This document discusses better ways for companies to assess developer candidates. It argues that resumes, GitHub profiles, and take-home projects are not very accurate or efficient ways to evaluate candidates. Instead, it recommends a data science-inspired process that first screens for basic skills, then invites qualified candidates to a "trial day" where their competence and culture fit can be thoroughly evaluated in a realistic work environment. The document also pitches TestDome as a tool that can help companies test candidates' programming skills in an automated, time-bound, and relevant way to efficiently screen for sufficient ability before advancing them to later stages.

1. Hiring developers demystified
Mario Živić

2. Candidate's perspective
How do I prove I'm good,
without any effort?

3. I have a CS degree!
● Would you hire all your classmates from your university?
● 50% of professional developers don't have a CS degree.
● Self-learning and on-the-job learning are the main ways developers acquire
knowledge and skills.

4. Here is my resume!
● Who has the best resumes? Marketing and sales people.
● Who has even better resumes? People who lie.
○ 100% of resumes don't say anything negative about a candidate.
○ 80% of resumes contain misleading statements (exaggerating one's impact),
○ 50% contain actual lies (90% in case of college students).
○ Former Yahoo CEO was fired due to lying about having CS degree.
○ Result: Recruiters and managers reduce what you claim by 30%
● Who will read your resume?
○ ATSes prefer long keyword-rich resumes.
○ Humans prefer short resumes with their favourite sections and format.
■ 30% of recruiters will reject a resume that doesn’t include a list-of-skills section

5. Look at my GitHub!
● How many of you have an active public GitHub profile?
● How many of you have your best work on your public GitHub profile?
● If it's a group project how do I find your most important contribution?

7. There's no easy way...

8. Company's perspective
How do we assess candidates,
cheaply?

9. ● CS degree is only 3rd most common source of knowledge for developers.
● 50% of developers don't even have a CS degree.
● CS degree is definitely a positive signal but not a good standalone filter.
● The Thiel Fellowship gives $100,000 to young people who want to build new
things instead of sitting in a classroom.
We hire only candidates with a CS degree.

11. We only hire candidates experienced with our stack.
● What kind of experience?
○ More and more complex stuff over 3 years?
○ Or same stuff over and over again for 10 years?
● How much of experience?
○ Research says that after 6-12m there is no correlation between years of experience and skill
level. You either got it or you won't!
● Are you one of those looking for 20yr olds with 20yrs of professional
experience? :)

13. We only hire candidates
with strong GitHub profile.

15. We give them a project to do at home.
● Majority of good developers already have good jobs.
● What you actually test their motivation but a bit too early in the process.
● By giving a sample of actual work you risk that candidates will interpret that
as doing the work for you free-of-charge.
○ There are stories in design space where a candidate doesn't get a job but their idea presented
on interview magically comes to life.

16. There's no cheap nor easy
way...

17. A better way
Data science style *
* http://firstround.com/review/how-to-consistently-hire-remarkable-data-scientists/

18. Goals
● Accurate and reliable
○ Best candidates* should always come out at the top.
● Results with offer acceptance
○ Selected candidate will accept the offer.
● Efficient
○ Companies should not spend too much time and money on candidates they consider.
○ Candidates should not spend a lot of time on companies they consider.
* Definition of best candidates is specific from case to case

19. Accuracy Efficiency
Cost to
company
Cost to
candidate
Resume Low Any Low Low
GitHub
Low
(false-negatives)
High Moderate Low
Project High High Moderate High
Interview
Moderate-High
(subjective)
Any Moderate-High Moderate-High
GMA test
High
(legal issues)
High Low-Moderate Moderate
Work-sample
test
High High Low-Moderate Moderate
Selection methods

20. Process

21. 1.Check for a pulse,
and an e-mail address

22. 2.Test for sufficient skill

23. 3.Convince them to
come to the ‘trial day’

24. 4.Test competence in a
realistic, controlled
environment and
evaluate culture

25. 5.Make a quick and
definitive decision

26. 6.Follow up with every
trial day candidate

27. How can TestDome help?

28. Place to test candidates for
sufficient programming skill

30. Our tests
● Time bound
○ Typical tests are 30-90 min long.
● Relevant
○ Our questions are samples of the actual work candidates will face in their job.
● Self-explanatory
○ Minimizing need for questions and clarifications.
● Automated
○ Candidates get immediate feedback on their solution attempts.
○ Companies get immediate feedback as soon as candidate completes the test.

32. Isn't this better?

33. You need advice/mentor?
Željko Švedić
zeljko@svedic.org