Deliveroo has successfully navigated the challenges of hiring and upskilling top talent through its partnership with HackerRank. In an industry where tech and its applications change rapidly, Deliveroo has not only doubled its tech hiring but also effectively upskilled its developers, ensuring they are equipped with the latest skills required in the industry.

In a recent chat with Adam Coleman, Deliveroo’s Senior Recruiting Manager, at HackerRank’s AI Skills & Tech Talent Summit in London, we delved into their hiring and talent development strategy. Adam shared some amazing insights into what has made their approach so successful.

HackerRank Adoption, Assessments, and More

Deliveroo selected HackerRank for its leading position within the tech hiring market. A compelling argument was the significant engagement of engineers with HackerRank. Engineers use the platform not only for screening processes but also in their daily jobs. This widespread usage highlighted HackerRank’s effectiveness.

Additionally, HackerRank’s speed, affordability, and accuracy were crucial factors. The platform allows the Deliveroo team to create tests easily, understand and calibrate them against Deliveroo’s current engineering organization, and guide their external testing processes. These features made the decision to adopt HackerRank straightforward.

“We bought HackerRank mainly due to its position within the market. There was a compelling argument regarding the number of engineers engaging with HackerRank, which is fantastic. Its speed, affordability, and accuracy of tests were key factors. Creating tests and calibrating them against our engineering organization is very easy.”

Achieving Results Beyond Expectations

HackerRank has performed beyond Deliveroo’s expectations, significantly enhancing their hiring process. The platform’s efficiency has allowed Deliveroo to streamline its recruitment efforts, leading to remarkable results.

“Moving forward, it has performed beyond our expectations. We nearly doubled our hiring across software engineering due to its speed, covering backend, frontend, and full-stack roles.”

The key to this success lies in HackerRank’s ability to facilitate rapid and accurate candidate assessments. By providing a comprehensive library of coding challenges and assessments, tailored to different skill levels and job requirements, HackerRank ensures that only the most qualified candidates progress through the hiring pipeline. This not only speeds up the recruitment process but also improves the quality of hires, as candidates are evaluated on their actual coding abilities rather than just their resumes.

Additionally, HackerRank’s user-friendly interface and seamless integration with Deliveroo’s existing systems have made it easier for hiring managers to create, deploy, and manage assessments.

Hire to Retire: Deliveroo’s Upskilling Initiatives for the Tech Teams

Deliveroo introduced HackerRank SkillUp to their engineering organization, receiving an overwhelmingly positive response. Initially, there was concern it might be perceived as a time burden, potentially leading to resistance. However, the engineers welcomed the initiative enthusiastically, recognizing its long-term benefits.

Deliveroo maintains a high hiring bar and hires agnostically across various programming languages. This means they hire candidates based on overall technical proficiency rather than specific language expertise. As a result, upskilling their software engineering team quickly becomes imperative to ensure proficiency in the technologies and languages most relevant to Deliveroo’s projects.

The upskilling initiative was designed to address this need comprehensively. The program includes a structured curriculum that covers a wide range of technical skills and programming languages. The training modules are tailored to different experience levels, ensuring that both junior and mid-level engineers can benefit.

“Within three months, it received rave reviews. We started with our junior team and have now extended it to our mid-level. It won’t be long until we launch it for our senior and staff engineers.”

The overwhelmingly positive response to HackerRank SkillUp highlights the engineering team’s commitment to professional growth and excellence. By investing in their engineers’ development, Deliveroo not only enhances individual capabilities but also strengthens the overall technical proficiency of the organization. This initiative is a testament to Deliveroo’s dedication to maintaining a cutting-edge engineering team well-equipped to tackle the evolving challenges of the tech industry.

Looking Forward

The partnership with HackerRank has been enriching for Deliveroo. The insights gained from using HackerRank have provided a deeper understanding of the tech hiring landscape, enabling data-driven decisions and continuous improvement of recruitment processes.

By leveraging HackerRank, Deliveroo has optimized its hiring process and enhanced its ability to upskill its engineering team while embracing innovative AI solutions.

“We are excited about what the future holds for HackerRank. I think you guys are on a good track, and we’re eager to see the continued impact on our hiring and talent development strategies.”

The post Boosting Hiring and Upskilling: Deliveroo’s Journey with HackerRank appeared first on HackerRank Blog.

In the latest episode of HackerRank Radio, Ben Stollard, General Manager at HackerRank, hosts two dynamic leaders in the tech industry—Jayson Vincent, Division Leader of Software Architecture and Engineering at Daugherty, and Maurice Mahone, Access Point National Program Director. Their conversation explores the groundbreaking work at Daugherty and the transformative power of the Access Point program.

Meet the Experts

Jayson Vincent brings over six years of experience at Daugherty and 16 years at Boeing in software architecture and engineering. He also serves as the National Director of Technology and Education Deployment for Access Point, working alongside notable colleagues like Maurice Mahone and Ron Daugherty.

Maurice Mahone has been with Daugherty for five years, overseeing the Access Point program. His extensive IT background includes roles at Monsanto (now Bayer), MasterCard, and the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis. His passion for STEM and workforce development is evident as he shares his journey.

Daugherty’s Unique Approach and the Birth of Access Point

Maurice described Daugherty as the largest IT consulting firm in St. Louis, partnering with companies to deliver business solutions and provide expertise for large-scale projects. Daugherty’s collaborative efforts have helped major clients like Royal Caribbean and Southwest Airlines enhance their operations.

The need for consistent, progressive learning and tracking for AccessPoint candidates led Daugherty to partner with HackerRank. Maurice highlighted how HackerRank’s ability to monitor and report on apprentices’ progress made it an ideal solution, providing transparency and satisfaction for both trainees and employer partners.

Jayson added that HackerRank’s customizable challenges and insights have been invaluable for Access Point. The platform’s ability to offer real-world experience and feedback has been crucial in preparing candidates for their roles. He emphasized the importance of transparency, collaboration, and visibility in the program, ensuring that each candidate receives the support they need.

The Genesis and Goals of Access Point

Access Point was born out of discussions within the CIO Alliance, where CIOs from major companies in St. Louis highlighted workforce development challenges. The lack of diversity in IT, particularly among African Americans, people of color, and women, was a significant issue. Access Point aims to address this by targeting high school students and providing specialized training in collaboration with St. Louis Community College.

Access Point’s unique approach includes providing college credit for training, offering soft skills and professional development, and guaranteeing job placements for successful graduates. Maurice noted that this model ensures students have jobs waiting for them, contingent on their performance.

Jayson elaborated on the program’s holistic approach, emphasizing the importance of addressing individual student needs. The hypercare program, led by Christy Miller, supports students from start to finish, overcoming challenges that might hinder their progress. He also highlighted the program’s focus on diversity and the value of different perspectives in creating the best products and services.

HackerRank’s Impact 

The integration of HackerRank into Daugherty’s Access Point program has been a game-changer. Jayson and Maurice emphasized that HackerRank’s tools have provided a structured and scalable way to assess and develop technical skills among candidates. The platform’s extensive library of challenges, ranging from beginner to advanced levels, allows for tailored learning experiences that align with the needs of Daugherty’s partners.

One of the standout features of HackerRank is its ability to simulate real-world coding environments, which helps students transition smoothly into their roles. The platform’s comprehensive feedback system enables rapid skill assessment and development, ensuring that students can continuously improve. This feedback loop is critical for maintaining high standards and preparing students for the demands of their future jobs.

Jayson highlighted how HackerRank’s plagiarism detection feature also serves an educational purpose. By identifying and addressing instances of plagiarism early, students learn the importance of integrity in their work, a lesson crucial for their professional growth. This feature, combined with the rigorous challenge sets, helps in creating a culture of honesty and hard work among the students.

Furthermore, HackerRank’s interview tools have been instrumental during the apprenticeship phase. These tools allow mentors to conduct live coding interviews, providing immediate, practical feedback and coaching. This hands-on approach not only reinforces learning but also builds confidence among the students as they prepare for their careers.

Maurice shared that Access Point students completed around 4,000 HackerRank tests last year, reflecting the program’s intensive use of the platform. The high engagement levels and positive feedback underscore the effectiveness of HackerRank in supporting the program’s goals. The ability to create custom challenges tailored to specific skill requirements of their partners further enhances the relevance and impact of the training.

HackerRank truly has been highly respected and appreciated across all the different company partners that we work with as we show them the nature of the questions and challenges and the insights that are available and the varying degree of difficulty of the challenges as well as the opportunity to add custom challenges.

Apprenticeships: Bridging Training and Real-World Experience

The discussion then shifted to the apprenticeship aspect of Access Point. Maurice explained that while comprehensive training is essential, real-world experience is irreplaceable. The apprenticeship phase allows students to apply their skills in a corporate environment, with continuous monitoring and feedback from partners.

Jayson detailed how HackerRank supports this process by offering a vast library of challenges and the ability to create custom tasks. This ensures that students receive relevant practice and feedback, helping them reach proficiency. The interview feature in HackerRank further enhances this by enabling live code reviews and coaching sessions.

Measuring Success: Impact and Metrics

Maurice proudly shared some impressive metrics: Access Point has placed 75 students into apprenticeships and full-time jobs, generating approximately $4.5 million in revenue for the St. Louis region. These students are not only gaining employment but also making significant life changes, such as buying cars and homes—truly showing the impact and requirement of the program.

Jayson highlighted the value of HackerRank’s tools in providing quick feedback and supporting continuous development. The platform’s ability to handle a high volume of tests and offer a wide range of challenges has been instrumental in maintaining the program’s effectiveness.

If you wish to know more about the Access Point Program, visit here, and to know more about Daugherty, visit here.

To watch the full podcast, head to HackerRank Radio.

The post Empowering the Next Generation: How Daugherty’s Access Point Program and HackerRank propel Early Career Success appeared first on HackerRank Blog.

Juniper Networks’ commitment to refining and optimizing their recruitment methodologies is evident in their strategic adoption of AI, particularly through their partnership with HackerRank. 

AI at the Core: Juniper’s Tech-Driven Recruitment Strategy

At Juniper Networks, the integration of AI into their recruitment processes represents a strategic shift towards innovation in talent acquisition. Leveraging advanced algorithms and machine learning, Juniper has redefined how they identify and engage with potential candidates. 

The journey begins with AI-powered candidate sourcing, where sophisticated algorithms scan through vast pools of applicants to pinpoint individuals with the right skill sets and qualifications. This automated screening process not only saves time but also ensures that recruiters can focus their efforts on engaging with the most promising candidates.

Leveraging their partnership with HackerRank, Juniper employs AI-driven assessments to rigorously evaluate candidates’ technical proficiencies and problem-solving abilities. HackerRank’s platform offers tailored coding challenges and tests that provide recruiters with valuable insights into how candidates perform in real-world scenarios.

Juniper Network’s Tech Recruiting Partnership with HackerRank

At Juniper Networks, the partnership with HackerRank has been pivotal in reshaping their recruitment strategies. Faced with a vast pool of candidates and hundreds of applications per role, Juniper sought a more efficient way to identify top talent. And that’s where the integration of HackerRank’s innovative platform aided in their hiring processes.

Through intuitive testing modules and comprehensive assessments, Juniper has streamlined its screening, ensuring only the most qualified candidates progress. Leveraging HackerRank’s user-friendly interface and automation, Juniper’s recruiters now navigate assessments and candidate evaluations effortlessly, leaving behind manual assessments. With detailed insights from HackerRank, tailored tests and effective candidate analysis have become the norm, leading to a more efficient hiring process. 

This platform has really simplified our work. What used to take five hours now helps us in just 30 minutes to create and attempt a test. The tests are also integrated into the HackerRank platform, which is very convenient. HackerRank has greatly simplified our process. We no longer need to painstakingly think through all the questions about coding, such as which Python functions to use—it’s all there. It has made our job much easier by streamlining the filtering of candidates. Out of 5,000, I can confidently identify the top 10 candidates for interviews. This efficiency has truly simplified our recruitment process.

— Trupti Ambore, Talent Acquisition Lead

Conclusion 

Juniper Networks’ partnership with HackerRank has exemplified the transformative power of technology in modern recruitment processes. By leveraging HackerRank’s AI-driven platform, Juniper Networks has streamlined their hiring workflows, effectively identifying and selecting top talent from a vast pool of candidates. This collaboration not only demonstrates Juniper Networks’ commitment to innovation but also underscores the importance of embracing advanced technologies to stay competitive in today’s dynamic talent landscape. As the partnership continues to evolve, Juniper Networks remains poised to further enhance their recruitment strategies, driving efficiency, and effectiveness in securing the best talent for their organization.

The post Enhancing University Recruiting: Juniper’s Success Story with HackerRank appeared first on HackerRank Blog.

The rapid evolution of AI technologies has provided organizations like Atlassian unique opportunities to enhance their recruitment strategies. By integrating AI into their processes, Atlassian has been able to not only streamline operations but also significantly improve the interaction with candidates from the initial contact to final hiring decisions. This shift towards technology-driven recruitment is aligned with Atlassian’s broader commitment to innovation and excellence in the tech industry.

As AI continues to reshape the landscape of talent acquisition, Atlassian’s proactive adoption highlights the potential benefits of such technologies in making recruitment more efficient and effective. This includes everything from reducing biases in candidate selection to facilitating more engaging and personalized candidate experiences. The insights from Srividya underscore the importance of AI in modern recruitment and Atlassian’s role as a pioneer in this space, leveraging HackerRank’s cutting-edge AI capabilities to optimize their campus recruitment efforts.

The Impact of AI on Talent Acquisition

Atlassian’s adoption of artificial intelligence in recruitment reflects a broader industry trend where companies are harnessing the power of AI to transform how they attract and engage potential employees. Srividya underscored the significant shift in how AI has matured over the years, moving from a mere backend analytical tool to a robust, front-line asset that actively shapes recruitment strategies.

AI’s role at Atlassian is multifaceted, touching every part of the recruitment process, from the initial candidate scouting to the final steps of onboarding. In scouting candidates, AI technologies enable a more precise and efficient search, helping identify individuals who not only have the requisite skills but also are likely to align well with Atlassian’s culture and values. This precision reduces the time and resources spent on less promising candidates and allows recruiters to focus on engaging with top talent more effectively.

Once candidates are identified, AI continues to play a crucial role. Automated scheduling tools, AI-driven assessments, and dynamic interview guides help maintain a consistent and fair evaluation process. Furthermore, AI’s capability to analyze vast datasets means that Atlassian can continually refine its recruitment tactics based on real-time feedback and outcomes, ensuring that the process is not only efficient but also continuously improving.

During onboarding, AI contributes to creating personalized experiences for new hires. By automating routine processes and providing new employees with tailored learning and integration plans, AI helps ensure that the transition into the company is smooth and engaging. This not only helps new hires feel welcomed and valued but also significantly shortens the time it takes for them to become productive members of the team.

The integration of AI into Atlassian’s recruitment process demonstrates a powerful shift towards more strategic, efficient, and candidate-friendly hiring practices. This technology has become an indispensable ally in the competitive talent market, enabling Atlassian, and companies alike, to remain agile and innovative in their approach to talent acquisition.

Atlassian’s Experience with HackerRank

One of the significant highlights of Atlassian’s AI adoption has been its collaboration with HackerRank, particularly in handling large-scale campus recruitments. This partnership has enabled Atlassian to address and refine several crucial aspects of their hiring process.

• Innovations in Plagiarism Detection

Srividya discussed a notable advancement in plagiarism detection, facilitated by AI, which dramatically reduced false positives in candidate assessments. Traditionally, a plagiarism check could flag as high as 10% of applications. However, with HackerRank’s AI-enabled features, this was brought down to just 4%. This reduction signifies not only improved accuracy but also substantial time savings in manual verifications.

• Strategic Partnership and Productivity Gains

The collaboration between Atlassian and HackerRank is described as a strategic partnership that empowers Atlassian to scout and secure top talent effectively. By incorporating AI-driven tools from HackerRank into their recruitment framework, Atlassian has seen considerable productivity improvements. Specifically, the time saved from manual checks for their 35,000 applicants has been significant, marking a major milestone in their operational efficiency.

Conclusion: The Future of AI in Recruitment

Atlassian’s proactive approach in integrating AI into their recruitment processes demonstrates a commitment to innovation and efficiency. The journey with HackerRank not only reflects a successful adaptation to technological advancements but also sets a benchmark for future recruitment practices. As AI continues to evolve, its role in transforming the recruitment landscape remains promising, with potential to unlock even greater efficiencies and accuracies in talent acquisition.

The post Embracing AI in Talent Acquisition: Insights from Atlassian’s Journey with HackerRank appeared first on HackerRank Blog.

In this discussion, Bhardwaj explores the significant technological shifts that have influenced hiring processes, particularly emphasizing the pivotal role of AI in enhancing both the efficacy and fairness of IBM’s recruitment practices. 

Transition to Virtual Processes

Abhishek Bhardwaj opened the session by addressing the significant shifts in recruitment methodologies following the COVID-19 pandemic. With a move towards virtual engagements, IBM Consulting has adopted new strategies to minimize human intervention early in the hiring process. This shift was crucial as it helped to eliminate inherent biases and paved the way for more structured and fair assessments.

Leveraging AI for Non-Biased Assessments

Bhardwaj emphasized how traditional methods, such as voice assessments, have been replaced by AI-driven tools. These tools, based on sophisticated algorithms, not only standardize the evaluation process but also help in reducing human biases, ensuring that talent is assessed purely on merit and relevant skills.

The Integral Role of HackerRank

Abhishek also talked about the strategic deployment of HackerRank within IBM’s hiring processes. He details how HackerRank has been instrumental in revolutionizing IBM’s technical assessments. By customizing HackerRank’s platform, IBM has been able to tailor their evaluations to better meet the specific needs of their roles and projects. This customization aids in handling volume hiring by facilitating quicker and more efficient screening of candidates, thereby enhancing both the scale and speed of recruitment operations. Furthermore, the quality of hires has improved as the platform allows for more targeted questions that accurately gauge a candidate’s capabilities and fit for the role.

Enhancing Engagement and Onboarding with AI

Beyond initial assessments, Bhardwaj also highlighted how AI tools contribute to engaging and onboarding new hires. These tools enable IBM to maintain frequent and personalized communication with candidates, an approach that is crucial in high-volume hiring environments like BPM (Business Process Management). The AI’s ability to understand and adapt to the unique personas of candidates ensures that all communication is relevant and engaging, thereby keeping candidates warm and interested throughout the hiring process.

Future Prospects with Advanced AI Technologies

As IBM looks to the horizon, Abhishek Bhardwaj conveyed excitement about the possibilities that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and generative AI hold for the field of talent acquisition. These sophisticated technologies are set to deepen and refine the recruitment processes by facilitating a more nuanced understanding of candidates and potentially transforming every phase of hiring.

The promise of these technologies in recruitment lies in their ability to simulate complex human cognitive functions, allowing for assessments that can evaluate a candidate’s creative problem-solving skills and adaptability in real-time scenarios. This could lead to more dynamic interactions during the hiring process, where AI-driven systems dynamically adapt interview questions based on the candidate’s previous responses, ensuring a thorough evaluation that is both comprehensive and deeply personalized.

Bhardwaj also touched upon the role of these technologies in improving the candidate experience. By automating and personalizing communication, AGI and generative AI could offer each candidate tailored guidance and feedback, making the hiring process more engaging and transparent.

Importance of Candidate Experience

Finally, Bhardwaj discussed the critical role of candidate experience in the recruitment process, as reflected by metrics such as the Candidate Net Promoter Score (NPS). For IBM, ensuring a positive candidate experience is paramount, as it directly influences the employer brand and its perception in the job market.

Conclusion

From the enlightening discourse on the integration of technology in recruitment at IBM Consulting, it is clear that the future of hiring is being dramatically transformed. By embracing HackerRank, IBM is not only streamlining its recruitment process but also setting new standards for efficiency, fairness, and engagement in talent acquisition. These technologies allow IBM to address the nuances of each candidate’s experience and capabilities, ensuring that the hiring process is both comprehensive and candidate-friendly.

The post Partners in Innovation: How IBM Uses HackerRank to Hire Skill-fit Candidates at Scale appeared first on HackerRank Blog.

In an era where technology continually reshapes how businesses operate, Akamai stands at the forefront of innovation, particularly in its recruitment processes. Kurian Thomas, Head of Talent Acquisition for Akamai in India, sheds light on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a pivotal tool in enhancing their hiring methodology, specifically by minimizing bias and streamlining candidate evaluation.

Tackling Bias with AI

Historically, recruitment processes have been susceptible to various forms of bias, including educational, gender, experience, and company-related biases. These biases not only hinder diversity but also prevent the hiring of potentially outstanding candidates based on their innate talents and skills. Akamai has turned to AI to address this challenge head-on. AI’s ability to impartially evaluate resumes based on skills and potential has significantly reduced these biases, ensuring a more equitable hiring process.

By leveraging AI algorithms, Akamai has been able to systematically analyze resumes and profiles, focusing on the competencies and capabilities that are most relevant to the roles being filled. This technology sifts through the data with an objective lens, unaffected by the biases that can influence human decision-makers. The result is a selection process that prioritizes merit, skill, and potential, creating a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

Kurian Thomas recognized early-on the transformative potential of AI in redefining the recruitment process. “Our goal was to dismantle the barriers that biases erected in our path to finding the right talent. AI emerged as a potent tool in our arsenal, enabling us to look beyond the conventional markers of a candidate’s worth,” says Kurian. This vision led to the adoption of AI-driven processes designed to evaluate candidates based on their skills and potential rather than their backgrounds or identities.

Enhancing Candidate Experience with HackerRank

In the digital age, creating a seamless and fair recruitment process is crucial, especially for companies like Akamai, where remote work is prevalent. The company’s strategic use of HackerRank exemplifies how technology can be leveraged to not only assess technical skills accurately but also to uphold the integrity of the evaluation process.

HackerRank’s proctoring features are at the forefront of combating malpractices, a common concern in remote hiring scenarios. These features ensure that the candidate’s performance accurately reflects their abilities, thereby fostering a level playing field. This technology has become indispensable for Akamai, particularly when conducting remote interviews, hackathons, and technical tests across colleges. By filtering out malpractices, HackerRank helps Akamai identify genuine talent efficiently and effectively.

Kurian Thomas emphasizes the importance of this approach in maintaining the quality of their hiring process: “The proctoring features of HackerRank have been a game-changer for us. It’s not just about filtering out candidates who try to circumvent the system; it’s about ensuring that every candidate we consider has been evaluated fairly and accurately. This has a profound impact on the candidate experience, as it reassures them that their skills and potential are what truly matter to us. In a way, it democratizes the recruitment process, making it more about merit and less about shortcuts.”

The positive implications of such a system extend beyond just the hiring process. By ensuring a transparent and equitable evaluation, Akamai reinforces its commitment to meritocracy and fairness, values that resonate well with prospective employees. Moreover, this approach significantly enhances candidate experience by providing a clear and honest assessment environment, setting the stage for a healthy and productive employer-employee relationship from the outset.

In summary, the utilization of HackerRank not only streamlines Akamai’s recruitment process but also significantly enhances candidate experience by ensuring fairness and transparency. This strategic adoption of technology underscores the company’s commitment to integrity and equality in its hiring practices, setting a benchmark for the industry.

Measuring Success

The effectiveness of AI in recruitment at Akamai is measured through various metrics, including the efficiency of moving from interview stages to offer stages and the ability to handle a high volume of applications. For example, a single senior software engineer position can attract thousands of applications. AI’s capability to stack rank and calibrate resumes has been invaluable, allowing recruiters to focus on the most relevant candidates, thus saving time and resources.

Conclusion

As Kurian Thomas shared, the journey of integrating AI into Akamai’s recruitment processes has been both challenging and rewarding. The strategic use of AI has significantly reduced biases, improved operational efficiency, and enhanced the candidate experience. This innovative approach not only positions Akamai as a leader in leveraging technology for recruitment but also serves as a model for other organizations to follow.

The post How Akamai Utilizes AI to Eliminate Bias and Improve Tech Hiring appeared first on HackerRank Blog.

   

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.

Equinix is the world’s digital infrastructure company®. Digital leaders around the world leverage Equinix’s reliable platform to seamlessly integrate and connect core infrastructure at the pace of software. In addition to building innovative solutions that help organizations scale with agility and deliver world-class experiences, Equinix also continues to make progress on its sustainability goals. Founded in 1998 in Silicon Valley, Equinix has grown exponentially in the last few decades and has more than 250 data centers around the world. 

So, in order to understand the scale, challenges, and tech stack involved in hiring at such a scope, we had a conversation with Swetha Harohalli Ravikumar, University Recruitment Specialist, and Dennis Wilfred, Talent Acquisition Lead – Global IT, at Equinix.

Their insights paint a comprehensive portrait of Equinix’s journey in India – in ensuring they not only create positive experiences for candidates and hiring managers, but also ensure the quality of candidates selected meet their global bar. 

• What were the primary challenges Equinix encountered in attracting and retaining talent before implementing HackerRank Engage? Can you provide some context on this?

Swetha Harohalli Ravikumar: When I first joined Equinix, the company was in its early stages of hiring interns and graduates in India. Through years of collaboration with universities, we had recently welcomed our most significant batch of interns and graduates.

I observed that since it was one of our initial forays into hiring this demographic, we needed external support to liaise with some of the universities. Given our rapid growth in India, especially with Bangalore emerging as a hub for Equinix in the IT space, it was important for us to establish stronger ties with academic institutions. 

The challenge was that Equinix, being more of a B2B enterprise, was not well-known to the student demographic. This posed a hurdle when engaging with students, many of whom had set expectations when considering their placements. Our goal was more than just recruitment; we wanted to create an ongoing dialogue with these students, many of whom we hoped to bring on board for internships in the coming years.

Dennis Wilfred: Equinix’s foray into India began with the acquisition of a company. Following this acquisition, we decided to establish our global IT development center in Bangalore. Given this strategic move, our immediate priority was to seek out talent with diverse skills to help us build our IT organization in the region.

However, our entry into the Indian market came with its set of challenges. Notably, while some segments of the industry, like platform or data teams, were familiar with Equinix, many in the developer community weren’t. Considering our focus on the IT and developer side, building brand awareness became essential. 

Further complicating matters was the fact that our hiring managers, given our acquisition-driven entry, were predominantly from regions like Singapore, the US, and Europe. Acclimating them to the nuances of the Indian job market, its talent landscape, cultural differences, and challenges such as candidates declining offers, required deliberate effort on our part. 

Another specific challenge we grappled with was the considerable amount of time hiring managers were investing in initial candidate evaluations. More often than not, every candidate profile we received looked promising, leading to a high number of interviews. However, these extensive efforts weren’t translating into successful hires at the rate we anticipated. Recognizing this inefficiency, we saw the need for a platform or tool that would assist in evaluating candidates, allowing us to present only the top-tier profiles to our managers.

Moreover, we wanted to enrich the experience for both hiring managers and candidates. In the past, a manager might speak to dozens of potential hires, with only a fraction making it to the final stages. We envisioned a system where managers would engage deeply with a smaller, more curated pool of candidates, dedicating time to elaborate on the role, our tech stack, the problems we aim to solve, and the impact we strive to create. This change in approach not only improves the hiring process but also provides candidates with a clearer understanding of what Equinix aims to achieve in India.

It was at this juncture that we considered partnering with an organization that could address these challenges. Among the solutions we evaluated, HackerRank emerged as a compelling option. Our primary goal was to streamline the hiring process, ensuring quality interactions and delivering top-tier candidates to our hiring managers. With HackerRank, we were able to provide candidates with real-world coding challenges, offering them insights into the problems we’re tackling.

Today, I’m proud to say that our hiring process in India has matured. Almost every hiring requirement undergoes this refined assessment. We’ve even introduced this method in Poland and are piloting it with a few managers in the US and Singapore. 

• Could you provide insights into the types and numbers of roles Equinix is currently pursuing? Specifically, the job families and developer roles. Are you still actively recruiting for positions in software engineering, AI, ML, and cloud? A brief overview of your hiring objectives would be immensely helpful.

Dennis Wilfred: In 2022, we filled around 300 positions. This year, we’ve successfully closed around 80 positions in India and have another 30 to 40 on the docket before the year closes out. Our estimate is that we’ll conclude the year with about 120 to 150 new hires.

Our recruitment spans various job families and levels. We’ve ranged from hiring principal architects to software engineers, ensuring we have a diversified skill set on board. This year, we also initiated several Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in India. For instance, we introduced a platform CoE focused on predictive modeling and enterprise planning, among others like Oracle CPU and Siebel. Another critical addition was the Business Systems Analyst role under our enterprise planning and management segment, which plays a pivotal role within Equinix.

While our numbers might seem modest, our emphasis this year was truly on quality. HackerRank played an instrumental role in ensuring we identified top-tier talent. The establishment of these CoEs in India signifies the trust and confidence our business leaders now place in the Indian talent pool. We’re also proud to announce that we recently hired our principal architect for our ServiceNow domain under the WebCut organization, further solidifying our technical capabilities.

• What were the main factors that led you to choose HackerRank over the other competitors you looked into? 

Dennis Wilfred:  One of the primary reasons we leaned towards HackerRank was its global reach. Your presence in multiple regions stood out.

Another compelling factor was the breadth and depth of the skill stack and the library of assessments you offer. We didn’t find such a comprehensive list with any other organization. Some catered mainly to early career individuals or newcomers to the field, while others, relatively new in the industry, simply lacked the types of assessments that you possess. The flexibility that HackerRank offers in creating assessments wasn’t matched by any other organization.

The CodePair feature was another strong selling point. We wanted to move away from mere multiple-choice questions to a more interactive and reflective assessment system. It’s not just about ticking boxes for us, and the same goes for candidates. They’re eager to understand and solve actual problems, which is evident in the challenges we present. This approach was influential in convincing our leaders and other regions, like Poland, to adopt this method. They were more inclined to see an issue that mirrored real-life scenarios rather than just theoretical questions.

Proctoring, too, was a key feature that we valued. In sum, all these factors combined made HackerRank the ideal choice for us.

Swetha Harohalli Ravikumar: Though I wasn’t part of the initial conversations, since I wasn’t with Equinix when we initiated the partnership with HackerRank, my engagement with the platform made it evident why it was chosen. It was an obvious choice, given the exemplary features and adaptability that Dennis elaborated on. The checks and safeguards embedded in HackerRank are commendable.

It’s not just about ticking boxes; it’s about HackerRank’s proactive approach in addressing emerging challenges. This is especially vital when considering the vast audience of new and early-career individuals. These students are sharp, always exploring ways to get an edge or bypass the system. HackerRank’s continual technological innovation to preempt and address such integrity issues underscores its value to us. 

• Regarding your engagement, could you provide some qualitative results or specific success metrics that illustrate the benefits you’ve experienced with HackerRank? We’d also love to know why you believe it has been effective for you.

Swetha Harohalli Ravikumar: One primary benefit was the multitude of touchpoints we managed to establish with students. While we spearheaded the marketing efforts and outreach to universities, HackerRank insights about registration rates, email open rates, and click-throughs provided crucial data about our outreach effectiveness. It allowed us to discern which colleges were more active and which ones required renewed effort. 

The touchpoints were instrumental. For example, out of 1,400 registrations, we witnessed participation from over 650 students. Traditionally, such a high conversion from registration to participation is rare, which indicates the effectiveness of our engagement strategy.

Moreover, post-challenge, the support from the HackerRank team was commendable. Their timely assistance, clarification of back-end processes, and overall support greatly impacted our evaluation process.

Quantitatively, the sheer volume of individuals we reached and engaged with was impressive. On a qualitative note, the evaluation metrics and subsequent discussions with engineers provided clarity about participants’ performances. This has helped us identify potential candidates for future internships, ensuring a pipeline of quality candidates. Both in terms of volume and quality, our experience with HackerRank was immensely positive and metrically sound.

Dennis Wilfred: The preliminary feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve even introduced it to our brand marketing team, expecting them to delve deeper and explore its full potential. Moving forward, our experiences and the feedback gathered have all been positive, and we’re eager to tap into it more intensively. In fact, one of our immediate plans is to initiate an internal hackathon, different from our usual external ones. 

• Beyond the candidate management features and visibility metrics you mentioned, were there additional benefits you noticed with “Engage”? Specifically, its impact on branding or initial impressions and experiences when Equinix began utilizing the platform.

Swetha Harohalli Ravikumar: Over the course of my career, I’ve worked with several vendors to orchestrate hackathons. My experience with Engage has been distinctly positive, distinguishing it from others I’ve used before. Its most commendable trait is the platform’s intuitiveness. Unlike other platforms where navigation might pose challenges, Engage is straightforward. After discussing with our marketing team, I found it simple to incorporate their inputs, which allowed us to mold and modify our setup to align perfectly with our vision.

The time to set things up was also a very positive surprise. Within a span of just a day or two, the entire setup was operational. The HackerRank team gave a number of constructive suggestions, which helped us further improve. It’s not just the setup phase that’s efficient; the entire user journey on Engage minimizes unnecessary complexities. With past vendors, I often found myself stuck in a constant loop of communications for even the most minor alterations. Engage, however, allowed us a degree of autonomy that reduced this back-and-forth, allowing us to effect changes without being overly reliant on external support.

The structure of the platform, from the initial registration to intermediate touchpoints and finally to the challenge, is very intuitive and easy to set up. This systematic approach helped us in establishing constant communication with candidates.

The depth and breadth of insights offered by HackerRank tests, from the granular details like time metrics to a broader overview of participants’ skill levels, are unparalleled. For any organization, ensuring a balance between quality and quantity is pivotal. While catering to large participant numbers is essential, it should never come at the cost of quality. Engage ensures we never have to make that compromise. The platform not only aids in reaching out to a vast audience but also ensures that the engagement is meaningful and the results are trustworthy.

Dennis Wilfred: A significant advantage for us was the reduced need for hands-on management. In my prior organizations, we spent countless hours assessing and sorting through candidates. Thankfully, with HackerRank, most of that heavy lifting was done for us.

Our main responsibility shifted towards branding and outreach. It gave me the opportunity to focus on key colleges, especially those we’ll likely return to for intern recruitment. This freed-up time allowed us to foster deeper relationships with the coordinators and better understand the kind of students we wanted to engage. It’s about cultivating an environment and rapport that will benefit us not just now, but in the long run. They now recognize Swetha, are familiar with Equinix, and this familiarity can be invaluable.

In the past, we often found ourselves bogged down by the technicalities of a platform. Concerns ranged from whether the system could handle the assessment load to ensuring the right candidates were being targeted, and troubleshooting any potential glitches. This time, thanks to HackerRank, the experience was seamless. 

From a branding perspective, the convenience cannot be stated enough! I’m not sure about the exact time it took, but updating content on the platform was quick and straightforward. We didn’t need to call in our brand team or liaise with colleagues in Singapore. Essentially, the platform is user-friendly, allowing even someone new from our team to hop on, make necessary edits, and push content without hurdles.

• Have you received any feedback from your candidates and hiring managers about their experience during the process?

Swetha Harohalli Ravikumar: Till now, the overall sentiment has been positive. And one positive sign, from my perspective, is that we received minimal queries during the challenge. In past experiences with similar events, I’ve often been completely bogged down with questions about registration, login issues, and procedural concerns by candidates. This time, there were barely any, except for a few on the challenge day from students who might’ve missed checking their emails. This lack of issues suggests that the platform was user-friendly and seamless for most participants, from registration to the challenge completion.

Dennis Wilfred: The feedback from candidates has also been encouraging. We prioritize getting perspectives from both selected and rejected candidates. One significant benefit of HackerRank is its transparency; candidates gain clear insights into the challenges we aim to address. They appreciate the consistency in our assessment approach, which contrasts with the varied questions they might encounter from different interview panelists.

In particular, the coding exercise – where candidates are given a task and later present their solution – has been transformative. It provides them with a tangible sense of the problems we tackle. I was initially skeptical about its reception, especially among data science candidates who often prefer direct discussions with team leaders. However, the feedback has been outstanding, making the entire HackerRank experience extremely positive for us.

• How’s the quality and fit of candidates improved since you started using HackerRank Engage?

At first, introducing HackerRank faced some resistance. It was a new initiative and represented a shift in our hiring approach. However, once the hiring managers began to observe the high-quality candidates flowing through the pipeline post-assessment, their perspective shifted. The caliber of these candidates was precisely what they were looking for.

We initially piloted HackerRank with a few managers. After witnessing its success, we shared these success stories with other leaders, and it is now widely adopted across departments. Now, my team conducts regular check-ins every quarter with the hiring managers who have used HackerRank to ensure it consistently meets our standards. The feedback, so far, has been overwhelmingly positive.

We’ve actively sought areas of improvement and have received constructive feedback from managers across various sectors, from data science to full-stack engineering. The positive results in India also affected its implementation in Poland and a pilot in the US. One manager, who had experienced HackerRank’s benefits in India and was later hiring in the US, advocated for its use there, and is now leading its adoption in Singapore too.

What stood out for us was the idea of continuous engagement. It wasn’t about a single touchpoint; it was about creating a sustained presence. Through various platforms, like dedicated web pages and consistent email communications, we ensured that Equinix remained top of mind for these students over extended periods.

Our internal talent marketing team has been instrumental in these outreach efforts, amplifying our presence and intent. Given our substantial footprint in the IT sector, especially with a significant number of engineers based in Bangalore, most of our roles naturally cater to this skill set. 

We also made a conscious move towards hosting a diversity hackathon. One of our overarching objectives is to foster a more diverse team at Equinix, especially in our Bangalore branch. These were some of the driving factors behind our initiatives. 

The post Redefining University Hiring: How Equinix Leveraged HackerRank to Attract Top Talent at Scale  appeared first on HackerRank Blog.

In today’s fiercely competitive job market, crafting an exceptional candidate experience is more than just desirable—it’s essential. This holds true even amidst economic uncertainties characterized by layoffs, hiring freezes, and budgetary constraints. In such a climate, excelling in candidate interactions is an imperative. It necessitates that hiring teams refine their approaches, ensuring every candidate interaction is characterized by efficiency, empathy, and a steadfast dedication to providing an exemplary experience.

Sprout Social stands out in its efforts to create people-centric, data-driven candidate experiences. Established in 2010, Sprout Social has emerged as a career destination for technology worldwide. To gain insights into their approach to enhancing candidate experience, we spoke with Miguel Zambrano, Recruitment Enablement Program Manager at Sprout Social.

• What makes for an exceptional candidate experience? What characteristics do you think are vital here?

In today’s competitive job market, I believe that fostering a positive candidate experience begins with clear and transparent communication throughout the interview process. Candidates really crave information, and as recruitment practitioners, we feel it’s our duty to keep them informed and guide them seamlessly through the process. It’s also crucial to recognize that each candidate is unique.

We prioritize personalized interactions because no one wants to feel like just another cog in the machine. By tailoring our approach to understand and address each candidate’s motivators, behaviors, and individual circumstances, we ensure that every person feels seen and heard during their journey with Sprout Social.

• How do you ensure that candidates receive timely and clear communication throughout the hiring process? Can you give us some examples?

In our recruitment process, we take advantage of automated features within our applicant tracking system to streamline communication with candidates efficiently. We employ customizable templates which allow us to tailor our communication and meet each candidate’s unique requirements. While automation helps us to enhance our workflow, we always strive to maintain the human touch that’s so essential in recruitment. Balancing the benefits of technology with the warmth of personal interaction is a priority for us.

These customizable templates are especially useful for our engineering organization. We have developed them based on specific engineering personas. When we find a candidate who aligns with these personas, we ensure that we send them communications designed to capture their interest and effectively convey what Sprout Social offers for that particular engineer.

• What methods do you use to personalize the candidate experiences and make candidates feel valued?

Part of our dedication to delivering an outstanding candidate experience involves our recruitment teams actively engaging with candidates both before and after their final interviews. Before the interviews, we focus on preparation — we address any technical concerns and provide detailed insights into who the candidates will be meeting with. Post-interview, our recruitment partners meet with candidates to gather feedback, answer any lingering questions, and align on the role’s expectations and timelines. This is a crucial moment for candidates to decompress and share their impressions of the interview process.

At Sprout Social, we are deeply committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), which is a core value and an integral part of our working culture. During the final interviews, we offer candidates the chance to connect with members from our various community resource groups. This not only gives them a glimpse into our dynamic company culture but also reinforces that Sprout Social is more than just a workplace — it’s a diverse community. We strive to foster meaningful connections and ensure that candidates experience a sense of belonging throughout their journey with us.

• How do you and your teams leverage HackerRank in enhancing candidate experiences? 

HackerRank has proven to be an incredibly intuitive and robust platform for our candidates. It’s equipped with powerful tools that allow for an efficient demonstration of a candidate’s coding skills and professional experience. In our live interviews, we make the most of HackerRank’s features, such as the IDE, virtual whiteboarding, and diagramming tools. The platform’s centralized nature ensures a smooth interview process, and its user-friendly interface is advantageous not only for candidates but also for us as recruitment practitioners and hiring managers, enhancing our ability to effectively assess skills. This makes HackerRank an invaluable asset in our recruitment arsenal.

We’ve also noticed that many candidates are already acquainted with HackerRank, and this recognition undoubtedly adds a layer of comfort to the interview process. It’s reassuring for them to interact with a platform they’ve previously heard of or used. The established brand presence of HackerRank certainly plays a role in easing candidate anxiety during interviews.

• How do you incorporate feedback from candidates to improve your hiring processes? Does the candidate feedback on assessments also help you iterate hiring and experience strategies?

In our pursuit of excellence, we consistently seek feedback from our candidates through surveys disseminated via our ATS. Analyzing this feedback is integral to our practice—it’s pivotal in our mission to deliver a world-class candidate experience. We maintain and rigorously measure our performance against high standards to ensure we’re providing this top-tier experience.

In response to candidate feedback, we’ve developed what we call ‘candidate prep guides’ to ensure thorough preparation for interviews. These guides are customized to both the candidate and the role, detailing each session’s structure, topics, and evaluation criteria. We firmly believe that equipping our candidates to present their best selves during the interview fosters more dynamic discussions and overall satisfaction. Ultimately, our goal is to alleviate interview anxiety and set up each candidate for success, leading to better outcomes for all involved.

Due to our candidate-first approaches we’ve observed a positive trend of candidates returning to us. The open-ended feedback in our surveys often highlights how candidates, even those who were not selected, consider our process the best they’ve experienced. They express enthusiasm about the prospect of reapplying to Sprout Social. It’s been quite revealing to read comments from candidates who, despite not getting the role, still rated the experience very highly. This has been a clear indicator that our approach is resonating well with candidates, marking the effectiveness of our processes.

HackerRank also helps greatly in this regard; we place great importance on reviewing feedback from both candidates and interviewers. This input is invaluable, and we conduct regular audits to ensure we’re making the best use of HackerRank, which fits seamlessly into our workflow thanks to the excellent collaboration with our Customer Success Manager (CSM) at HackerRank. This continuous feedback loop is vital, as it allows our recruitment process to evolve and adapt to the needs of our candidates and the internal teams using the platform.

For instance, sometimes interviewers might encounter a technical issue they need to troubleshoot shortly before an interview. We’ve taken such feedback seriously and ensured that internally, all our interviewers, especially for roles like associate software engineers, have the necessary resources. This includes having access to support contacts, help pages, and a detailed guide on troubleshooting—provided by our CSM at HackerRank—so that nobody feels unprepared or in a scramble right before an interview. This is just one way we’ve turned the feedback we’ve received into proactive steps to improve our process.

• How does Sprout Social create seamless interview and assessment experiences for tech candidates?

Central to our recruitment philosophy is a human-centric approach to hiring. Our priority is to keep candidates well-informed about their progress and set clear expectations at each stage to mitigate the stress typically associated with interviews. Crafting a comfortable and supportive environment is fundamental to our method. 

When it comes to our tech candidates, preparation is crucial. We provide them with detailed interview prep guides ahead of their face-to-face interviews, alongside a specially designed HackerRank new user guide. Our aim is to ensure candidates are well-acquainted with the platform, easing some of the inherent tension of job interviews. This dedication to a smooth experience is reinforced by our tech stack, which includes efficiency-enhancing tools like HackerRank, facilitating a streamlined journey through our recruitment process.

• What steps do you take to minimize bias and promote inclusivity in candidate interactions?

At Sprout, we’re deeply committed to nurturing a culture rich in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and this ethos is embedded right from our onboarding process. Every new Sprout employee is required to complete bias training, reinforcing our dedication to an inclusive workplace. Additionally, our interviewers and hiring managers undergo comprehensive interview training, which includes a focus on recognizing and addressing bias, before they conduct any interviews.

Our applicant tracking system (ATS) is instrumental in minimizing bias throughout the recruitment process. It’s designed with numerous features that act as proactive reminders and guides for DEI best practices during various recruitment stages, such as sourcing candidates, job creation, interviewing, referrals, and extending offers, ensuring we stay true to our values every step of the way.

Moreover, in partnership with our DEI team, we have initiatives that visibly affirm our commitment to DEI, prominently displayed on every user’s ATS portal interface. This reinforces our resolve to weave DEI into the very fabric of our organization. We also publish a DEI report and share it on our company website, offering more insights into our DEI efforts. 

• Could you share some innovative strategies Sprout Social employs to engage candidates, ensuring they have a positive experience regardless of the outcome?

We’ve focused on creating a holistic and engaging recruitment process by weaving our employee value proposition into various stages of recruitment. This includes unique initiatives like our engineering coffee chats, the candidate personas, DEI coffee chats, and proactive outreach from hiring managers. These efforts illustrate our distinctive approach to recruitment.

Our employee value proposition, “see work differently,” is a philosophy that permeates our culture. For example, we’ve established focus days and hours, recognizing the importance of uninterrupted time for deep work. During these periods, we avoid scheduling internal meetings, a practice that has significantly transformed our work dynamics.

For example, at Sprout Social, our EVP is ‘See Work Differently,’ and we’ve embraced creative methods to weave this into our processes. For instance, we focus on communicating both to our candidates and our internal engineering team the significant impact they can make at Sprout. We launched an initiative where we created a blog crafted by engineers for engineers, showcasing the engineering journey at Sprout. It features engaging stories like the progression of an entry-level engineer and insights from different CRG groups, such as women in tech or other underrepresented genders in tech, offering a glimpse into their experiences and growth within Sprout.

Recognizing the growing trend of remote and hybrid work models, Sprout fully embraces these for our distributed teams. We empower our employees to excel in environments where they feel most comfortable. Another aspect of how we “see work differently” is our robust culture of feedback, equipped with tools and training for both giving and receiving feedback. This culture promotes open communication in all directions – top-down, bottom-up, and peer-to-peer.

Specifically addressing our employee value proposition, our recruitment team collaborated with our brand creative and engineering enablement teams to develop a targeted marketing strategy. This strategy is centered around candidate personas – fictional profiles with distinct needs and traits. These personas guide our recruitment team, interviewers, and hiring managers, helping them understand candidates better and effectively communicate the benefits of joining Sprout.

These personas were meticulously developed by our brand creative researchers using key insights and data. We tested them with internal and external participants, gaining valuable insights into candidates’ motivations, preferred tools, and reasons for applying or not applying to a role.

At Sprout, we strive to empower candidates, ensuring they feel they’re evaluating us just as much as we’re assessing them. We aim for a mutually beneficial relationship, fostering a sense of enthusiasm and commitment towards joining our team. This approach significantly contributes to our success in attracting passionate candidates.

• Could you share examples of how AI has successfully improved the candidate experience and recruitment results?

The integration of AI has been a transformative force in recruitment, significantly enhancing and streamlining our processes. Recognizing its potential, we focused on making our recruitment team comfortable with this technology. To demystify AI and its role in recruitment, we conducted workshops and provided comprehensive resources. 

One significant application is using AI by our recruitment partners to generate Boolean strings for niche roles. This approach helps us extend our reach and build stronger candidate pipelines; AI can also help us optimize our messaging to fit within character limits without sacrificing key selling points. Embracing AI strategically has improved our efficiency and our ability to attract top-tier talent. Our goal with AI is to eliminate manual tasks, freeing us to be more creative and strategic where it matters most. This balance between AI efficiency and human creativity is where we’ve found great success.

• What advice would you give to other leaders aiming to improve their candidate experiences?

My primary advice for enhancing candidate experience revolves around the critical importance of active listening. Much like customer data is vital in sales, candidate feedback is crucial in recruitment. By quantifying and understanding what candidates say about our process, we gain valuable insights that allow us to make informed adjustments. In recruitment, every conversation and interaction serves as a significant data point. This information should guide leaders to make decisions that are not only informed but also data-driven.

Recognizing the diversity of candidate preferences, it’s essential to stay attuned to job market trends. Lastly, I believe that building a connection early in the recruitment process is fundamental. We view our company as a career destination, and this starts with aligning with candidates from the beginning. Tailoring our approach to resonate with candidates’ motivators and drivers ensures a more personalized and positive experience throughout their journey.

The post Optimizing Hiring Efficiency: Sprout Social’s Strategic Approach for a World Class Candidate Experience appeared first on HackerRank Blog.

In a world that’s swiftly embracing digital transformation, understanding the intertwined roles of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) is more crucial than ever. Recently, HackerRank spoke with Intuit’s Atticus Tysen to understand the pivotal role of AI in ensuring financial security and prosperity. 

Serving as the Chief Information Security Officer at Intuit, Atticus’ journey is an embodiment of evolution. Atticus is a trailblazer in the world of information security and technology. His journey from a software engineer working on collaboration and digital signature projects to the Vice President of Engineering at Aveo, Inc., and then transitioning to Intuit, where he has served in various leadership roles, is nothing short of inspiring.

At Intuit, Atticus has been at the vanguard of innovation, leading product development efforts for the company’s small business group and building a robust process to protect the company’s intellectual property. His current role as the Chief Information Security Officer sees him at the helm of information security, fraud prevention, and enterprise information technology, ensuring the safeguarding of information and enhancing technological advancements at Intuit.

Harishankaran K, co-founder and CTO of HackerRank, and Aadil Bandukwala, Senior Director of Marketing at HackerRank, hosted the discussion with Atticus.

Cybersecurity: Striking a Balance

While the AI boom promises transformation, the cost implications remain a concern. Atticus stressed that cybersecurity tools are investments. The rapid technological advancements mean that solutions can become outdated quickly. The emphasis should be on collaboration with visionary entities and prioritizing desired outcomes before contemplating costs.

Navigating the realm of AI in cybersecurity is like exploring unknown territories. The potential solutions AI offers come with the challenges of refining and perfecting them. The end goal is consistent: enhancing user experience without risking data integrity and security.

Hari highlighted the evolving intersection of AI and cybersecurity. With adversarial models rapidly evolving, firms must maintain a blend of basic defenses and creative solutions. Not every obstacle requires an AI solution; the emphasis should be on discerning where AI provides an evident advantage.

Generative AI: Unraveling the New Era

A highlight of the session was the exploration of Generative AI’s potential, especially in amplifying user experiences and crafting advanced financial solutions. Intuit, with its overarching mission of powering global prosperity, is at the forefront of integrating Generative AI into its core operations.

With offerings like Intuit Assist, the company blends AI-driven assistance with human touchpoints. This hybrid approach ensures users receive tailor-made solutions, resonating with their unique needs.

Atticus presented a vivid picture of the spectrum of AI’s capabilities. It’s not just about automating routine tasks. The future beckons a scenario where AI offers bespoke advice on intricate topics, whether it’s evaluating a business’s performance trajectory or strategizing for long-term financial goals.

Imagine a world where you could consult your AI tool about optimizing your child’s college fund or assessing the fiscal health of your startup. This is not science fiction but a tangible future, and companies like Intuit are pioneering this transition.

The Genesis of Intuit Assist: A Dive into the Conception of Generative AI

Generative AI, touted as a game-changer in the technological landscape, has garnered significant attention recently. The excitement surrounding its potential has spurred companies to dig deep, explore, and ultimately realize its capabilities. One such company that has stepped up to harness this power is Intuit, with its new AI product Intuit Assist

The Pillars of Intuit Assist’s AI Evolution 

Every innovation comes with its set of challenges. Building Intuit Assist was no exception. Atticus highlighted the multiple stages involved, each with its own intricacies:

1. Foundation with Gen OS: Recognizing the need for a safe, secure, and streamlined approach to AI, Intuit designed the Generative Operating System (Gen OS). It consists of:

• • Gen Studio: The sandbox for developers, where AI solutions are composed, experimented with, and developed.
  • Gen Runtime: The component responsible for executing the models and efficiently routing queries to the most appropriate large language models.
  • Gen UX: Ensuring a consistent and user-friendly interface, it streamlines the interaction between users and the AI solutions.

2. Strategic Development: Unlike the conventional development approach where stages are linear, Intuit had to be agile, addressing multiple facets simultaneously. The urgency to bring the product to market coupled with the evolving nature of AI demanded parallel development.
3. Holistic Approach: A unique element of Intuit’s strategy was its comprehensive approach. Rather than limiting the use of AI to a few experts, the goal was to democratize its access, enabling all developers within the organization to tap into its power. However, this democratization came with a mandate: every interaction needed to be safe and responsible.

Enhancing the User Experience

The goal of any product is to resonate with its end users. Intuit Assist aimed not only to assist with queries but also to proactively offer financial insights. The generative AI could note trends, such as a rise in quarterly expenses, and offer relevant advice. Such interactions have the potential to revolutionize the way users approach their financial decisions.

What’s Next With AI and Cybersecurity 

The session underscored the challenges that lay ahead. AI, as transformative as it is, is still in its nascent stages. There’s a long road ahead, filled with trials, errors, and innovations.

The journey of integrating AI into cybersecurity, and vice-versa, is akin to treading uncharted waters. While AI provides a plethora of solutions, the road to perfection will require continuous refinement. The end goal remains unaltered: ensuring a seamless customer experience without compromising on data protection and security.

In an era where data reigns supreme, its sanctity is paramount. The onus is on us to ensure that its protection isn’t an afterthought but a priority. As the curtain fell on the livestream, the sentiment echoed was one of hope and optimism. A future where AI doesn’t merely supplement cybersecurity but actively reshapes it is not far off. The wheels of innovation are already in motion. 

Building Momentum in Tech Development: Inside Intuit’s ‘War Room’ Strategy 

One of the main concerns is how developers could ensure a seamless experience for those integrating their tech stack. The feedback loop is essential, especially in understanding whether the User Experience (UX) aligns with the developer’s vision. 

Intuit, a global financial technology platform, offers an enlightening example. They understood the importance of moving fast and ensuring efficiency. Early on, they initiated a “war room” model—a daily gathering of tech heads to discuss and troubleshoot issues in real-time. This became a hub for discussing roadblocks—be it security reviews, performance, or missing features. Today, this has evolved into a bi-weekly meet, but the underlying objective remains—to tackle issues head-on and maintain the momentum.

HackerRank’s Influence in Identifying and Assessing the Technical Prowess of Candidates

Atticus discussed that one of the most significant impacts of platforms like HackerRank is their ability to mitigate biases. For a company like Intuit, it’s essential to recruit the best talent globally, irrespective of their background, as long as they’re the best fit for the role.

He discussed how platforms like HackerRank play a vital role by providing a standardized set of assessments and problems for aspirants to tackle. Such a systematic approach ensures that the evaluation of skills is done in an unbiased fashion. Drawing a parallel with the music industry, there are instances where musicians are placed behind screens during auditions. This ensures judgments are made based on the quality of music, not appearances. Similarly, HackerRank places the developer behind a virtual screen, enabling the assessment of actual work and output.

Using unbiased assessments allows Intuit to truly identify the best candidates without their inherent biases affecting the selection. Another advantage is the breadth and speed with which they can access a wide range of talent, allowing for quick identification of top talent.

Intuit also cultivates relationships with universities and collaborates with organizations like HackerRank. This helps them grasp the emerging trends in the industry. Moreover, they pay keen attention to fresh graduates or “freshers” since these individuals bring the latest knowledge from academia. Intuit’s robust intern program globally ensures that they continually learn and adapt to the newest tech trends.

Another way Intuit remains updated is by observing how platforms like HackerRank evolve, noting new problems introduced for developers to solve, and garnering feedback from the developer community. This feedback loop provides invaluable insights to Intuit as they shape their recruitment strategies.

Building an Agile Culture

Intuit takes pride in its agile culture. They have systems in place to unblock issues quickly. There’s an escalation protocol—if a challenge isn’t resolved within a specific timeframe, it’s elevated to higher authority. This goes up to the CTO level, ensuring problems don’t linger for long. This agile model not only enhances productivity but also boosts developers’ morale.

Atticus also emphasized that developers are vocal when facing challenges. The company encourages this transparency and sees it as their responsibility to ensure a roadblock-free environment.

The Future for Early Talent Freshers in Cybersecurity

For those just entering the field, it’s an exciting time. The key skills to focus on include continuous learning and the ability to adapt to rapid changes. Being inquisitive and staying updated on technology trends can make a marked difference. 

Hari highlighted the difference between theoretical knowledge and real-world applications, especially in cybersecurity. Freshers should seek opportunities to rotate through different areas of cybersecurity to get a holistic understanding.

In Conclusion

The session underscored the symbiotic relationship between AI and cybersecurity. With threats becoming more complex, the tools to combat them also need to evolve. The discussion reiterated that while AI offers numerous solutions, the journey is ongoing. We must continue to refine our strategies, always keeping the end customer’s experience at the forefront.

To watch the recording of the webinar and learn more about Cybersecurity and AI, visit here.

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