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Breadth First Search example (BFS) - How GPS navigation works

There are differences in the route which I usually take and the one which GPS shows as the shortest, probably due to the algorithms used. I learned from my graph theory data structure classes that (BFS) Breadth First search example is GPS navigation and digital maps. I tried looking for the possible use of Algorithms (Breadth First Search example or A* application) used in GPS navigation on the web, but I couldn’t find a lot of details. So here is how Breadth First Search is used in real life application like GPS.

Let’s first understand working of GPS navigation

Digital maps, unlike humans, see streets as a bunch of nodes. The 2.6-mile road from the Columbus Circle station (59 st) to Cathedral Pkwy (110 st) is called Central Park West. We (humans) consider this road a single entity (You may divide it into few more segments based on metro stations or intersections, but not more than that).

Central Park West Map

But a GPS navigation or any other digital map divides it into hundreds of segments, with some only 24 meters long. A GPS looks at this street as a graph divided into vertices and edges.

Graph Representation of Streets

Considering this, there is a lot of data to be covered and calculated while finding the shortest path.

What is a graph?

A graph usually looks like the image below and is made up of vertices and edges (represented by lines and circles, respectively).

Graph Nodes and Edges

The objective of a graph is to represent a problem as a set of points that are connected in various ways using edges. With the help of such graphs, we tend to solve our problems by applying various algorithms.

Let’s take an example to understand better.

Facebook is a good example to understand graph theory.

Facebook has millions of users. If a person needs to find a friend, he can use an array and search. But that would take a lot of time and memory to search for so many people, making the problem quite complex.

But if the same scenario is represented using a graph, the problems tend to get solved easily. With a graph, you know that these two people are actually friends (Though real-life scenarios are not exactly that simple!). Check this video on how graph theory is used in social networks:

Graph theories are frequently used in various other fields, such as maps, e-commerce, and computer games.

Before we go further down this road, read this detailed article about graph theory, which explains other important aspects of Graphs such as Directed, Undirected, Cycle or Loop, and Matrix.

What’s the difference between a Graph and a Tree?

A tree is a special type of graph, i.e., a minimal graph, where there is only one path between two vertices.

So what is Breadth First Search and how does it work?

Depth First Search (DFS) and Breadth First Search (BFS) are algorithms, or in simple terms, they are methods to traverse a graph.

Before I explain Breadth First Search, consider this example.

Take a graph with 13 nodes. When Breadth First Search is applied to this graph, the algorithm traverses from node 1 to node 2 and then to nodes 3, 4, 5, 6 (in green) and so on in the given order.

If you consider 1 (in red) as the first node, you observe that Breadth First Search gradually moves outward, considering each neighboring node first.

BFS Example on Graph

This eventually brings us to the accepted definition of the Breadth First Search algorithm:

“Breadth First search (BFS) is an algorithm for traversing or searching tree or graph data structures. It starts at the tree root (or some arbitrary node of a graph, sometimes referred to as a "search key") and explores the neighbor nodes first, before moving to the next level neighbors.”

Graph Traversal in Maps

Take a look at this simple “Gridworld” which is used for various graph traversal algorithms. Your digital map considers your world a similar grid, which is made up of intersections connected to each other.

Grid World

Now for the grid shown, there could be N number of ways to traverse from point A to point P.

Following are two of these N ways in which one can travel from point A to point P.

Multiple Gridworld Paths

So how does an algorithm decide which the shortest way to reach a destination is? Graph Traversal Algorithms!

The Breadth First Search algorithm looks at the map as we do; it just can’t perceive it completely. When you have to travel from one destination to another, you draw a line from point A to point B, and then chose the road closest to that line. Algorithms repeat the same method choosing the node nearest to the intersection points, eventually selecting the route with the shortest length.

Let’s take a simple example of GridWorld given above and try solving it using Breadth First Search. Assume you need to travel from location A to location P.

Note: Every vertex in the image is given a number, which is the total distance from the source and an alphabet which represents the previous node.

Breadth First Search for GridWorld

Step 1 - Visit neighboring nodes to A, i.e, B, E, and F. The vertex to B would become 1-A and since E and F are also at an equal distance as B, hence vertices to both E and F from A, could be denoted as 1-A too.

BFS Step 1

Step 2 - Mark "A" as visited. Use B as the source node. Visit adjacent nodes to B: C (2B) and G (2B). Node F is already considered.

BFS Step 2

Step 3 - Visit neighboring nodes of E: I (2E) and J (2E), and mark E as visited.

Step 4 - Visit neighbors of F: K (2F). F is marked as visited.

Step 5 - Repeat until all nodes are visited.

Step 6 - The shortest route from A to P is diagonal with distance 3.

Shortest BFS Path

Removing unused vertices creates a minimum spanning tree, where each node is connected to at least one vertex.

But in real scenarios, diagonal movement isn't always possible. Let's analyze GridWorld again, this time disallowing diagonal moves.

Step 1 - Source node A: visit B(1A), E (1A). Mark A as visited.

BFS No Diagonal Step 1

Step 2 - Node B: visit C (2B) and F (2B), mark B as visited.

Step 3 - Node E: visit I (2E), mark E as visited.

BFS No Diagonal Step 3

Step 4 - Continue visiting all nodes and marking visited.

Step 5 - Remove unconnected vertices, and build the minimum spanning tree.

Step 6 - Highlight shortest path A to P with a distance of 6.

Shortest BFS Path Without Diagonal

You now understand why GPS navigation didn't suggest the path A, E, I, M, N, O, P or A,B,C, D, H, L, P though they were equidistant.

Once you've understood the way GPS works, you’d wish the world could be a simple Grid! But to a programmer's disappointment, it isn’t. Hence, for a GPS, distance is not the only factor in choosing a route, rather elapsed time, the speed limit on a route, live traffic update, the number of stop signals all has to be taken into consideration. That’s why you would find your GPS occasionally suggesting winding state highways to travel instead of the usual national highways.

Most of the GPS or digital maps have evolved over Breadth First Search to A* algorithm (You can read more about A* algorithm - Here) due to better complexity over a period of time.

Yet, GPS is one of the most amazing devices. Connected to satellites 12,000 miles above the planet, it calculates your position in real time with more than 50,00,000 possibilities for a particular route.

Watch the video explaining the Use of Breadth first search in GPS navigation here:

Hiring Tools

MQTT protocol - Powering Facebook messenger to IoT devices

In 2011, Lucy Zhang, Ben Davenport and Jon Perlow joined Facebook and started building the Facebook messenger. A major hurdle in their endeavor was long latency when sending a message. The method that they were using to send messages was reliable but slow. They were also able to optimize it to a certain extent. A few weeks before the launch, they explored the Messaging Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol. With the help of MQTT, Lucy Zhang and team were able to establish and maintain a persistent connection with the Facebook servers without reducing the battery life.

So, what is MQTT protocol?

Created in 1999 by Dr. Andy Stanford-Clark of IBM and Arlen Nipper of Arcom, MQTT is a lightweight messaging protocol on top of TCP/IP protocol. MQTT is designed for constrained devices (devices with low memory and network bandwidth) and wireless networks with varying levels of latency due to unreliable connection.

MQTT protocol is a client-server, publisher/subscriber, open, and light-weight messaging transport protocol. At the heart of MQTT is the central communication point known as MQTT broker. It is responsible for dispersing messages to rightful clients.

Each client which publishes a message to the MQTT broker includes the routing information, known as topic. Clients may subscribe to multiple topics and broker all the messages published matching the topic. The clients don't have to know each other to receive information; they just have to subscribe to relevant topics.

For instance, imagine a simple network of three clients, i.e A, B and C, where each is connected to a broker via a TCP connection. Client-B and Client-C subscribe to topic: temperature.

Client-A publishes 34.5 for topic temperature. The broker identifies this and forwards this message to all the subscribers, which in this case are Client-B and Client-C.

The publisher-subscriber architecture of MQTT makes it a highly scalable solution, without creating dependencies between data producers and consumers.

Message format of MQTT protocol

All the messages of MQTT have a small code footprint, hence it is popular as a lightweight messaging protocol. Each MQTT message consists of the following:

Fixed header (2 bytes)
Optional variable header
Message payload (<= 256MB)
Quality of Service (QoS) level

MQTT supports one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many communication.

By lowering the amount of data transmitted, MQTT makes itself a perfect protocol for constrained IoT devices.

Message payloads are encoded in binary. In an open network where the recipient is from a different manufacturer will face issues decoding it as there is no information of how message payload is encoded.

Quality of Service (QoS) level for MQTT protocol

The quality of service levels determines how the content is managed. MQTT uses three different QoS levels. It is important to choose the right QoS level for every message because it determines how the client and server communicate to deliver the message. The QoS levels of MQTT are as follows:

QoS 0 : Messages delivered per the best efforts of the operating environment, but message loss can occur
QoS 1 : Messages delivery assured but duplicates can be created
QoS 2 : Message to deliver exactly once

MQTT provides us with an option to set the appropriate QoS level, but remember, higher the QoS, lower the performance.

Security of MQTT protocol

MQTT allows you to pass username and password as an MQTT packet. Encryption of a message across the network can be handled independently of MQTT with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). It has a minimal authentication feature built in. Username and password are sent as clear text. To make it secure, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/ Transport Layer Security (TLS) must be employed, but SSL/TLS is not a lightweight protocol.

Many industry experts believe MQTT will play a major role in IoT by contributing to fields such as inventory tracking, and medical IoT..

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Game playing programs

This blog explains my approaches to a game contest hosted by HackerEarth. The contest asked programmers to put forward their bots to play games of Chain Reaction. You can find the source code here.

In case you haven't played Chain Reaction, this post should be a treat for you.

Let me warn you that the following will involve some heavy technical words. But all of them are easier to learn than they sound. In my limited experience of developing game playing AI, I have found the following approaches to be most useful.

Min-Max tree generation
Heuristic Improvements
Iterative deepening
Alpha-Beta Pruning
Program Optimization

Min Max tree generation

A Min Max tree mimics natural human thinking. When playing tic tac toe, our thinking goes like this:

What you see above is exactly what a min max strategy is. It considers your move, your opponent's possible responses, and your subsequent responses. The loop goes on till we find a terminal game state, in which case we return the terminal node's value.

Every possible board position maps to a value. The value is directly proportional to how much X favors the position. If X wins (green position), the position has +? value. For a loss (circled in red), it evaluates to -?.

Each layer in the tree contains all possible positions for that move number. If X was playing first, the second layer is O's turn. The third is X's, and so on. When a terminal value reaches the parent, it tries to maximize (if X) or minimize (if O) the score from all its available branches.

Generating the entire min-max tree from move 1 for all moves is infeasible. We need a method of guessing how good a position is without looking at every possibility from it.

Heuristic Evaluation

If you have played any sport, you have had moments when your instinct wakes up. Danger, opportunity, momentum... all these feelings rise from an acute understanding of game positions.

So, play a few games in the competition. Try to get a sense of a given position. If a position feels good, then ask yourself “why”. What are the elements on the board which are key factors to this assessment?

instinct(game_position, player_to_move) = feeling

Heuristics are instinct functions for computers. Since generating the entire min max tree is infeasible, we cut off search depth and treat the position as terminal, returning a heuristic value.

f(game_position, player_to_move) = evaluation

Note down the factors you use for assessing a position and assign a weight to each. Then design a heuristic. Avoid making it too fancy. I used:

f(position, player) = (player == 1 ? 1 : -1) * (cell_diff() + explosive_diff())

This simple function performed better than several more complex attempts I tried during the competition.

Iterative deepening

The problem with fixed depth cutoffs is that they are too rigid. Early-game positions have many possibilities; late-game positions have fewer. We need a flexible way to search as deeply as time allows.

Iterative deepening builds min max trees of increasing depth. Start with depth 2–3, then increase by 1 in each iteration. The best result before the timeout is returned.

This way, the algorithm adapts. If many moves exist, it searches shallow. If few moves exist, it searches deeper. This technique is essential for competitive game AI.

Alpha Beta Pruning

It isn’t α–β itself that sets the top entries apart, but most of them surely use it.

In competitions, move prediction is everything. We assume the opponent will always optimize their move. A lot of nodes in a min max tree are wasteful and can be proven suboptimal early.

α and β are bounds for each node. α is the minimum X will accept; β is the maximum O will allow. X tries to maximize α, and O tries to minimize β.

An excellent explanation of implementing α–β pruning is available here.

Each additional move you can predict makes your bot stronger. Without pruning, 1000 evaluations with branch factor 4 allows depth = 5. With α–β pruning, you can reach depth = 6 with a reasonable heuristic.

Program Optimization

Optimization is the most advanced and complex part of developing game AI. But please, DO NOT optimize prematurely. Do it only when:

Your program is bug-free
You've avoided repeated calculations by caching values
Your program fails test cases only due to insufficient evaluation time

Here are some advanced optimization concepts with their complexity and effectiveness:

	Technique	Effectiveness	Implementation
1.	Position Cache	Moderate	Moderate
2.	Killer Move Heuristic	Moderate	Easy – Moderate
3.	Symmetry Analysis	Low–Moderate	Moderate – Difficult
4.	Concise Representations	High	Very Difficult
5.	Object Pooling and Reuse	High	Difficult
6.	Parallelization	Low–Moderate	Difficult – Very Difficult
7.	Heuristic Improvement	High	Moderate – Difficult

A great way to generate test positions is to let your bot play against itself with different heuristic weights. Store decisive positions and optimize based on performance.

Use static objects for classes like “Move”. If you can implement “undo” in O(1), avoid copying boards. Otherwise, pool board objects instead of constant reallocation.

One excellent paper I found for game development is on Othello—highly recommended for crunch-time competitions.

Participate here in HackerEarth's AI challenge, Battle of the Bots.

Hiring Tools

HackerEarth Collegiate Cup '16 - Results

HackerEarth conducted its annual Collegiate Cup, welcoming programming enthusiasts from across the globe to compete for the title of best collegiate programmers.

The contest featured five rounds. Teams of three, from any region, could participate and compete for the coveted title and prize.

Round 1: Let the game begin

Held on September 3, 2016, this was a 24-hour online qualifier with three sets of problems, modeled on the ICPC contest format. From 1885 teams, 755 advanced by solving at least one problem set.

Round 2: The first elimination round

On September 18, 2016, only the top 3 teams from each college moved forward from this three-hour online contest. A total of 755 teams competed by solving 5 problems.

Round 3: Wild card entry round

Held on October 2, 2016, this round gave five new teams a chance to re-enter the competition. 318 teams battled in a three-hour contest solving challenging problems.

Round 4: Second elimination round

214 teams competed in a five-hour contest with 10 problems. The top 20 teams (15 from India and 5 international) were invited for the onsite final in Bengaluru, India, with travel expenses covered by HackerEarth.

The Final Round

Held on November 5, 2016, at HackerEarth, Bengaluru. The final round consisted of:

The onsite round for 15 Indian teams
The Mirror round for 5 international teams

Each team tackled 12 problems in a five-hour contest.

Sample Onsite Problem:

Given 2×N pebbles of N different colors (2 pebbles per color), arrange them on an infinite 2D table with the constraint that a pebble of color X placed at (X,Y) must satisfy Y ≠ X and another pebble of color Y exists. Find the minimum cost of enclosing the arrangement with ribbon, sold in whole units at cost M per unit.

Solution available here.

Another Problem:

Given an array A of length N, count the number of non-empty subarrays such that the sum of elements in each subarray is a palindrome. Find the number of pairs (i, j) where the sum A[i] + ... + A[j] is a palindrome.

Try the solution at palindromic sum editorial.

Top 3 Onsite Teams:

Team FacelessMen – IIT Kanpur – alecsyde, TerryMcGinnis, Sahilgrover
Team FruitSalad – DAIICT – yashkumar18, kuldeeppatel, Sumeet.Varma
Team mobius_treap – IIIT Hyderabad – vmrajas, tanujkhattar, itsalways42

Top 3 Mirror Round Teams:

Team Jinotega – MIPT – Arterm, zemen, ifsmirnov
Team VietAnplusplus – Ho Chi Minh City University of Science – tanphatls987, phvietan, TGod2401
Team Frogless – Kiev National Taras Shevchenko University – mgch, ballon, Fdg

5665 programmers
1885 teams
200 universities
10 countries
5 grueling rounds
1 coveted title

The competition was intense, yet participants appreciated the HackerEarth platform as a valuable tool for learning and practice.

"Greeaaat!! Problem set was awesome, would love to upsolve them with editorials. HackerEarth has a really nice workplace :) Everything was well managed, we didn't face any glitches. T-shirts were awesome!!! Keep it every year XD" – Arun Yadav

Find it interesting? Try similar challenges at HackerEarth Challenges.

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Introducing VIM and EMACS with HackerEarth

We receive many valuable suggestions from our users on how to improve their coding experience on HackerEarth. One frequent request was support for Vim and Emacs in the code editor. We’re excited to announce that our code editor now supports both modes!

With a single settings button, you can instantly switch to Vim or Emacs mode.

Select Vim or Emacs

Here’s a short tutorial on how you can perform common actions in Vim and Emacs.

1. Delete All Lines

In Vim, place the cursor at the start of the file and press d⇧G. In Emacs, select everything and press Delete.

Delete all lines

2. Remove a Single Line

In Vim, press dd to delete the current line. Undo with u. In Emacs, use Ctrl-x u to undo.

Remove one line

To delete words in Emacs, use Ctrl+Delete.

Delete word

3. Edit Characters

In Vim, move to the character and press x to delete. Enter insert mode with i to type. In Emacs, use Delete to remove characters and type to insert new ones.

Edit characters

4. Word Replace

In Vim, use :%s/old/new/g to replace all occurrences of "old" with "new". This supports regular expressions too.

Word replace

5. Cursor Movement

In Vim, use ^ to go to the beginning of a line and $ to go to the end. In Emacs, use Ctrl-a to move to the start and Ctrl-e to move to the end.

Cursor movement

In the next post, we’ll talk about creating a more comprehensive development experience on your local machine using Vim and Emacs.

Hiring Tools

Project H: How two hackers are using Virtual Reality to transform healthcare

At HackerEarth, we regularly host hackathons and often discover innovative hacks that can revolutionize industries.

Presenting Project H—one of the best hacks from the Digital India Hackathon, organized by ACM India in association with HackerEarth.

Read on to explore this real-life VR application.

What is Project H?

Designed to address healthcare challenges, Project H delivers a virtual reality experience of handling real-world objects. It's built to offer medical students realistic surgery simulation. With appropriate hardware, the app offers immersive interaction.

This simulation aids medical students in practicing surgeries and makes large-scale medical education more affordable and accessible.

Using virtual reality to replicate real-world experiences, Project H introduces a new way to approach practical problems.

Technologies / Platforms / Hardware / Languages

Haptic technology
Unity
Arduino Pro Micro
Blender
Vibrators
Servo motor
Dual-axis joystick
C#
C

Components and Functionalities

The two primary components of Project H are the haptic glove and the simulation software.

Haptic Glove

Features actuators and vibrators (controlled by Arduino Pro Micro) for kinesthetic and tactile feedback
Offers 180-unit finger-positioning resolution and a five-motor actuator mechanism
Includes a dual-axis joystick controller for menu navigation

Simulation Software

The software provides a 360° view of 3D-modeled organs. Many models were built using Blender, while some were sourced open-source. It simulates real interactions—for example, holding a beating heart with realistic feedback.

Application

Built with Unity and programmed in C#, the software communicates with Arduino using serial communication.

Users can perform virtual surgeries like making incisions or injecting fluids. Thanks to the glove's actuator mechanism, users feel like they’re physically holding surgical instruments.

Challenges

Creating a fast, low-latency communication protocol between glove and software
Accurately designing human organ 3D models
Improving comfort and structure of the initial glove prototypes

What’s Next?

Creators Gagan G and Pratik R have ambitious goals:

Implement piezoelectric actuators for enhanced tactile feedback
Expand the library of organs and tools for virtual surgery
Improve actuator precision with poly and programmable magnets

The team aims to broaden this technology into other industries like e-commerce, dropshipping and gaming.

Excited about VR? Register for the UnitedByHCL hackathon.

Happy Mixing Reality!

Authors

Meet our Authors

Get to know the experts behind our content. From industry leaders to tech enthusiasts, our authors share valuable insights, trends, and expertise to keep you informed and inspired.

Ruehie Jaiya Karri

Kumari Trishya

Hiring Strategies

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

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.

Hiring Strategies

(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?

What constitutes a good interview question?

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

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

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

Hire GREAT developers by asking the right questions

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

#1 How do you plan your day?

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

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

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

Value-based interview questions to ask

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#3 Some high-level design (HLD) questions

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

Here’s a pro-tip for you. LLD questions can be answered by both beginners and experienced developers. Mostly, senior developers can be expected to answer HLD questions. Choose your interview questions set wisely, and ask questions relevant to your candidate’s experience.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Hiring Strategies

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.

Hiring Strategies

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?

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! :)

Hiring Tools

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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Hiring Tools

Breadth First Search example (BFS) - How GPS navigation works

Let’s first understand working of GPS navigation

What is a graph?

Let’s take an example to understand better.

What’s the difference between a Graph and a Tree?

So what is Breadth First Search and how does it work?

Graph Traversal in Maps

Breadth First Search for GridWorld

MQTT protocol - Powering Facebook messenger to IoT devices

Game playing programs

HackerEarth Collegiate Cup '16 - Results

Round 1: Let the game begin

Round 2: The first elimination round

Round 3: Wild card entry round

Round 4: Second elimination round

The Final Round

Sample Onsite Problem:

Another Problem:

Top 3 Onsite Teams:

Top 3 Mirror Round Teams:

Introducing VIM and EMACS with HackerEarth

1. Delete All Lines

2. Remove a Single Line

3. Edit Characters

4. Word Replace

5. Cursor Movement

Project H: How two hackers are using Virtual Reality to transform healthcare

What is Project H?

Technologies / Platforms / Hardware / Languages

Components and Functionalities

Haptic Glove

Simulation Software

Application

Challenges

What’s Next?

Technical Screening Guide: All You Need To Know

Explore HackerEarth’s top products for Hiring & Innovation

Meet our Authors

7 Tech Recruiting Trends To Watch Out For In 2024

7 tech recruiting trends for 2024

Trend #1—Leverage data-driven recruiting

Trend #2—Have impactful employer branding

Trend #3—Focus on candidate-driven market

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

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

Trend #6—Conduct remote interviews

Trend #7—Be proactive in candidate engagement

Recruiting Tech Talent Just Got Easier With HackerEarth

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

What constitutes a good interview question?

Hire GREAT developers by asking the right questions

#1 How do you plan your day?

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

Value-based interview questions to ask

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

#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?

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

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

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

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

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

Recruit GREAT developers by asking the right questions

#1 Write an algorithm for the following

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

#3 Some high-level design (HLD) questions

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

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

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

What is Pre-Employement Assessment?

Why pre-employment assessments are key in hiring

Improved decision-making:

Reduced bias:

Increased efficiency:

Enhanced candidate experience:

Types of pre-employment assessments

1. Skill Assessments:

2. Personality Assessments:

3. Cognitive Ability Tests:

4. Integrity Assessments:

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