How to Find Diamonds in IT? Secrets of Skills Verification

Proper recruitment is crucial for IT companies, as well-selected employees contribute to the organization's success. Why is accurate assessment of technical skills so important? Firstly, it enables the identification of candidates who not only possess the required theoretical knowledge but can also effectively apply it in practice. Having strong technical competencies is crucial for teams to efficiently accomplish tasks, make quick decisions, and deliver high-quality solutions. Moreover, candidates with high technical skills are often more flexible and capable of quickly assimilating new technologies, which is extremely important in the IT field where changes are inevitable.

Methods of verifying technical skills in IT

We've received high-quality CVs and made contact with the candidate, but the question arises: how do we verify whether we are dealing with an outstanding IT specialist? Let's discuss the most commonly used methods for assessing technical skills in the IT industry.

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• Technical interview with a developer aims to assess their knowledge in a specific technology. Questions cover a wide range of topics, from basic concepts to more complex practical cases.

Pros: Engaging in discussion with the candidate during a technical interview opens up the possibility of thoroughly examining their analytical thinking skills and ability to solve problems in real-time. Furthermore, questions can be flexibly tailored to the needs of our company, enabling verification of the candidate's knowledge in areas that are crucial to us from a business perspective.

Cons: These types of recruitments are often time-consuming, which can significantly impact the costs associated with the recruitment process, especially when dealing with a large number of candidates. Additionally, some developers, despite having practical skills, may not excel in theoretical knowledge. Therefore, there is a risk of rejecting a potentially good candidate due to minor gaps in book knowledge.

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• Online tests, a convenient and easy-to-use recruitment tool.

Pros: Tests allow for efficient verification of many candidates in a short time, while giving flexibility to applicants who have a specified time to complete tasks. Additionally, they eliminate the presence of a second person during testing, reducing the stress associated with live interviews.

Cons: When using online tests in the IT recruitment process, it is important to consider the quality of the test itself and the scope of knowledge it actually verifies. Although there is a wide range of online tests available, matching the test to our needs can be challenging. Not all tests are equipped with effective anti-cheating systems, raising questions about the honesty of candidates' independent work. Therefore, we cannot always be sure if the candidate actually solved the tasks independently. Despite the gradual return of online tests to favor, many candidates still approach them skeptically or even opt out of participating in recruitment. According to our research, approximately 50% of candidates do not take part in this type of test. It is worth noting that among them may be high-class specialists.

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• Live coding. A practice that we encounter more and more often. A practical task is woven into the technical interview, which the candidate solves in the recruiter's presence.

Pros: This approach allows for the simultaneous assessment of both theoretical and practical skills of the candidate. Through it, we can not only see if the candidate has solid theoretical knowledge but also how they deal with specific practical challenges. By observing how the candidate tackles problem-solving, we can assess their effectiveness, pace, and approach to teamwork.

Cons: Conducting live coding is a challenge that can be very stressful for the candidate and often affects their performance in the recruitment process. Even experienced developers may have difficulty completing tasks in real-time, especially when being observed by others. Many times, we have seen situations where even senior developers struggled with the simplest tasks during live coding.
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• Homework assignment. Sent to the candidate with a request to return it completed within a specified deadline.

Pros: The main benefit of homework assignments in the recruitment process is the opportunity for the candidate to demonstrate their practical skills. By completing a specific task, the candidate has the chance to act freely and demonstrate their knowledge and experience in practice.

Cons: The lack of control over the candidate's independence in completing the task poses a significant challenge in the recruitment process. We are unable to verify whether the candidate used additional materials or received help from others while solving the task. The final verification of the candidate's independence primarily relies on trust, which can pose a risk in the selection process.

Talent Acquisition Optimization: The Key to Finding Diamonds

Choosing the right recruitment methods that allow for the selection of the best candidates can pose significant challenges for many HR departments. Creating a recruitment process tailored to the specific needs of our company is a time-consuming task that requires collaboration across multiple departments, while not neglecting the cost aspect, which is also important. The cost of acquiring an IT specialist can be significant, ranging from tens of thousands to several tens of thousands of złoty, depending on various factors.

Factors influencing this cost include:

• Recruitment cost: This includes fees for job advertisements on job offer portals, HR department work, developer hours spent checking candidates' technical competencies, recruitment process support tools, and conducting employer branding campaigns.
• Onboarding costs: Here we include administrative work, introductory training for the company and the project, purchasing necessary equipment, and access to various platforms and systems.
• Costs associated with the gradual increase in employee productivity: A new employee needs time to acclimate to the specifics of the company and the project, which can lead to an initial decrease in their productivity.
• Costs associated with replacing an employee: If it becomes necessary to replace an employee, we must consider not only the costs associated with recruiting a new person but also the loss of the departing employee's productivity and the need to redistribute their responsibilities among the remaining employees.

Outsourcing IT as an alternative

Outsourcing allows companies to flexibly scale their team of programmers according to current needs. This enables us to quickly respond to changing market conditions and supplement the team with a new, highly qualified member. The outsourcing market offers many experienced specialists with various technical skills. This provides the opportunity to precisely match the specialist to project and team needs.

One of the key advantages of outsourcing is the shortened recruitment process. Instead of lengthy stages, a brief technical verification is sufficient, after which we can make a quick decision. This saves time and resources that can be allocated to other strategic company goals.

Furthermore, outsourcing allows for the rapid integration of a new team member. After a short adaptation period, the programmer is fully productive, resulting in faster project implementation. This, in turn, can significantly affect the company's competitiveness in the market.

By utilizing outsourcing, a company gains the ability to dynamically adjust the number of employees to project needs. This strategy enables flexible responses through temporary hiring of additional programmers to meet project requirements and eventual team reduction, without incurring additional costs associated with hiring full-time employees. Discover the benefits of outsourcing with SKM Group