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How To Build Safe And ‘PROUD’ Workplaces - A Personal Story

“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"]D&I - HackerEarth - Pride Month 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.

That’s worth the effort, isn’t it?

Automated Reports On FaceCode

Writing a balanced and well-detailed interview summary is not only time consuming but also demands significant cognitive overload to take notes and record feedback during the interview. FaceCode’s latest update does all the heavy lifting for you and automatically generates a summary on the candidate’s interview performance.

The platform takes inputs from multiple sources and compiles that to an interview summary.

The key sources for summary generation are:

1. Scores given by the interviewer: Each interviewer gets to rate the candidate on a few criteria like quality of code, ability to understand the question (for the default list of criteria read this) and so on. The platform comes with default criteria which can be changed when setting up the interview.

2. Code written by the candidate: The system tracks the amount of time spent coding, code compilations, syntactical correctness of the code, etc.

3. Candidate engagement during the interview: The system tracks candidate engagement metrics like speak to listen ratio and the time candidate is actively engaged and uses that to include candidate engagement as part of the summary.

4. Structure of the interview: The system tracks the number of questions asked, time spent on each question and whether code was written for each question or not and uses that to add points to the summary.

The system aggregates all the data collected from these sources, matches some of the data points like speak to listen ratio and time spent coding with overall averages and generates a summary based on that. If needed, the summary can then be edited by the interviewer.

5 Lessons From Running 200 Remote Hackathons

Scene from the movie ‘The Social Network.’

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.

In 2020, however, sci-fi and reality mingled and coders were at the helm of it all. We saw our developer community eagerly participate in hackathons that tackled challenges the world was going through. From celebrating one’s right to sexual expression to mitigating the effects of the virus, and even finding a real-life missing person, our developers solved it all with JAVA and panache.

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.

Remote hackathons - developer feedback - HackerEarth

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.

Also Read: A Lookback At The Hackathons In 2020

Lesson 4: Communication. And then some

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.

See you at the next big HackerEarth hackathon! SUBSCRIBE to the HackerEarth blog to be the first to know when we publish more awesome content on hackathons!
More On Hackathons: How HackerEarth Helped IBM Run A Hackathon Across 10 Countries

Enough About Millennials. Are You Ready For Generation Z?

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.

How IBM ran a virtual hackathon for its employees across 10 countries

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.

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
Virtual hackathon

Source: tameday.com

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.”

virtual hackathon

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.

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5-Step Guide To Gender-Fluid Tech Job Descriptions (+Free Checklist)

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.

Gender-Fluid Tech Job Descriptions



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.

P.S. You can find the full list of gender-biased wordings here.
Recommended read: 5-point guide on how to write a job description.

Step 2: Change your pronouns

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.

P.S. Here is a list of gender-neutral pronouns.

Step 3: List down additional benefits and perks

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

Free Checklist To Write Gender-Fluid Tech Job DescriptionsThere 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!
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Forecasting Tech Hiring Trends For 2023 With 6 Experts

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

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

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

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

Meet the Expert Panel

Radoslav Stankov

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

Mike Cohen

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

Pamela Ilieva

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

Brian H. Hough

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

Steve O'Brien

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

Patricia (Sonja Sky) Gatlin

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

Overview of the upcoming tech industry landscape in 2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6 industry experts predict the 2023 recruiting trends

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

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

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

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

Pamela Ilieva, Director of International Recruitment, Shortlister

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


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

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

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

Patricia Gatlin, DEI Specialist and Curator, #blacklinkedin

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

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

Radoslav Stankov, Head of Engineering, Product Hunt

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

Mike “Batman” Cohen, Founder of Wayne Technologies

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

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

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

Companies can create internal hackathons to exercise creativity...


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


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

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

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


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


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

6 industry experts predict the 2023 recruiting trends

Rado: Prioritization, team time, and environment management.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Brian: Agility, resourcefulness, and empathy.

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

Steve: Negotiation, data management, and talent development.

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

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


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

Patricia: Technology, research, and relationship building.

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

7 Tech Recruiting Trends To Watch Out For In 2024

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

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

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

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

7 tech recruiting trends for 2024

6 Tech Recruiting Trends To Watch Out For In 2022

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

Trend #1—Leverage data-driven recruiting

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

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

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

Trend #2—Have impactful employer branding

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

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

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

Trend #3—Focus on candidate-driven market

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

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

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


Recommended read: What NOT To Do When Recruiting Fresh Talent


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

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

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

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

—Swetha Harikrishnan, Sr. HR Director, HackerEarth

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


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

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

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

Trend #6—Conduct remote interviews

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

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

Trend #7—Be proactive in candidate engagement

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

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

—Narayani Gurunathan, CEO, PlaceNet Consultants

Recruiting Tech Talent Just Got Easier With HackerEarth

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

Our tech recruiting platform enables you to:

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Developer Survey

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

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

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

Staying ahead of the skills game

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

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

How happy are developers

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

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

What works when looking for work

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

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


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


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

Tips straight from the horse’s mouth

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

  • The insight where developer happiness is correlated to work hours didn’t find a significant difference between the cohorts. Devs working for less than 40 hours seemed marginally happier than those that clocked in more than 60 hours a week.
“This is an interesting data point, which shows that devs are passionate about what they do. You can increase their workload by 50% and still not affect their happiness. From a work perspective, as a recruiter, you have to get your hiring manager to understand that while devs never say no to more work, HMs shouldn’t overload the devs. Devs are difficult to source and burnout only leads to killing your talent pool, which is something that you do not want,” says Steve.
  • Roughly 45% of both student and professional developers learned how to code in college was another insight that was open to interpretation.
“Let’s look at it differently. Less than half of the surveyed developers learned how to code in college. There’s a major segment of the market today that is not necessarily following the ‘college degree to getting a job’ path. Developers are beginning to look at their skillsets differently and using various platforms to upskill themselves. Development is not about pedigree, it’s more about the potential to demonstrate skills. This is an interesting shift in the way we approach testing and evaluating devs in 2021.”

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

  • Node.js and AngularJS are the most popular frameworks among students and professionals.
“I was surprised by how many young students wanted to learn AngularJS, given that it’s more of an enterprise framework. Another thing that stood out to me was that the younger generation wants to learn technologies that are not necessarily cool like ExtJS (35%). This is good because people are picking technologies that they enjoy working with instead of just going along with what everyone else is doing. This also builds a more diverse technology pool.” — Rado
  • 22% of devs say ‘Zoom Fatigue’ is real and directly affects productivity.
“Especially for younger people who still haven’t figured out a routine to develop their skills, there is something I’d like you to try out. Start using noise-canceling headphones. They help keep distractions to a minimum. I find clutter-free working spaces to be an interesting concept as well.”

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

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

View all

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

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

What is Pre-Employement Assessment?

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

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

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

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

Why pre-employment assessments are key in hiring

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

  • Improved decision-making:

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

  • Reduced bias:

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

  • Increased efficiency:

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

  • Enhanced candidate experience:

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

Types of pre-employment assessments

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

1. Skill Assessments:

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

2. Personality Assessments:

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

3. Cognitive Ability Tests:

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

4. Integrity Assessments:

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

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

Leading employment assessment tools and tests in 2024

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

  • HackerEarth:

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

  • SHL:

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

  • Pymetrics:

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

  • Wonderlic:

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

  • Harver:

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

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

Choosing the right pre-employment assessment tool

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

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

Comparative analysis of assessment options

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

  • Technical skills assessment:

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

  • Soft skills and personality assessment:

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

  • Candidate experience:

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

Additional tips:

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

Best practices for using pre-employment assessment tools

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

  • Define your assessment goals:

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

  • Choose the right assessments:

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

  • Set clear expectations:

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

  • Integrate seamlessly:

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

  • Train your team:

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

Interpreting assessment results accurately

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

  • Use results as one data point:

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

  • Understand score limitations:

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

  • Look for patterns and trends:

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

  • Focus on potential, not guarantees:

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

Choosing the right pre-employment assessment tools

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

  • Industry and role requirements:

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

  • Company culture and values:

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

  • Candidate experience:

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

Budget and accessibility considerations

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

  • Budget:

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

  • Accessibility:

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

Additional Tips:

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

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

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

Future trends in pre-employment assessments

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

  • Artificial intelligence (AI):

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

  • Adaptive testing:

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

  • Micro-assessments:

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

  • Gamification:

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

Conclusion

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

Tech Layoffs: What To Expect In 2024

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

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

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

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

What are tech layoffs?

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

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

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

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

Causes for layoffs in the tech industry

Why are tech employees suffering so much?

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

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

In addition, some common reasons could be:

Financial struggles

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


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


Changes in demand

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

Restructuring

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

Automation

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

Mergers and acquisitions

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

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

Will layoffs increase in 2024?

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

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

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

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


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


What types of companies are prone to tech layoffs?

2023 Round Up Of Layoffs In Big Tech

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

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

Large tech firms

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

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

Startups

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

Small and medium-sized businesses

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

Companies in certain industries

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

Companies that lean on government funding

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

How to track tech layoffs?

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

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

Use tech layoffs tracker

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

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

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

News articles

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

Social media

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

Online forums and communities

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

Government reports

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

How do companies reduce tech layoffs?

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

Salary reductions

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

Implementing a hiring freeze

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


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


Non-essential expense reduction

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

Reducing working hours

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

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

Tech layoffs to bleed into this year

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

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

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

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

What is Headhunting in recruitment?

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

How do headhunting and traditional recruitment differ from each other?

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

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

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

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

Types of headhunting in recruitment

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

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

How does headhunting work?

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

Identifying the role

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

Defining the job

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

Candidate identification and sourcing

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

Approaching candidates

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

Assessment and Evaluation

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

Interviews and negotiations

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

Finalizing the hire

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

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

Common challenges in headhunting

Despite its advantages, headhunting also presents certain challenges:

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

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

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

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

Advantages of Headhunting

Headhunting offers several advantages over traditional recruitment methods:

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

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

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

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

Conclusion

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

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