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Attracting quality talent through hackathons

This post was originally published on The HR Agenda Magazine’s blog on March 1st, 2019

Hackathons are a logical solution to addressing the unique challenges of hiring the ever-elusive top tech talent.

Talent acquisition has been the biggest concerns for the C-suite year after year. According to the latest PWC survey, 63 percent of the CEOs are increasingly concerned about finding talent with the right skills.

To combat the serious shortage of skills, companies are resorting to innovative means of hiring. For example, Volvo turned the Brussels Motor Show into a recruitment ground where AI-powered cars interviewed and recruited technicians. This led to Volvo filling the 200 vacancies in no time.

One of the recent recruitment trends gaining momentum is for companies to use hackathons for hiring quality talent. Although hackathons are predominantly a crowdsourcing tool, in recent times, they have proven to be an effective hiring mechanism.

What is a hackathon?

A hackathon is a competitive and competitive event in which teams of designers, developers and subject matter experts create solutions for a specific problem within a defined time frame. The goal is to build a working prototype in the form of a website, an app, or a robot to solve a given problem.

Why hackathons for hiring?

When it comes to recruitment, the following five important parameters or metrics ascertain its effectiveness.

  • Quality of hire
  • Time to hire
  • Cost of hire
  • Candidate experience
  • Diversity and inclusion

Hackathon as a hiring tool serves well across the parameters mentioned above.

May the best man/woman win

Hiring through hackathons is a truly meritocratic process. If a candidate is skilled enough to solve a complex problem you pose or build something extraordinary, all that is left is to assess if the candidate is culturally fit for the organization. Most hackathons will have at least 10 percent of ideas that exceeds your expectation. Interestingly, these ideas also tend to come from people who would not have been shortlisted through the traditional process on the basis of experience, pedigree, etc.

48 hours of rendezvous

According to studies, the average time to fill a position is 36 days. Whereas, hackathons reduce this time to 28 days (organizing, inviting ideas, and shortlisting) including the 48 hours of intense hacking. Also, companies get the opportunity to interact with the candidates and mentor them.

Cost of hire

According to the Talent Acquisition Benchmarking Report, the average cost of a hire is $4,425 whereas the average cost of hackathons for hiring is $4,000, with the advantage of hiring multiple candidates. If four employees are hired by conducting a hackathon, the average cost per hire boils down to $1,000 ($4,000/4) as opposed to $4,425 (conventional hire). Hackathons help in building a pipeline of talent as well. For example, if your company predominantly works on Django/Python tech stack, you can easily build a pool of talent by conducting a hackathon focused on Django/Python.

Candidate experience

The number one reason for candidates to participate in hackathons is “because I find it enjoyable,” says a survey by StackOverflow. Moreover, 20 percent of the hackathon participants believe it “helps me find new job opportunities.” In contrast to the traditional screening and interview process, hackathons provide a conducive environment that can bring out the best in a candidate.


Source: StackOverflow

Diversity and inclusion

Companies that are focused on improving diversity and inclusion turn to hackathons for hiring. For instance, women-only hackathons have proven to be an effective way to recruit female tech talent.

Emerging Technologies and Niche Skills

Data scientist scarcity – In the U.S., data scientists are the most sought-after professionals. However, there is a significant shortage of data scientists globally, and the demand is 50 percent more than the supply. In such cases, machine learning (ML) and data science hackathons have been tremendously effective in spotting and recruiting skilled data scientists. On the average, an ML/data science challenge gets 1,500 to 2,000 participants. Corporate giants such as Accenture and banks such as Societe Generale regularly conduct such hackathons. In fact, some companies have set up a data science team in just 10 days through ML hackathons.

Blockchain, AR/VR, full-stack, and cyber-security experts are a few other niche skills that companies hire through hackathons.

How to Conduct a Hiring Hackathon

  1. Decide the role and list the desired skill set for a particular role.
  2. Craft problem statements that would assess the skills encompassing the role.

For example: If you are hiring a full-stack developer, the problem or task should be designed to evaluate:

  • Understanding of front-end programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript
  • Command over middle-ware such as PHP, Python, and Ruby
  • Knowledge of databases and OS
  • Experience in deployment and hosting
  • Knowledge of third-party APIs/services

3. Invite participants. This could be challenging for most companies. Partnering with hackathon management companies with a vibrant developer community will help attract a large number of participants.

4. Evaluate and shortlist candidates. Invite the shortlisted candidates for an in-person interview and roll-out offers. Using hackathon management software makes the job 10X easier as submissions, judging, and shortlisting are streamlined.

Tech-oriented recruitment for top tech talent

Hackathons can be an effective tool for hiring, especially when attracting niche and rare talent.

It shortens the time to hire, brings down the cost, and also ensures an unbiased assessment. If you believe hiring the right talent is important for your business, then hiring through hackathons is something you should explore. After all, a company is only as good as its employees.

How to create effective problem statements for idea challenges and hackathons

Problem statements are concise descriptions of an issue that help understand the problems better and come up with effective solutions. They are like navigational compasses – the direction north being your desired outcome. Whether you are conducting an idea challenge, an internal hackathon (hackathon for your employees) or a full-fledged innovation campaign, the problem statement is key in determining the success.

Why do you need a problem statement?

You need a problem statement so that users don’t solve wrong problems or those that do not exist and end up with pointless innovations that have nothing to do with your business. Case in point: Juicero, a $400 wifi-enabled, over-engineered, pointless machine for fresh juices. No wonder the project was scrapped. But bear in mind that this company raised $120 million in funding from multiple venture capital firms including Google Ventures. No matter how big you are, it is easy to overlook the two most basic questions,

  • Are we solving the right problem?
  • Is the problem worth solving?

What is the role of a problem statement?

The role of a problem statement is to clearly indicate the current state of issue, the desired outcome, and the existing gap. Here is a good example, in his recent blog, Richard Branson talks about the global cooling prize that aims to develop a climate friendly residential cooling solution. He does a brilliant job of explaining the problem, the necessity for a solution, and the gap between the current state and the desired outcome.

As our planet warms, we need it more than ever to keep our people cool. Worldwide, by 2030, extreme heat could lead to a $2 trillion loss in labor productivity.

Despite a 100-year runway, the most advanced residential air conditioners have only achieved 14 percent of their maximum theoretical efficiency. Commercial LED lighting has achieved nearly 70 percent of maximum theoretical efficiency. Solar panels have reached 40 percent. I’m no AC expert, but 14 percent seems pathetic.

How to create an effective problem statement

In order to simplify the process and narrow down the problem statement, we suggest defining an overarching theme, followed by a specific problem statement and a set of rules specific to the idea challenge or hackathon.

  1. Define the theme
  2. Define the problem statement
  3. Define the rules

Define the theme

The theme of innovation could be a specific technology, specific business problem or market trend/opportunity.

Here are a few a questions that can help you decide the theme:

  • What is the major technology that could impact your business in the next 5 years?
  • What is your most pressing business issue?
  • What are the emerging trends you would like to capitalize on?

KONE, one of the largest elevator manufacturers in the world, wanted to capitalize on the growing $125 billion modern elevator market. The company identified smart elevators, safety and security, and energy efficiency as the major drivers, and hence chose them as the themes of its hackathon.

Read more about KONE case study here>>

Define the problem statement

The problem statement specifies the particular issue/ problem.The problem statement has to be specific and provide as much context as possible. Here is a brilliant example from the invention platform, Quirky.

Quirky problem statement example

Here, the theme of innovation is wireless technology, and the company has clearly outlined the status quo, limitations, and some inspirational ideas to get started with. This context will provide the foundation for the participants to build on.

One of the crucial things that we have witnessed which impacts the success of an internal hackathon is the problem statement/theme and its relevance to business objectives/problems.

It is important to provide as much context and additional information as possible to help participants come up with innovative, relevant, and feasible ideas.

Here is a mock theme and problem statement.

Note: This problem statement has been framed for a fictitious internal hackathon for IKEA, Australia. However, the context provided is based on real press releases that outline the vision, strategy, and business objectives mentioned by IKEA, Australia.

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
Innovation theme Evoke positive emotions in customers and enhance customer satisfaction Improve delivery service of IKEA Address the children’s market ( 3 to 12 years)
Context As mentioned by Jan Gardberg, “IKEA is in the business of Emotions. It’s about feelings and emotions; that is the most important part.”

IKEA, Australia, tops customer satisfaction survey.

 “We will make IKEA accessible to more people through our parcel service for Central West NSW,” Mr Donath said.

The cost for the parcel service, small IKEA items, is $9. The parcel service is for products that fit the criteria of 14kg with a maximum size of 1.2m x 80cm x 60cm.

Rob Young, IKEA Australia Childrens’ Range Expert, said that the collections were designed to drive conversation around the importance of protecting our wildlife, particularly endangered species.

IKEA has launched new kid’s collections, DJUNGELSKOG & URSKOG.
Problem Statement Create in-store touchpoints that would delight the customer and enhance the way the consumer experiences IKEA products. Create solutions to minimize the item returns and parcel service charges. Come up with more product ideas made of sustainable and renewable resources to educate and inspire young kids.

Narrowing down the problem

Here is a simple tried and tested method of “NESTED WHYs and HOWs” to identify the underlying problem. Here is an illustration of using a series of WHYs and HOWs to craft the problem statement.GE’s mission was to develop innovative and affordable healthcare solutions and the company decided to crowdsource solutions for the same.

GE: Provide high-quality, affordable technology to the people in rural areas

Why?

GE: There is a lack of quality and speed of healthcare delivery

Why?

GE: Unavailability of qualified and experienced healthcare providers in rural areas and new graduates with very little experience in Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) in India.

How are you planning to solve this?

GE: By providing contextual training to the doctors at Primary Healthcare Centres

How?

GE: Develop a contextual learning protocol that will allow the care-providers to learn from the patients they treat.

Here you have it.

The Problem Statement: Develop a contextual learning protocol that will allow the care providers to learn from the patients they treat.

You can read more about GE HealthHack here>>

Define rules/ eligibility

Rules or the eligibility criteria are the constraints laid out by organizers to keep the scope of innovation focused on business, minimize irrelevant ideas, and maintain the standard of submissions.

Lego Ideas allow users to submit new product ideas. Although anyone can submit ideas, the company has well-defined eligibility and evaluation criteria.

For an idea to be selected, it should garner a total of 10,000 votes; 1,000 votes in the first six months, 5,000 in the next, and reach 10,000 in the next six months.

It also restricted the following to ensure submissions are feasible and meet the expected standard.

  • Content made using new part molds is not allowed.
  • IP owned by competing toy companies is restricted.
  • Ideas based on third-party licenses already being produced by Lego are not allowed.
  • Content matter that is objectionable such as alcohol, drugs, religious references, etc is not allowed.

Conclusion

Providing a clear, concise, and powerful problem statement would help you garner high quality, diverse, and relevant ideas, and help maximize the odds of success of your campaign. Here is the summary of things to bear in mind while crafting the problem statement.

  • Current status
  • Pain point
  • Desired state
  • Background of the issue
  • Contextual details
  • Opportunity
  • Accurate supporting data

The marketer’s guide to innovation with hackathons

Hackathons have been the bastion of engineers for so long! Considered an event that’s right up their alley; engineers and developers have practically staked their claim to it.

Having witnessed countless successful hackathons for almost 3 years since I work for HackerEarth which offers hackathon software for organizations, I had a strong feeling that the format would work wonders for marketers as well. The reason was the structure of the format which allowed participants to solve pressing issues and churn out new ideas to achieve the objectives… both non-negotiable for any marketing function to succeed.

In my mind I had clear objectives to create impact for the business, but in the same breath I was slightly unsure because I had never tried the format at first hand.

So here I am, having concluded a hackathon with a team of 25 marketers at HackerEarth, ready to share an honest case with all growth hackers and marketers to determine if hackathons are worthy a tool to explore and what problems they can really solve with it. I will also discuss my learnings, mistakes, dos & don’ts, and, above all, insights on how and when hackathons can become valuable ammunition for marketers.

Simply put, a “hack” & a “thon” is what makes a hackathon. While we understand the term hack; a “thon” means an event or a contest with an objective of reaching a goal within an unspecified duration.

But honestly, what pulled me to the idea of a hackathon is this deep-rooted belief that extraordinary things can be delivered in a short duration. It was not difficult to realize that the genesis of this belief came from two integral constituents of a hackathon — “autonomy” and “learning.” To understand the context better, autonomy makes us feel that we are the “masters” of our own ship, and in turn instills a sense of “ownership and responsibility” in us, helping to navigate our ship with due care to its destination. Autonomy is also about the little rebel in us, who likes to experiment unbridled without being questioned. And this in turn breeds “creativity and purpose.”

Above all, the short duration of the hackathon breeds urgency, a single-minded focus, and involvement which leads to “try fast and fail” approach and brings out the true hustler within us. All this eventually leads to “intense learning” in a short time span, which is rewarding and immensely satisfying for participants.

Another point about the word “thon” may need clarity. While hackathon is run for a specific duration, say 24 to 48 hours, the definition of the term has “unspecified duration” bound to it. This is because the objective of a hackathon is to build something within a short duration. But more often that not, the hacks don’t get fully completed during the event and this incomplete hack (or call it WIP prototype) is attended to after the hackathon is over. So, in that sense, the duration is unspecified because the hacks get fully completed after the Hackathon gets over.

The hackathon we conducted was a day-long event with 25 participants split into teams, all trying to create something unique to solve some of our unconquered marketing challenges.

So, what was the outcome of the hackathon?

  • 42 new ideas were generated during the hackathon out of which top 10 ideas were picked for implementation.
  • Out of 10 hacks, 2 got deployed within one week, 3 more got deployed within 3 weeks.
Hackathon Management Software: Ideation Phase
  • Flip side* – Not everything built on the hackathon day sees the light of day. Out of 10 hacks, 2 were not good enough to deploy, 1 hack was thematic and we were late to launch, and 2 more hacks required more bandwidth than we expected. So, we had to leave it incomplete to be picked up in future.
  • We experimented with 15 new tools for different projects. The amount of learning and upskilling the team had in a single day was unparalleled.
  • The teams attempted a few complex projects which had been in the backburner for over 6 months.
  • Team collaboration was at its best. Team members from different sub-teams came together to solve problems together.
  • “A good strategy is to know what not to do.” – Peter Drucker. The fact that two projects picked up in the hackathon gave us a sense of huge manpower requirement to get it done, led us to dropping them for now.

In nutshell, we saw 3 tangible outcomes within 2 months of the hackathon.

  • Increase in leads by 15%
  • 40% improvement in lead to conversion ratio with an improved customer on-boarding process
  • User persona survey leading to improved engagement with users

How did the participants feel about the hackathon:

Thoughts from the hackathon participants

Mistakes I made

  • Judging criteria – The hackathon submissions should be judged on the quantum of work done during the Hackathon day. Essentially, this would mean that teams would not only have to share their plans/presentations but take the next step of developing their plan during the Hackathon day. This was a miss.
  • The idea phase should have had cross-functional team participation. The realization came later when few sales and ops team members showed interest in sharing their ideas for the hackathon.

Can hackathons become a game-changer for marketing?

There were many wins for my team. Here are a few positives and grey areas.

Big positives

  • Impact areas- Potential game-changing hacks can emerge from a hackathon.
  • Identifying talent – Some of the best ideas in the hackathon came from unexpected corners. The hackathon can become an outlet for “otherwise not-so-visible” team members to express their creativity and competence.
  • Tangible – You can measure the outcome of the hackathon.
  • Employee retention – It is potentially one of the best employee retention formats and possibly the easiest to conduct.
  • Time to launch – It does not take much to organize a hackathon. And if you are running it on a software, it might only take 2-3 hours to go live.
  • Collaboration and learning – The speed, energy and enthusiasm is contagious. Inter-team collaboration and learning improved drastically.

There are a few unanswered questions

  • Can the team always come up with such interesting and novel ideas?
  • How frequently should we run a hackathon for maximum impact?

Hackathon rules and the process

Hackathons have a few rules or protocols, and it is important to define them in advance to ensure smooth sailing. These rules are typically standard and it covers theme, team formation, phase, duration, judging

Listing down the rules I followed:

  • A theme defines an outline for participants to pick their topics for building their hacks. Here are the 4 themes we chose for the Hackathon :
    • Optimize and improve lead-to-conversion ratio or current processes. Show the tangible impact it can offer
    • Improve engagement with users and customers
    • Build the brand Hackerearth
    • Open theme – Work on ideas which have widespread impact on business
  • Team formation – A minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 members had to work together to build the hack
  • 2-phase hackathon – An “idea phase” and a “submission phase”. Here is how we proceeded: An idea phase is to gather all the ideas around the above themes. These ideas are submitted by individual members, and they get evaluated at the end of idea phase, and only a few good ideas move to next round, which is the submission phase. A submission phase is where the hacks get built. The idea phase is to ensure only the best ideas move to the next round. During the idea phase( 2 days), participants submit their ideas against the themes above. The idea phase can end just before the hackathon starts. During this time, the members share their ideas. After the idea phase is over, the best ideas are shortlisted and the hacks are built only on the ideas shortlisted after the idea phase. Individuals can decide which team to join after checking the shortlisted ideas. We managed this process using our software which allows members to invite others and create teams.
  • Team building – Before the hackathon starts, every team member should be part of a shortlisted idea.
  • Duration – The hackathon was a 12-hour day-long campaign, starting at 8 a.m. and concluding at 8 p.m. Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner was on the house!
  • Judging – The submission of the hackathon was done by 8 p.m. After 8 p.m. judging started, which concluded by 10 p.m., and it was followed by the announcement of the winners. Each team got precisely 5 minutes to present their hacks to the judges .

Best practices to organize a hackathon

  • Announce the hackathon at least a week in advance.
  • Build excitement around it (send mails to the team, discuss about it formally and informally).
  • Write an introduction with a clear brief (screenshot of the software we used to manage the hackathon).
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  • The team should feel relaxed and positive about the whole campaign; you can ensure this by keeping the communication slightly casual and creative.
Hackathon Management Software
  • Offer free food and snacks during the hackathon.
  • Align your judges at least 1 week in advance.
  • Define your judging rules. A good judging rule should not only measure tangibles like impact on business but also encourage creativity.
  • Be prepared for a passive response from the team initially; it might take a day or two for the team to realize why they should be part of a hackathon; encourage people to share their ideas; talk to them; persuade them to fill their ideas; and once the ideas start to trickle in, the momentum builds on itself.
  • Allow individuals to choose their team members and discuss their hacks.
  • Keep your marketing budget handy for the hackathon; some of the hacks may require experiments with paid campaigns, outreach, and validation of hypotheses.

Do you need software for hackathons?

I would say; you need one provided:

  • Your marketing team strength is more than 20. For less than 20 people, the campaign can be managed without software. The only issue could be maintaining a repository of all the ideas and submissions for future tracking and monitoring.
  • Your team members work from multiple offices and geos. A team size of more than 20 and also working remotely, or from different locations, call for a hackathon software.
  • You want to conduct recurring hackathons, at least once in six months.
  • The need is to have cross-functional team participation and collaboration.

With an internal team size of 25, the software helped me immensely in managing the entire process smoothly. It made life easy for the participants as well. They could find everything about the hackathon (rules, judging criteria, timings, team collaboration, prizes.) on the software itself, thereby reducing manual interventions. I recommend you go with specialized software when you are starting off or when you meet any of the criteria above.

* I have used the words hack, prototype, projects as synonyms in the article.

Are hackathons good, bad, or overrated?

From Pope Francis to the President’s office, hackathons seem to be the flavor of the day. Over 80% of Fortune 100 and 60% of Fortune 500 companies have hosted or sponsored a hackathon. With rising popularity come criticisms and misconceptions. Having closely witnessed 300+ hackathons and multiple formats (public, corporate-sponsored, University, Internal and Non-profit hackathons) over a period of two years, one thing is absolutely clear.

Hackathon is a very powerful tool for innovation, IF DONE RIGHT.

However, there are some misbeliefs and unrealistic expectations.

Corporates exploit developers

The most common criticism is that the corporates outsource their work—the participant being unpaid labor and hackathons being exploitative in nature.

Hackathons are purely driven by passionate developers/ participants. The spirit in which people participate in hackathons is no different from voluntary contributions to open source. It originates from the desire to learn, experiment, solve complex problems, contribute, and build cool stuff.

For such developers, hackathons provide the best platform to showcase their skills, connect with their peers, seek mentorship from the industry experts and get recognized.

Case in point: The recent Tesla hackathon, which aims to solve the two major problematic bottlenecks in the robots. Tesla’s aim here is not to outsource work to unpaid labor. It is to crowdsource innovative solutions for its pressing problems.

What about the developers? Are they being exploited?

If you have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology for one of the world’s leading firms transforming the face of the automobile industry and take a shot at solving its most pressing issue in 48 hours, it’s more upside than downside for you. A participant has a lot to gain for the time and effort he or she invests.

Apart from the monetary rewards which only goes to a small percentage of the participants, the real benefit for these developers is often intangible. As one of the participants of the recent International Women’s Hackathon 2018 puts it:

We tried to develop an app that helps answer Google forms through voice ‘Hear me Out’. Although we were not able to build a webapp which was what we had initially thought, just a prototype of a desktop app but the process of sitting together with coming up with an idea and coding was fun. In between the fun we learnt through errors and via helping each other and taking help of seniors and peers. Coding together with chips, maggi, coffee and friends in my room from evening to night and night to morning before the submission was enlightening and enjoyable.

– Disha Agarwal, Participant, Internation Women’s Hackathon

Stack Overflow surveyed 25,000+ developers worldwide to find out why they participated in hackathons.

Source: https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2018/

Who owns the hackathon IPs?

In over 95% of the hackathons, the IPs belong to the participants. Although a majority of the companies still do not claim IP rights for the products created at a hackathon, there are still a few companies that do.

**But we advise participants to carefully read the T&C before signing up. Companies should ensure they communicate anything that is likely to be different from the usual T&C for such events.

Here is the T&C of a recent hackathon hosted by Intel.

Who owns the hackathon IPs?

Participants owning the ideas/IPs created at the hackathons and companies opting to buy the best ones is, however, a practice that is mutually beneficial and welcomed.

Here is another variation of the T&C for a hackathon hosted by Procter & Gamble.

Who owns the hackathon IPs?

Employees are obligated to participate in internal hackathons

Companies try to squeeze out innovation out of employees by conducting hackathons and employees are often obligated to participate.

Companies often struggle to come up with ways to engage with their employees in a more meaningful way. Ask any HR Manager or People Director; it is impossible to come up with an activity that pleases every employee.

A hackathon is one particular engagement that hits the sweet spot and many use internal hackathons as a tool for driving employee engagement and fostering a culture of innovation.

Hackathon-a perfect employee engagement tool

Hackathon is one of the very few activities that combine the four essential components of employee engagement. An employee engagement initiative should allow the employees to tap into their passion, enable them to make meaningful contributions to the company, offer recognition, and be engaging.

There could be instances where employees participate out of peer pressure and obligation. But this is not a hackathon-specific issue. Peer pressure at the workplace is common across companies. It is important that companies ensure hackathon participation is voluntary. Constraints might help innovation but not peer pressure and feeling obliged.

Innovations rarely come out of hackathons

The innovations hardly last beyond the hackathon. GroupMe and Skype are rare occurrences and exemptions.

The aim of the hackathon is not to create a blockbuster product, conjure groundbreaking innovations, or build a multi-million company in 48 hours. If that is the expectation, then it is clearly wrong.

The objective of a hackathon is to provide an avenue for experimenting ideas, exploring opportunities, and attempting to solve problems. If a company can spot interesting concepts, promising ideas, and creative solutions, it will further go through an extensive and rigorous process of evaluation, testing, and development before it can be rolled out.

A hackathon is a tool to seed the culture of innovation and meritocracy. It abides by the principle that good ideas can come from anywhere. It is just the starting process of the long and lengthy process of innovation filled with uncertainty. This infographic will give you an idea about the role of hackathons in the process of innovation.

Role of hackathon in the process of innovation

Not an effective recruiting tool

Unlike hiring challenges, a hackathon is not a recruitment tool and should not be used as one. Yes, sometimes companies do spot extraordinary talent and end up absorbing them. But it is just a byproduct and not a regular occurrence.

Neither feasible nor inventive

Hackathon projects are neither feasible nor inventive.

This is a common problem faced by hackathon hosts. The quality of the output does not always meet the expectation. However, over time, we found out that a few common factors affect the success of the hackathons.

  1. Defining problem/goal
  2. Providing the right contextual knowledge
  3. Marketing to the right audience
  4. Guidance and mentorship
  5. Setting the expectations right

Conclusion

There is no perfect tool for innovation. Every process, activity, and framework has its own merits and demerits. It is important to address the drawbacks. Without participants, a hackathon is futile. Hence, it is important to ensure the participants enjoy and gain value out of hackathons.

Overall, a hackathon is a very powerful tool for innovation, IF DONE RIGHT.

Hackocracy: A social hackathon to strengthen India’s democracy

Simple technology-based solutions have the power to revolutionize the lives of millions. Countries worldwide have benefited from the active involvement of citizens in the conceptualization and implementation of developmental solutions. All you need is a platform that enables people to collaborate and contribute ideas. Hackathon is a great way to crowd-source innovation.

Hackocracy is the first in the series of social hackathons by HackerEarth. The online hackathon conducted in partnership with prominent NGOs such as Janagraha, Umang, and the /Nudge foundation received an overwhelming response with 6200+ participants from all over India. Aimed to drive innovation for India, Hackocracy had five major themes that addressed prominent issues like democracy, free press, corruption, social welfare, and NGOs.

The event generated innovative ideas from developers across the country. By the end of the online hackathon, over 140 innovative submissions were received. Here are some of the impactful solutions generated from the Hackathon:

1) Sarkaar Salahkar

An app that lets Government and municipal organizations crowdsource solutions for civic issues faced by the public.

2) Hackocracy – A helping hand for the needy

This application aims to bridge the distance between NGOs and the less-fortunate people on the streets of India.

3) Manifesto

This is a GPS-based application that lets users pin the issues in a locality, gain support from the public, escalate the issues, and track the response of the appropriate government/municipal body.

4) Umang Smiles

This is an app to manage the end-to-end aspects of Umang’s day-to-day activities starting from creating events, to tracking volunteer contributions, accepting donations, etc.

Through active participation in social initiatives like social hackathons, citizens can now actively contribute solutions to build a better world.

Why and when do you need a hackathon management software

In 2018, HackerEarth conducted over 400 hackathons. This included hackathons for enterprises, governments, non-profits, and educational institutions. Companies spent approximately $1.2 million on hackathons for different objectives. For instance, using HackerEarth’s innovation management software, GE Healthcare crowdsourced ideas and prototypes through hackathons, Amazon conducted Alexa hackathon to increase product adoption, HCL for marketing and branding, Societe Generale for hiring data scientists, and plenty of other companies for driving internal innovation.

Download the complete Hi-res Infographic

These organizations chose HackerEarth for three reasons:

  • Availability of robust hackathon management software
  • Presence of a vibrant 2.5million+ global developer community
  • Expertise in hackathon-driven innovation

In this post, we will discuss the necessity of a hackathon management software. To be specific,

  • Do you need software to manage hackathons?
  • If so, when and why do you need a hackathon software?
  • What are the features to look for in a hackathon management software?

If you are here, it is safe to assume that you are planning to organize a hackathon. So here are a few questions that will help you decide if you need a hackathon software.

How big is the hackathon?

If you are planning to engage hundreds or thousands of people, then you should be prepared to handle a high volume of ideas and projects. The process of registration and judging also become increasingly difficult with more participants. If it is an internal company-wide hackathon, with employees participating from multiple locations, you need a robust platform to manage all communications and submissions. As a rule of thumb, if you have more than 50 people participating in your hackathon, you will need a software.

Is it an online or multi-phased hackathon?

Online hackathons give you a wider reach. But you will need a platform that supports ideas and prototype submissions. Specifically, you will need a file upload portal that supports a variety of formats that automatically opens and closes during the specified duration.

You can read more about the various types of hackathons here.online, offline, and two-phase hackathons

Is there an ideation phase?

If you are planning to include an ideation phase or run only an ideathon, then the role of a hackathon software becomes imminent. When it comes to ideation, the real challenge lies in combing through thousands of ideas, ensuring every single idea is evaluated efficiently and making sure the best ideas rise to the top.

A hackathon management software makes this task very simple. It helps assign multiple judges, set the evaluation parameters, and in the end, every idea is accounted for, with an option for feedback, if at all you want to validate the ideas manually. If you prefer automatic evaluation, you will need a sophisticated algorithm based on a solid crowdsourcing framework that gives visibility to the top ideas. Here is a glimpse of what a hackathon management software can do.

  • Assign multiple judges
  • Assign scores and ratings to ideas
  • Create a real-time leaderboard
  • Enable peer voting
  • Enable public voting
  • Provide real-time suggestions and feedback to improve ideas

One of the biggest challenges you may face is clubbing similar ideas. For example, during a sustainable development hackathon for a global energy company, we received more than 3,500+ ideas. A lot ideas were based on similar concepts and solving similar problems. For instance, there were more than 25 ideas that were based on decentralized energy production and consumption.

Thankfully, our software was able to club these ideas using Natural Language Processing (NLP). This feature of the hackathon software allows you to automatically read through the submissions and club together similar ideas under one common hashtag.

Are you running a Machine learning (ML) hackathon?

If you are running a Machine learning or a data science hackathon/challenge, the hackathon management software is a must-have. The highlight of the software is the auto evaluate feature. Here is how the process works.

  • Users build the model and submit their predictions on the test data sets.
  • User predictions are compared with original test cases, and based on the evaluation metrics, the score is generated.
  • Users can make multiple submissions, enabling them to continuously improve the model.

If you were to do it manually, it would take at least 15 minutes to evaluate a single submission. To give you an idea of the time saved, in our latest Machine learning hackathon conducted for Societe Generale, we had 5,500+ participants and over 2,500 submissions. If done manually, Societe Generale would need 625 hours/26 days just to evaluate the submissions.

Must-have features in a hackathon management software

When opting for a hackathon management software, ensure it has the following features:

Single sign-on & user restriction

If you are conducting an internal hackathon, then single sign-on (SSO) is the basic feature that the hackathon management software must have. It enables domain-based restriction for the participant.

If a company called ABC is hosting a hackathon, then only employees of the company with ABC.com domain can participate.

The user can also be restricted on the basis of “invite-only.” This avoids people registering for the hackathon by forwarding the registration link. This also allows to conduct business unit or geography specific campaigns.

Third Party Integration

Most organizations use Slack, Yammer, Teams, Flock or some form of collaboration/communication tool. Integrating the hackathon software makes it easier for the employees to participate, submit ideas, and engage.

Data Security

Data security is one of the primary concerns of many top companies. The best option for companies concerned with data security is to handle everything on their own servers. Your hackathon management software should provide the option of hosting hackathons on the company’s server as well as a private cloud.

Good-to-have features in a hackathon management software

Here are some good-to-have features in a hackathon management software that would make your life easier.

Customizing the hackathon flow: Having the flexibility to customize the flow, i.e., the number of phases, allows you to customize campaigns specific to your requirements.

Example: Ideation followed by judging followed by onsite hackathon.

Multiple campaigns: Running multiple campaigns across different BUs or locations helps in scaling the event.

Cloning a campaign: Replicating successful campaigns becomes easier and saves a lot of time.
Archiving a campaign: Allows you to re-visit campaigns and create a pipeline of ideas.

Conclusion

If a hackathon is your preferred tool for sustained and continuous innovation, then hackathon management software will definitely help in scaling the efforts and streamlining the process, while maintaining the consistency and making your tasks 100 folds easier. In conclusion, you will need a hackathon management software if the following list of 6 areas is of your concern.

  • Scale
  • Effective Idea management
  • Cross-functional collaboration
  • Data Security
  • Consistency
  • Ease of use
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7 Tech Recruiting Trends To Watch Out For In 2024

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

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

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

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

7 tech recruiting trends for 2024

6 Tech Recruiting Trends To Watch Out For In 2022

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

Trend #1—Leverage data-driven recruiting

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

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

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

Trend #2—Have impactful employer branding

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

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

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

Trend #3—Focus on candidate-driven market

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

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

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

Recommended read: What NOT To Do When Recruiting Fresh Talent

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

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

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

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

—Swetha Harikrishnan, Sr. HR Director, HackerEarth

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

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

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

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

Trend #6—Conduct remote interviews

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

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

Trend #7—Be proactive in candidate engagement

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

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

—Narayani Gurunathan, CEO, PlaceNet Consultants

Recruiting Tech Talent Just Got Easier With HackerEarth

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

Our tech recruiting platform enables you to:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s get to it, shall we?

Hire great developers

What constitutes a good interview question?

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

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

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

Hire GREAT developers by asking the right questions

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

#1 How do you plan your day?

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

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

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

Value-based interview questions to ask

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Developer Hiring Statistics

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

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

Recruit GREAT developers by asking the right questions

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

#1 Write an algorithm for the following

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#3 Some high-level design (HLD) questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is Pre-Employement Assessment?

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

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

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

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

Why pre-employment assessments are key in hiring

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

  • Improved decision-making:

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

  • Reduced bias:

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

  • Increased efficiency:

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

  • Enhanced candidate experience:

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

Types of pre-employment assessments

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

1. Skill Assessments:

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

2. Personality Assessments:

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

3. Cognitive Ability Tests:

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

4. Integrity Assessments:

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

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

Leading employment assessment tools and tests in 2024

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

  • HackerEarth:

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

  • SHL:

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

  • Pymetrics:

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

  • Wonderlic:

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

  • Harver:

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

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

Choosing the right pre-employment assessment tool

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

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

Comparative analysis of assessment options

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

  • Technical skills assessment:

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

  • Soft skills and personality assessment:

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

  • Candidate experience:

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

Additional tips:

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

Best practices for using pre-employment assessment tools

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

  • Define your assessment goals:

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

  • Choose the right assessments:

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

  • Set clear expectations:

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

  • Integrate seamlessly:

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

  • Train your team:

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

Interpreting assessment results accurately

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

  • Use results as one data point:

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

  • Understand score limitations:

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

  • Look for patterns and trends:

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

  • Focus on potential, not guarantees:

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

Choosing the right pre-employment assessment tools

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

  • Industry and role requirements:

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

  • Company culture and values:

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

  • Candidate experience:

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

Budget and accessibility considerations

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

  • Budget:

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

  • Accessibility:

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

Additional Tips:

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

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

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

Future trends in pre-employment assessments

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

  • Artificial intelligence (AI):

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

  • Adaptive testing:

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

  • Micro-assessments:

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

  • Gamification:

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

Conclusion

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

Tech Layoffs: What To Expect In 2024

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

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

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

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

What are tech layoffs?

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

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

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

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

Causes for layoffs in the tech industry

Why are tech employees suffering so much?

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

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

In addition, some common reasons could be:

Financial struggles

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

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

Changes in demand

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

Restructuring

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

Automation

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

Mergers and acquisitions

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

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

Will layoffs increase in 2024?

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

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

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

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

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

What types of companies are prone to tech layoffs?

2023 Round Up Of Layoffs In Big Tech

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

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

Large tech firms

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

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

Startups

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

Small and medium-sized businesses

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

Companies in certain industries

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

Companies that lean on government funding

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

How to track tech layoffs?

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

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

Use tech layoffs tracker

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

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

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

News articles

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

Social media

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

Online forums and communities

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

Government reports

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

How do companies reduce tech layoffs?

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

Salary reductions

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

Implementing a hiring freeze

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

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

Non-essential expense reduction

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

Reducing working hours

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

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

Tech layoffs to bleed into this year

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

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

What is Headhunting In Recruitment?: Types & 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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