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5 reasons you should use tech recruitment software

5 reasons you should use tech recruitment software

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Nikola Tore
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April 5, 2019
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6 min read
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When used effectively, talent assessment tools can have a major impact on key performance indicators (KPIs), such as cost-to-and time per-hire, hiring managers’ satisfaction, employee retention, performance, and engagement.” –Aberdeen Group Study (May 2015).

We could not agree more.

The same study reveals the following:

    • Businesses that use talent assessment tools are 36% more likely to be satisfied with their new hire.
    • Seven out of ten (71%) of the Best-in-Class (top 20%) companies now use tech recruitment software.
    • These companies now enjoy 15% year-on-year improvement in hiring managers’ satisfaction.

Keeping in mind these statistics, we have seen that job titles are having a moment in the last few years. And HR is not an exception to these new trends either.

At Google, HR is called “People’s Operations.” This term is very popular with other tech companies as well.

For Facebook, “People@” is the term that describes the team which focuses on three things:

Hire the best people, foster continuous personal growth, and enrich the overall Facebook experience.

Other companies have transformed HR managers into Talent Acquisition Managers.

These companies are underlining the importance of acquiring the right people rather than hiring just someone to fill an open position.

They are looking for talent!

Along similar lines, in a previous article “Why companies can’t avoid university recruitment,” I spoke about how, now more than ever, it is time for companies to decide if they will or will not enter the War for Talent.

Companies are identifying new ways to attract and retain talent.

And, they are increasingly starting to use assessment tools before making the final hiring decision.

But, why use a talent assessment tools? What does it provide you with? Is it worth it?

Well, let’s try to answer these 3 questions by looking at —

5 reasons to use tech recruitment software :

  1. Accurate evidence-based information

    Tech recruitment software provides you with the opportunity to receive result-based proven information after a candidate has been first tested.

    Resumes can mislead even the most experienced recruiters. Some people tend to “fake” and exaggerate their experiences and their achievements.

    For example, Yahoo’s former CEO Scott Thompson was removed from his position after it was discovered that he lied on his resume. (Read – 5 ways to get better quality applicants)

    Another trick candidates use is to make themselves “sound intelligent” during the interview. An interview is about selling yourself (your profile) anyway, so why not?

    Unfortunately, recruiters often think that when a candidate sounds intelligent, he/she might actually be intelligent. This is not always true.

    If a candidate prepares for the interview; then the candidate can rock it. But it does not mean that he/she will do justice to the job tasks and responsibilities.

  2. Enhance candidate experience

    Using a pre-hire assessment can make a candidate’s experience more interesting.

    By answering questions or by testing themselves on different exercises or projects, candidates have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with their capability to perform well or not in different situations.

    They receive real-time feedback after completing the assessment, and therefore, they get an idea of their possibility of getting to the next level.

    Tech recruitment software can be even more attractive via gamification features.

    A great example here is Heineken’s hiring process. Before even sending the resume, applicants are asked to go through a virtual journey with Heineken’s executives from different areas of the business.

    To complete the journey, the candidate should first answer some questions related to several soft and hard skills.

    After which the candidate will receive his/her feedback to identify strengths and areas for improvement. This helps the company filter out unqualified applicants.

    What does it mean in practice?

    It means lesser time spent screening CVs and more quality candidates.

  3. Test on real tasks

    The best indicator of future job performance is to give the candidate a work sample test; a task that the candidate will be doing the job.” -Iris Bohnet, author of “What Works: Gender Equality by Design

    Say, you take a tech recruitment software like Recruit from HackerEarth.

    Create a test for all candidates, which may be a coding project similar to what they might be required to do the job.

    Thus, the recruitment team and the Hiring Manager will get more accurate insights into the candidates’ ability.

    Only successful candidates will be shortlisted and suggested to the company. Candidates who do not perform well will be disqualified from the hiring process.

    Therefore, well-qualified candidates only will make the longlist that recruiters will need to screen. Definitely makes a recruiter’s life easy, doesn’t it?

  4. Reduce biased-recruiting decisions

    Recruiters are not machines but human beings, and as humans, we often are vulnerable to biased decisions.

    Sometimes we look for candidates who are “like us,” and at other times we use our intuition (sixth sense) based on experiences, feelings, and intellect to make a decision while preparing the shortlist.

    Therefore, our decisions are not always accurate and they will never be, but what we can do is reduce bias and wrong hiring decisions.

    As a recruiter, you can avoid biased decisions in the recruitment process by making use of talent assessment tools for pre-screening.

    Reduced bias in the recruitment process is positively related with higher performance of the new hire, as the hiring decision will only be based on skills, knowledge, and abilities of the candidate and not on your intuition about candidates’ future performance.

  5. Minimize fill time and hiring costs and improving employee retention.

    Maybe it is not a completely representative sample, but in a case study conducted by Self-Management Group, adding an assessment tool in the recruitment process of a large communication organization reduced the fill time from three weeks to one-and-a-half weeks.

    Enriching the process in such a way provides the recruiters with the opportunity to focus and dedicate more time to “high potential” candidates and reduce the time spent on unqualified candidates.

    It gives recruiters the opportunity to become strategic partners of the team and the business.

    In addition, the organization saw a 40% reduction in their turnover.

    This happened because the talent assessment tools made candidates familiar with the type of key task they would be dealing with if hired.

    At the same time, the company ensured through this process that the candidates matched the required skills and job requirements.

    Moreover, hiring a proven-to-be-qualified candidate by first assessing him/her means lesser time recruiting for the same position a few weeks down the line.

How to pick the right tech recruitment software

Today we have a huge pool of pre-assessment tools varying from those who aim to test for cultural fit (cognitive ability tests, personality tests, etc.).

To those who are more specialized for testing particular skills or knowledge such as sales, coding, time-management, etc.

Before choosing the tool, it might help to first consider the following points:

  • Take some time to think with your team about what would you like to test the candidates for

If you want to test their personality or their stress management skills, then recruitment software which measures soft skills should be used, but if you want to test your candidates on their ability to code for instance, then you should use the relevant tool such as Recruit.

  • Think about tools which will provide your candidates with great experience throughout the application process.

Candidate experience is important as it is directly related to your ability as a company to attract talent.

It affects your employer branding. If you make the application process interesting and enjoyable, then you also increase your chances of becoming an even more attractive employer for other potential hires.

Think smart!

  • Compare the quality of their reports.

An assessment tool is all about providing you with deep insights into candidates’ ability to score high.

If the feedback you receive from the assessment tool is not well-structured and detailed, then there is no reason for you as an employer to include such a tool in your recruitment process.

Research, benchmark, ask, and use trial versions before you decide which one to include in your hiring process.

  • Make your life easier.

Before choosing a pre-hiring assessment tool, test if this tool and the information it will provide you with can be integrated with your ATS. It will save you much time and effort in aligning the two software.

[Read – Top 10 recruiting software platforms ]

To summarize, the aforementioned five reasons help answer a question asked in the first part of this article:

“Is a tech recruitment software worth it?”

Well, the answer actually is very simple.

If you care about the quality of your candidates. And if you want your recruiting team to become more of a strategic partner for the business, then yes, it is worth it!

Including tech recruitment software in the recruitment process of your company may lead to a higher performance of the new hire.

More engagement for the candidates through a more attractive recruitment journey, and more time for strategic decisions from a recruiter’s perspective.

Also, it also can save you money by making a decision faster and by minimizing the chances of going through cycles of recruitment.

However, more than one out of three companies (36%)

“cited the lack of urgency by senior management to be the biggest barrier to implementing scientifically-based employee and pre-employment assessments.”

Hopefully, this article will help senior managers to better understand the benefits of a talent assessment tool and its effect on the quality of their hires!

Popular posts like this:

1. 6 advantages of using online assessment in education

2. 7 Recruiting Trends That Will Continue Into 2019

3. 8 ways to hire a developer [Actionable tips]

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Author
Nikola Tore
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April 5, 2019
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6 min read
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Vibe Coding: Shaping the Future of Software

A New Era of CodeVibe coding is a new method of using natural language prompts and AI tools to generate code. I have seen firsthand that this change makes software more accessible to everyone. In the past, being able to produce functional code was a strong advantage for developers. Today,...

A New Era of Code

Vibe coding is a new method of using natural language prompts and AI tools to generate code. I have seen firsthand that this change makes software more accessible to everyone. In the past, being able to produce functional code was a strong advantage for developers. Today, when code is produced quickly through AI, the true value lies in designing, refining, and optimizing systems. Our role now goes beyond writing code; we must also ensure that our systems remain efficient and reliable.

From Machine Language to Natural Language

I recall the early days when every line of code was written manually. We progressed from machine language to high-level programming, and now we are beginning to interact with our tools using natural language. This development does not only increase speed but also changes how we approach problem solving. Product managers can now create working demos in hours instead of weeks, and founders have a clearer way of pitching their ideas with functional prototypes. It is important for us to rethink our role as developers and focus on architecture and system design rather than simply on typing c

The Promise and the Pitfalls

I have experienced both sides of vibe coding. In cases where the goal was to build a quick prototype or a simple internal tool, AI-generated code provided impressive results. Teams have been able to test new ideas and validate concepts much faster. However, when it comes to more complex systems that require careful planning and attention to detail, the output from AI can be problematic. I have seen situations where AI produces large volumes of code that become difficult to manage without significant human intervention.

AI-powered coding tools like GitHub Copilot and AWS’s Q Developer have demonstrated significant productivity gains. For instance, at the National Australia Bank, it’s reported that half of the production code is generated by Q Developer, allowing developers to focus on higher-level problem-solving . Similarly, platforms like Lovable enable non-coders to build viable tech businesses using natural language prompts, contributing to a shift where AI-generated code reduces the need for large engineering teams. However, there are challenges. AI-generated code can sometimes be verbose or lack the architectural discipline required for complex systems. While AI can rapidly produce prototypes or simple utilities, building large-scale systems still necessitates experienced engineers to refine and optimize the code.​

The Economic Impact

The democratization of code generation is altering the economic landscape of software development. As AI tools become more prevalent, the value of average coding skills may diminish, potentially affecting salaries for entry-level positions. Conversely, developers who excel in system design, architecture, and optimization are likely to see increased demand and compensation.​
Seizing the Opportunity

Vibe coding is most beneficial in areas such as rapid prototyping and building simple applications or internal tools. It frees up valuable time that we can then invest in higher-level tasks such as system architecture, security, and user experience. When used in the right context, AI becomes a helpful partner that accelerates the development process without replacing the need for skilled engineers.

This is revolutionizing our craft, much like the shift from machine language to assembly to high-level languages did in the past. AI can churn out code at lightning speed, but remember, “Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.” Use AI for rapid prototyping, but it’s your expertise that transforms raw output into robust, scalable software. By honing our skills in design and architecture, we ensure our work remains impactful and enduring. Let’s continue to learn, adapt, and build software that stands the test of time.​

Ready to streamline your recruitment process? Get a free demo to explore cutting-edge solutions and resources for your hiring needs.

Guide to Conducting Successful System Design Interviews in 2025

What is Systems Design?Systems Design is an all encompassing term which encapsulates both frontend and backend components harmonized to define the overall architecture of a product.Designing robust and scalable systems requires a deep understanding of application, architecture and their underlying components like networks, data, interfaces and modules.Systems Design, in its...

What is Systems Design?

Systems Design is an all encompassing term which encapsulates both frontend and backend components harmonized to define the overall architecture of a product.

Designing robust and scalable systems requires a deep understanding of application, architecture and their underlying components like networks, data, interfaces and modules.

Systems Design, in its essence, is a blueprint of how software and applications should work to meet specific goals. The multi-dimensional nature of this discipline makes it open-ended – as there is no single one-size-fits-all solution to a system design problem.

What is a System Design Interview?

Conducting a System Design interview requires recruiters to take an unconventional approach and look beyond right or wrong answers. Recruiters should aim for evaluating a candidate’s ‘systemic thinking’ skills across three key aspects:

How they navigate technical complexity and navigate uncertainty
How they meet expectations of scale, security and speed
How they focus on the bigger picture without losing sight of details

This assessment of the end-to-end thought process and a holistic approach to problem-solving is what the interview should focus on.

What are some common topics for a System Design Interview

System design interview questions are free-form and exploratory in nature where there is no right or best answer to a specific problem statement. Here are some common questions:

How would you approach the design of a social media app or video app?

What are some ways to design a search engine or a ticketing system?

How would you design an API for a payment gateway?

What are some trade-offs and constraints you will consider while designing systems?

What is your rationale for taking a particular approach to problem solving?

Usually, interviewers base the questions depending on the organization, its goals, key competitors and a candidate’s experience level.

For senior roles, the questions tend to focus on assessing the computational thinking, decision making and reasoning ability of a candidate. For entry level job interviews, the questions are designed to test the hard skills required for building a system architecture.

The Difference between a System Design Interview and a Coding Interview

If a coding interview is like a map that takes you from point A to Z – a systems design interview is like a compass which gives you a sense of the right direction.

Here are three key difference between the two:

Coding challenges follow a linear interviewing experience i.e. candidates are given a problem and interaction with recruiters is limited. System design interviews are more lateral and conversational, requiring active participation from interviewers.

Coding interviews or challenges focus on evaluating the technical acumen of a candidate whereas systems design interviews are oriented to assess problem solving and interpersonal skills.

Coding interviews are based on a right/wrong approach with ideal answers to problem statements while a systems design interview focuses on assessing the thought process and the ability to reason from first principles.

How to Conduct an Effective System Design Interview

One common mistake recruiters make is that they approach a system design interview with the expectations and preparation of a typical coding interview.
Here is a four step framework technical recruiters can follow to ensure a seamless and productive interview experience:

Step 1: Understand the subject at hand

  • Develop an understanding of basics of system design and architecture
  • Familiarize yourself with commonly asked systems design interview questions
  • Read about system design case studies for popular applications
  • Structure the questions and problems by increasing magnitude of difficulty

Step 2: Prepare for the interview

  • Plan the extent of the topics and scope of discussion in advance
  • Clearly define the evaluation criteria and communicate expectations
  • Quantify constraints, inputs, boundaries and assumptions
  • Establish the broader context and a detailed scope of the exercise

Step 3: Stay actively involved

  • Ask follow-up questions to challenge a solution
  • Probe candidates to gauge real-time logical reasoning skills
  • Make it a conversation and take notes of important pointers and outcomes
  • Guide candidates with hints and suggestions to steer them in the right direction

Step 4: Be a collaborator

  • Encourage candidates to explore and consider alternative solutions
  • Work with the candidate to drill the problem into smaller tasks
  • Provide context and supporting details to help candidates stay on track
  • Ask follow-up questions to learn about the candidate’s experience

Technical recruiters and hiring managers should aim for providing an environment of positive reinforcement, actionable feedback and encouragement to candidates.

Evaluation Rubric for Candidates

Facilitate Successful System Design Interview Experiences with FaceCode

FaceCode, HackerEarth’s intuitive and secure platform, empowers recruiters to conduct system design interviews in a live coding environment with HD video chat.

FaceCode comes with an interactive diagram board which makes it easier for interviewers to assess the design thinking skills and conduct communication assessments using a built-in library of diagram based questions.

With FaceCode, you can combine your feedback points with AI-powered insights to generate accurate, data-driven assessment reports in a breeze. Plus, you can access interview recordings and transcripts anytime to recall and trace back the interview experience.

Learn how FaceCode can help you conduct system design interviews and boost your hiring efficiency.

How Candidates Use Technology to Cheat in Online Technical Assessments

Impact of Online Assessments in Technical Hiring In a digitally-native hiring landscape, online assessments have proven to be both a boon and a bane for recruiters and employers. The ease and...

Impact of Online Assessments in Technical Hiring


In a digitally-native hiring landscape, online assessments have proven to be both a boon and a bane for recruiters and employers.

The ease and efficiency of virtual interviews, take home programming tests and remote coding challenges is transformative. Around 82% of companies use pre-employment assessments as reliable indicators of a candidate's skills and potential.

Online skill assessment tests have been proven to streamline technical hiring and enable recruiters to significantly reduce the time and cost to identify and hire top talent.

In the realm of online assessments, remote assessments have transformed the hiring landscape, boosting the speed and efficiency of screening and evaluating talent. On the flip side, candidates have learned how to use creative methods and AI tools to cheat in tests.

As it turns out, technology that makes hiring easier for recruiters and managers - is also their Achilles' heel.

Cheating in Online Assessments is a High Stakes Problem



With the proliferation of AI in recruitment, the conversation around cheating has come to the forefront, putting recruiters and hiring managers in a bit of a flux.



According to research, nearly 30 to 50 percent of candidates cheat in online assessments for entry level jobs. Even 10% of senior candidates have been reportedly caught cheating.

The problem becomes twofold - if finding the right talent can be a competitive advantage, the consequences of hiring the wrong one can be equally damaging and counter-productive.

As per Forbes, a wrong hire can cost a company around 30% of an employee's salary - not to mention, loss of precious productive hours and morale disruption.

The question that arises is - "Can organizations continue to leverage AI-driven tools for online assessments without compromising on the integrity of their hiring process? "

This article will discuss the common methods candidates use to outsmart online assessments. We will also dive deep into actionable steps that you can take to prevent cheating while delivering a positive candidate experience.

Common Cheating Tactics and How You Can Combat Them


  1. Using ChatGPT and other AI tools to write code

    Copy-pasting code using AI-based platforms and online code generators is one of common cheat codes in candidates' books. For tackling technical assessments, candidates conveniently use readily available tools like ChatGPT and GitHub. Using these tools, candidates can easily generate solutions to solve common programming challenges such as:
    • Debugging code
    • Optimizing existing code
    • Writing problem-specific code from scratch
    Ways to prevent it
    • Enable full-screen mode
    • Disable copy-and-paste functionality
    • Restrict tab switching outside of code editors
    • Use AI to detect code that has been copied and pasted
  2. Enlist external help to complete the assessment


    Candidates often seek out someone else to take the assessment on their behalf. In many cases, they also use screen sharing and remote collaboration tools for real-time assistance.

    In extreme cases, some candidates might have an off-camera individual present in the same environment for help.

    Ways to prevent it
    • Verify a candidate using video authentication
    • Restrict test access from specific IP addresses
    • Use online proctoring by taking snapshots of the candidate periodically
    • Use a 360 degree environment scan to ensure no unauthorized individual is present
  3. Using multiple devices at the same time


    Candidates attempting to cheat often rely on secondary devices such as a computer, tablet, notebook or a mobile phone hidden from the line of sight of their webcam.

    By using multiple devices, candidates can look up information, search for solutions or simply augment their answers.

    Ways to prevent it
    • Track mouse exit count to detect irregularities
    • Detect when a new device or peripheral is connected
    • Use network monitoring and scanning to detect any smart devices in proximity
    • Conduct a virtual whiteboard interview to monitor movements and gestures
  4. Using remote desktop software and virtual machines


    Tech-savvy candidates go to great lengths to cheat. Using virtual machines, candidates can search for answers using a secondary OS while their primary OS is being monitored.

    Remote desktop software is another cheating technique which lets candidates give access to a third-person, allowing them to control their device.

    With remote desktops, candidates can screen share the test window and use external help.

    Ways to prevent it
    • Restrict access to virtual machines
    • AI-based proctoring for identifying malicious keystrokes
    • Use smart browsers to block candidates from using VMs

Future-proof Your Online Assessments With HackerEarth

HackerEarth's AI-powered online proctoring solution is a tested and proven way to outsmart cheating and take preventive measures at the right stage. With HackerEarth's Smart Browser, recruiters can mitigate the threat of cheating and ensure their online assessments are accurate and trustworthy.
  • Secure, sealed-off testing environment
  • AI-enabled live test monitoring
  • Enterprise-grade, industry leading compliance
  • Built-in features to track, detect and flag cheating attempts
Boost your hiring efficiency and conduct reliable online assessments confidently with HackerEarth's revolutionary Smart Browser.
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