How to Freaking Find Great Developers By Having Them Read Code
tl;dr: Typical white-boarding interviews are suboptimal. A better method is to have "the candidate read existing code and talk about what it does and how it works." Reading code is: (1) Probably 95% of what a developer does in their job. (2) Way more efficient than writing. (3) Puts the candidates at ease compared to writing code. The author shows us how to put this is into practice.featured in #309
5 Coding Interview Questions I Hate
- Vladimir Klepov tl;dr: Questions include: (1) What happens if you build a circular prototype chain? (2) How to migrate from webpack 3 to webpack 5? (3) What’s the fastest way to convert a string to number? And more.featured in #303
Developing A Values Interview Question
- Jacob Kaplan-Moss tl;dr: A company’s core values are important to consider when hiring but, how do you develop an interview question that measures those values? Jacob outlines 3 things: (1) Describe how the value influences action. (2) Figure out what behaviors are behind the value. (3) Find a situation where this value would influence behavior.featured in #288
More Follow-Up On The Tech Hiring Market
- Gergely Orosz tl;dr: Gergely looks at 30+ compensation related data points to see how companies, across different regions, are adjusting to the rapidly changing hiring market. His advice: "if your company has not yet made off-cycle compensation changes, you’ll likely have to make a case for a larger than usual raise for the new year. Start engaging your leadership now."featured in #271
My Lessons From Interviewing 400+ Engineers Over Three Startups
- Marco Rogers tl;dr: 3 harmful startup hiring mistakes: (1) Hiring for specifics skills vs understanding you may not know what you need. (2) Prioritizing technical over soft skills i.e. lack of ego, communication, adaptability, cross-functional collaboration. (3) Lack of thoroughness & consistency in the process. Marco also discusses steps to make interviewing a critical business strategy.featured in #268
Learn To Hire Well And You’ll Never Lose
- Hunter Walk tl;dr: 3 tips: (1) Know what excellent looks like - if you don't know what an excellent marketer looks like, spend time with a few who excel in their domain. (2) Ask candidates who reject you to name names i.e. people in their network who could fill the role. (3) Sell past the close, in case the candidate gets a counter offer from their current employer, etc..featured in #263
Engineering Teams Are Just Networks
- Marianne Bellotti tl;dr: "If you want to hire well, have modest baseline of minimum qualifications and think of your engineering organization as a network." Marianne illustrates why this is critical: people do not work out in their new roles "because their strengths do not align with the incentives the network creates."featured in #257
Talent Development Is Key To Winning The War For Talent
tl;dr: "One of the key solutions is talent development programs, of which the reasons are twofold: First, by shifting talent development programs into a recruiting tool, employers can attract better and more applicants. Second, turning talent development programs into a focused pipeline can address roles that are at high risk for talent shortages in the future."featured in #255
‘Great Attrition’ Or ‘Great Attraction’? The Choice Is Yours
tl;dr: This article highlights factors important to employees but under-appreciated by employers e.g. flexible schedule, sense of belonging. It also prompts companies to reframe attrition as an opportunity to attract talent. This starts with asking 7 key questions e.g. do we shelter toxic leaders? Do we have the right people in the right places (especially managers)?featured in #253
Closing Calls: Tell The Best Version Of The Truth
- Will Larson tl;dr: Most hiring funnels miss a closing call and the end of the hiring process. This is 2 steps: (1) Ask for the candidates concerns. (2) Answer them by telling the best version of the truth. "The artistry of the closing call is finding the most compelling path between their starting concerns and accepting your offer. Infrequently... you’ll come to realize that the role really doesn’t give the candidate what they’re looking for. It’s far better to realize now than after they’ve joined."featured in #251