We have already written a lot about the recruitment process – there is no one-size-fits-all process for every company and every recruitment team.
However, I can assure you that creating a list of questions for candidates is a great filter that will save a lot of time, both for your team and for the candidate.
To answer the title question “why is this a good idea”?
Firstly, submitting this form is less than a minute of your time, if you have this automated in your ATS it can be as little as one click and done.
It’s also convenient for the candidate, who will only take a few minutes and at any time of the day. Unlike completing tasks (whether on platforms like Codility or writing software), candidates are happy to fill in forms and don’t need to be urged here – doesn’t that sound great?
So let’s get down to specifics.
What should it contain?
What is relevant to your business. Take, for example, the company Butterfly.
Butterfly is a startup of about 30 people after its second round of funding. There are only 2 people in the HR team and the development team has 10 people – so every hour of team members is at a premium.
Butterfly is developing its SaaS product – a platfrom for customer management, from sending a personalized demo to customer service.
The technologies in the project are: FE – React, BE – Node.js and AWS
At the moment they are focusing on recruiting Frontend Developers with React. They want someone who has already worked on building SaaS products. They also want to see a code sample – they have thought about the task, but understand that there are better ways to verify code. They also want a person who is independent, who is committed to Code Review, and who can work well in a team. As the company is international, it is also necessary to be fluent in English, both spoken and written.
As it results from the above description, the form prepared by Butterfly should include questions about:
A detailed description of the projects + their realisations (if they are public and can be made available)
Profiles of companies where the candidate worked
Responsibilities and approach to Code Review
A code sample – e.g. a link to GitHub or a program package that the candidate can share
Experience of working in an international environment using English.
Answering these questions will provide a simple understanding of the candidate’s experience and help the HR team decide whether or not to process the candidate. Getting this information in a form also allows you to easily share the file with the Hiring Manager and other team members and here, unlike a standard phone call, no information gets lost.
How do I create a form?
Just use Google Form. It allows you to design everything in a friendly way – from short questions about e.g. Github link, to longer project descriptions and questions like: Rate your skills from 1 (no knowledge) to 5 (very good knowledge).
Using Google Forma makes it very easy to distribute the forms, just send the candidate the link and all the answers are saved in one place from where you just need to download them:
Clicking on the printer icon and saving as a PDF on your computer.
You can also write down the questions in a normal document, but with a large number of candidates this is less convenient because you have to create a separate document for each one.
Example of the form
With the list below ready, all that remains is to put the following questions into the form:
A detailed description of the projects + their realisations (if they are public and can be made available)
Profiles of companies where the candidate worked
Responsibilities and approach to Code Review
A code sample – e.g. a link to GitHub or a program package that the candidate can share
Experience of working in an international environment using English.
Below is an example of a ready-made form corresponding to the requirements of the offer:
And that’s all!
Of course, the form should not be too long – the optimal time to fill it out is 5-10 minutes. Such a form is also an excellent basis for a first video interview if you prefer to meet the candidate.
Did you like this article? Rate us here https://forms.gle/FNDAvHBCY6EH8udJ8
If you have any questions related to recruitment or IT I invite you to contact me directly on my e-mail – lukasz@remodevs.com.
Until the next one!
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