Early Talent Hiring – HackerRank Blog

Optimizing for Excellence: EY’s Modern Approaches to Streamlining Hiring Processes

Tanvi Sharma — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 14:08:27 +0000

In the realm of technology and recruitment, Ernst & Young (EY) stands as a beacon of innovation, pioneering strategies that address the ever-evolving challenges of tech hiring. EY is one of the world’s largest professional services networks and has over 350,000 employees! With employee strength as strong as this, EY faces unique challenges in terms of finding skilled talent, dealing with thousands of candidates for each open role, and more!

In a recent conversation with EY, we uncovered profound insights shared by two distinguished figures from EY, unveiling their approach to shaping the future of talent acquisition in the technology sector.

We spoke with Tanu Garg, Executive Director at EY, who brings over 14 years of experience in risk and regulatory reporting across major banks and financial institutions. Her expertise spans both US and UK regulatory frameworks, with pivotal roles at Barclays and Genpact before her tenure at EY.

Joining her was Thiru Vengadam, Partner at EY and a vanguard in the tech and digital arena. Thiru’s impressive career includes significant tenures at Citigroup and Bank of America, where he was instrumental in driving digital transformations.

Optimizing Tech Hiring

The discussion centered on EY’s pioneering techniques in tech hiring, exploring the challenges of aligning talent with rapidly evolving technological demands, and the strategies EY employs to navigate these complexities effectively. This theme is particularly relevant as companies grapple with the dual challenge of meeting immediate project demands while also building a resilient and adaptable tech workforce for the future.

EY’s approach to this challenge is multifaceted, blending traditional recruitment strategies with innovative practices that recognize the unique demands of the tech sector.

Navigating Demand Fulfillment Complexities

At the heart of EY’s recruitment strategy lies the challenge of aligning talent with the dynamic demands of technology. With a global team of over 75,000 technology professionals, EY’s growth in the tech space necessitates a nuanced approach to recruitment, balancing traditional consulting specialization with a burgeoning startup culture. This method ensures recruitment of individuals who are not just skilled but also adaptable to technological advancements.

Innovative Recruitment: The Hack to Hire Model

EY’s “Hack to Hire” model exemplifies their innovative approach to recruitment. By leveraging hackathons and similar competitions, EY identifies candidates who not only possess technical expertise but also exhibit creative problem-solving skills, ensuring a dynamic and effective match between candidates’ capabilities and project needs.

HackerRank’s platform enables EY to conduct these competitions at scale, offering a dynamic and engaging way to assess candidates’ real-world capabilities.

The Importance of Skillset Diversity

Skillset diversity is paramount in tech hiring, given the vast and varied field of technology. EY’s approach to mapping specific skills required for each project underscores the importance of understanding and addressing the diverse skill sets needed for successful recruitment and project implementation.

The HackerRank Effect

In the tech industry, where skillset diversity is crucial, HackerRank plays a pivotal role in EY’s recruitment strategy. The platform’s extensive skills directory and tailored assessments allow EY to map and evaluate the specific skills required for various tech roles. This capability is key to addressing the wide range of digital skills needed in today’s tech landscape, from data analytics to digital transformation initiatives, ensuring that EY’s talent pool is both diverse and proficient.

The implementation of HackerRank within EY’s recruitment process has yielded tangible benefits. HackerRank assessments were instrumental in processing and evaluating a vast influx of referrals, streamlining the selection process, and significantly reducing the time-to-hire. Moreover, HackerRank’s role in internal assessments and skill validations has been crucial for EY’s upskilling and reskilling initiatives, ensuring that the workforce remains at the cutting edge of technological advancements.

Personalizing the Recruitment Process

EY’s recruitment process is characterized by its personalized nature. Utilizing technology, EY tailors the recruitment experience to align with the strengths and aspirations of individual developers. This tailored approach ensures a mutually beneficial relationship between the candidate and the company, fostering a conducive environment for growth and innovation.

By leveraging HackerRank, EY can tailor the recruitment experience to individual candidates, aligning assessments and challenges with the candidates’ unique skills and career aspirations. This personalized approach not only enhances the candidate experience but also ensures a better fit between the new hires and EY’s project needs, fostering a productive and satisfying work environment.

Conclusion

EY’s insights into tech hiring illuminate the path forward for talent acquisition in the technology sector. By embracing agility, diversity, and personalization in their recruitment strategies, EY not only addresses the immediate needs of their projects but also sets the stage for the future of the tech industry. As the landscape of tech hiring continues to evolve, EY’s pioneering approaches offer valuable lessons for organizations striving to navigate the complexities of recruiting in the digital age, shaping a future where talent and technology converge to drive innovation and success.

To know more about EY’s strategic approaches to acing tech hiring, visit here.

The post Optimizing for Excellence: EY’s Modern Approaches to Streamlining Hiring Processes appeared first on HackerRank Blog.

How To Attract, Hire, and Retain Junior Developers

Jannelle Sanchez — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 18:20:11 +0000

Every company is trying to hire the best tech talent, and for some companies, the best developers are senior developers. But junior developers have all the key ingredients of a quality hire.

Hiring junior developers is a successful recruiting strategy that more companies are implementing. This year Twilio increased its early-career hires from 5% to 25%. Why? Because junior developers are eager to learn, they will give their 100% on projects and they have the capacity to grow into your strongest and most loyal developers.

If you're interested in hiring junior developers, use these 4 tips to hire some of tech's most promising talent.

Offer mentorship to junior developers

You can’t win young developers over with your company’s snack closet or foosball table. Today's junior developers are serious about their professional growth and they deeply care about close mentorship and weekly check-ins.

A new study shows that Generation Z and Millennial employees work best when their company provides a professional mentor. Shane Metcalf, the Chief Culture Officer of 15Five, says that routine 1-on-1’s are crucial to young employees because they create a strong human connection and a culture of trust.

To attract and retain junior developers, work with your engineer managers to create a culture of mentorship. Establish 1:1 weekly check-ins to review projects, personal professional goals, and provide feedback. If your hiring manager is worried about the use of time, place a 10-minute cap on the weekly check-ins. Sixty-seven percent of Gen Z employees are satisfied with brief, 5-minute check-ins.

Map out the path of professional growth in your job description

According to the Student Developer Report, junior developers want to work for companies that offer professional growth and learning. Companies that offer competitive compensation may snag a couple talented junior developers at first. But if companies don’t provide professional growth resources where junior developers can improve their skills, developers will grow bored and move on.

If your company promotes from within or you have professional growth resources like boot camps or mentorship programs, list them in your junior developer job description. And if your company hasn’t mapped out a professional growth path for its developers, plan one out for reach role. Developers are naturally passionate about learning and will stick with a company that invests in its employees.

Put your candidates first in the interview process

Creating a candidate first hiring process is the key to winning over junior developers and it starts at the job description. According to our 2019 Developer Skills Report, an unclear role description is a major interview faux pas that turns developers off. As soon as a junior developer detects that an employer doesn't have a specific project or path for them in mind, they’ll reconsider the role.

A poor interview process is another major turnoff for junior developers. If a junior software engineer or junior data scientist candidate has a negative interview experience, they are less likely to accept the offer. If they have a positive interview experience, there’s an 87.5% chance of them accepting the offer.

So record when your potential candidates drop off in the interview process. Is it after they meet team members and ask questions about past and current projects? Or is it after your first phone screen, when you explain what daily tasks this role requires? After you determine where in the interview process candidates stop returning your calls, you can reassess with the hiring manager to align on role expectations, responsibilities, and its long-term growth path.

Offer interview prep materials

Give junior developers a positive candidate experience by properly preparing them for the interview. According to the 2019 Women in Tech Report, 47% of Gen Z women developers and 45% Gen Z men developers don’t like showing up to an interview unprepared. Recruiters that don’t outline what the candidate should expect in the interview process are creating a poor candidate experience.

So make your company stand out from the rest. Send out interview prep materials to help candidates practice their soft skills and technical skills. This Ted Talk is a great resource for entry-level developers who want to hone their communication skills. For the technical side of the interview, send your candidates to the HackerRank Interview Preparation Kit.

Tying it all together

Junior developers are qualified candidates that more companies are starting to notice, recruit and hire. By offering mentorship, mapping out their professional growth, creating a candidate first process, and offering interview prep materials, you can attract, hire and retain the right junior developers for your company.

For more ideas on where to find quality junior developers, check out our 2019 University Ranking Guide.

The post How To Attract, Hire, and Retain Junior Developers appeared first on HackerRank Blog.

Which Universities Have the Strongest Developers in the World?

Vivek Ravisankar — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 12:30:53 +0000

We analyzed 1,457,000 student interviews to identify the trends and influences driving university recruitment across the world. Which university’s students are the strongest in key developer skills and why?

How we evaluated student skills

To better understand how university students perform in key skill areas, we analyzed over 1M student attempts on HackerRank assessments. These assessments, administered by employers as a part of their tech hiring processes for both full time positions and internships, were taken by students at 409 unique universities, spanning a total of 176 countries.

Using data from those HackerRank assessments, we identified the 4 key technical skills employers need most in interns and new grads: problem solving, language proficiency, data structures knowledge, and computer science (CS) fundamentals. Using data from the 1M+ student attempts on HackerRank assessments, we assessed student performance across each of the 4 dimensions (more on that in our methodology).

While traditional rankings like Times Higher Education evaluate based on university-centric data points like research and teaching, in this analysis, we evaluated universities based on student performance. Why? Because the strength of a university’s program isn’t a surefire indicator of its graduates’ skills. By ranking universities based on student skills, we aim to highlight universities that are producing students with the technical skills employers need.

Here’s what we found:

Most skilled universities by region

Coastal US universities excel in the Americas

UC Berkeley made appearances across all skills—but US programs like Stanford, MIT, and Princeton didn’t appear in the leaderboard (though they were included in our analysis).

UC Berkeley ranked across 4 out of the 4 key technical skills. Despite its strengths, UC Berkeley did not earn a spot amongst Computer Science (CS) program rankings in Times Higher Education in 2019.

So what makes UC Berkeley’s developers strong? It likely comes down to a combination of its CS curriculum and prominent developer culture. Through their academics, they emphasize “large interdisciplinary real-world system projects” as a core component of its program. Outside of class, they’re able to participate in their robust developer community through a wide variety of clubs.

And university recruiters have taken notice. Data shows that 246 unique employers have targeted UC Berkeley for technical talent via HackerRank, making them the most popular school for university tech talent sourcing in the world. And they’re hiring them, too—UC Berkeley reports that 79% of its CS graduates are employed upon graduation.

Indian Institutes of Technology lead the Asia-Pacific landscape

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are a system of 23 independent, but interconnected public universities spread across India. From Kanpur, to Madras, and beyond, they specialize in creating curriculums that focus on engineering and technology. And when it comes to skills, they dominate the majority of the Asia-Pacific landscape.

Two universities appeared from outside of the IIT system: Banaras Hindu University and Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT). VIT fared particularly well, securing a first-place ranking across 2 of the 4 key skills.

Unlike the IIT system, VIT is a private university based in Vellore. Their educational program focuses on “futuristic technical education” disseminated through 27 unique undergraduate programs. It’s a drastic shift from their reception via Times Higher Education, which places their CS program in the #501-600 ranking globally.

VIT has a strong foothold in the Asia-Pacific region, likely due to its robust offerings in Computer Science. While other top schools in the region, like IIT Guwahati, offer a CS major, VIT has doubled down on their CS offerings, with 6 distinct majors that cover a variety of specialties within CS. Specialized majors like “Computer Science and Engineering & Business Systems” and “Computer Science and Engineering with Specialization in IoT” may give students an upper hand in learning practical (vs. academic) applications of coding concepts.

Imperial College London establishes stronghold in EMEA

When it comes to EMEA, Imperial College London (Imperial) was the only university to secure a ranking across all skills.

Imperial is highly regarded on top CS program lists (such as Times Higher Education, which ranks it as the #11 CS program in the world). With a heavy educational focus on science and engineering across the university, Imperial’s CS program focuses on helping students learn through “an emphasis on practical work,” including a variety of group and individual projects that emphasize “transferable problem solving skills, rather than the teaching of specific technologies.” Unlike its peers in the EMEA rankings, Imperial is unique in that it has a high volume of international students—56%, to be exact.

Ranking amongst #501-600 in the Times Higher Education top CS program list, Bilkent University (Turkey) is lesser known amongst university recruiters. In fact, Bilkent University was targeted by only 18 unique companies via HackerRank. When compared to more popular university targets—like Imperial, for example, who was visited by 39 unique employers over the same time period—it’s clear they may be underutilized in the university recruiting landscape, especially given their strengths in Data Structures Knowledge and CS Fundamentals.

Key takeaways for university recruiters

University reputation isn’t a reliable proxy for student skills

In our analysis, student performance didn’t always align with university reputation. Take Bilkent University, for example, which was ranked in the bottom 100 universities in the Times Higher Education CS rankings. But their students were the 1st in the EMEA region for CS fundamentals, and 3rd for data structures knowledge.

That’s because traditional university ranking lists focus on the university programs themselves—not the skills of the students that attend them. In that, their methodologies focus on factors like teaching, citations, and research. In other words, traditional rankings focus on factors that would help them appeal to potential students.

But those factors aren’t as important for university recruiters. They don’t want to choose target schools based on the strength of a university’s research program; they want to choose them based on the skills and performance of its students. The best way to do that is to focus on proven student skills.

Hands-on learning breeds strong developers

Strong performers in our rankings—like UC Berkeley, VIT, and Imperial—build their curriculums around teaching practical skills. From UC Berkeley’s emphasis on real-world projects, to VIT’s variety of specialty CS programs, to Imperial’s emphasis on skills over technologies, the highest performing universities aimed to give students hands-on development experience.

And that aligns with what we know about student developers. Even those pursuing a degree lean on hands-on, independent learning to learn to code. The opportunity to focus on hands-on projects—instead of research and theory alone—makes for stronger technical skills.

Methodology

Between January 2017 and June 2019, HackerRank reviewed 1,457,000 assessment attempts made by university students, including 409 universities from 176 different countries. We included universities with only statistically significant volumes of attempts, including (but not limited to) universities like Stanford University, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, and more. From this data, we established a performance-based University ranking for different skills and languages.

But how can you rank based on scores across different tests, especially since one test might be more challenging than the other? We computed a normalized “weighted score” which takes into account the question difficulty, the weightage that a question has in the test and by discounting questions that do not have a significant number of attempts.

For each skill and language within a university, we then identified the “top students” based on the university size, and score distribution. The final university rankings are a function of the “median weighted score” of these students and the actual count of students that qualify as top students.

Interested in learning more about the skills that make a strong new grad developer? See more here:

The post Which Universities Have the Strongest Developers in the World? appeared first on HackerRank Blog.

Best Practices for Amplifying Your University Recruiting Program

Dana Frederick — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 20:38:30 +0000

How can one team of recruiters provide an immersive hiring experience for tens, hundreds, or even thousands of university candidates? We asked our in-house Customer Success experts—who’ve worked with some of the biggest university recruiting programs in the world—to dispel the best practices they’ve learned.

Few recruiting disciplines are as complex, or as competitive as university recruiting. Compressed timelines, geographically distributed candidates, a continually evolving talent pool, and a seasonal boom and bust of applicants make it challenging to juggle. And to add to it: you also have tens of other employers competing directly for the same pool of candidates. It’s a logistical circus that only few can master.

So how do well-known brands craft their university recruiting strategies accordingly? The key is to focus on implementing repeatable, sustainable best practices that can promote a positive candidate experience at scale.

Luckily, this is something our global Customer Success team has tackled before. They work with brands like VMWare, Goldman Sachs, and Stripe to optimize their university recruiting efforts. Our Manager of Enterprise Customer Success, Jeff Gordon, interviewed Enterprise Customer Success Manager and former university recruiter, Stacey Kirstein, to hear the university recruiting best practices she’s gleaned from her experiences. These are their notes from the field:

Avoid the university recruiting "black box" at all costs

Skimping on communication is one of the easiest ways to lose candidates. Missing information on where they’ll be placed, or gaps in their interview expectations are some of the biggest candidates turn offs.

In this case, there’s no such thing as over communicating. Studies show that 66% of students feel unprepared for interviews—a trend that’s notably magnified when it comes to women candidates. Since most of these candidates have minimal interview experience, being explicit about your interview process, who they’ll speak with, how they’ll be placed, and how they’ll be evaluated will help put them at ease.

Another major consideration? Closing the loop on candidates you don’t move forward with. Stacey sees plenty of cases where university candidates don't get closure. “Candidates apply to your company, and either never hear back, or maybe they apply, have a phone screen, and then never hear back.” Stacey says. “It can be a large damper on your brand.”

That’s especially hazardous in a university environment. Experiences with your brand—good or bad—will be quick to spread across the community. Having a clear and constant communication style will help you use that to your advantage.

Measure program impact in the long term

There’s no singular tell-all metric for measuring success in university recruitment—generally speaking, your performance indicators should be tailored to your individual business and program goals.

But if you’re not sure where to begin, or if you’re looking to take a high-level pulse of your program, retention is a good starting point. Use your available tools to determine how many of your past university hires are still working at your company. What percentage of each cohort dropped off after a year? After two? And how do those rates compare to your experienced hires?

Stacey says that some successful programs measure retention up to 2 or 3 years after hiring—so you won’t see results overnight. But understanding how long program hires stay at the org will paint a powerful portrait of the program’s impact on the organization.

Tying in your target university list

To go a level deeper, you can break down employee retention by university. “For example, you can look at a particular school that [candidates] are coming from, and how long candidates from those schools are staying with your organization.” Stacey suggests.

This approach serves two functions: first, it helps you dig into the more granular trends driving your retention stats. Second, it can help objectively identify high and low performers on your university target list. Both insights are valuable ammo to bring to your high-level planning discussions as you refine your campus recruiting strategy.

Position your program as a 4-year process

Most students at a 4-year university won’t be ready for full-time work until they’ve graduated. But that doesn’t mean you should only engage with them in their senior year.

To stay competitive, best practice is to engage with students as early as possible. “You see offers going out earlier and earlier to candidates.” Stacey says. Get a head start by familiarizing students with your tech talent brand early on. Try starting with information sessions for freshman, and building relationships out from that cohort—from multi-day leadership programs, to internships, and more. The stronger relationship you build throughout their university experience, the higher the odds you’ll be able to bring them on full-time.

And if you do choose to send full-time offers early in their university career (e.g. in their junior year), you can set up programs to keep them engaged until they’re on-boarded. For example, you can set up a LinkedIn group or email list where you send them regular updates on company news, invite them to company events, or share information about company programs they may be interested in. It’s a manageable way to ensure candidates feel supported and engaged at scale.

Implementing best practices in your program

University recruiting is a dynamic, challenging field. Implementing best practices like avoiding the recruiting "black box," measuring your program impact long-term, and focusing on engaging with students throughout their university careers will help strengthen your program over time.

For more ideas to use in your next university recruiting season, check out our guide:

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Developers’ Take: Gen Z Developers are Looking to Make an Impact but not Necessarily in Silicon Valley

Tanaz Ahmed — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 22:52:14 +0000

This is part 1 of a 3-part series where we interviewed Gen Z developers around the world about their views on job opportunities, their workplaces, developer communities, and more.

You can read the second installment of the series to learn about developer culture in Brazil and India. To find out what it’s like to be a developer in Nigeria or the San Francisco Bay Area, check out part 3 of this series.

Gen Z (those born in 1997 onward) is about to enter the workforce starting this year so this week HackerRank sat down with Nisha and Clarisse, two Gen Z developers from different parts of the world. We wanted to learn how they got interested in coding, what kind of work they’re looking to pursue, and how they feel about working in Silicon Valley.

Nisha and Clarisse both became interested in programming because they recognized the effect that technology has on our lives and that what they built with their code has real-world implications. Given this, they made it clear that they are looking to make an impact from the start - be it during an internship or in their first jobs out of university.

Clarisse, a student in the UK, also discussed her waning interest in working in Silicon Valley, which aligns with findings from HackerRank’s research where Gen Z women reported less confidence in Silicon Valley than generations before them.

Find out more about what they had to say below:

Clarisse is originally from France and is currently pursuing an engineering degree at Imperial College London.

Jump ahead:

What got you interested in coding and how did you learn how to code?
What are the most important things you look for in a company when seeking job or internship opportunities?
Do you think there’s a difference in attitudes between your generation (Gen Z) and Millennials in terms of how they approach the workplace or technology?
What do you think the tech industry will look like in 5 years?

HackerRank: What got you interested in coding and how did you learn how to code?

Clarisse: I started looking into learning how to code on my own through Code Academy and other online resources when I was 14 years old to create things like my own games. I’ve always been really interested in coding and the digital world. Coding is very accessible, you can do it wherever you want and it’s freeing in a way. If I have an idea for say an app, I can quickly code a prototype and test it - I think that’s super powerful.

[Find out more about how often students teach themselves coding.]

HackerRank: What are the most important things you look for in a company when seeking job or internship opportunities?

Clarisse: I’m not attracted to big companies. I’m used to taking on big projects that I work on from the beginning to the end at university, so from thinking about what the solution is going to going all the way to implementing, prototyping, and testing the solution. In a big company, I won’t be able to get as involved in the beginning and I might have to do the same small task over and over again. I’d have to climb the ladder to be able to do the kind of projects I want to. I like the spirit of startups and small companies because there you can get better results faster.

HackerRank: Do you think there’s a difference in attitudes between your generation (Gen Z) and Millennials in terms of how they approach the workplace or technology?

Clarisse: I think my generation approaches jobs differently than Millennials. I think it’s hard for us to accept the fact that we’ll be playing a small role in a big company. Gen Z wants to have an impact straight away. While we know that we have to wait, it’s a bit frustrating to feel like we’re not contributing anything meaningful to the company.

HackerRank: What do you think the tech industry will look like in 5 years?

Clarisse: I actually interned in San Francisco for 2 months and it seemed to me that in Silicon Valley, people have their one thing in mind and they’ll do anything to achieve it even if it means working 60 hours per week. There didn’t seem to be a work-life balance in Silicon Valley and people there didn’t seem to have the time to actually enjoy what they had worked so hard to create. It shouldn’t be about working that much - it should be about being effective. In Europe, people are more aware of work-life balance and they’re good at taking a step back, which makes me want to work in Europe.

Nisha is originally from New Jersey and is currently pursuing a degree in computer science and math at New York University.

Jump ahead:

What got you interested in coding and how did you learn how to code?
What are the most important things you look for in a company when seeking job or internship opportunities?
Do you think there’s a difference in attitudes between your generation (Gen Z) and Millennials in terms of how they approach the workplace or technology?
What do you think the tech industry will look like in 5 years?

HackerRank: What got you interested in coding and how did you learn how to code?

Nisha: I had a vague notion about coding because my parents are both programmers and then in middle school, I took a computer science elective class (optional classes offered by the school). While I was taking the class, I realized I was good at coding and I really liked how I could write programs for real-life situations. At that time, the programs were just simple Java programs, but I ended up becoming interested in learning more about coding. I learned to really code through computer science classes in high school starting my junior year when I was 16 years old.

[Learn more about how Gen Z women are learning code at a younger age than previous generations.]

HackerRank: What are the most important things you look for in a company when seeking job or internship opportunities?

Nisha: I am currently searching for tech-related internships and the first thing I look for is what projects I will be involved in during my time interning at the company. I like when the company allows the interns to actually work on a project with mentors and have something to show after their internship. I also look for companies that are open to teaching their interns on the job.

HackerRank: Do you think there’s a difference in attitudes between your generation (Gen Z) and Millennials in terms of how they approach the workplace, technology, or just generally speaking?

Nisha: From what I’ve seen and experienced, I feel like Gen Z people are more collaborative in the workplace. I also think that we are more comfortable with technology since a lot of us grew up with the current tech. We also use technology, like phones and laptops, more often and use it to communicate with each other, not just through text or social media but also through memes and viral internet things which connects my generation in a way that is different from Millennials.

HackerRank: What do you think the tech industry will look like in 5 years?

Nisha: I think that technology is always changing and to accommodate that, the industry has to change as well. I don’t know a lot about the industry, but during my recent hackathon, I saw there were more sponsorships and API’s dedicated to AI, VR, and especially Cloud. I think that the tech industry is using these relatively new technologies more and it’s becoming the standard.

[Learn more about what technologies developers predict will soon be the most adopted new technology.]

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Conquering University Recruiting with Moody’s Analytics

Nicolette Garcia — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 15:30:41 +0000

What does it take to pull off a successful university recruiting season?

Recruiters are facing stringent offer deadlines, a more competitive landscape (in comparison to hiring experienced candidates), and the challenge of keeping their prospects engaged for longer periods of time. And if you’re not one of the major tech giants you’re dealing with another layer of difficulty.

This was the reality Moody's Analytics was facing. Operating as a subsidiary of Moody's Corporation, Moody's Analytics focuses on economic research for risk, performance and financial modeling. Moody's brand is well-known in the financial industry, but the name doesn't carry as much clout among eager university students looking for their first shot within the tech industry.

In our latest webinar, we got the chance to chat with Moody's Analytics Talent Director Matthew Hess, to learn more about their approach to university recruiting. Matt heads up an entry-level rotation program to give new grads a taste of working within different parts of the organization. Matt shares how they operate year-round and explains why a structured process has been so integral to their success.

What makes university recruiting so different from hiring experienced candidates? And how does that affect your process?

Matt: One of the big differences is that early talent is more open to what they’re looking for. Students may have some skills and their go-to languages, but they aren’t always entirely sure what they’re looking for in a job yet. Whereas experienced candidates are often targeting specific teams, projects, or companies they want to work for.

Because students are more open in their search, it forces us to be more efficient in our process. This means setting expectations and fully following through. Often students are juggling multiple offers and engaging with lots of other companies. If we want a good chance at hiring someone we need to be proactive in our follow up. This means efficiently deciding which candidates to move forward so we can quickly get back on their radar and increase the chances that they’ll engage in our opportunity.

Tell us about your process. How did you go about finding qualified candidates?

Matt: Our strategy is to visit a list of targeted universities for career fairs. But the number of candidate resumes we walk away with after every event can be quite overwhelming. After a certain point, the resumes tend to blend together. Experience, internships, skills--they all start to sound very similar. Sifting through the high volume can be daunting.

To aid our process we added another layer of using a pre-screen method. After we’ve identified a collection of resumes with the top skills we’re looking for, we then send out a coding assessment using HackerRank to help weed out unqualified candidates.

From there we typically bring them on-site for what we call “Super Day.” This is meant for candidates to get a sense of our office environment and then go through a few rounds of interviews with some of our management team who they’d be interacting with daily.

So if you’re using pre-screen tools in your process, does GPA really matter from your perspective?

Matt: It is important but it’s not an exclusive deal-breaker. We typically look for candidates with a 3.0 and above. Their degree is another non-exclusive factor. We’re looking for the brightest talent so at the end of the day coding skills are coding skills, regardless of what you got your degree in. If someone has the relevant skills that we’re looking for and an interest in our company then we don’t want to exclude them just because they decided to major in something different.

“We’re looking for the brightest talent so at the end of the day coding skills are coding skills, regardless of what you got your degree in.”

How are you getting candidate feedback from evaluators in order to make candidate decisions?

Matt: If we’re unsure about a candidate’s abilities we’re able to look back at their coding assessment with visibility into each individual submission per question. There have been instances where a candidate passes the coding assessment and moves on to the next round but the hiring manager has some reservations about their technical ability during the skill portion of the interview. Referring back to their submission helps drive discussions and helps us close the loop.

Another way to leverage their coding submissions is by building on some of the questions when they come on-site. This provides some continuity in the interview experience and is something we’re looking to do more of.

When is your highest university recruiting season and how do you plan your year accordingly?

Matt: The end of summer/early fall, going into career fair season, that’s usually when we’re busiest.

We do have a pretty robust summer internship program that we hire candidates from but for many, they still have another year of schooling left when they complete the program. This leaves us with a large window of time until the university deadline to make offers.

We have a number of initiatives to keep candidates engaged within this time. Things like pairing them up with buddies during their senior year to talk about their experiences with or sending best of luck on finals care packages. We try to plan one of these activities per month to help round out the candidate experience.

Interested in learning more? Watch the full webinar:

The post Conquering University Recruiting with Moody’s Analytics appeared first on HackerRank Blog.

[Worksheet] University Recruitment Power Messaging

Dana Frederick — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 23:54:38 +0000

University recruiting is relentlessly competitive. In a candidate’s market, presenting a magnetic talent brand isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity for maintaining a healthy candidate pipeline.

We surveyed over 10,000 student developers to understand what they value most in a potential job. Find your organization’s strongest appeal with our power messaging worksheet:

Interested in tactics to fuel your campus recruiting strategy? Our University Recruiting Playbook is full of tools to refine your program KPIs, data-backed student messaging strategies, plus previously unreleased insights from our Student Developer Report.

The post [Worksheet] University Recruitment Power Messaging appeared first on HackerRank Blog.

Why Student JavaScript Developers Are Hard to Find

Dana Frederick — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 21:34:21 +0000

In the 20+ years since its inception, JavaScript has become one of the most popular languages in the world. In fact, it’s the #1 language employers demand worldwide—but even so, it’s a relatively rare skill amongst university students. The question is: why?

In this look at today’s student developers, we’ll explore the root cause behind the JavaScript knowledge gap: why employers need it, and why students aren’t learning it. Plus, we’ll discuss how employers can navigate this sore spot in the early talent workforce.

High demand, moderate supply

It’s no secret why employers need JavaScript expertise: it’s one of the most highly utilized languages in the world of software development. A staggering 95% of web apps are built on JavaScript. It’s the most highly demanded language for employers across the world, and it’s been in the top 10 languages on the TIOBE index for over a decade.

But for better or worse, the language’s popularity doesn’t translate to the student developer population. Globally, employers need more JavaScript expertise than students have—48% of employers need it, while 42% of students know it, according to the Student Developer Report.

Regionally, that disconnect is most apparent in India and Canada, where student expertise lags behind employer demand. Meanwhile, the US and the UK have the highest relative population of student JavaScript developers:

It’s worth noting that a total 78% of student developers polled in this survey were pursuing a major in Computer Science (CS). So these insights don’t just speak to the skills of student developers: they’re also reflective of CS programs.

So, why the regional discrepancy in JavaScript knowledge? As it turns out, that boils down to two interdependent factors:

JavaScript isn’t a priority for CS programs

It’s true that JavaScript is the #1 language ask for employers across the globe—but that doesn’t mean it’s taught in CS programs.

Take the US, for example: not even 1 of the US News & World Report top Computer Science programs requires students to learn JavaScript in order to earn a degree. (More on that later.)

Regionally, not all students are drawn to self-teaching

When it comes to learning to code, students in the US and UK more likely to self-teach than those in India and Canada:

While it’s challenging to speculate why, exactly, self-teaching is less popular in India and Canada, there is one clear connection: the cohort more likely to self-teach is the same cohort more likely to know JavaScript. It adds up—if students don’t have an opportunity to learn JavaScript in schools, the only way they can learn is by through self-teaching. And if they’re not teaching it to themselves, they won’t learn it.

Why JavaScript gets left out of CS programs

On the surface, the fix for the JavaScript knowledge gap seems simple: universities should start teaching JavaScript. Right?

Unfortunately, the solution isn’t black and white. To most educators, the goal of a CS program isn’t necessarily to accommodate industry demands; instead, the goal is to give students the foundational knowledge they need to understand programming theory.

That foundational knowledge helps learn new concepts in the long run, regardless of the language used to apply them. Language, in this case, isn’t the crux of a CS education: instead, it’s a tool, utilized to teach a broader concept.

In theory, the same concepts could be taught in any number of languages. So if programming language is only a means to teach theory, why not teach those same theories in JavaScript? Again, the solution isn’t quite so simple. The reason is twofold:

The JavaScript ecosystem is in constant flux

First, the JavaScript ecosystem is changing at an alarming rate. In fact, more than half of JavaScript developers feel that JavaScript is changing too fast. And with new libraries, frameworks, and dialects of JavaScript appearing every year, most CS programs don’t have the resources to continually reinvent their curriculums to keep up. To make things harder, CS programs are also tied to a curriculum infrastructure that’s notoriously political and challenging to modify.

So instead, CS programs focus on old standbys like Java, Python, and C: foundational languages that have existed long-term, and that change at a manageable pace.

It’s not so back-end friendly

The second reason is simple: JavaScript was developed for the front-end. Computer Science, on the other hand, focuses largely on back-end, systems-focused work: more on making applications that perform, less on usability. That’s why back-end heavy languages like Python, Java, and C are so popular amongst CS programs.

That said, in recent years, we’ve seen JavaScript start to seep into the back-end with frameworks like Node.js. So if frameworks like Node.js maintain their popularity, we could potentially see them in CS programs down the line. That is, once they prove they’re sticking around.

For now, a small handful of programs have started offering JavaScript as a part of their offerings. As of spring 2017, Stanford, for example, teaches their introductory programming class in 3 languages: Python, Java, and JavaScript. Only time will tell if they’re the leading edge of an oncoming trend—or if they’ll continue to remain an outlier in the CS community.

Self-taught students: JavaScript goldmine?

When we look at students by major, we see another interesting pattern: students pursuing degrees outside of CS and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) are more likely to know JavaScript. The “Other” category includes all student developers pursuing degrees in Business, Music, Psychology, and more—basically, anything major that isn’t CS or STEM related.

We see the same pattern emerge in the majority of JavaScript frameworks. Students studying “Other” degrees know more JavaScript-Based frameworks than their peers in CS and STEM; in fact, they know 4 out of 5 top JavaScript frameworks better than their CS peers:

Thinking about the way students learn JavaScript, these figures start to add up. Since students studying “Other” degrees are unlikely to learn JavaScript in school, they have to rely on self-teaching to learn to code. And the data confirms it—students studying “Other” degrees are far more likely to be self-taught than students in any other major:

So what does this mean for recruiters? Ultimately, it means that self-taught learners may be the best source for JavaScript expertise. That means sourcing candidates from both within and outside of CS.

A quick note on coding bootcamps

It’s hard to talk about early talent JavaScript expertise without mentioning coding bootcamps. Some of the most popular coding bootcamps in the world, like Le Wagon, Flat Iron School, and Full Stack Academy put a heavy emphasis on JavaScript knowledge for their students—you’ll struggle to find any one coding camp curriculum that doesn’t mention it.

And the most JavaScript-centric bootcamps aren’t shy about advocating for the language. After all, coding bootcamps aim to help students transition directly into development jobs; unlike CS programs, their primary goal is to train students to meet industry needs.

It’s likely that emphasis on industry needs that gives bootcamp graduates the advantage when it comes to JavaScript knowledge globally:

So in a way, it’s possible that the JavaScript gap isn’t as prevalent as it seems. But it may be that we’re looking for JavaScript expertise in the wrong places.

How employers can manage the gap

Junior JavaScript-savvy talent is out there—but it’s not as easy to come across as students versed in C or Python. If you’re looking for JavaScript expertise in your early talent sourcing, here’s what you can do to increase your odds of success:

1. Ease front-end expectations for CS students

Computer Science students are systems specialists first. Out of the gate, they’re more likely to know back-end languages and frameworks. On the flip side, they’re far less likely to have mastery of front-end languages and frameworks, especially when it comes to languages like JavaScript. New CS grads that can work across the front and back-end are few and far between. Make sure your asks are reasonable.

2. To increase the odds of finding JavaScript expertise, include non-CS majors

Students developers outside of STEM and CS are more likely to know JavaScript. So if that’s what you need, consider branching out. Art and design based majors may be especially useful majors to include in your search; they’ll have the discerning eye you want in a balanced front-end candidate.

3. Look to non-traditional pools of early talent

Traditionally, most early talent programs lean on university CS programs to find junior technical talent—but JavaScript expertise isn’t their speciality (and for good reason). Coding bootcamps, on the other hand, cater to industry needs, and are heavier on front-end languages and frameworks. If you need junior developers with a command of JavaScript, you might try there: the utility of their skillset may surprise you.

Have you struggled to source JavaScript-savvy early talent? Tell us about your experiences in the comments. And if you’re looking to dig deeper into the state of student developers, check out our Student Developer Report:

The post Why Student JavaScript Developers Are Hard to Find appeared first on HackerRank Blog.

3 Entry Level Talent Trends to Keep on Your Radar

Dana Frederick — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 00:21:19 +0000

Looking for a more in-depth exploration of entry-level tech talent trends? Check out the recording of our webinar, How to Uplevel Your Entry Level Talent Hiring.

Technical student recruiting is a notoriously competitive field—after all, it’s not often that you find giants like Amazon, LinkedIn, and Facebook sourcing talent in the same career fair. And with a talent pool that changes season over season, keeping in tune with talent trends is the only way to stay competitive as an employer.

Based on our survey of over 10,000 student developers, we identified the 3 biggest student talent trends shaping university recruiting this year. For each trend, we’ve broken down the data behind them, plus ideas on how to leverage these trends to uplevel your next recruiting season.

Here’s what we found:

Trend: Students lag behind in hiring managers’ top 10 framework needs
Apply It: Set technical expectations with hiring managers + embed framework training into onboarding

Today’s student developers aren’t well versed in the frameworks employers need most. In fact, globally, they’re not prepared to meet even 1 of hiring managers’ top 10 framework needs. It means sourcing students with framework knowledge is challenging, at best:

So if your hiring manager is looking for proficiency in one of those frameworks, set expectations early. Determine their top technical priorities: Is framework expertise a top ask for junior candidates? Or is it something you can afford to de-prioritize for this talent pool? After all, looking only at student candidates with framework knowledge may shrink your options considerably; clarifying the challenge up front will ensure alignment once the new recruiting season starts.

And if you do choose to include students without framework knowledge, talk with your hiring manager about setting up training for new candidates.

Allocating budget in the onboarding process can help otherwise ideal candidates get acquainted with frameworks your team needs—there are plenty of online courses to get them up to speed with minimal time from the team. It may help improve your retention stats in the long run.

Trend: Globally, students aren’t prepared to meet JavaScript demand
Apply It: Incorporate sourcing from non-traditional majors, or even coding bootcamps

Globally, students aren’t prepared to meet employer JavaScript demand: while 48% of employers need JavaScript expertise, only 42% of students have it. It doesn’t mean that student JavaScript developers are impossible to find. That said, it does mean that they’re harder to find than student Python developers, for example.

Take a close look at the stack in the junior roles you’re recruiting for. If it has more front-end heavy asks like JavaScript, consider casting a net to include non-traditional majors beyond Computer Science (CS). After all, data from the Student Developer Report showed that students outside of CS and STEM are the most likely to know JavaScript:

And that skills gap isn’t limited to languages. As it turns out, we also see the same theme for frameworks—students in “Other” majors are most likely to have expertise in 4 of 5 of hiring managers’ top JavaScript framework asks:

What’s more: students that graduated from bootcamps know JavaScript better than any other student population. While not a traditional sourcing pool, they may be worth looking into for this technical ask:

It's not to say that CS students should be excluded altogether when sourcing for front-end talent. But expanding your search to non-traditional education backgrounds may help uncover hidden gems.

Trend: Students want professional growth more than anything else
Apply It: Highlight professional learning opportunities in your entry level talent branding

The data confirms what tech recruiters already know: students and professionals have different sets of job priorities. That’s especially true when it comes to opportunities for professional growth:

University recruiting is a job seeker’s market. Catch candidates’ attention by showcasing the job aspects they care about most. Embed growth-centric language in your messaging, from your career fair scripts to your job descriptions. Try weaving in power phrases like:

Growth opportunities
Mentorship
Experienced team
Professional development
Advancement
Training opportunities
Empowerment
Employee investment

And if professional growth isn’t your program’s strong suit, you can tailor your messaging to one of students’ other top asks. For example, you could focus on work-life balance, or interesting problems your team works to solve. If you’re not sure what to highlight, try our University Recruitment Power Messaging Worksheet. It can help narrow down your program’s strong suits, and provide some ideas on how to message for them.

Fine tuning your entry level talent program

How do you refresh your entry level talent program from year to year, or from season to season? Tell us in the comments below.

And if you’re interested in exploring more student hiring trends (and how to apply them), check out our University Recruiting Playbook:

The post 3 Entry Level Talent Trends to Keep on Your Radar appeared first on HackerRank Blog.

Top 5 Takeaways from the Student Developer Report

Dana Frederick — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 16:05:20 +0000

We surveyed over 10,000 student developers across the world to get a pulse on today’s early talent. In our study, we aimed to paint a full picture of hiring today’s student developer: what skills they have, how they learn, and what they care about in a job.

If you’re interested in reading the full Student Developer Report, you can do so here. For now, here are the top takeaways:

1. All students look beyond the classroom to learn coding—even Computer Science majors.

Of the 10,351 students we surveyed, a massive 76% of them are Computer Science (CS) majors. But that doesn’t stop them from learning outside the classroom. Even though most students are learning to code through their major, the majority still rely on some form of self-teaching to fill in the gaps.

Most notably, students turn to StackOverflow, YouTube, and Books to learn to code outside the classroom.

2. With students, JavaScript expertise is hard to come by.

Employers need developers that know JavaScript—in fact, 48% of global employers say they need it. But globally, students aren’t prepared to meet that level of demand. Their gap in JavaScript expertise also impacts their framework knowledge. In fact, they fall behind employer needs for every JavaScript framework, including Node.js, AngularJS, React, among others.

So, where does this gap stem from? For better or worse, it isn’t black and white. But the fact that most top CS programs don’t include JavaScript could be a part of it.

3. Students aren’t driven by perks.

Globally, student developers care more about professional growth & learning than anything else (including perks and compensation). On one hand, this is a reflection on what students value most—opportunities to advance their career and grow their skills.

On the other hand, it could also be a reflection of what junior developers aren’t getting in their current jobs. Even entry level student developer jobs are notoriously well compensated, and have access to an excess of perks—so on some level, those job qualities are a given. But professional growth programs aren’t as popular. It could mean that students are happy with the state of perks and compensation, but want to see employers ramp up growth opportunities.

4. U.S. students have unique job priorities.

Every country has the same exact top 5 job priorities—that is, except for the U.S. In the U.S., professional growth & learning takes a backseat to work-life balance.

Though the way that students define work-life balance is mixed, the U.S. emphasis on work-life balance may trace back to policy. For example, per national policy, U.S. employers aren’t required to offer any paid time off (PTO) to employees. On the flip side, all other countries in the survey (Canada, India, and the UK) offer 10+ days of mandated paid leave per year.

5. Almost all U.S. students want customizable schedules.

Above all, in the U.S., work-life balance boils down to one main factor: flexible hours (or, flextime). In fact, nearly 90% of U.S. students want flexible hours in their next job. It means they want to work in a more casual office environment, where they can vary their working hours within reason to suit their lifestyle.

And that’s likely part of a larger trend in the U.S. workforce. A 2016 report by Gallup showed that 51% of U.S. employees would leave their current job to gain flexible hours—but only 44% of U.S. employers offer it. So it’s no surprise that students make a point to seek it out.

Get in tune with student needs

How well do your recruiting strategies appeal to today’s student developer? Read the full report below:

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