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5 Steps To Creating An HR Recruitment Dashboard (+ Free Template)

Making sense of all the recruitment metrics in your organization—number of applications, screening calls, interviews—can be a daunting task, even for the most tech-savvy recruiters. This is where a recruitment dashboard comes in handy. It can help you bring together a rundown of all the recruitment data in your organization, and predict what’s going to happen and plan your next actions.

But, how to create a dashboard that curates all the recruitment data for you in one place?

In this article, you’ll uncover:

  • 5 simple steps to help you skyrocket your recruitment process
  • A free recruitment dashboard template

Let’s get started!

What is a recruitment dashboard?

A recruitment dashboard is a visual representation, often interactive, of various recruitment metrics and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). Think of it as the control room of your recruiting operations. Just like how a car’s dashboard provides essential information about speed, fuel, and engine health, a recruiting dashboard offers HR insights into the hiring process’s effectiveness and efficiency.

Key elements typically displayed include:

Number of open positions: A simple count of how many roles you’re currently looking to fill.

Source of candidates: Breakdown of where your candidates are coming from – job boards, referrals, direct applications, etc.

Time-to-Hire: Average time taken from when a role is advertised to when an offer is accepted.

Application-to-Interview ratios: How many applications lead to an actual interview? This metric offers insights into the quality of applications.

Cost-per-Hire: An understanding of how much, on average, you spend to recruit a new employee.

Candidate feedback: Scores or feedback from candidates about their experience during the recruitment process.

Diversity metrics: Information about the diversity of candidates applying and being hired.

This dynamic tool evolves with your recruitment process, helping HR professionals, hiring managers, and even company executives get a quick snapshot of the hiring landscape.

Steps to Create HR Recruitment Dashboard Template?

Step 1: Know what you want

Create a list of questions you want to be answered. These questions will help understand your team’s performance better. Whether you’re a one-man/woman team or a 50-member team, this step is highly valuable. It will help you create a layout for the detailed recruitment steps required to hire the right candidates for your organization.

You can start with the following list: (feel free to add on to it)

  1. How much time does it take for a candidate to complete the hiring process?
  2. At which stage are the candidates dropping off
  3. How many candidates does it take to close one role?
  4. What percentage of the open roles is my team able to close in 1 quarter?
  5. How many critical roles are there to fill (roles that are open for more than 60 days)?
  6. On average, how much does it cost to hire a candidate?
  7. How many applicants get past the screening stage?
  8. How many candidates accept the offer and join?
  9. How many offer dropouts do you have?
  10. How many candidates drop off during the entire process?

Based on the industry or company you work in, there may be a lot more questions. List them out and get started.

Step 2: Identify key metrics

Once you’ve nailed step 1, achieving this step will be relatively easy. Take all the questions you have identified and find the relevant metrics for each of these questions. Also, identify the input metrics for each of these.

Input metrics is basically the data you need to calculate the key metrics.

For example, to calculate cost per hire, you need to know the total amount that was spent on recruitment activities and the number of open roles. Therefore, the amount spent and no. of open roles are your input metrics for the key metric—cost per hire.

Question Key metric Input metrics
How much time does it take for a candidate to complete this whole process? Avg. time to hire Time to hire for individual roles (in days), no. of roles
At which stage are the candidates dropping off? Bottleneck bucket No. of drop-offs per recruitment phase
How many candidates does it take to close one role? Conversion rate No. of candidates, no. of roles
What % of the open roles is my team able to close in 1 quarter (success rate)? Closure rate No. of open positions, no. of positions closed
How many critical roles are there to fill (roles open for more than 60 days)? No. of critical roles Time duration for which each of the roles were open
How much does it cost to hire a candidate on average? Cost per hire Amount spent on recruitment activities, no. of closed positions
How many applicants are qualified for the perusal? Qualification rate No. of applicants, no. of candidates who passed the screening stage
How many candidates accept the offer and come through? Offer acceptance rate No. of offers rolled out, no. of offers accepted
How many offer drop-offs do we have? Offer drop-off rate No. of offers rolled out, no. of offer drop-offs
How many candidates drop off during the entire process? Application drop-off rate No. of applicants, no. of candidates who didn’t show up in any stage of the recruitment process.

Step 3: Collate the data

Gather your data for these metrics from all your sources. For example, your ATS, Excel sheets, or a combination of both. Many organizations also utilize HR software to streamline the collection and management of recruitment data. If you are looking for an efficient HRM tool already, it’s good to explore tomHRM alternatives that could offer additional features or better align with your specific needs.

Identify where you can get all your input metrics from and start adding them to an Excel sheet. Once you have the input metrics, it’s time to calculate the key metrics. You can use the formula below to get the numbers.

Key metric Formula
Time to hire Time taken to hire for each role / Number of roles
Cost per hire Amount spent on advertisements and other hiring activities / Number of roles
Qualification rate (No. of applications screened – no. of applications that went to the next stage) / No. of applications screened *100
Conversion rate No. of candidates per role closed / No. of applications for that role *100
Closure rate No. of roles closed/Total no. Of roles in the quarter *100
No. of critical roles No. of roles that have been open for more than 60 days
Offer acceptance rate No. of offers accepted / Total no. of offers rolled out * 100
Offer drop-off rate No. of offer drop-offs / Total no. of offers rolled out * 100
Application drop off rate No. of candidates that dropped out at some stage in the process / Total no. of candidates * 100

Side note: This process can get a little time-consuming. If you don’t want to set it up yourself, you can use the template where all the formulas are already set up. You just need to add in your input metrics.


Also read: Kaleyra Reduces Its Screening Time By 50% Using HackerEarth


Step 4: Make it look stunning

Average time to hire Number of candidate in each stage of recruitment

No dashboard is good enough if it doesn’t ‘look good.’ A few simple steps can make it look a lot better than just a list of numbers:

  1. Use simple fonts
  2. Use appropriate alignment
  3. Use colors to differentiate the data
  4. Use charts to help you depict the data better.

Step 5: Analyze data and present insights

Remember, the most important aspect of a dashboard is what you infer from it. How will it benefit you if you create the dashboard and send it out? You can establish your expertise by carefully analyzing the data and creating new action steps.

What Metrics Should You Track on Your Dashboard?

Let’s take a look at how a few of these metrics can contribute to proactive action steps:

Average time to hire

If your average time to hire is beyond your company threshold, then you know that you need to improve the recruitment process. The company threshold may vary for each company. If you are an extremely fast-paced company, then your limit might be less than 30 days. 60 days is an average across many companies and some companies are even ok with 90 days.

So if your threshold is 60 days and your average time to hire is 65 days, then you know that business is getting affected and the recruitment process needs to be optimized. To do this, it’s important to understand which phase is the bottleneck.


Also read: Reduce time-to-hire developers with coding assessments.


Bottleneck bucket

This one’s straightforward, the phase that is your bottleneck bucket needs a revamp. For example, if your bottleneck bucket is the interview phase because 50% of the candidates don’t show up for the interview, then you probably aren’t selling the role well enough.

Remember, as a recruiter it’s your job to ‘sell’ the role and it’s the candidates’ job to ‘sell’ what they can do for the company in the interview. So once you find your bottleneck bucket try to fix what’s not working.

Conversion rate

If your conversion rate is low, then you know you’re putting in a lot of effort to close one position, and if that’s going to continue, then your team will burn out or be in a ‘perpetually busy’ state. That’s not where you want your team to be.

Fixing this ties back to the previous metric of the bottleneck. Find out at what part of the process is the biggest bottleneck and try to fix that. That will have an impact on your conversion rate. Or it should at least point you in the right direction of what needs fixing.

This way you analyze all your metrics—where they stand and what are the actions you need to take to fix it. Add these action steps to the dashboard and send them across to your team to be a Rockstar recruiter!

Now that you know that you need to create a template, you can either get started from scratch or you can download the template here:

How to use the recruitment template included?

In the template, most of the important metrics are included and ready to use. Let me give you a quick tour. This template is designed for a quarterly review. You can convert it to suit a monthly review too. You need to use the following three sheets:

  1. Role tracker sheet: This sheet gives you an overview of all the roles that have been opened and the status of each role.
  2. Candidate tracker sheet: This sheet tracks the status of all the candidates that have applied for any role. If you use an ATS, you can export the data from the tool into this sheet.
  3. Dashboard sheet: This sheet gives you a summary of the performance of your recruitment process. It includes twelve (ten in the chart above and two below) of the most important metrics that most companies track. All these metrics are automatically calculated based on the inputs of the role tracker sheet and the candidate tracker sheet.
    1. Overview of the current status of roles:
      1. No. of target roles for the quarter
      2. Total roles closed to date
      3. Open roles
      4. Roles in the offer stage
      5. Roles on hold
      6. Roles open beyond 60 days
    2. The efficiency of the recruitment process:
      1. Average time to hire
      2. Amount spent this quarter
      3. Cost per hire
      4. Qualified candidates’ rate
      5. Offer acceptance rate
      6. Application drop off rate

There is a sheet that gives you all the instructions on how to use the template and what each of the terms means. You can always refer to this sheet to understand how to use this sheet.

Tools needed to create a recruiting dashboard

With advancements in online software, creating a recruitment dashboard has never been easier. Here are some of the top tools to consider in 2024:

Tableau: Renowned for its data visualization capabilities, Tableau allows you to craft detailed, interactive dashboards by connecting to various data sources.

Microsoft Power BI: A powerful tool, especially for those familiar with the Microsoft ecosystem. Power BI offers extensive customization options and can integrate seamlessly with tools like Excel.

Google Data Studio: A free tool by Google, it’s excellent for those just starting out. With integrations to Google Sheets and other G-suite apps, it’s a convenient option for many.

Zoho Analytics: Specifically designed for business intelligence, Zoho offers a plethora of pre-made templates, including those for recruitment.

Trello and Airtable: While not traditional dashboard tools, by leveraging their integrations and plugins, recruiters can create visual boards that give a snapshot of the recruitment process.

Recruiting software with built-in dashboards: Many ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) and recruiting platforms now come with built-in dashboard functionalities. Examples include Greenhouse, Workable, and SmartRecruiters.

I hope that this guide and template will help you get one step closer to understanding how to create a recruiting metrics dashboard.

How to Create a Detailed Recruitment Budget [With Template & Examples]

Recruiting new people is exciting. But, the additional costs that come along with it? Not so exciting.

In fact, these costs can be dreadful if you have not planned a recruiting budget to keep a bull’s eye on your overall costs.

Recruitment Budget Template

That’s what we have:

  • put a detailed guide on the 6-step process to create detailed recruiting budget sheet
  • created a free recruiting budget template downloadable for you to get started

What is a recruitment budget?

A recruiting budget is the financial plan adopted by businesses and human resources teams to manage all the expenses related to hiring processes. This includes:

  • posting jobs
  • investing in tools and services like ATS, assessments, video meeting software
  • using external recruitment agencies
  • doling out bonuses for referral programs.

For example, if your organization invests in job posting platforms, and recruitment tools like skills assessment and video interview software, and conducts employer branding events, then you need to calculate the overall costs for these activities.

These activities are handles by the HR department. A specific amount of money is allocated to each HR manager for these activities. They need to inform the HR department before making these investments so they can approve them and keep in the records.

Essential components of a recruiting budget

Drafting a recruitment budget goes beyond just looking at how much you want to spend on job ads. Consider the following critical components:

Job advertising: Allocate funds for platforms like LinkedIn, job boards, and niche industry sites.

Recruitment technology: Include costs for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), AI recruiting tools, and other software that streamlines the process.

Talent sourcing: Set aside funds for strategies such as headhunting, talent pools, and referral programs.

Candidate experience: This encompasses costs related to improving the interviewing experience, like travel reimbursements, meals, or gifts for candidates.

Training and onboarding: Consider the resources needed for onboarding new hires, including training programs, workshops, and materials.

Background checks: Budget for third-party services that conduct background verifications, drug tests, etc.

Recruitment events: Whether it’s hosting job fairs, attending university recruitment drives, or setting up booths at industry conferences, there are associated costs.

Agency fees: If you’re using a recruitment agency or external consultants, their fees need to be accounted for.

Internal costs: Think of HR salaries, office supplies specific to recruitment, and other overheads.

Miscellaneous and contingency: Always set aside a portion of your budget for unforeseen costs or opportunities that might arise.

How to create a recruitment budget

Step #1: Calculate the number of hires

The primary expense for any organization: its employees. Before starting with the math, get on board all the managers to understand their requirements in terms of new hires in the coming year.

Circulate a sheet similar to the following one and ask all stakeholders to fill it. This will help you understand how many new hires they may need in the coming year.

Based on this data, the recruitment cost analysis can be done more accurately.

Team/Qtr Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total
Engineering 12 22 14 19 63
Sales 6 7 12 3 28
Operations 2 4 4 1 11
Marketing 3 9 14 7 33
Administration
5 8 8 4 25

Along with these number, you will need

  • Expected designation: Knowing if the roles are for interns, managers, senior managers, etc. will help estimate what the likely expenses, both quarterly and annual, are for specific teams.
  • Skills: In case you need to collaborate with external agencies, having a good idea about the niche skill sets your organization is looking for help; also, you might have to start this process early.

According to Sharon Jautz, Head of HR, WGSN

Not accounting for the length of time role will stay open. I have a rule: If you have met with at least 10 candidates and the role is still open, you need to reevaluate the role, decide if you need it and reevaluate your interviewing criteria.

Along with these numbers, what is needed to be taken into account is the turnover rate for each team and for the organization. The HR team needs to have a good understanding of how many employees would be leaving the organization in a particular year.

So, if the turnover rate is 10% and your total employee count is 2000, it means that 200 employees would be quitting the company next year. Hence, if you are looking to hire 160 new employees (from the above table), your actual count increases to 360. 200 for employees who have quit and 160 new employees.

Going back to past few years number and calculating turnover (If you do not have the number refer to average turnover over rate for industries from the web) for each team, give you an exact measure of the number of hires you would be hunting for in the coming year.

Step #2: Estimate basic recruitment costs

Recruitment costs refer to basic expenses associated with the hiring and recruitment process. These expenses are mostly recurring and often billed early in the year.

This cost may vary for each organization, but you have to consider common expenses across boards to have rough estimates.

  • Job boards: They are a great starting point to draw attention from candidates, and are frequently used by major corporations. For example, Cutshort, Indeed, LinkedIn and Stack Overflow.
  • Salaries: Occasionally, teams collaborate with contract-based recruiters and agencies on yearly basis. Don’t forget to add their salaries too.
  • Employee branding: Branding campaigns, career page optimization, and video campaigns—these are just a few ways you can amplify your employer brand and educate employees about why they should work in your organization.

Look at the following sheet to understand better.

How to create a recruiting budget, recruiting budget, recruiting budget for 2019, recruitment budget
Detailed sample template shared below

Also read: Nirvana Solutions uses HackerEarth Assessments to Reduce Cost Per Hire by 25%


Steps #3: Calculate the fixed cost

Fixed cost are costs associated with your recruitment process happens yearly and is usually processed in an orderly manner like salaries, partnerships, recruitment agencies, etc.

  • Internal Salaries: Calculate internal salaries for existing employees. Make sure to add your HR team. The rules say for every 50 employees you should have 1 HR. Budget your internal salaries accordingly. Also, take into account the expenses if you are looking for new team members.
  • Partnerships: Calculate the cost of any yearly partnerships which you plan to commit to. These partnerships can include an external recruitment agency, event agencies, social media promoters, and others.
  • Recruiting events: Make a list of all upcoming virtual recruiting events like conferences you plan to take part in, in the near future and budget them in your sheet.

As Neil Williams from AVI-SPL says

I found that fees associated with events such as job fairs including air travel and lodging can be easily missed. Remember to think of each event from start to finish and all the necessary logistics involved.

  • External recruiting agencies: Most of the companies tie up with external recruiters agencies or independent recruiters who help them hire candidates, especially for niche skills. Think of the approximate number of hires you plan to make for the year. Factor in the cost associated with each hire (paid to the external recruiter) when you prepare the budget.

Step #4: Estimate recruiting technology costs

Technology is a great enabler. As HR evolves with enabling technologies like talent assessment software and video interviews, companies can expect better recruitment and overall management.

Coding assessment software

While candidate sourcing is managed by multiple agencies, job portals, and social channels, it is imperative you evaluate candidates on the right parameters. Coding assessment tools like HackerEarth Assessments helps reduce hiring costs by 10X.

Companies have also been using HackerEarth talent assessment software for university hiring by evaluating candidates remotely—reducing large cost (travel, stay, man-hours, etc.) associated with campus placement.


Also read: 5 Best Practices for an Effective Hybrid Campus Hiring Strategy


Video interview software

While assessing candidates can be managed by technical interview software, an organization should evaluate the candidate in person before selection. However, candidates are often scattered across the globe and the cost associated with their travel becomes too high. This is where video interview software like EasyHire and Kira Talent comes in.

HackerEarth’s coding assessment software is accompanied by video interview software called FaceCode, which helps you assess candidates on their real-time coding skills while interviewing them. Since these features are bundled, there are more savings to be had!

Background check service

A background check is an essential service used by organizations to verify a candidate’s credibility. Major global organization work in this field and charge relatively high fees in verifying all the relevant information.

With the increasing usage of social media and networking, referral hiring is a good way to save on the background check service. Calculate the cost accordingly.

Pre-boarding software

Candidate pre-boarding has evolved a lot over the last few years. With multiple options in hand, candidate ghosting has been a major menace for the recruiters. It is extremely essentials to keep your candidates way before joining, helping them understand their role, responsibility, and progression.

Companies using pre-boarding software have seen reduction in drop-off by more than 45%. Some of the top pre-boarding software available are Beamfox, BoardOn, Talmundo.

Application tracking system (ATS)

Application tracking systems have not evolved much since their inception in the mid-90s. But due to high dependency on them, most of the organizations still prefer to have a good part of their expenses dedicated to ATS.

Application tracking systems help follow the entire journey of a candidate, from sourcing, interviewing, joining, to exit. Some of the top ATS across the globe are Taleo, Greenhouse software, iCIMS, JobVite.


Also read: Remote Work and Recruitment: An ATS Story


Step #5: Estimate your miscellaneous hiring costs

Tying in the ROI on the unexpected expense with the broader strategic HR and/or organizational plan helps get stronger buy-in for unexpected added costs

Ensure you make allowances for miscellaneous expenses that pop up frequently in your hiring cycle. A few expenses relate closely to the internal campaigns you decide to run with referral bonuses taking up the major chunk.

Next, average out all incentives paid in the last two years to have an approximate idea about the budgeting for incentives to be rolled out in the appraisal cycle. It is essential to keep a check on inflation and the industry-standard before zeroing in on a certain amount.

Some companies regularly offer bonuses to their employees, sometimes in the festive season or when the business has had a great year. Discuss with the leadership on the target goals, and any bonus roll-out in case targets are achieved.

Step #6: Calculate cost per hire

And the most important step, calculate the cost per hire before finalizing the budget. If you have a previous budget to refer to the cost per hire for earlier years, then calculate expected expenses for the coming year.

According to Neil Williams, HRBP, AVI-SPL

Calculate it by adding the actual recruiting expenses from last year and divide by the number of hires you made. Then, multiply your average cost per hire by the number of hires you plan to make this year. Add all projected internal and external costs.

The basic formula for cost per hire is

Cost per hire = Internal Cost + External Cost / Total Number of Hire

Make sure that your cost per hire should not increase exponentially for any given year and should be in sync with inflation, revenue growth, and a number of hires.

Tips for managing tech recruitment budget

Here are some tips for managing your tech recruitment budget effectively throughout the year:

  1. Plan ahead: At the beginning of the year, take some time to plan out your hiring needs for the year. This will help you to estimate how much money you will need to spend on recruitment.
  2. Set a budget and stick to it: Once you have a good understanding of your hiring needs, set a budget for recruitment. Be sure to include all of the relevant costs, such as job postings, advertising, recruiter fees, and background checks.
  3. Track your spending: It is important to track your spending so that you can stay within your budget. This will also help you to identify areas where you can save money.
  4. Use free and low-cost recruitment tools: There are a number of free and low-cost recruitment tools available. For example, you can use social media to post job openings and to connect with potential candidates. You can also use free job boards, such as Indeed and LinkedIn.
  5. Partner with recruiters: If you have a lot of open positions, you may want to consider partnering with a recruiter. Recruiters can help you to find qualified candidates and to manage the hiring process. However, it is important to note that recruiters typically charge a fee for their services.
  6. Invest in employee referrals: Employee referrals are a great way to find qualified candidates. Encourage your employees to refer their friends and colleagues for open positions. You can also offer incentives for employee referrals.
  7. Hire for soft skills: Soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, are just as important as hard skills in the tech industry. When hiring, be sure to assess candidates’ soft skills in addition to their hard skills.
  8. Negotiate salaries: When negotiating salaries, be sure to factor in the cost of living in the area where the candidate will be working. You should also consider the candidate’s experience and skills.
  9. Offer competitive benefits: In order to attract and retain top talent, you need to offer competitive benefits. This includes benefits such as health insurance, paid time off, and retirement savings plans.
  10. Review your budget regularly: It is important to review your recruitment budget regularly to make sure that you are on track. You may need to adjust your budget based on changes in your hiring needs or the market conditions.

Plan your recruiting budget effortlessly

Make sure that your cost per hire should not increase exponentially for any given year and should be in sync with inflation, revenue growth, and a number of hires. Download a sample budgeting sheet for the coming recruiting year.

HACKEREARTH – TECHNICAL RECRUITING SAMPLE BUDGET SHEET

Celebrating 6 amazing years of HackerEarth

Ask our founders this question anytime, and you get the same answer!
What’s the one thing that’s made HackerEarth?

Our employee-centric culture, they chorus.

We weren’t (obviously) going to let a major event, our sixth anniversary, sink without a trace. This called for a major celebration, and we just couldn’t wait until the annual day at the end of the month…

Surprise! Surprise!

Little did they know what they were in for on November 14.

Dressed to the nines and ready to pitch to Japanese clients (phantom ones, not that they knew), what greeted them wasn’t Konnichiwa, but a room full of HackerEarth employees wearing company t-shirts yelling surprise!!

They were moved that their team had planned this for them and had actually turned up at work at 9:30 am! It was such an unexpected pleasure.

For those who never saw the Sun before 10 am on most days, today seemed no trouble at all. We were “enthu cutlets” (like we love to say in India), recording everything excitedly on their smartphones and asking for speeches.

Hackerearth Anniversary, HackerEarth, SaaS startup, Indian Startup, Top Startup in India.

Energy tanks are refilled here!

Sachin and Vivek (two really happy clams, we must say) recounted a few memories that had everyone feeling proud to be a part of HackerEarth.

Talking about how they took nothing for granted, they spoke about inspiring, scary, and funny moments since they set out to carve their own unique space in the startup world.

Some stories are truly worth listening to again and again, aren’t they?

Put on party shoes every other day...

More than the gooey chocolate cake we had them cut, it was their pride in the high-performance culture they’d created that injected life into the day.

Every now and then, HackerEarth makes it a point to recognize and appreciate employees on their work anniversaries and other personal events in quirky ways, vouchers, gifts, days off, and more.

Here, we believe no success is too small.

Hackerearth Anniversary, HackerEarth, SaaS startup, Indian Startup, Top Startup in India.

One “thank you” isn’t enough

To add to all the fun, chatter, balloons, and sparkling confetti, employees were fighting for pens and paper.

Pleasantly enough, most employees wanted to write a personal wish for the founders.

Watching Sachin and Vivek walk into their rooms, with walls dotted with so many colorful handwritten notes, we were glad to have braved Bangalore’s morning traffic. The looks on their faces said it all.

From lauding personal efforts to team goals, celebrating every kind of milestone is what makes HackerEarth home to over 150 engaged employees.

Today, was no exception.

In true HackerEarth fashion, we carried the celebratory spirit into the monthly all-hands while creating alignment around business goals as usual. Sachin and Vivek kept the quirky stories coming with photos and videos of fun moments and highlights — it was an amazing trip down memory lane.

There’s nothing like too much cake...that’s our motto. We cut another one and reminisced...again.

Hackerearth Anniversary, HackerEarth, SaaS startup, Indian Startup, Top Startup in India.

In that one hour, we renewed our commitment to growth, both personal and professional, and to encourage a culture of transparency, recognition, and reward as always.

Tech interviews simplified with HackerEarth FaceCode

The all-new FaceCode is the result of extensive customer feedback and tons of engineering hours. This latest addition to our technical recruitment platform allows you to seamlessly conduct remote technical interviews.

What is FaceCode?

FaceCode is an online interviewing platform that lets you conduct remote video interviews to evaluate the programming skills of candidates without compromising on the interviewing experience.

Benefits of using FaceCode for your tech interviews

  • Accurately evaluate a candidate’s coding skills: FaceCode gives you a real-time collaborative code-editor that supports over 30 programming languages such as Java, PHP, JavaScript, Python, Ruby etc. You can give technical questions to candidates and let them write, edit, and compile code in real-time. At the same time you and the other interviewers can view the code in the collaborative editor and suggest improvements or ask for a follow-up questions.
  • Run high-quality video interviews: The product is also optimized for a video-call experience. When you don’t want the candidate to write code but for instance want them to explain an application architecture, you can use full-screen video mode and have a high-quality video call. The improved quality of video streaming enables for a real-time sync between all the participants in the interview.
  • Provide a holistic interview experience with a user-friendly UI/UX: The new UI/UX has been made both intuitive and engaging to makes it easier for interviewers and candidates to interact seamlessly. Encompassing several user-friendly features like the multi-room text chat, the design allows effortless communication between participants.
  • Maintain consistency of interview process across multiple interviewers: FaceCode helps you eliminate the issue of inconsistency in interviews across different interviewes in the organization. You can create a pool of standardized interview questions, add them to your question library and let different interviewers use the same set of questions for their interviews.
  • Easily collect feedback on candidates: We understand that collecting feedback from multiple interviewers can be a challenging task. FaceCode makes it super-easy for you to collect interviewer feedback. At the end of the interview, every interviewer is prompted to give a rating on a 10-point scale and fill in subjective feedback.
  • Better interview management through dashboards: The FaceCode dashboard lets you view interview details for every candidate such as average rating and feedback. It also lets you to copy/share interview links and reschedule ongoing interviews.
  • Keep a track of interviews through activity logs: The interview logs give you a detailed analysis of every interview conducted so you can backtrack and look up information at any point of time.
  • Effortless scheduling: We understand how scheduling interviews can be a pain. With FaceCode, interviews can be scheduled and rescheduled (if necessary) at the click of a button. FaceCode can be integrated with Recruit so that you can directly schedule interviews for candidates who have been screened via an online tests. FaceCode also comes with a Google Calendar integration.

A step-by-step guide to using FaceCode

To help you get started, we have created a step-by-step guide for conducting your first video interview on FaceCode.
  1. Creating a new interview
  2. Interview interface
  3. Adding interviewers
  4. Adding questions to your interview
  5. Providing feedback about the candidate
If you are an admin, log into Recruit to try FaceCode.If you are new here and want to know more about harnessing the power of technology for your recruitment needs, sign up for a 14-day free trial.

With powerful new features and enhancements, now is a great time to start using FaceCode for your remote tech interviews. Have a great day!

On-Demand Webinar

Top 10 Recruiting Software Tools for Hiring Success

We put together a list of top recruiting software platforms tech recruiters, HR can use, in no particular order.

Best Recruiting Platforms are

    1. HackerEarth (Coding Assessments)
    2. Dice (Open Web)
    3. Codility
    4. HireVue
    5. Pymetrics
    6. People Search (Workable)
    7. The Predictive Index
    8. Devskiller
    9. Hired
    10. Glider.ai
Read the detailed description on each of top recruiting software below -
  1. HackerEarth (Coding Assessments)

    Recruit, HackerEarth’s technical recruitment software, allows companies to use online coding tests to automate their tech screening process.

    With a library of more than 15,000 questions, technical leads, and even non-tech recruiters can conduct tests on a large scale to grade developers for virtually any technical role.

    Supporting 35+, Recruit auto-assesses the submissions of each developer instantly based on defined parameters such as logical correctness, time-efficiency, memory-efficiency, and code quality.

    Tech recruiters can then analyze each applicant’s performance with the detailed reporting and analytics features within Recruit.

    With its proctoring measures and plagiarism detection techniques, recruiters can be surer about the originality of each submission. -

    Looking to hire developer - Request a free demo
  2. Dice (Open Web)

    An award-winning social recruiting platform, Open Web aggregates profiles from over 180+ social sites to give you tech talent with hard-to-find skills.Tech recruiters can build a tech pro’s profile from digital signatures gathered from these social sites. Dice Open Web also helps them to reach out to passive candidates and get better response rates, saving time and cost.

    This recruiting platform offers predictive analytics to increase the efficiency of the hiring process.

    Talent acquisition and hiring managers can also get an overview of the candidates' technical aptitude as Open Web focuses on portals such as GitHub and Stack Overflow.

    (Also read: 5 reasons you should use Talent Assessment Software)
  3. Codility

    Codility offers an intuitive recruiting platform to increase brand visibility and help source programmers to add value to your company. Developers can be evaluated, or inspired, using customized tests/challenges and interviewed via the automated platform.
  4. HireVue

    Utah-based HireVue calls its product an “all-in-one video interview and pre-hire assessment solution.”The digital interview platform helped recruiters choose applicants from a sea of resumes by watching videos where they had recorded responses to interview questions.The company now adds artificial intelligence (voice recognition software, licensed facial recognition software, a ranking algorithm) to pick the ideal candidate.

    HireVue promises tech recruiters a modern, simple approach to hiring through insightful data.
  5. Pymetrics

    Using neuroscience games and AI, Pymetrics offers a bold recruiting platform that is bias-free.It helps tech recruiters build a profile of a candidate not based on resumes but on their emotional and cognitive traits.Pymetrics identifies what candidates are best at and matches them to the right jobs; this approach puts applicants on a more equal footing.“If LinkedIn and Match.com could have a child, Pymetrics would be it.” (Digital Trends)
  6. People Search (Workable)

    This search engine from Workable helps tech recruiters source candidates using “information aggregated from multiple sources in real-time,” streamline applicant tracking processes and manage interviews.People Search helps personalize reach and boost response rates. It allows Boolean queries as well.
  7. The Predictive Index

    This is a behavioral assessment designed to be an effective, simple, and easy evaluation of existing and future employee work skills.The proven methodology helps tech recruiters define the cognitive and behavior requirements for a job and assess and hire candidates accurately.The test uses a free-choice format and is not timed; it takes about six minutes and measures four constructs: extroversion, dominance, patience, and formality.
  8. Devskiller

    Devskiller lets companies use their own code base to test programmers online and lets developers use their own IDEs and resources.Tech recruiters can screen applicants with real-world sample tests to assess what really matters and interview them in real time.The recruiter-friendly solution automatically measures the coding skills and finds the real problem solvers. The company says it aims to imitate a “first day at work experience.”
  9. Hired

    Hired brings together tech recruiters and employees, matching the right people to the right jobs.The website offers “algorithmic matching, key ATS integrations, and 1:1 support” to make smart recruiting decisions for employers looking for top quality technical talent.
  10. Glider.ai

    This artificial intelligence-powered competency-based hiring platform helps recruiters build great tech teams. Glider’s approach combines the preferences and capabilities of employers (and job seekers) to ensure an efficient recruitment process without bias. For data-driven hiring decisions, Glider offers auto-scored coding tasks, video interviews, and real-world simulations.
(Read: How to pick the right assessment tool)

Conclusion

These are only a few of the most effective and popular recruiting platform available in the market.With amazing advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning, automation almost guarantees the efficiency and accuracy of the hiring process and helps create a rich workplace.Although automation in technical recruitment is a no-brainer, organizations must remember to give enough importance to emotional intelligence and human interaction.The recruitment landscape has changed tremendously in recent years, especially with diversity and inclusion goals and the need to become “innovative” gaining prominence.Forward-thinking HR leaders must focus on optimizing talent along with strategic hiring and retaining engaged employees to boost overall business performance.It pays to take all the help you can get—use talent assessment software best suited to your needs and “transform” your recruitment strategy.

Detailed feature comparison of 8 recruiting software platform for developer hiring

We decided to compare the 8 most common recruitment software platforms as per the number of users. These comparisons have been made from an external source.

All platforms have been compared based on price, number of users (admins), number of assessments and 9 other criteria.

Download full comparison by filling the form below -hbspt.forms.create({portalId: "2586902",formId: "28743abe-765e-4f2a-b7d6-470b90136efc"});

Developer assessment tools

A Guide for HR Professionals to Hire Developers with Disabilities

“My disability exists not because I use a wheelchair, but because the broader environment isn’t accessible.” Stella Young, Disability Rights Activist and Comedian

This is the reality that faces most persons with disability (PwDs). There are obstacles that prevent them from taking up and retaining full-time employment opportunities. Job opportunities are not accessible or easy to apply, and the environment lacks the infrastructure and support for long-term employment.

Recruiting more diverse candidates is said to be one of the most important recruiting trends in the future. Multiple perspectives and a varied concoction of skill-sets are what brews innovation and growth within companies. With over a billion people worldwide with disabilities and 40 to 50 million in India, it represents a large pool of people with employable talents and skills.

In the last decade, there has been an increase in the number of companies who recognize this and have programs making jobs more accessible to PwDs. For instance, the Sin Barreras program at Accenture offers jobs to PwDs and strives to make the company more inclusive. Microsoft has a hiring program exclusively for people with autism. It also has a vibrant and active disability community and provides reasonable accommodations and awareness of disability inclusion throughout the company.

While there has been an increase in the number of disability inclusion programs in companies, the employment numbers shout a different story. In 2016, 17.9 percent of persons with a disability were employed, in contrast to 65.3 percent who were employed without one, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Out of this, only 3 percent of those with a disability wanted a job.

What steps can companies take to bridge this gap and get more people with special needs to work with them? A step in this direction is using talent assessment software. (Also read: 5 reasons you should use talent assessment tools)

In this article, we will talk about how companies can use talent assessment software to recruit people with special needs (PwDs) by making it easier for them to apply for jobs.

Benefits of hiring developers with disabilities

  • Diverse perspectives: Employees with disabilities bring unique experiences and perspectives that can foster creativity and innovation in problem-solving.
  • Enhanced work ethic: Many disabled individuals demonstrate strong resilience and determination, qualities that can translate into a robust work ethic.
  • Improved employee morale and loyalty: Hiring people with disabilities can create a more inclusive and empathetic workplace culture, enhancing overall employee morale and loyalty.
  • Access to a wider talent pool: By being open to hiring people with disabilities, companies can tap into a broader pool of talent, crucial in industries facing skill shortages.
  • Positive brand image: An inclusive hiring policy enhances a company’s brand, portraying it as a socially responsible and progressive employer.
  • Legal compliance and incentives: Adhering to laws regarding the employment of people with disabilities can avoid legal issues, and there are often financial incentives or tax benefits involved.

Checklist for creating a disability-friendly tech hiring process

  • Inclusive job descriptions: Ensure job postings are inclusive, focusing on essential skills and abilities rather than physical requirements that might be unnecessarily exclusive.
  • Accessible recruitment processes: Make the application and interview process accessible, offering accommodations like sign language interpreters, accessible interview locations, or alternative formats for tests.
  • Bias-free interviewing: Train hiring managers to conduct unbiased interviews, focusing on the candidate’s ability to perform the job with or without reasonable accommodations.
  • Partner with specialized agencies: Collaborate with agencies or organizations specializing in employment for people with disabilities to access a wider talent pool and get guidance on best practices.
  • Workplace accessibility: Assess and modify the workplace to ensure it is accessible, considering factors like physical access, adaptive technology, and flexible work arrangements.
  • Employee training: Provide training for current employees to foster an inclusive and supportive work environment that respects and values diversity.
  • Ongoing support and Adaptation: Offer continuous support and be willing to adapt roles or provide additional accommodations as needed to ensure the success and comfort of employees with disabilities.

Guidelines for using talent assessment software for hiring people with disabilities

Employers check for candidate aptitude and fit using talent assessment software. This is done using tests which are created, uploaded, proctored, and evaluated online. There are several advantages of using these online tests to assess PwDs.

Since these tests are usually administered remotely, test takers can take them in the comfort of their homes at times that are convenient for them. Test takers are not subject to inconveniences such as traveling to a test center, giving the test in unfamiliar settings, sitting for a long duration of time, or relying on invigilators to explain instructions. (Also read: Remote yet close: New rules of hiring and retaining) The range of customization possible on an online test goes beyond traditional assessment settings. Every disability and the person is unique; traditional assessments rely on large-scale delivery of tests under the same conditions, without any exceptions. There isn’t scope to accommodate people who have special needs, largely alienating them and discouraging them from applying.

For online assessments to be successful, however, the following outlines must be met:

  • Explain why: People with disabilities tend not to disclose their conditions out of fear of discrimination and negative employer-perceptions which might affect their chances of landing the job. Companies must, therefore, try to put their fears to rest by letting them know why they are asking for voluntary disclosure of any disabilities. (Also read – Enabling workplace diversity with blind recruitment)
  • Let them know what to expect: It is best to give specific details of the test, administration method, and delivery to the candidates so that they can, in turn, respond with any adjustments that they might need. For instance, in the same page as the disclosure, employers can add a note saying that the test would require the use of a mouse as well as a keyboard and if users have any special requirements to let them know at that stage to make suitable accommodations.
  • Customize the test: Tweak the test administration or delivery to accommodate any special considerations that the test takers might have, without impacting the test results or the performance on the job. For instance, if the candidate has trouble reading text on the screen, an external reader can read the questions out loud, and input the answers on the candidate’s behalf. Alternatively, if the candidate is comfortable using the keyboard, instructions can be given using increasing font size with Ctrl and + keys. For someone with dyslexia, test times might be extended to give the candidate ample time to complete the test. This must be balanced with the demands on the job through to ensure that these tests can truly predict the candidate’s performance on the job.

Companies have found an increase in the number of applications from PwDs when application processes including tests are adjusted to accommodate their needs. Fujitsu, the leading Japanese IT products, and services provider noted a 3.4% increase in the proportion of applications from candidates with disabilities when they made small changes to their recruitment process including asking for information about disability and reasonable adjustments early-on in the application process.

Delivery of tests is incomplete without appropriate assessment. The next step to successfully recruiting PwDs is the accurate interpretation of test results. But have answers to such questions ready. Is there any difference in the criteria for gauging performance? How should the test evaluation match the accommodations made during the test (extra time allotted, the presence of external reader, etc.)?

On-Demand Webinar

Comparing apples to apples: Interpreting test results

Talent assessment tests are standardized, which makes it easier to test multiple applicants with the same yardstick for performance. Interpreting results of tests that have been tweaked to allow for different abilities are complex because each person and his/her test result is unique. However, there are certain guidelines which can help during interpretation of results.

  • If test times were extended for an applicant, then employers must look at accuracy and test performance at different time limits, and under different sections. This should be compared with the aspects of the job that is highly relevant to the test, to get a true measure of performance. For instance, a test taker took an additional 30 minutes to complete a test that contained analytical, mathematical, verbal, and critical reasoning sections. When the evaluators took a closer look, they found that he had completed the analytical section faster compared to the rest of the test, the applicant will move to the next stage provided analytical skills are considered crucial for the role that he had applied for.
  • It is incorrectly assumed that while comparing test results, one should use a norm group of applicants with the same disability. This is because two people with the same disability are affected by it in two different ways. The best approach is to use a standard norm group, with or without disabilities, and compare performance to the job requirements.
  • When using psychometric tests to gauge personality, they should be analyzed in the standard way. There isn’t any difference in how these standard tests are interpreted for persons with or without disabilities.

As soon as a job vacancy arises, the job description should be evaluated by HR reps (after undergoing training on the disability types and degrees) to study possibilities of inclusion. (Also read: How not to write a job post) The next step is to open up the position on the website and job boards for people with or without disabilities. When people with disabilities express interest, companies can use talent assessments to make the application process convenient for them. While technology is a great enabler for recruiting people with disabilities, employers must know that the results from tests and questionnaires don’t work in silos, and only make up a small slice of the overall recruitment pie. The test results, however, need to be followed-up by interviews and any other suitable steps to determine if the candidate is a good fit for the role.

As a whole, the recruitment process has to be made more convenient and accessible to encourage more PwDs to apply for jobs within companies. When designing job descriptions, or deciding on the types of assessments to use, or the interview process, companies must think of how they can make adjustments to the environment or the process to encourage more people with disabilities to apply for roles.

Hire unbiased using Talent Assessment Software. Scale your hiring process 10X!

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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.

View all

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

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

What is Pre-Employement Assessment?

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

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

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

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

Why pre-employment assessments are key in hiring

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

  • Improved decision-making:

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

  • Reduced bias:

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

  • Increased efficiency:

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

  • Enhanced candidate experience:

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

Types of pre-employment assessments

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

1. Skill Assessments:

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

2. Personality Assessments:

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

3. Cognitive Ability Tests:

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

4. Integrity Assessments:

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

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

Leading employment assessment tools and tests in 2024

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

  • HackerEarth:

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

  • SHL:

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

  • Pymetrics:

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

  • Wonderlic:

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

  • Harver:

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

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

Choosing the right pre-employment assessment tool

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

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

Comparative analysis of assessment options

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

  • Technical skills assessment:

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

  • Soft skills and personality assessment:

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

  • Candidate experience:

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

Additional tips:

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

Best practices for using pre-employment assessment tools

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

  • Define your assessment goals:

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

  • Choose the right assessments:

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

  • Set clear expectations:

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

  • Integrate seamlessly:

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

  • Train your team:

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

Interpreting assessment results accurately

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

  • Use results as one data point:

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

  • Understand score limitations:

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

  • Look for patterns and trends:

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

  • Focus on potential, not guarantees:

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

Choosing the right pre-employment assessment tools

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

  • Industry and role requirements:

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

  • Company culture and values:

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

  • Candidate experience:

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

Budget and accessibility considerations

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

  • Budget:

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

  • Accessibility:

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

Additional Tips:

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

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

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

Future trends in pre-employment assessments

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

  • Artificial intelligence (AI):

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

  • Adaptive testing:

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

  • Micro-assessments:

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

  • Gamification:

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

Conclusion

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

Tech Layoffs: What To Expect In 2024

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

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

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

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

What are tech layoffs?

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

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

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

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

Causes for layoffs in the tech industry

Why are tech employees suffering so much?

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

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

In addition, some common reasons could be:

Financial struggles

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


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


Changes in demand

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

Restructuring

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

Automation

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

Mergers and acquisitions

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

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

Will layoffs increase in 2024?

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

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

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

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


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


What types of companies are prone to tech layoffs?

2023 Round Up Of Layoffs In Big Tech

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

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

Large tech firms

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

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

Startups

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

Small and medium-sized businesses

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

Companies in certain industries

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

Companies that lean on government funding

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

How to track tech layoffs?

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

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

Use tech layoffs tracker

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

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

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

News articles

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

Social media

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

Online forums and communities

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

Government reports

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

How do companies reduce tech layoffs?

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

Salary reductions

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

Implementing a hiring freeze

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


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


Non-essential expense reduction

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

Reducing working hours

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

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

Tech layoffs to bleed into this year

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

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

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

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

What is Headhunting in recruitment?

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

How do headhunting and traditional recruitment differ from each other?

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

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

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

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

Types of headhunting in recruitment

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

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

How does headhunting work?

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

Identifying the role

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

Defining the job

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

Candidate identification and sourcing

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

Approaching candidates

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

Assessment and Evaluation

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

Interviews and negotiations

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

Finalizing the hire

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

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

Common challenges in headhunting

Despite its advantages, headhunting also presents certain challenges:

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

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

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

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

Advantages of Headhunting

Headhunting offers several advantages over traditional recruitment methods:

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

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

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

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

Conclusion

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

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