Track #1

Module #1
Setting Up The Recruitment Process
 Steps in Setting Up The Recruitment Process

Assess the culture of the Create ideal candidate

Update yourself with the basics
organisation personas / profiles
of tech you are hiring for

Identify and setup assessment tests

Qualify Your Resume Search
based on the skill sets needed
Update yourself with
the basics of tech you
are hiring for
Keeping yourself abreast of tech concepts & terminologies and
latest industry developments are imperative. It is equally
essential to find oneself self-sufficient while answering
questions like…

“What is the difference between a full-stack framework

and a micro-framework?
OR
“What is the difference between Ruby and
Ruby-on-Rails?”
This will help you...

● Deeply understand the role you are sourcing for.

● Establish your own credibility with the candidates.
● Help you communicate effectively better during the
interviews.
● Improve your relationship with hiring managers.
● Helps with career progression
Source Code: Framework:

● Every computer program is written in a ● A standard way to build and deploy

programming language, which includes text applications, a set of predefined solutions to
in the form of variable declarations, build softwares and products.
instructions, functions, etc., called as Source
Code.

Front-End Developer: UI Designer:

● A programmer who focuses on developing ● A UI Designer is someone who focuses on

user interfaces of websites and applications designing interface in software or computerized
using web technologies. devices with a strong focus on looks and style,
helping to create an easy to use user experience.

System Administrator:

● Responsible for smooth operations and proper maintenance of the computer systems of the
organization.
UX Designer: Back-End Developer:

● A UX Designer uses aspects of branding, ● He focuses on the source code to help

design, usability and function to deliver a applications and website run smoothly.
meaningful and relevant user experience for
different applications and softwares.

Mean-Stack Developer: Full-Stack Developer:

● A developer who has to be adept at ● A developer who delivers a finished product by

Javascript (one of the computer languages) working with both back-end and front-end
and works with both front-end and technologies.
back-end technologies.

Database:

● An easily managed, well organised way to store everything data of a web application, website or
mobile application.
API: SaaS:

● A set of definitions, protocols and practices ● Software as a Service, is a model in which

for developers to interact with the customers can enjoy the software without
applications. having to worry about development,
deployment, license fees, maintenance,
support, etc.

DevOps: Site Reliability Engineer:

● A combination of two words (development & ● A person who develops, maintains and
operations), is a process to enhance speedy operates the software. He has to look out for
delivery of the final product, increasingly any emerging complex systems.
being adopted by the technical community.
Different developers use different
computer languages to design a
program. Here’s a list of all the
common languages that you
should be aware of as a technical
recruiter.
Understand Your Company’s Tech stack, the
combination of all the programming languages,
frameworks, servers, tools, softwares etc. used
by the developers in your organisation to build
the finished product.
Understanding tech stack helps you...

● Know your company’s product inside out.

● Ask relevant and to-the-point questions
when sourcing your hires.
● Answer the confidently and reliably the
questions candidates might ask you
during the interview processes.
Assess the Culture of
the Organisation
Organizational Culture is...

● Morals, values, beliefs and the mission that govern

people’s behaviour.

It Helps..

● Give an identity to the organisation.

● Brings all the employees on a common platform.
● Ensures everyone is working towards achieving the
same vision.
Find the best culture fit, based on candidate’s...

Personality Interests

Strengths Working Styles

Benefits of Hiring for Culture Fit:
● Better work environment: With the positive energy that flows
in an organisation, if the employees feel aligned to the overall
work culture, there exists a conducive working environment too.
● Reduced employee turnover: A pleasant work environment is
most likely to translate into reduced employee turnover and
better retention rates.
● Better customer service: Every department is committed
towards performing to their fullest, leading to a good customer
experience.
And, Further Leads To...
● Higher job satisfaction: The overall feel-good factor leads to
higher job satisfaction levels.
● Lowered stress levels: A good work culture which employees
identify with is equal to reaching goals on time and less stress.
● Loyal & Dedicated employees: You know you have a loyal and
dedicated team if the deadlines are being met, quality is
adhered to and all the stakeholders are happy.
A company’s culture is reflected in the way
people interact with one another, the
values upon which the organisation is built
and the different belief systems that have
become the way of everyday life of the
people that work there. To understand your
own company culture, you need to dust off
a few facts and figures, which will help you
see the bigger picture.
To Best Determine Company Culture to Empower
Hiring, You Need to Understand...
● The programming practices
○ How developers are assigned tasks, what is the reporting
structure, what is the maximum duration for a given project that
can be allotted, etc.
● How different engineering teams are structured?
○ How many such teams are there?
○ What is the composition of such teams with respect to
demography, work hours etc.
● Age of your organisation:
○ When was the organisation founded?
● Who is the end customer of the product?
○ Who are the final customers? Are they satisfied with the
product? How can the different teams work together to
enhance the product?
● Founder’s personality:
○ Do they interact with the employees?
○ Are they invested and aligned with the company’s vision?
○ Does it reflect in their personality and are employees able to
take positive cues from them?
● Hiring manager’s personality:
○ Are they making correct hiring decisions?
○ Do they have a standard procedure in place when it comes
to hiring?
● Working hours:
○ Are working hours in line with the labour laws?
○ Do employees enjoy working in the company?
● Decorum and code of conduct to be followed:
○ Are the rules and regulations laid down being adhered to?
○ Are there slight deviations or many?
● Dress Code / Attire:
○ Is there a strict policy for dress code or is it lenient?
● Company’s Growth Timeline:
○ Has the company shown good track record as far as growth
numbers are concerned?
○ Are things on track as per the projections?
● Company Product:
○ Do you understand the final product of the company, which
can be an application, a software, a website etc?
● Company’s Mission & Vision:
○ Do employees clearly understand company’s mission and
vision statement and then make day-to-day decisions or
interact with clients?
Create Ideal
Candidate Character
One of the critical factors in getting job applications is posting
job descriptions. However, you must ensure that the
description is targeted to the right candidate?

The best way to achieve this is to first build a “Candidate

Character”.
What is ‘Candidate Character’?

● A semi-fictional representation of your ideal

candidate.
● A composite sketch of a key segment of your
candidate pool.
● Defines the characteristics, skills and traits of your
perfect hire.
Candidate character helps you...
● Devise your sourcing strategy to focus on the right candidates
● Get a deeper understanding of requirement from various
stakeholders
● Prepare targeted job description, introductory materials, emails,
etc. to get more applicants
● Identify the best recruiting channels for your target candidates
3 Steps to Creating Candidate Character...

Research Identifying Trends Character Stories

Candidate characters should be based on
thorough industry research and not just
gut feel.
Whom to include in your research for a
well-crafted candidate character...

Employees Major Stakeholders Candidates

When including Employees...

Interview existing team members to understand the following:

● What motivates them?

○ Why did they apply to your company and what keeps them going?
● What are their work-related goals?
○ Where do they see themselves after a few years in the organisation?
○ What are their personal goals like marriage, mortgage, children’s education etc.
● What are their interests?
○ What and why they like to read anything particular?
○ Where do they spend their time online?
● The Company Culture & their Skills..
○ Do they like the company culture? If yes, what about it?
○ What skills help them succeed in the job?
When including Stakeholders...
Involve the hiring managers, recruiters, sourcers and interviewers by asking about...

● Job Title:
○ Growth hacker, growth ninja, customer acquisition manager are all different names for the
same job title. Zero down on a job title which is also SEO friendly.
● Where do they work:
○ Consult hiring team for a list of companies they may be eyeing to source the next hires.
● Experience:
○ What level of experience is required? Is sector experience necessary? Does a lack of
experience disqualify someone or is it just a guideline?
● Demographics:
○ Do candidates need to belong to a certain location? Are you looking for candidates from a
certain background... programmer, developer, etc? Are there any specific universities that need
to be targeted?
● Current interactions with the candidates:
○ Where is the team finding these candidates right now? LinkedIn, Twitter, other online forums,
etc.? Is the strategy working?
When including Candidates...
Right from unsuccessful applicants, to prospects, to candidates currently in your hiring
process, asking questions related to candidate persona help because:

● They are the people interested in your employer brand

● They are a great source of insight
● Previously collected data can be biased, as it is entirely from company’s perspective

Ask them, the same questions that you asked your employees for drawing up a quick
comparison, and improving your candidate persona.
Identifying the industry trends helps to spot the commonalities in
requirements for different roles.

● For example, trend for a sales and marketing professional

would be – incredibly driven and belonging to Ivy League
background.

Such identification helps shortlist the key qualities required in a

candidate and helps build a complete character.
Creating Character Stories will help put all the
research in one place to create a handy 360-degree
view of the ideal candidate you are looking for and
help the team target candidates effectively.
Candidate Character Story Example

UX Designer Neha
Background: Watering Holes:

● BSc in Design from a top tier school ● Industry related websites

Roles & Experience: Cultural Characteristics:

● 3 years experience ● Solution oriented and always on the lookout to

● Preferably worked at one of our competitors improve experience
/ leading IT services company ● Updated with latest trends

Skills: Goals:

● Project management and research ● Fast career growth

● HTML/CSS ● Learning opportunities

Interests: Objections:

● Arts ● Prefers less interaction

● Sports ● Likes to get back to work after short breaks.
Qualify Your Resume
Search
Narrow down your search by reviewing resumes
based on the following:
● Does this person possess necessary skills for the open position?
○ Helps the new hire learn & adapt to the work quickly!
● Do they have the required and relevant work-experience?
○ If hired, it can lead to speeding up the processes.
● Are they problem solvers?
○ Helps to quickly unclog any bottlenecks in the workflow!
● How senior are they?
○ Will they assimilate into the team, understand the team
demographics and match with the role you are hiring for.
● Can you afford them?
○ Helps match their current salary and expectations with your
current budget and resources.
● Is the Candidate a Keeper?
○ Look into the fact if the candidate stuck around in his previous
jobs for at least 2-3 years to get an idea if he will stay with your
organization for a considerable time or not. Helps you plan
better for team-building & future recruitments!
Identify & Set-up
Assessment Tests Based
on the Skill Sets Needed
Did you know…

60% of the recruiters find it challenging to hire

developers with sufficient technical skills.

Resumes while important, do not help in getting to

know the true skills and expertise of the candidate
applying for the role.
What to look for when setting up an Assessment Test
Based on the skillsets?

● What tests will be required for a particular job role?

● How can a recruiter check a candidate’s technical
know-how on a real-time basis?
● Analyze a candidate’s attitude and aptitude and
based on certain psychometric tests?
Some Examples:
How to set-up skill-based Assessment Test for
the position of a Developer?
Check his / her programming portfolio to
understand...
● Coding skills through personal projects
● Ability to explain and present things
● Candidate’s development level, career goals, skills
they aspire to acquire
● The kind of questions to ask questions during
interviews
Check candidate’s reputation on Stack
Overflow, a Q&A site on all things
computer programming, because...
● It’s perfect for measuring a candidate’s level of
knowledge & involvement in the development
community
● High reputation on stack overflow indicates:
○ Regularly active on the site
○ Asks relevant questions
○ Provide helpful answers often
Giving Live Coding assignments to assess
candidate’s technical knowledge...
● Allows recruiter to observe candidate’s logic,
ability to explain, their thinking process and ability
to code under pressure
● Gauge the performance of a candidate using just
their programming knowledge
● Check communicative and collaborative skills
within a team (group interviews)
Testing them for Programming skills on
real, practical problems that are
encountered in your company helps...
● Optimise the hiring process
● Provide an improved candidate experience
● Show the tech-friendly attitude of recruiters
● Demonstrate candidate’s skills in a better way
 Importance of Psychometric Tests
Psychometric tests are an essential recruitment tool that involves a standard questioning
system which the candidate answers, to check his / her mental capabilities and behavioural
style.

There are various types of psychometric tests which can be adopted based on the open
position for which you are sourcing.
Examples of Psychometric Tests
Aptitude Tests
● These are used to assess a specific or general set of skills such as numerical
reasoning tests, logical reasoning tests, etc.

Skill Tests
● These will help you assess if the candidate is a quick learner or not, how
quickly he adopts the skills that are crucial for the job.

Personality Tests
● They help in figuring out a candidate’s personality inside out as well as their
approach towards work in general.
Psychometric tests help you understand...
● Whether the candidates possess the capabilities to handle the work and
pressure?
● Do they possess the necessary aptitude for the job?
● Are they a good culture fit for your organization?
● What’s their personality traits like - is he/she a loner or prefers working in a
team?
● Does he stick to timelines?
○ For example, in the tech industries, where typically the dates of a product
launch or feature updates are pre-announced, sticking to deadlines could
be one critical factor to assess the candidate on, right at the recruitment
stage.
Recruitment is a complex process, but
can be simplified with a planned,
step-by-step approach.

We hope this module was able to assist

you in planning your recruitment
processes better and source the perfect
candidate!
End of Module #1