disparate bits of information.” This what Laszlo Bock, Senior Vice President of People Operations at Google, Inc. told the New York Times in an interview in 2015. The tech giant apparently doesn’t care much about GPAs. Analytical and logical skills, please.

Most Indian engineering graduates, be it IT or Electronics engineers, fail when they are expected to apply basic principles to solve real-world problems. With neither the requisite analytical skills nor a commendable command of the domain, they flounder. They need “specific” training. That’s an expense that not everyone in the industry wants to incur. Universities need to bridge this gap and soon. For instance, they can encourage participation in coding challenges that companies like HackerEarth, SPOJ, and CodeChef conduct and introduce IT engineering students to competitive programming or hackathons.

Even companies like Wipro, TCS, and Infosys are committed to re-skilling or up-skilling their people—they promise to pay you more if you learn newer technologies. For example, with applications being moved to cloud computing, the engineers would need to know Go. For self-learners, the options are aplenty with premier e-learning providers like Udacity and Simplilearn offering you what the market demands. All of this sounds easy, but it is not—quite capital and labor-intensive.

Poor language skills

poor communication skills

And by language, I mean English. Effective communication is key to succeeding in the corporate world. This is not to put down our Indian language mosaic any way. We have come a long from the popular BBC sitcom Mind your English in the 70s, but going by this video, I’d say we have miles to go.

According to the Aspiring Minds’ National Spoken English Skills Report (SES), 52% of Indian engineers can’t get jobs because their spoken English skills are nothing to write home about. Fluency, sentence construction, pronunciation, and basic grammar would seem to be alien skills to some. Obviously, watching reruns of “Friends” and listening to Taylor Swift don’t seem to be working.

In the software sector, especially, engineers interact with an English-speaking workforce spread across the world. Cross-cultural team communication and client-handling skills are not taught in our colleges, unfortunately. Although an engineer could be brilliant, the inability to put forward his views effectively could well cost him his chance. There is much to be said in favor of behavioral, personality development, and people management skills helping engineers land their dream jobs. We need to reinforce these additional competencies as key elements of continuous learning.

I am sure you can think of so many more reasons why our engineering graduates are feeling the pinch of rising unemployment more than ever. These problems have been around for a while now and if they still haven’t changed, I don’t expect them to change either. Well, not to be predicting doom, but they won’t change fast. People need to think beyond just getting a job. While learning for learning’s sake and doing the job that you love to do is utopia; the first step toward it would be to find a middle ground between the ideal and reality. Keep jobs as a priority, but make people attain different goals to achieve it. Put out industry relevant problems and a job opportunity for everyone who can solve the problem within constraints. Not only is this industry relevant, it also lays emphasis on the importance of learning the basics, as the stronger your foundations, the quicker and better you can solve these programs. Apart from redesigning curricula and getting competent tutors, students need awareness and exposure via industry interaction.

Like they say, it is insanity to keep doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result. Understanding is the first step, resolving the next.

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Why you should date a programmer

Disclaimer: This post is nothing but a light read for Valentine’s day. Women, please don’t take up arms. (That doesn’t mean some of it won’t hold true for some programmers out there.)

Love is in the air and everyone is celebrating the feeling of companionship. But as we speak, there's a programmer out there, attending a developer conference, to keep his mind occupied and distracted from his single status. While all his friends are raving about their plans for their valentines, this programmer is probably hacking away to keep his mind off this silly nonsense (not that everyone thinks this).

Dev donf

Now if you're a girl reading this, you're probably thinking - Programmers? You mean like, a nerd? Why would anyone want to date them?

Well, I'll give you 10 reasons why you should.

Reason 1 - The stereotype is not true

Internet memes have done programmers a great deal of wrong. This is absolutely biased! In fact, programmers have normal lives, friends, and enjoy the things everyone else does. Yes, there are extreme cases, but it's like just that unbelievably good-looking guy who spends way too much time at the gym.

Reason 2 - He's probably very clever

You must admit that the programmer is very likely to be a learned guy. He can charm you with his razor-sharp intellect and crack you up with his witty and intelligent sense of humor. Also, he's definitely going to win your friends over by not being a complete nut. But of course, you could choose brawn over brain, and be in a situation like this.

Stupid boyfriend

Reason 3 - He's multifaceted

Programming is multidisciplinary and your programmer date is going to know about a lot more things than just coding. From talking about the latest celebrity gossip, you can effortlessly glide into a conversation about his impeccable taste in music (that has kept him company over many coding hours) to that awesome Spaghetti Bolognese he cooked the other day. Every programmer I've met till date has had some hobby he's really good at.

Leonard cello

Reason 4 - He's probably rich

Computer science jobs are one of the highest paying ones in the world, in almost any part of the world. Your programmer date has a very high chance of being significantly well off, so you are assured of a posh place for dinner, AND you don't have to worry about getting out your purse. Ever.

Girl paying

Reason 5 - He's grateful

Thanks to the geek image that the programmer has carried for almost all his life, if you were to go out on a date with this guy, you're probably his first. While he's bound to goof up a few dating 101s, he's going to treat you like a princess. Every little thing you do will be magic to this guy, and it will take a long, long time before your charm wears off on him.

Greatful leonard

Reason 6 - He's empathetic

Your programming date has spent a lot of time developing software for his users. This involves understanding the users and knowing what they want and what they don't like. And because of this, he's probably attained a high level of empathy. He's totally going to get why you sometimes behave all weird and will think twice before doing something that might affect you in a not so nice way.

Empathy

Reason 7 - He's patient

Your programmer date has also spent a lot of time dealing with the worst kind of customers and users, trying to build a product that would satisfy all of them. While that is never going to happen, he will be patient enough.

Businessman Meditating

Reason 8 - He's rational

Combined with being empathetic and patient, your programmer date is also extremely rational. After honing his problem-solving skills for years, he's not going to fight with you on directions. He will simply use Google Maps and spend more time with you.

Problem solver

Reason 9 - He's straightforward

Programmers might be the shy type, but they're supremely straightforward. So, if they're feeling something, they're bound to tell you on the face. While it might not be what you always want, you can trust this man to be truthful to you.

I am honest

Reason 10 - He's committed

If all these reasons don’t have you convinced, this last one surely will. All his human skills make him perfect boyfriend material and his rationale will make him a mature, and sensible partner. But a defining feature of programmers is that they're committed. The most talented programmers don't necessarily have the highest paying jobs. They choose the projects that touch them at an emotional level, and they work with them, while they could be making much more money. Once he's committed to you, no pretty girl can lure him away from you. He's yours, he's a keeper.

Keeper

Agree? Disagree? Tell us what you think.

Working with a disruptor - Commonfloor's engineering culture

It all starts by trying to solve a day-to-day problem. But as time moves on, the solution becomes the problem. Not because it isn't doing its job; because it opens newer problems. And newer problems mean newer solutions. And as you're playing this game of problems and solutions, you've created a company that imparts a lot of value to society.

Commonfloor's story has somewhat been the same. With the singular aim of wanting to make getting information about real estate easier, the company has scaled from a mere idea to a 700+ member organization that serves thousands of home seekers every day. Of the few companies that are disrupting the real estate market, Commonfloor greatly leverages technology in making home searching easy.

They are looking to hire backend developers through a hiring challenge that will be held tomorrow between 2 PM and 6 PM. But before you take this challenge, read our interaction with the folks at Commonfloor on what it is like being an engineer at Commonfloor:

Tell us a little about your company. What is the problem you're trying to solve?

At CommonFloor we are driven to build the universe of information for Real Estate, where choices around finding, living and managing property are fair, fast, and gratifying.

From a technology standpoint, what is the most exciting thing about working at Commonfloor?

Building for scale, working on the next-gen core platform, stupendously smart colleagues.

Describe the engineering culture of your company. What is it that really excites you about a candidate?

Our culture rewards:

  • An attitude of mastery
  • Taking ownership
  • Taking initiatives
  • Being honest, candid and transparent
  • Earning peer respect
  • Leading by example

Apart from this, you should be a fun person to hang out with!

What is the most challenging aspect of working at Commonfloor?

Large data sets, large number of sub-systems inter-operating, complex business logic, and end-to-end ownership.

What is the average day of an engineer at Commonfloor?

Coffee - Standups - programming - intense programming - lunch - sync-up/tech-discussion - programming - coffee - programming - intense programming - break.

What do you do for fun at Commonfloor? Or is it all work and no play? ;)

We celebrate achievements, birthdays, farewells. From workspace decoration on festivals to Secret Santa – we have it all. And we are open to ideas to make CommonFloor a great place to work, learn, and grow.

How long does it take for a new recruit to fit into the Commonfloor team? How big is the India team as of now?

Lunch with the team makes a new recruit feel at home and jells with the culture instantly. The Product Engineering team works out of Bangalore and is under 50 people now.

In one sentence, why is working at Commonfloor going to be the most awesome thing an Android developer can do today?

General: Work with extremely driven, extremely capable, and extremely smart colleagues.
Android: We are going to set an example for the world on how mobile innovations can revolutionize the business of Real Estate. So, join our mobile team and make history!

Sign up for the Commonfloor backend hiring challenge now!

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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?

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#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 & 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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