With the introduction of new tools and technologies, the demand for software developers and engineers is at its peak. Undoubtedly, there is no shortage of technical talent in the world.

Today, more and more companies are leveraging modern technologies and tools such as websites and mobile apps. So, it has become crucial to hire the right developer for the organization.

But how to assess a developer’s technical skills?

This is the most common question that spins around in the mind of tech recruiters and recruiters with the least experience in hiring a technical team. Choosing the right candidate from a vast talent pool can be challenging, but it becomes easy when coding assessments come into play.

A coding assessment is a test that is conducted to assess the candidate’s technical skills. In a coding test, recruiters prepare a set of predetermined questions before an interview, asking every candidate.

These questions can vary based on a particular job profile. For example, suppose if the job vacancy is for a web developer. In that case, you can ask questions related to web designing and development or give them a real-life situation to solve an issue or write a particular set of code.

A coding assessment can help recruiters to assess 100+ candidates effectively as it uses an auto-grading system. This grading can help recruiters determine who has passed the exam and how they have to proceed on the next step of the recruitment process.

Today, every organization, no matter the size is, must conduct a technical screening to screen the applicants and filter out the best candidates.

So now that you have complete details of what a coding test is, you might question how to conduct a coding test that also enhances the candidate experience. If yes, then we’ve got you covered. Here are some of the best practices to conduct a coding assessment for tech candidates:

Don’t Put Candidates Under Stress

A coding assessment should be simple. Don’t use complex tools to conduct the test as candidates, who have never used it before, will find it difficult to operate the tool.

To improve the candidate experience, you must focus on helping the candidates feel comfortable in a coding interview. Also, your coding test should be less than 40 minutes. Too lengthy coding tests can make candidates step out of the hiring process.

Provide A Shared Code Editor With Syntax Highlighting

As the online coding interview is all about assessing the candidate’s technical skills, you should use a tool that provides a shared code editor functionality with syntax highlighting. Your candidates can easily highlight their experience with your data structures and algorithms and write the code in real-time with these features.

For example, you can use Intervue, which is the best coding assessment tool and offers code editor and code execution features, with integrated audio and video calling functionality.

Be Prepared In Advance

You don’t want your candidates to fail in the coding assessment because you have asked them irrelevant questions. Don’t be that interviewer. Instead, prepare a set of predetermined questions before an interview relevant to the job position you’re hiring. For example, you shouldn’t end up asking questions related to web development to an iOS developer.

Always Welcome Candidate’s Feedback

A candidate’s feedback is the most precious thing which can help you improve your existing recruiting process. You can ask them about how their experience was in the coding assessment and overall recruiting process.

By making some relevant changes in the recruitment process, you can improve the candidate experience, and at the same time, develop a positive employer brand on different review websites.

Reduce Cost Per Hire

With modern tools and technologies, you can conduct a coding assessment online, no matter the candidate’s location. Today, remote hiring is unusual, and it can help you streamline the remote hiring process, leading to considerable reductions in the cost.

Evaluate The Candidate Easily

Judging a candidate based on a wordy resume is not worth it. It can negatively impact your overall business productivity. To properly assess the candidate’s coding skills and determine whether he or she is the right fit or not. Also, you can get a deep insight into how much time is taken by a candidate to solve a particular set of questions.

Evaluate A Large Number Of Talent Pool In Minutes

In the hiring process, you may have to test a large number of candidates. It may not be the most practical to perform these tests offline.

But by conducting coding assessments online, you can test a large number of candidates in minutes. As a result, you are speeding up your recruitment process and finding the right talent for your organization quickly.

If you conduct the wrong coding assessment test for unsuitable candidates, you will hire the wrong person for a particular job profile. But before that, the candidate won’t be able to pass the coding assessment.

For example, the rejection ratio will reach its height when you conduct a coding test for a junior web developer, which is meant for a senior web developer. In this case, most candidates won’t pass the exam, hence wasting a developer’s time.

What will be the consequences?

• High Rejection Ratio: Conducting an irrelevant test for developers can waste developers’ precious time as no one can pass the exam.
• A Permanently Vacant Position: As no one will pass the exam, you won’t be able to move forward with the application in the next recruiting process. As a result, it can hinder your company’s growth.
• Hire The Wrong Candidate: One wrong hire can hurt the overall productivity of the business. Also, it can cost your organization a lot in terms of resources as well as time.

To sum it up, technical screening offers several benefits to businesses, but it can affect the company’s growth if implemented in the wrong manner. Every organization must conduct a tech-friendly coding interview, which is relevant, to make sure you’re asking the right questions to the right candidate. It will not help you find the right talent but also develops a positive employer brand.

Conducting a coding test might sound complicated, but there is nothing to be scared of. It’s as simple as putting yourself in a developer’s shoes by practicing the right strategies.