About 80% of job applicants exaggerate their abilities on resumes, and nearly half of recent jobseekers lie about their AI capabilities. So, it looks a bit risky to conduct a tech job interview without a technical skill assessment, relying solely on theoretical knowledge or basic resume credentials.
To save time for technical skills performance review, a company can turn to IT recruitment services. Agencies providing such services can shortlist only top candidates who have already been tested on essential hard and soft skills. As for the unique technical skills relevant to your project, nobody can prioritize them better than you. Whether you hire yourself or through an agency, this short guide will help you get the team you want.
Guide on Conducting a Technical Skill Assessment
Step 1: Defining the Core Competencies You Need
Are you hiring a software engineer? A cloud architect? Or perhaps a data scientist? Each of these roles demands a different technical skill set.
For example:
- Software Engineers may need a deep understanding of languages like Python, Java, or C++, along with knowledge of algorithms and data structures.
- Cloud Architects must be proficient in AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, and be able to design scalable cloud solutions.
- Data Scientists should know Python or R, have a strong grasp of machine learning algorithms, and be able to handle large datasets with ease.
By identifying the specific skills your business requires, you can focus your technical skills performance review on what truly matters.
Step 2: Coding Challenges and Practical Assessments
Coding challenges can range from simple algorithmic problems to more complex, real-world scenarios the candidate might encounter on the job.
Live Coding Interviews. This is often the go-to method for testing a candidate’s real-time problem-solving abilities. During live coding interviews, candidates are presented with a coding task and are asked to solve it while explaining their thought process. It’d be great if you provide a challenge relevant to the role. For example, if you’re hiring a front-end developer, a challenge that tests knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript frameworks would be more effective than a generic algorithm problem.
Take-home Assignments. In some cases, giving candidates a take-home assignment is a better option, as it allows them more time to think through their solution without the pressure of real-time assessment. Take-home tests can simulate the kinds of tasks a candidate would perform daily, providing a more accurate picture of how they approach work.
Be cautious, though. Excessively long take-home assignments could deter top candidates, as they often have multiple job opportunities and limited time.
Step 3: Hands-on Technical Projects and Simulations
When it comes to higher-level roles, especially for positions like software architects or senior engineers, it’s often more beneficial to simulate real-world problems. You can assign a hands-on technical project that mirrors the type of work they’ll be doing. These simulations provide valuable insight into how well a candidate understands the bigger picture, including scalability, system efficiency, and their ability to balance multiple technical constraints.
Moreover, these hands-on assessments help gauge how a candidate thinks critically, collaborates, and reacts to unforeseen challenges, which are essential traits for senior positions.
Step 4: Pair Programming and Collaboration
Another kind of technical skill assessment, especially for developers, is pair programming. In this scenario, the candidate works with an existing team member on a coding task. Pair programming helps reveal how a candidate approaches feedback, handles suggestions, and whether they can work harmoniously within a team setting.
Step 5: In-Depth Technical Interviews
If you go for in-depth technical interviews, forget about trivia-style question. Such interviews should focus on how candidates think and solve complex problems. For example, a software engineer could be asked to discuss how they would handle database optimization or code scalability under certain constraints. And it’s a good idea to ask your candidates about recent projects or technologies they’ve explored can give you a glimpse into their learning capabilities — a crucial trait in a fast-evolving field like tech.
Step 6: Behavioral Interviews for Evaluating Soft Skills
Incorporating behavioral interview questions into a technical skills performance review can help you assess whether a candidate can communicate effectively, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and handle the pressure of tight deadlines. Some helpful behavioral questions include:
- Tell me about a time you faced a technical challenge. How did you overcome it?
- How do you approach a project when you don’t have all the necessary information?
- Can you share an example of explaining a technical issue to a non-technical colleague?
Step 7: Leveraging Technical Assessment Tools
Modern technology has introduced a range of tools that help employers assess candidates’ technical abilities. Platforms like HackerRank, Codility, and LeetCode allow you to automate coding challenges, while other tools like Kaggle are great for data science roles. These platforms can provide benchmark data, allowing you to compare candidates’ performance to the broader talent pool and make more data-driven decisions.
6 Fatal Mistakes in Organizing Tech Interviews
From the how-tos, we are moving to the no-go guide. Here are the 6 strategies you’d better avoid during technical skills testing (if you don’t want to lose top performers, of course).
- Not providing enough context. Failing to give candidates adequate context for questions can lead to misunderstandings. Candidates need to know how questions relate to the job to respond effectively.
- Rushing through the interview. Companies that hurry through interviews may miss out on valuable insights. Give candidates enough time to think and respond.
- Failing to build rapport. Not engaging with candidates or making an effort to build rapport can create a cold atmosphere, leading to a less effective interview experience.
- Not listening actively. Interviewers who dominate the conversation or fail to listen miss critical information about the candidate’s qualifications and thought processes.
- Making assumptions about candidates. Companies often enter interviews with preconceived notions about candidates based on resumes alone, which can lead to biased assessments.
- Overcomplicating questions. Some companies ask overly complex or vague questions that confuse candidates, rather than allowing them to demonstrate their skills effectively.
- Failing to follow up after interviews. Not communicating with candidates post-interview can leave them feeling undervalued and may damage the company’s reputation in the job market.
Take this checklist into consideration and start building a great tech team!
