“Alignment begins with a constituency of one. These are the individuals whose substance is real, pure and nonnegotiable. They share their vulnerabilities and fears in complement to their strengths. They are comfortable weaving all parts of their lives together in an integrated way. Our level of effectiveness, contribution, and integrity of work and life are in direct correlation with our level of integration, self-actualization and total alignment of body, mind and spirit.”
From ‘Is This Seat Taken?: Random Encounters That Change Your Life’ by Kristin S. Kaufman
We have always been taught that we need to keep our work and personal lives separate. Switch off and switch on as needed. To a certain extent, that bifurcation of personal and professional is welcome. However, when it comes at the cost of having to hide our true selves, then maybe we need to reconsider if we are really building workplaces that provide ‘total alignment of body, mind, and spirit’ to our teams.I have a unique insight into this problem. Early on in my career in the HR industry, I didn’t think it was important for me to come out at work. At that time, I don’t think I paid too much attention to why I felt that way. It is what we have been taught, right? Or perhaps, it was the strictly heteronormative structure of the workplaces that made me step back.I let it pass for a long time, believing that it wasn’t crucial. Only later did I realize how much more productive I could have been if I didn’t constantly have to operate with a boundary between who I was and what I projected to the world.
Looking back, I now know exactly what I lacked at these workplaces.
As a conscious employee, I always made sure to join companies that had a D&I charter in place; with documented policies and growth metrics. In all of these places, however, the environment didn't feel naturally inclusive, nor was the workplace even visibly that diverse to make someone from an underrepresented group feel comfortable to be themselves. At the end of the day, that’s what’s important to feel included - a reflection of our own selves in the environment around us. Here are the few things that I think these places did wrong:
The language used was never inclusive and had generally heteronormative preferences. There was no effort to make the workforce aware about the use of gender pronouns for example, and the ‘color’ of most water cooler conversation followed the same gender-binary boxes.
A few of the company charters lacked any mention of LGBTQ+ under the D&I umbrella. Then there was the other extreme consisting of a few global companies that had formulated policies for LGBTQ+ inclusion but didn’t actually follow this up with on-ground practices.
In terms of ‘inclusion’ there was focus only on gender diversity, and on employing women for certain roles. At one of the companies, where I led the D&I charter for my business unit, I tried to introduce the theme of LGBTQ+ inclusion by proposing to run an education and sensitization session for employees. When I ran a proposal past the top management team (incidentally, all men), I was asked - what are the symptoms towards this?
At all these places, I saw firsthand what the lack of education and sensitization can create. Thankfully, I was also privy to the other side of the rainbow. A global company I worked at allowed me the opportunity to work very closely with the team in the UK, and that’s where I had my first real taste of inclusion. I led the D&I charter for India at this company, but I also could see how the role models we had in our UK team affected morale and workplace quality. I started coming out to a few people in the UK team, but I was still uncomfortable being out and proud with my Indian colleagues.
That’s when I decided that the next place I work at wouldn’t be the same.
With everything that I had learnt about myself at work, and in my personal journeys, I made my decision to come out at work, and lead from the front. When I joined HackerEarth in 2018, I was ready to champion the cause for LGBTQ+ inclusion from the front - as someone who belonged to the community and knew intimately the issues faced by us.
I wanted people to see people from the LGBTQ+ community as not being the one in ten, but as the one standing right next to them, talking to them about it. The one being me. I feel change happens faster when people hear the word ‘I / this is my story’ rather than when they are told that this is ‘their story’.
And this brings us to June, 2019.
In June 2019, during Pride Month, I felt like writing an email to our people, wishing them on the occasion. It also felt like the right time to tell everyone that I belonged to the community and share my story with my work family. Our ‘My Story’ sessions started that way. With my story. Today, we use these sessions as an internal platform for everyone to share their stories, and open up to the bigger community.[caption id="attachment_30580" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Snapshot from one of our recent internal Pride Month awareness sessions.[/caption]
While it was a personal decision to come out at work, I know there were many other factors that contributed to me feeling comfortable doing it.
Let me enumerate them for you:
HackerEarth has an inherently non-judgmental culture. I think it comes from being a startup with young blood, but to me it felt like a big blanket of safety. Safe space is a big, big thing for people who come from marginalized communities, and want to put their voice forth.
Inclusion is at the heart of everything that we did as a company - from our product, to our HR policies, to our day-to-day. Inclusion is not set on the outside as a separate vertical, or mere metrics on a dashboard. The company approached D&I as an inherent part of its culture, allowing me to fit in and build it up inside-out, not outside-in. Of course, this is a bold, difficult approach, where you choose to go beyond just closing targets or quotas, or focus on numbers on your D&I dashboard. It is also the most impactful approach to solve the diversity hiring conundrum.
At HackerEarth, D&I is not just a good to-do, it is a must have. Non-negotiable. It’s not something we do as a one-off on special days - we believe in keeping the dialogue going, and in continuous investment. We invest in giving our people the correct language to use, in them what is ok, what is not. We ask them to call out behaviors that are not ok, and educate and sensitize others towards these behaviors. We believe in spending time, having a dialogue, educating people on ‘ally-ship’ and support - and not educating them only on the marginalized groups. In this company, Inclusion is everyone’s responsibility - not just a mandate for HRs, or the top management.
We also believe that inclusion is ‘personal’ ,and start the conversation from there. So that our people can understand their unconscious biases, be aware of it, and then learn how to manage these biases.
When you work at a company that has respect as one of its basic tenets, it’s easy to expand that umbrella to include aspects that we have been long taught to keep hidden. Knowing I would not be judged or ridiculed for my personal choices made it easier for me to come out at work, and bring my whole self to a job I absolutely enjoy doing.
In conclusion.
Having played that ‘should I, shouldn’t I’ game for a long time, I can tell you that it’s much easier when you don’t have to conceal your identity only to fit in. In order for that to happen, workplaces around the world - and in particular in countries like India where the conversation about gender norms is just beginning to bear fruit - need to become the safe spaces that employees are looking for.
There is no one size fits all solution.
I can’t tell you to use a cookie-cutter mold and bake yourself a flawless D&I policy. As an HR professional, you need to find solutions that work for your team and in your particular context. I can, however, tell you that it begins with respect and acceptance, and grows with education and sensitization. With my experience, I can tell you that it is possible to build these workplaces, but it needs heart. And a lot of effort.
The good thing is, what you get in return is so much more. You’re creating happy, accepting workplaces where employees can come in and feel welcome for being who they are. The more they are able to bring their whole selves to work, the happier they will be, and the more productive your company will be in return.
A room full of boisterous Harvard undergrads. In the center: a small group of coders hunched over their laptops, typing away at warp speed. Jesse Heisenberg’s character, Mark, explaining to a perplexed Eduardo (Andrew Garfield) that he had walked right into Facebook’s first-ever hackathon.
The audience learns that the coders have 10 minutes to get root access to a Python web server, expose its SSL encryption, and then intercept all traffic over its secure port. The catch? They have to do so while being inebriated beyond their wits. The premise is that if anyone can manage stealth in such a state, they really must be golden.
Drunk, but absolutely golden.
Allow us the pleasure of that intro, please! It reminds us of when we could smell code and innovation in the air, the ideas floating around that one could almost touch, the adrenaline. It gets us poetic and dreamy-eyed. HackerEarth loves hackathons (minus the alcohol obviously). So, you can imagine our pain when COVID threw our plans for 2020 right out the window.
As the world went into quarantine, we went through an existential crisis. No more hackathons in the physical realm – how were we to survive that? The sadness lasted only for a bit, thankfully. HackerEarth has 8 years of experience conducting hackathons across industries, and it took the team only a short time to regroup and work out a process for conducting these events online.
Despite the challenges, we ended the year with 200 remote hackathons (you can read all about them here). Along with that came a ton of learnings and growth, late nights and seemingly-impossible deadlines. Allow me to share these lessons we learnt from running 200 remote hackathons:
Lesson 1: Developers LOVE fighting real-world challenges with hackathons
As most developers would agree, code is never mere code. A line of expressive text can maybe paint a pretty picture in your head; weave a beautiful story; or profess love for a concept, or another human being. But, code….code can essentially create another being – an artificial entity, but creation nonetheless. I know I’m bordering on science fiction, but you catch our drift.
Lesson 2: Hackathons still rule as branding, engagement, crowdsourcing, and upskilling tools
When redoing our calendar for 2020, we presumed we would be conducting many hiring challenges as companies bounced back and started hiring again. We were delightfully wrong! The Microsoft Azure hackathon that we ran right in the middle of the lockdown was a branding activity meant to help developers get acquainted with the new platform; and a perfect example of how brands used this platform to engage with the community. Hackathons are also great for crowdsourcing ideas and offer cost-effective ways of community networking for the organizers.
A 2019 survey showed that Indian employees spend about 7% of their daily hours commuting. With WFH helping devs save these hours, honing skills became easier. We saw this reflected in the choices our clients made, and also on our Slack channel which we use to interact and converse with developers across the globe. We conducted more ‘internal hackathons’ in 2020 than ever before. Companies asked us to organize these events with the sole intent of keeping their tech teams engaged, and providing them the opportunity to upskill themselves.
Lesson 3: Virtual AMAs cannot replace a physical workshop, but they ain’t all that bad
The ‘upskilling’ part of a hackathon comes from the workshops, and interactions with subject matter experts that are built into the event itinerary. A workshop in the real-world is a different beast altogether. You can have a day-long workshop with breaks in between. There is ample opportunity for strangers to shoot the breeze and talk about the Pythons in their backyard. Finding a virtual alternative for this was difficult, but we found an answer to the conundrum.
AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions were the alternative we had for these workshops, and minus a few initial hiccups they fared well overall. Zoom fatigue is real, as we all know. Hence, we kept our AMA sessions short and interactive, and broke down a day-long talk into smaller bytes. This meant that each hackathon would have a slightly longer lead period than before – but we found that it helped developers understand the topic better. The shorter sessions can be well accommodated in between all the housework and to-dos we’ve all had to add to our lists in 2020.
With physical events you can rest easy knowing the likelihood of your participants dropping off after finalizing travel and stay is really low. Drop-offs are easier with virtual events. As easy as not clicking the ‘Join Meeting’ button 😂
2020 taught us a lot about the power of communication. From making sure our event descriptions were more precise than before, to leveraging the power of social media and emails, we went through a masterclass in the art of communicating without being OTT.
This also allowed us to understand how our community was fighting the pandemic much better and tailor events according to their needs. Whether it was an upskilling project or a hiring challenge, this approach helped us get maximum traction for all our events.
Lesson 5: Brands that invest in the community are brands that will reap the rewards
Eight years into our journey of helping companies find the right tech talent, we know exactly how hard the sourcing-to-hire cycle is. 2020 reiterated the fact that community engagement needs to be at the forefront of every company’s tech recruiting process.
Even if a brand wasn’t actively hiring last year, the fact that they were willing to keep communication lines open with developers and help them develop and master new skills through innovation challenges went a long way in building brand recall.
Developers are drawn towards companies that do not just see them as means to achieve a business goal, but as a precious resource that needs to be nurtured. As our recent survey shows, more developers are asking about upskilling opportunities at work post-COVID.
Using upskilling as a hook for engagement and sourcing will not only earn you brownie points from the gods of code, but also help you keep your sourcing funnel flush with unicorns and purple squirrels.
On to more....
As 2021 begins, we have an exciting list of hackathons lined up. If you'd like to organize one for your company, or are interested in knowing more about this cost-effective way of engaging with developers can benefit your business then please book a demo slot here.
A HackerEarth guide to hiring and retaining early-talent developers
Millennials have been the hot topic of discussion for a long time in the workforce. However, studies suggest that Generation Z (aka Gen Z) will make up 24% of the workforce in 2020.
As millennials inch closer to middle age, Gen Z is expected to replace them quickly.
Born between 1996 to 2001, Gen Z is the demographic cohort succeeding millennials (born between 1981-1995). They are true digital natives; they have always been exposed to the internet, advanced tech, smartphones, social media, and virtual reality. What this generation looks for in a job and a working lifestyle is significantly different from the generations that came before them. Hence, the same recruitment strategies are not going to work when hiring and retaining Gen Z.
We have created this guide to help companies catch the attention of Gen Z or early-talent developers. Read on to find out how you can attract, hire, and retain Gen Z candidates.
1. Gen Z are tech-savvy
What does this mean for you?
a) Build an online presence: A study revealed that Gen Z spends more time on social media than millennials, at 2 hours 55 minutes per day. Gen Z-ers use social media to engage with their favorite companies, access new career tools, and stay up-to-date with global events. It is important for businesses to build an online presence. This includes regular updates on all social media channels, engaging with followers and subscribers, and the likes.
b) Create a seamless digital candidate experience: Gen Z candidates are very selective. For employers, this means creating a seamless digital candidate experience for attracting top early-talent developers. You need to create a positive brand recall with this generation in the long-term. This is where pre-employment assessment tools come into play. As an employer, you can leverage these tools to:
Let candidates code from anywhere in an environment of their choice. They do not need to travel long distances to give interviews, code on whiteboards, or get rejected based on a phone conversation during the screening process.
Conduct unbiased interviews. This means that all the candidates are asked the same set of questions. Interviewers need not know the specifics of each candidate such as gender, age, ethnicity, etc. This assures the candidate that the hiring decision will be fair and they will be benchmarked based on merit.
Invest in the latest and most cutting edge tools. Most hiring managers and senior recruiters tend to be veterans in the industry. They might be used to traditional assessment methods which have worked great in the past and may have in fact even springboarded their own personal career graph. A sense of familiarity could be a major reason why they tend to slip up on upgrading to the latest tools and software out there. This is a rookie mistake, however, for a veteran to be making. Instead, they should take into account the coding platforms that the current generation of recruits are comfortable with and well-versed in, and employ the same.
Give all applicants an equal shot. Irrespective of your final decision, candidates should feel that they have had a fair shot at showcasing their skills. This can be done through an engaging process of developer assessment without any human bias.
c) Know where to look for them: As stated earlier, Gen Z talent spends a lot of time surfing the internet. The following are a few resources that you can tap into to hire quality Gen Z candidates:
LinkedIn Talent Solutions can help you leverage the magic of data-driven recruiting to get the best developers you can.
Using free ads and participating in group discussions can be effective in increasing the visibility of your brand among early-talent developers and foster a relationship with them.
As focal points of online interaction, social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Google+, and Instagram can help you promote your company and culture through existing employees, cut through the noise, and find niche networks using eye-catching ads, videos, anecdotes, photos, and hashtags.
GitHub: GitHub is an online project-hosting service site where developers share their open-source projects.
Stack Overflow: Stack Overflow is an online community for programmers to learn, share their knowledge, and advance their careers.
Reddit: Reddit is an online community where users submit content, such as text posts or direct links, in very specific “subreddits.”
Quora: Quora is a Q&A site that facilitates social interactions and interesting conversations with Gen Z-ers.
Glassdoor: A promising tool for recruiting, Glassdoor exerts a huge social influence on Gen Z candidates.
Hackathons: External hackathons are amazing places to network with exceptional early-talent developers and industry experts.
2.Gen Z has an entrepreneurial mindset, driven by security
What does this mean for you?
a) Adopt an open mindset: Gen Z-ers grew up in a digital world with online tutorials and self-learning tools. They know that paying exorbitant tuition fees for in-person classes is not the only way to upskill.
Gone are the days where learning how to code was reserved only for a few. As an employer, you need to have a more open mindset toward learning and consider new ways to evaluate the skills of candidates while hiring Gen Z-ers.
Think — does your new position really require a university degree? Focus on skills more than pedigree and provide plenty of upskilling opportunities to keep this generation engaged.
b) Emphasize job security: Thousands of people in the US lost their jobs due to the Great Recession in 2008, which paralyzed the economy. Gen. Z-ers were still young children when this happened. They may have watched their elders take massive financial hits, lose their jobs, and struggle to make ends meet. So, it’s not surprising that this generation wants and needs more job security.
To facilitate the same, this generation is also more likely to have a side job to diversify their income. This means that, as an employer, you need to:
Support them to have other sources of income apart from work.
Provide benefits that include the appropriate payment and the best health care benefits that you can obtain.
Raise the bar; ask them to lead a technical project without micromanaging. However, communicate that you are available if they need anything.
c) Focus on learning and growth opportunities: Studies reveal that 40% of Gen Z professionals are staying in their current role due to opportunities to learn and grow. Hence, showing your company is invested in learning and development is a good way to win them over.
You need to create an environment that keeps them on their toes and allows for multiple avenues to upgrade themselves.It is also important that you talk candidly about their career path and help them understand the growth opportunities available. This will build trust and help them envision a long-term trajectory at your company.
3.Gen Z is more informed about bias than you think
What does this mean for you?
Highlight and promote your diversity and inclusion efforts: Gen Z has grown up in a society shaped by discussions around diversity and inclusion, technology, gender equality, and much more. They are much more informed about bias than those before them.
Highlight your organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion on your career site. Also, include a note about it in every job description. If your company organizes events and activities that celebrate employee differences, ensure that you let the world know about them. If you have a blog series that focuses on diversity and inclusion in tech, make noise on social media.
You can feature quotes and photos of diverse people on your printed and online company materials. Make sure to include your own employees and customers. Positive branding like this could mean great and diverse hires for your organization.
In Conclusion
It might seem like hiring Gen Z is akin to threading a fine needle with one eye shut. Every generation builds on the knowledge of their ancestors. They are hard workers with well-planned career goals, looking for a guide and mentor to help them navigate the corporate world. The crux to hiring and retaining this demography lies in understanding the values they adhere to and providing them a workplace that upholds the same.
Hopefully, this guide will help you in achieving this.
This piece was originally published in TechHR Series.
A couple of weeks ago, more than 500 IBM employees across China, Japan, India, The Middle East, Germany, France, Italy, UK, Canada, Brazil and the United States got together to solve some pressing customer problems from the comfort of their homes.
The goal? To infuse Artificial Intelligence into existing products.
How? Through a virtual AI-a-thon.
Now, don’t be surprised. Everything around us is going virtual and so are hackathons.
Most people know hackathons as an event where people come together to a physical location to solve real-world problems with technology. And doing this virtually has its own benefits, said Jeffrey Dare, Advisory software engineer at IBM and one of the organizers of the IBM virtual hackathon.
For those who are new to virtual hackathons, Jeff said you’d need to keep these points in mind for successful execution:
Know your target audience and have your problem defined to a granular level. If your employees don’t understand what the problem is in the first place, you may not reap the benefits of an activity like this. Also, have your judging criteria set and announce it before the hackathon starts.
If you are running an AI hackathon as IBM did, you must have your data sets ready. Also, make sure you invest in the right infrastructure. In the case of a virtual hackathon, signing up for a hackathon software such as HackerEarth can make the process so much easier.
Run a hackathon once every quarter or once every 6 months. But make sure it is not too frequent as it could bring down your employees’ interest levels.
Jeff said there were 3 key benefits that clearly placed this model above the traditional one:
“For starters, the virtual hackathon was really engaging. Most employees don’t want to travel to a different location. In fact, the coding phase started during the lockdown and we were skeptical if things would work out or not. But it sure did and the employees loved this model for the flexibility it offered.”
“It helped bring the global IBM team together. We encouraged our employees to form a team as diverse as possible. Imagine someone sitting out of China brainstorming with an employee based out of IBM Brazil! Virtual was the only way it would work and it did wonders to keep our employees engaged.”
“Managing the hackathon was a cakewalk. The HackerEarth platform did all the heavy lifting for us and with no logistics to take care of, it was a huge relief for an organizer like me.”
The result? Most of the solutions solved our customers' problems. We were able to move all viable solutions into production,” said Jeff.
“In fact, one of the judging criteria we have is the hack’s applicability. So yes, we have long term benefits from running hackathons like these. Since it was virtual, we were able to scale the hackathon without worrying about logistics.”
Running internal innovation campaigns is an excellent way to engage talent and have a surge in creativity and output. Here is HackerEarth’s 7 point guide to hosting the perfect virtual hackathon:
Define a clear objective for the hackathon. It could be a solution for a real-world challenge your company is facing or to engage with your current workforce or both.
There is no harm in over-communicating. It is necessary to over-communicate timing and expectations and ensure everyone is engaged during the virtual hackathon.
Bring in as many employees as you can. Trust us, the more people on board, the better the outcome.
Let participants know the hackathon protocols and judging criteria in advance.
Keep the hackathon fluid. Let people have fun while they work on making your products better. So if they need a break or if they want to have a fun session in between, let them.
Have informative sessions to engage with the team during a hackathon. This could be an expert webinar or even a fun online game that can be played to ensure everyone is in high spirits during the hackathon.
Invest in the right tech. With the right tools, you can make the distance seem smaller and virtually bring people from around the world closer to ideate and create solutions.
Also, if you wish to learn more about hackathons in general, here is our comprehensive guide to helping you host the perfect hackathon. If you want us to help you host the perfect hackathon, virtual or not, reach out to us we’ll help you get started.
This article was updated on 23rd March 2023.If you are a recruiter or hiring manager in the technical recruitment space and are wondering why mostly, men (or mostly, women) are applying for your organization’s open positions, here’s a hint for you. Look at the language used in your tech job descriptions. Chances are, the wording is more biased toward one gender than you realize.
Whether you believe it or not, language matters, and words have an impact on both genders in the workplace. These are the global numbers, and they don’t lie.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits recruiters from overtly soliciting a preferred gender in their job descriptions. However, research shows gender wording in tech job ads exists, which leads to gender inequality in the workplace.
Here is a 5-step guide to creating gender-fluid tech job descriptions:
Step 1: Be mindful of your word choice
When trying to appeal to both genders in technical recruitment, avoid using gender-coded words like “wizard”, “ninja”, or “guru” and replace them with open, to-the-point words like developers or programmers (for instance). Society tends to regard these words as masculine. While these gender-coded words may make the job sound exciting, they may also dissuade women from applying.Additionally, using words such as “powerful”, “confident”, and “strong-willed” in tech job descriptions attract both men and women. Words such as “aggressive” and “pressured” discourage both genders from applying.There are various tools available today that help recruiters and hiring managers to analyze their job descriptions. These tools let them make improvements to make the language more appealing to all candidates.Textio claims that recruiters can reach a wider pool of candidates and fill jobs faster based on the language they use in their job descriptions. Applied is a tool that informs you of gender codes within your job descriptions.
A gender-inclusive or gender-neutral pronoun is a pronoun that does not associate a gender with individuals who are being discussed. Unfortunately, certain languages, such as English, do not have gender-neutral pronouns available.In many instances, people use “he/his” in tech job descriptions when referring to candidates in the third person. Additionally, the dichotomy of “she and he” in the English language does not leave room for other gender identities, such as transgender and genderqueer communities.Hence, when describing the tasks of the candidate in job descriptions, use “they” or “you.” For instance, “As a front-end engineer at HackerEarth, you will be responsible for collaborating with product designers, product managers, and backend engineers to deliver compelling user-facing products.”
Removing pronouns means you’re inclusive of all potential candidates. It allows you to have access to a larger pool of applicants and increase your chances of hiring the ideal person.
Listing down additional employee benefits in your tech job descriptions can benefit your organization in bringing a diverse set of candidates and proving your commitment to inclusion.
For example, research shows that women tend to actively seek out positions that describe an adaptable workplace culture. Positions that promoted flexible working, working from home, and additional medical benefits.Men tend to look for salary, annual leaves, and medical/dental coverage.You don’t have to include every benefit. However, mentioning a few will show candidates the great work your company is doing to boost diversity and inclusion.Recommended read: What’s wrong with today’s tech job descriptions?
Step 4: Present your values and make them shine
A great way to conclude your tech job description is by providing a short overview of your company. This section is also an excellent place to describe your culture and how you promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace.Share your organization’s values, mission statement, cultural philosophy, and a link to your non-discrimination policy to attract a diverse set of applicants.Recommended read: What Leadership Means To Us At HackerEarth
Step 5: Know the difference between “must-haves” and “nice to haves”
Research shows that men will apply for a job role if they meet 60% of the requirements while women are unlikely to apply for a job role unless they meet 100% of the job requirements. Hence, identify skills that are must-haves versus nice to have, and eliminate the latter.Finding the optimal length for the job requirements section of your posting is tricky. Tech job descriptions in the range of 300 to 700 words are ideal.Only when you have very specific skills/content required for the position, you’re advised to write longer tech job descriptions.
Why gender-fluid job descriptions matter
Gender-fluid job descriptions play a pivotal role in shaping a company's hiring process. These descriptions are vital for several reasons:
Promoting Diversity and Inclusion: Gender-fluid job descriptions ensure that candidates are not deterred by gender-specific language. This inclusivity attracts a broader spectrum of talent, encouraging applications from all genders, and helps in building a diverse workplace.
Broadening the talent pool: By avoiding gender-biased language, companies do not inadvertently alienate potential candidates. This approach results in a wider pool of applicants, increasing the chances of finding the best talent.
Reflecting company values: Using gender-fluid language in job descriptions signals to candidates that the company values diversity and inclusivity. This can enhance the employer's brand and reputation in the job market.
Legal compliance: In many regions, anti-discrimination laws require job descriptions to be non-discriminatory. Gender-fluid descriptions help in complying with these legal requirements, reducing the risk of legal repercussions.
Enhancing employer branding: Companies that use gender-neutral language are often seen as progressive and forward-thinking. This can be a significant factor in attracting young, dynamic professionals who prioritize inclusivity.
Mitigating unconscious bias: Gender-fluid job descriptions can reduce unconscious bias in the recruitment process, leading to fairer and more equitable hiring practices.
Adapting to societal changes: As societal norms evolve, there is a growing expectation for workplaces to be inclusive. Gender-fluid job descriptions are a step towards meeting these evolving societal standards.
Gender-fluid job descriptions are not just about using neutral language; they are about creating an open, inclusive environment that welcomes all individuals. This approach benefits not just the potential employees but also the company by ensuring a diverse, talented, and dynamic workforce.
Giveaway: [Free] checklist to write gender-neutral tech job descriptions
There you have it—our 5-step guide to creating gender-fluid or gender-inclusive tech job descriptions. To take your job descriptions to the next level, download your copy of the checklist!
When some people hear the word “hackathon,” a wave of intimidation spills over them.
Well, let me help you pitch the idea. Ahackathon, also known as a codefest, is typically a day-long coding competition where a bunch of software developers, computer programmers, designers, and others join hands to improve upon or build a new software program.
Hackathons maybe theme-based. However, the majority of hackathons gives developers and programmers free rein to be creative and build something awesome.
One can create a web app, a website, chrome extension, it’s an open environment!
Stating an exciting fact here—many popular features of Facebook such as the like button, Facebook timeline, chat, and video were all conceived during hackathon projects.
A hackathon is a place where you find diversified minds and ideas, all under one roof. You will eventually end up honing your existing skills and acquiring new ones in the process.
Acquire industry-specific job skills
Creating something from nothing is difficult. In fact, it may be one of the most challenging tasks. Ahackathonlets one acquire industry-specific job skills.
If you are new to programming, you will learn how to build a project from scratch, buff out the glitches, and present it to a panel of experts.
On the other hand, if you are already a coding professional, you have an opportunity to enhance your skills.
All-in-all, a hackathon is a win-win situation. It prepares you forworking in a fast-paced, industry-driven environment, and gives professional experience in tackling coding challenges.
Improve problem-solving skills
Want to stretch your problem-solving skills to the limit? Attend a hackathon! To get the job done, you will need to learn how to focus on what is important.
And no matter however pre-defined your ideas are before you attend, you will eventuallylearn to be flexible and adaptable in your approach.
Also, you will get the opportunity to literally drill down issues and understand them to their very core.
Learn teamwork
The importance of teamwork cannot be overstated. It is very, very important, especially in such events.
Hackathons encourage you to work with people that you do not often work with, which eventually leads to wonderful ideas.
You learn to partition tasks, share a codebase, and get along the process through good and bad as a team.
Also, “pair programming” is a common practice at hackathons. It involves finding someone of similar skill sets, and then taking turns building and advising on the project.
It offers considerable learning potential and teaches effective collaboration.
Work under pressure
Hackathons aim at developing something awesome within a limited time frame, infusing work pressure among participants and testing them beyond their limits.
You will definitely learn to complete tasks faster than what you’re generally used to.
Transform concepts into reality
The core concept of most hackathons is theability to turn concepts into deliverable actions or a working prototype. Hackathons are a great way to involve and understand every stage—from design to deployment—of a product.
The gap between ideation and execution is huge. For instance, when Uber brought the idea of helping customers find a ride via connectivity, many people said, “I had that same idea.”
Still, Uber made it happen in the best possible way. Similarly, there are several ideas that people think of, and a hackathon lets one execute ideas and create something mind-boggling!
If youwant to participate in a hackathon, you just need to know the genre, form a team (either at the event or with people you know), and hack away at a project!
Hackathons are a whirlwind! If you come in with a strategy, they can be a useful format for making significant progress in a short amount of time.
If you are new to hackathons, knowing where to begin with may be daunting.
Traditionally, hackathons come from identifying a problem and then considering different ways to solve it.
For instance, how can a new tool like an app builder or any app make life easier? To help you get there, here is a list of hackathons that HackerEarth has conducted to let you gain some insights.
How can hackathons help you?
Hackathons for product and API adoption
Studies show that hackathons seem to be the most effective method to acquire and engage developer talent for open APIs.
Hackathons give you the opportunity to put your product(API) in the hands of passionate developers and get them to use it. They give you valuable feedback on how your product can be improved.
Several companies have used hackathon to drive API adoption. Here are a few –
Amazon Alexa: Building voice-first experiences through the Alexa skills hackathon
Alexa, the voice service behind Amazon Echo, is changing how a consumer interacts with technology. With Alexa being able to pick up multiple roles—anything from a concierge or a sous chef to a fitness coach or a DJ — every time a new skill is added, theAlexa Skills hackathonwas aimed at building even more skills for Alexa to make it smarter.
The goal of the hackathon was to educate developers about Alexa. Amazon wanted to get them to experience building skills for Alexa for the first time.
IBM: Using Bluemix to develop apps on the Bluemix platform
IBM Bluemix is a cloud platform as a service (PaaS) developed by IBM. It supports several programming languages and services as well as integrated DevOps to build, run, deploy, and manage applications in the cloud.
TheIBM Bluemix hackathonwas a product building innovation campaign where participants could build web and mobile apps with Watson on IBM Bluemix.
Hackathons for branding
An employer branding hackathon is a highly targeted branding activity. It allows a company to let potential employees know what the company stands for, the challenging projects it works on, and communicates its values to them.
By conducting a targeted hackathon, you will be able to let the developer community know about your company and the technology stack you use. It also allows companies to build a talent pipeline. Here’s how HP Enterprise leveraged hackathons for employer branding-
HP Enterprise: When innovation acted as a brand driver
HPE is a brand synonymous with innovation. With over 80 years of world-class technology innovation and the famous “HP Way” of transforming great ideas into successful tech products, the company partnered with HackerEarth for its employer branding activities.
TheHPE Thinkathonwas a hackathon specifically for college students. With coding gaining more attention with each passing day, HP aimed to cultivate a culture of coding among students.
Hackathons for hiring
Hackathons are changing the way a traditional hiring process works. Hiring that involved multiple rounds of interviews in the past are quickly being replaced by hiring hackathons. Here’s how Accenture used a hackathon tohire better talent.
Accenture—Hiring coding enthusiasts through the Hack Diva challenge
The Accenture Hack Diva challenge was a women-centric programming challenge targeted at women students interested in technology to showcase their problem-solving skills and compete with their peers across the country.
The event aimed at bringing together some of the brightest engineering students and celebrating women who are passionate about technology.
Internal hackathons
Internal hackathons act as a playground for exploring possibilities. Accelerate innovation by bringing all the business stakeholders on a single platform to ideate, collaborate, build, and implement solutions to real-world challenges.
Benefits –
Collaborative innovation — Internal hackathons help foster collaboration across geographies
Accelerate customer innovation — Faster go to market for customer requirements
Drive engagement — A fun activity for your entire company
Adapt to disruption and stay ahead of competition
Hackathons to foster collaboration and boost employee engagement
The use of employee hackathons to solve organizational problems is on the rise. This fun event helps bring together the best brains from across your organization to solve pressing business challenges while having a good time.
Global talent advisers perfectly sum up what happens during a hackathon of this kind, “Employees who have participated in a hackathon love it because it is a highly engaging activity. They work with colleagues from other departments to brainstorm and design working prototypes. Employees feel that they are part of the solution. They have a sense of pride that they are contributing to the success of the company.”
Hackathons to solve customer challenges
Hackathons can be catalysts for organizations looking to accelerate innovation. You could use a hackathon to develop innovative yet practical solutions to support the customer experience.
The best part is you get a pipeline of hacks which can provide the highest value to customers in the shortest amount of time and you can work on accommodating them in your product road maps.
Hackathons to help you speed up product launches
Hackathons create an environment that creates an internal drive among your team to work together on new product features or improvements.
The best part is that since the entire team works towards this within a stipulated period of time, you have multiple solutions many of which are market-ready and can be directly implementable. This means you can easily accommodate them in your product road maps and releases.
Hackathons to create a culture of innovation
Innovation is critical to business success now more than ever. It is imperative for business leaders and entrepreneurs to make innovation their constant business priority.
Incorporating innovation into your company’s culture will help you create an environment that empowers.
Technology, University, Government, and Social hackathons
One of the best things you get out ofconducting a hackathonis the outcome. A hackathon is a great tool especially if you are looking for swift market-ready solutions.
And these solutions are applicable across a wide range of sectors—from technology hackathons to government and social hackathons and even university hackathons.
Technology hackathons
Hackathons are a great way of using cutting edge technologies to solve some pressing business challenges.
Some commonly used technologies include Machine Learning, Blockchain, IoT, AR/VR, etc and these have been used to solve problems on customer data management, identity management, and asset trading via hackathons.
Machine Learning hackathons
Organizations such as Unilever, Societe Generale, Future Group, and many others have leveraged the power of Machine Learning to build better businesses.
Being one of the largest FMCG companies in India, HUL ran a hackathon to understand consumer preferences in small retail stores in neighborhoods by capturing sales data through a point of sales system and leverage it with innovative Machine Learning (ML) and analytical models.
Societe Generale: Building predictive models from banking and financial data
This French banking and financial MNC wanted to put its financial data to better use by leveraging the power of the crowd for data analysis and building predictive models.
Future Group: Crowdsourcing digital solutions to master customer data management
Future Group is one of the largest retailers in India and through the Future Datathon, this organization used Machine Learning to understand customer behavior and buying needs better.
Blockchain hackathons
From traceable supply chains to permanent identity for refugees, blockchain is pioneering transparent and secure business processes.
Blockchain technology provides new infrastructure to build the next innovative applications beyond cryptocurrencies, driving profound, positive changes across businesses, communities, and society.
Many organizations have used blockchain hackathons to build impactful solutions and here are a few examples
Accenture: Leveraging Blockchain for social good
With the industry gearing toward an exciting phase in the evolution of blockchain-based solutions, Accenture has consciously worked toward leveraging ‘Blockchain for good’.
Regarded as one of the top 10 biggest blockchain companies, Accenture’s blockchain developers work at the heart of the blockchain technology landscape, working with multiple alliance partners— DAH, Ripple, R3, Microsoft, EEA, Hyperledger, etc.
University hackathons
Hackathons are important for growth because it allows students to apply creativity, learn technical skills, generate business ideas, work in a team, network with peers and professionals, and win some cool prizes.
Top universities across the world use hackathons to drive creativity and problem-solving capacity among students.
Government hackathons
Governments around the world are leveraging technology for better governance and hackathons are a great way to find solutions which can be readily implemented. A few examples are:
Smart Odisha hackathon — Make in Odisha Conclave 2018
The student community is an integral part of spearheading development projects, owing to its innovative and enthusiastic approach toward a problem.
To harness the talent of student communities, “Smart Odisha Hackathon” was organized by the Skill Development and Technical Education Department, Government of Odisha, in association with the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), Odisha. The idea behind this 36-hour long hackathon was to attract talent to identify innovative IT solutions for public service delivery and effective governance.
NITI Aayog—Pune Smart city hackathon
The challenge was to find insights and solutions for smarter ways to develop Pune.
The hackathon addressed important themes such as water management, solid waste management, safety, public health, and digital connectivity.
Bhopal smart city hackathon
This hackathon was organised by the Bhopal Smart City Development Corporation Limited, in partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
Participants had to come up with technology solutions in this 48 hour hackathon to make Bhopal smarter.
Social hackathons
Hackathons can help you harness the creative power and skills of thousands of participants to bring you closer to realizing your organization’s social welfare goals.
Create working prototypes of solutions by utilizing developer communities, along with your participants, without having to build a team of your own.
Centro Fox: Creating technology solutions for social problems in less than 48 hours
Centro Fox is a Mexican organization which works toward creating compassionate leaders for a better world.
Founded by Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico, the center consciously works toward training quality leaders dedicated to serving their community in Mexico and Latin America.
The talent hackathon at Centro Fox aimed to bring together participants from Mexico to work on solutions for creating a smart city.
Hackocracy: Crowdsourcing to build a better democracy
With the belief that technology-based solutions could streamline processes and revolutionize the lives of millions, well-known NGOs such as the Umang Foundation, Janaagraha, and the Nudge Foundation teamed up with HackerEarth to come up with digital solutions to handle real-world problems throughHackocracy— a hackathon to build a better democracy.
FAQs
Who can attend a hackathon
Hackathons are for everyone. YES! You read that right. Anyone with a knack in computer programming can attend a hackathon. One does not necessarily need to have programming experience. Organizers usually hold workshops throughout the event for people who are new to programming, helping individuals harness new skills and relationships.
How to prepare for a hackathon?
You’d like to try a hackathon? Great! We’ve put together a list of 5 things you can do to prep.
Do I need to pay any money to register for a hackathon?
No. You do not have to pay anything to anyone to register yourself for any Hackathon on HackerEarth.
How do I submit the prototypes/ideas created for the hackathon?
You have to develop the application on your local system and submit it on HackerEarth in tar/zip file format along with instructions to run the application and source code. Do we need to have the entire idea fully working?
The entire idea need not be fully implemented. However, the submission should be functional so that it can be reviewed by the judges.
Do I need to provide a demo for the product I have built?
If you want, you can submit a small presentation or video that demos your submission. However, it’s not mandatory and only good to have. In case you are one of the winners, you might be invited to demo your application at a physical event, details of which will be shared with sufficient advance notice.
How is the environment? Will the hackathon environment support any language? Will the organization provide any IDE and DB for us to work on ideas?
You have to develop the entire software application on your local system and submit it on HackerEarth in tar/zip file format along with instructions to run the application and source code.
Who owns my project and IP?
It can vary from hackathon to hackathon. The conditions of participation in a hackathon may include alternative arrangements, such as first-look rights, exclusive rights, or shared IP rights. Also, the finalists and winners are generally given prizes or sums of money – essentially in exchange for their ideas. In case of an internal hackathon where organizations conduct these events for their employees, all rights are owned by the company. It has the total ownership of inventions made by its employees. In case of an open or a public hackathon, the ownership rights are often open to dispute. In this case, the inventions are made by an unpaid third party — the hackathon participants.
But in any case, it’s essential to take a careful look at the conditions of participation. Be sure to double check with the organizer. If you are employed elsewhere, review the hackathon terms to see if your participation causes any conflict of business interest with your current employer.
How to win a hackathon?
It all boils down to 10 simple steps. HackerEarth provides an exhaustive list to help win hackathons. The steps are pretty broad on purpose – you can define them anyway you want.
Explore HackerEarth’s top products for Hiring & Innovation
Discover powerful tools designed to streamline hiring, assess talent efficiently, and run seamless hackathons. Explore HackerEarth’s top products that help businesses innovate and grow.
Get to know the experts behind our content. From industry leaders to tech enthusiasts, our authors share valuable insights, trends, and expertise to keep you informed and inspired.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The first part of this blog stresses the importance of asking the right technical interview questions to assess a candidate’s coding skills. But that alone is not enough. If you want to hire the crème de la crème of the developer talent out there, you have to look for a well-rounded candidate.
Honest communication, empathy, and passion for their work are equally important as a candidate’s technical knowledge. Soft skills are like the cherry on top. They set the best of the candidates apart from the rest.
Re-examine how you are vetting your candidates. Identify the gaps in your interviews. Once you start addressing these gaps, you find developers who have the potential to be great. And those are exactly the kind of people that you want to work with!
Let’s get to it, shall we?
What constitutes a good interview question?
An ideal interview should reveal a candidate’s personality along with their technical knowledge. To formulate a comprehensive list of questions, keep in mind three important characteristics.
Questions are open-ended – questions like, “What are some of the programming languages you’re comfortable with,” instead of “Do you know this particular programming language” makes the candidate feel like they’re in control. It is also a chance to let them reply to your question in their own words.
They address the behavioral aspects of a candidate – ensure you have a few questions on your list that allow a candidate to describe a situation. A situation where a client was unhappy or a time when the developer learned a new technology. Such questions help you assess if the candidate is a good fit for the team.
There is no right or wrong answer – it is important to have a structured interview process in place. But this does not mean you have a list of standard answers in mind that you’re looking for. How candidates approach your questions shows you whether they have the makings of a successful candidate. Focus on that rather than on the actual answer itself.
Designing a conversation around these buckets of interview questions brings you to my next question, “What should you look for in each candidate to spot the best ones?”
Hire GREAT developers by asking the right questions
Before we dive deep into the interview questions, we have to think about a few things that have changed. COVID-19 has rendered working from home the new normal for the foreseeable future. As a recruiter, the onus falls upon you to understand whether the developer is comfortable working remotely and has the relevant resources to achieve maximum productivity.
#1 How do you plan your day?
Remote work gives employees the option to be flexible. You don’t have to clock in 9 hours a day as long as you get everything done on time. A developer who hasn’t always been working remotely, but has a routine in place, understands the pitfalls of working from home. It is easy to get distracted and having a schedule to fall back on ensures good productivity.
#2 Do you have experience using tools for collaboration and remote work?
Working from home reduces human interaction heavily. There is no way to just go up to your teammate’s desk and clarify issues. Virtual communication is key to getting work done. Look for what kind of remote working tools your candidate is familiar with and if they know what collaborative tools to use for different tasks.
Value-based interview questions to ask
We went around and spoke to our engineering team, and the recruiting team to see what questions they abide by; what they think makes any candidate tick.
The result? – a motley group of questions that aim to reveal the candidate’s soft skills, in addition to typical technical interview questions and test tasks.
#3 Please describe three recent projects that you worked on. What were the most interesting and challenging parts?
This is an all-encompassing question in that it lets the candidate explain at length about their work ethic—thought process, handling QA, working with a team, and managing user feedback. This also lets you dig enough to assess whether the candidate is taking credit for someone else's work or not.
#4 You’ve worked long and hard to deliver a complex feature for a client and they say it’s not what they asked for. How would you take it?
A good developer will take it in their stride, work closely with the client to find the point of disconnect, and sort out the issue. There are so many things that could go wrong or not be to the client’s liking, and it falls on the developer to remain calm and create solutions.
#5 What new programming languages or technologies have you learned recently?
While being certified in many programming languages doesn't guarantee a great developer, it still is an important technical interview question to ask. It helps highlight a thirst for knowledge and shows that the developer is eager to learn new things.
#6 What does the perfect release look like? Who is involved and what is your role?
Have the developer take you through each phase of a recent software development lifecycle. Ask them to explain their specific role in each phase in this release. This will give you an excellent perspective into a developer’s mind. Do they talk about the before and after of the release? A skilled developer would. The chances of something going wrong in a release are very high. How would the developer react? Will they be able to handle the pressure?
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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.
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.
Asking the right technical interview questions when recruiting developers is important but so is clear communication, good work ethic, and alignment with your organization’s goals.
Let us first see what kind of technical interview questions are well-suited to revealing the coding skills and knowledge of any developer, and then tackle the behavioral aspects of the candidate that sets them apart from the rest.
Recruit GREAT developers by asking the right questions
Here are some technical interview questions that you should ask potential software engineers when interviewing.
#1 Write an algorithm for the following
Minimum Stack - Design a stack that provides 4 functions - push(item), pop, peek, and minimum, all in constant order time complexity. Then move on to coding the actual solution.
Kth Largest Element in an array - This is a standard problem with multiple solutions of best time complexity orders where N log(K) is a common one and O(N) + K log(N) is a lesser-known order. Both solutions are acceptable, not directly comparable to each other, and better than N log(N), which is sorting an array and fetching the Kth element.
Top View of a Binary Tree - Given a root node of the binary tree, return the set of all elements that will get wet if it rains on the tree. Nodes having any nodes directly above them will not get wet.
Internal implementation of a hashtable like a map/dictionary - A candidate needs to specify how key-value pairs are stored, hashing is used and collisions are handled. A good developer not only knows how to use this concept but also how it works. If the developer also knows how the data structure scales when the number of records increases in the hashtable, that is a bonus.
Algorithms demonstrate a candidate’s ability to break down a complex problem into steps. Reasoning and pattern recognition capabilities are some more factors to look for when assessing a candidate. A good candidate can code his thought process of the algorithm finalized during the discussion.
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#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.
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.
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:
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.
Provides a broad selection of assessments, including skill tests, personality assessments, and cognitive ability tests. They offer customizable solutions and cater to various industries.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What types of companies are prone to tech layoffs?
Tech layoffs can occur in organizations of all sizes and various areas.
Following are some examples of companies that have experienced tech layoffs in the past:
Large tech firms
Companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Twitter, Better.com, Alibaba, and HP have all experienced layoffs in recent years as part of restructuring initiatives or cost-cutting measures.
Market scenarios are still being determined after Elon Musk's decision to lay off employees. Along with tech giants, some smaller companies and startups have also been affected by layoffs.
Startups
Because they frequently work with limited resources, startups may be forced to lay off staff if they cannot get further funding or need to pivot due to market downfall.
Small and medium-sized businesses
Small and medium-sized businesses face layoffs due to high competition or if the products/services they offer are no longer in demand.
Companies in certain industries
Some sectors of the technological industry, such as the semiconductor industry or automotive industry, may be more prone to layoffs than others.
Companies that lean on government funding
Companies that rely significantly on government contracts may face layoffs if the government cuts technology spending or contracts are not renewed.
How to track tech layoffs?
You can’t stop tech company layoffs, but you should be keeping track of them. We, HR professionals and recruiters, can also lend a helping hand in these tough times by circulating “layoff lists” across social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter to help people land jobs quicker. Firefish Software put together a master list of sources to find fresh talent during the layoff period.
Because not all layoffs are publicly disclosed, tracking tech industry layoffs can be challenging, and some may go undetected. There are several ways to keep track of tech industry layoffs:
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.
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! :)
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.
Snapshot from one of our recent internal Pride Month awareness sessions.[/caption]
