Tech talent crunch is real. And recruiters are facing it more than ever. Studies project that if left unresolved, the talent crunch may pile up to $8.5 trillion in unrealised annual revenues by 2030. Additionally, incognisance in hiring the right candidates can invite tangible and intangible damage beyond calculation.
Amidst such challenges, recruiters must leave no stone unturned while assessing the programming skillsets of candidates.
Out Of The Box Hiring Tactics – Need Of The Hour
Relying only on resume filtering and interviewing is a passé. Such routine interviewing techniques might not help hire the right candidates amidst this dynamically evolving work style.
Today’s hiring process, especially tech hiring, demands out-of-box approaches.
Here are 6 imperatives to assess programming skillsets in learners to make sure you pick the right candidate every single time.
#1: Explore code sharing platforms
Codesharing platforms such as GitHub and Stack Overflow are like extended resumes of programmers. They accurately depict the candidate’s technical capabilities and subject matter expertise.
Besides, an active presence on such platforms indicates the candidate’s enthusiasm for new challenges and helping others. So, checking the candidate’s presence on such sites helps assess their technical abilities and team player skills in a go.
#2: Assess candidates at technical events
Excelling in software programming is all about learning constantly and staying in touch with emerging technologies.
Needless to say, finding candidates with a learning mindset and accepting challenges head-on is a cakewalk by observing the attendees at technical events such as seminars and symposiums. Because candidates hungry for challenges and good at problem-solving never miss such tech events.
Additionally, technical events help you vet candidates with no or minimal cost; saves time and money at once.
A piece of assuring news is that conducting hackathons to find the right candidates is a tried and tested technique. HackerEarth, for instance, finds that hackathons help firms find and recruit talented professionals at a lesser cost than traditional recruiting methods.
#3: Delve into their portfolios
Elite developers always love to share their expertise with others and guide juniors. Candidates with a proven portfolio can outpace their training and hit the ground running. A good track record reflects their capacity to handle evolving requirements.
For instance, a candidate with prior work experience in the same vertical as yours can learn faster and deliver right when you hire them. They can start rolling from day-1 and emerge as assets to the organisation.
Well then, where to look for programmer portfolios?
- Blogs, websites, and YouTube channels are great sources to find programmers. They reflect their technical know-how.
- Apart from code-sharing sites such as GitHub and Stack Overflow, personal websites are a great place to start.
- A peek at professional social platforms such as LinkedIn can help you find the candidate’s portfolio.
#4: Conduct coding tests with real-life tasks
Coding tests are a tried and tested approach to hiring software developers.
Screening candidates through coding tests help assess various traits in candidates: the ability to perform under pressure, subject knowledge, spontaneity, and problem-solving skills.
Coding tests can be based on direct programming tests or testing and debugging. While the former helps evaluate the programming skills, the latter brings out their testing and troubleshooting capabilities, two vital traits for programmers.
#5: Technical interviews with seniors and tech experts
All said and done, you need programmers that are culturally a good fit too. Be it for in-office work or remote work, a culturally fit candidate will be an asset to your organisation.
This is why candidates who pass technical coding need assessments from humans (read: managers and seniors!) to check their interpersonal and team-playing skills.
A technical tete-a-tete can help assess the candidate’s affinity to technology and coding. But:
- Do the candidates really love programming, or are they looking for just another job?Â
- How enthusiastic are they about tackling challenges or learning new things?
- How would they approach a project that’s entirely new to them?
- What measures do they suggest to reduce the turnarounds in project delivery?
Expert and enthusiastic candidates share their thoughts candidly, convincing how their candidature suits the position.
It’s time to focus on tech assessment from a whole new approach
Hiring software developers is an expensive affair. The cost of hiring a software developer is greater than ever, considering their recruitment costs, vetting, onboarding, and training. On the other hand, the candidate turnover rate is an added burden to the recruitment teams and the organisation.
Investing effort by chalking role-specific technical assessments and curated technical rounds by seniors in assessing the candidate’s programming skills and cultural fit is a sure-shot remedy to cut these costs and efforts.
