Sarah James
30th November 2021
Prospective Engineers often face a challenge when it comes to preparing for the technical interview, mainly because there is no playbook for how companies set them up to be technical.
Inconsistencies in the technical interview process aren’t just a candidate problem. Many companies struggle to set up a technical interview process that is effective, equitable and allows the hiring manager to compare candidates.
I recently researched what modern and dynamic Engineers want from a technical interview. I surveyed 250 across the engineering marketing in Berlin, and the results were slightly unpredictable.
(Image: Linkedin, 2021)
21% of the 250 surveyed said they preferred live coding challenges. Live coding has always been a prevalent method with my clients, as they are designed to assess proficiency and problem-solving skills in real-time. However, some Engineers mentioned some live coding could be too high pressured and often that they don’t do well in this kind of environment so if this wasn’t what was needed for the role could be a little impractical and unnecessary.
With the impacts of the global pandemic, virtual hiring and onboarding have become the norm and offering home-working and flexibility has now become a necessity to many Engineers. So, it was no surprise that 37% of the 250 engineers voted responded with an at-home challenge. But this doesn’t come without its problems either as when Engineers are actively applying for roles, they could have anywhere between 5-10 challenges at any one time, taking 2-5 hours per challenge. Those with busy schedules either with work or family commitments just simply didn’t have the time to complete all of them and had to prioritise which of the challenges to do. With this in mind, this could leave companies at a disadvantage as if Engineers are simply deciding not to complete the challenge companies are potentially missing out on strong talent just because the brand isn’t as well known and they have a time committing coding challenges.
Interestingly reviewing existing code (16%) was the least popular preference, many Engineers mentioning they don’t always have public projects to share. Whereas 26% thought the best option was no challenge at all stating technical questions and discussions around approaching problems were the best way to assess whether a candidate can solve problems compatible with the company culture.
I speak to a diverse range of talent within the engineering market daily and it seems there isn’t a one size fits all solution. Each person has their preference depending on their current lifestyle and time commitments.
So how do you as a company ensure you keep this process as diverse as possible and not miss out on talented Engineers?
One option could be to give them the choice. I understand this depends on the type of work they are doing but if this could be tested in more than one way why not offer this option?
By offering the flexibility for a live coding option or an at-home challenge or even a discussion around an existing project, you are essentially pleasing everyone.
I have worked with many of my clients to implement this method successfully and it has been well received when talking with potential candidates. Offering the flexibility not only ensures you don’t miss out on exceptional candidates but it’s also a snapshot into how you work as a company and helps you to hire a more diverse team.
Essentially, it’s a technical interview to assess their technical ability and knowledge required for the organisation’s role, project, and vision. So, leaving it open to preference from candidates could leave an opportunity for them to show you their full potential in the way they feel most comfortable.