9 Things That Turn Off Software Engineering Candidates

Technical hiring is hard.

I’m here to share some things that I noticed software engineers don’t like in the technical hiring process. I’ve been in the industry for 15 years and have gathered plenty of insights from software engineers all over the world, and surprisingly, there’s a lot of commonality. Here are some of the biggest mistakes that companies make that result in a bad candidate experience at the screening interview phase.

Let’s get right into it.

1. Customize “hard skill” code assessments to the level of the role

Don’t send a basic level code assessment to a senior candidate. Just like anyone who has tons of experience, they want to have the opportunity to crush a task that is on the edge of their skills—something that’s challenging. Bonus points if you find a task that properly assesses the software engineering candidate without involving too much of their time.

I’d like to back-track and encourage you to think about whether a code assessment is needed for the candidate at all. You are actually risking a lot when you assume a code assessment is needed as a next step—software engineering candidates can decide not to follow up because other companies will simply not require this for senior candidates. I’ve found that attending a live coding assessment with the team that you’d be working with is far more valuable.

2. Tailor your process to the type of software engineer

There are multiple software engineering roles and thus multiple methods of code testing each candidate. All software engineering roles have distinguishable differences, here are some of the big ones:

• DevOps developers work with software engineers, system operators (SysOps), and other production IT staff to oversee code releases.
• Frontend developers architect and develop user-facing code for websites and applications using three main languages: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Backend developers build and maintain the technology like the server and database that powers the user-facing side of the website.
• Full stack web developers handle everything from user interface to backend systems.
• Mobile developers specialize in writing software for mobile devices like iPhone and Android.

I recently talked with a front-end developer who verbalized his frustrations around having to implement quicksort algorithm as a recruitment task—something he felt was unrelated to showcasing his full capabilities and skillset. The main point is—a “one size fits all” approach doesn’t work. Choose a code assessment that’s appropriate for the candidate’s role.

3. Give feedback, even if it’s an early stage

Hiring teams rarely give enough feedback to candidates especially in the code testing phase, and if they do, it’s for candidates who make it to later stages of the hiring process. Data from our recent Developer Report suggest there is more work to be done to deliver an optimal candidate experience. Candidates are still being “ghosted” and given irrelevant code assessments. If your software engineers don’t have time to give feedback to each software engineer applying for the role, consider using an automatic tool that streamlines giving feedback especially after code testing is complete.

Here’s a clip from a recent webinar that sums up this point nicely:

4. Fine-tune the level of difficulty in code assessments

Unless you’re organizing the International Olympiad in Informatics, avoid tasks that are knowingly too difficult for your candidate when code testing them. Task levels are subjective anyways. For some of you, it’s really a matter of filtering out the weakest candidates. Others may want an additional signal that can be cited during the screening interview. For example, it makes more sense to ask senior software engineers about real-life problems in a collaborative environment. The way you initiate your code assessments will have a lasting impact on the candidate experience.

Look for contextual data to help with your decision. Deploy an internal code assessment to your engineering team and see how they score. Ask for their feedback and determine the task difficulty based on research. Is your task supposed to be easy? If so, then about 50% of candidates should score at least 90%. Thresholds will differ based on the level of difficulty.

5. Don’t assume a candidate will accept your offer

I went in for an interview once and everyone treated me like I was already an employee. While it was nice to feel included, they were pushing way too hard. It’s normal to have to compete for talent—there are plenty of impressive teams out there so remember you’re not the only company that a candidate might be talking to. Stay humble to ensure a positive candidate experience.

6. Beware of putting your engineering team on a pedestal

While it’s good to be confident in your engineering team, too much of it can come off as arrogant. Avoid planting a seed in the candidate’s head that they aren’t good enough to be on your engineering team. Rather, look for ways to ensure their position as an equal. Placing people on a pedestal will only create an inferior/superior relationship dynamic—a major setback in encouraging collaboration.

7. Be authentic and don’t overdo it on the “small talk”

Steer clear of using too many buzzwords especially during the screening interivew. Focus on having a real conversation that has depth to it. Sometimes simple is better.

Don’t waste time talking about random things for long periods of time. A little small talk is fine so long as it’s important to the candidate. For example, it might be worth taking a few minutes to talk about shared experiences and similarities.

8. Try not to have software engineers interview with non-technical folks pretending to be well-versed

Candidates see right through it. It’s also not a strong filter to distinguish between good and great candidates. A software engineer once bragged to me about how he fooled a recruiter into thinking he’s programming in Dumbledore language. If you’re needing to have non-technical recruiters hire technical roles, make sure they are equipped with the right tools that they need to be successful.

9. Be transparent about what the process looks like and don’t let interviews drag on

Try to shorten your process as much as possible without compromising the quality of your candidates. If you’re telling a candidate that you need seven separate rounds of interviews and that it will take several months, how do you expect them to respond? The minute I hear this I’m out. Sometimes consolidating interviews and scheduling all of them within the same day is the best option. Most importantly, communicate the process to your candidate in a clear and honest way.

To sum it up…

By avoiding some of the mistakes mentioned above, you can plan to deliver the best possible candidate experience for your pool of talent and avoid complaints about your code assessments like this one:

*Posted by a software engineer on Twitter.

The technical hiring process should be streamlined but informative. Communicate with the candidate each step of the way starting with the screening interview and ending with follow-ups after every step. If helpful, start by asking yourself these questions:

• What are the different stages of the technical hiring process?
• Who are the core people that the candidate should speak to?
• What are your key talking points for discussion?
• How are you scoring candidates?

For more information on how to improve your technical hiring capabilities, visit our Knowledge Hub.