According to HackerRank’s 2018 Tech Recruiting Report, 3 in 4 hiring managers have hired great candidates who don’t look good on paper. This means, that despite not necessarily having the academic tenure that some companies traditionally have gone for, these hiring managers have gone against the grain and still decided that it was a good idea.
Why is this? Why have so many of us gone through the trouble of getting those 1st class degrees and perfected our CVs so much, if hiring managers aren’t even going to pay much attention to them?
Firstly, let’s look at some facts about people who work in tech. You’d be surprised to see the results.
Hiring Managers Love Experience and Skill
It’s now the case that your qualifications don’t necessarily mean you’re the person for the job anymore. They’d rather see a portfolio of your work, over seeing that you studied for three years. Not to say that your degree isn’t an impressive one..of course it is. But to be able to show a hiring manager just what you’re capable of, is so much more appealing.
Your skills mean more now than ever before. So much so, that companies are considering skills assessments during their recruitment process even more than before. Companies like AI Hiring platform Vervoe have realised this, and have made a successful business out of testing candidates on their skills through their online tests.
The top three things that hiring managers now look at when recruiting for tech roles are: Previous Experience, Years of Experience and personal projects.
Most Developers are Self Taught
The report states that 70% of developers are self-taught, meaning they have no formal qualification to show for their knowledge and expertise. Tech companies are cottoning onto this notion, which means competition for these role is even higher now, especially with so many online courses available.
What’s The Lesson?
The lesson here is pretty simple. For recruiters, if you want to get the best talent, you need to start looking past the CV and candidate’s formal qualifications. John Doe may have the best degree from the best university, but how well can he really do that job? For candidates, get your name out there, volunteer your services to the right people and start building that portfolio. People who don’t take heed to these facts and this report, do so at your own risk!
On a side note, SwipSearch ask you what skills you have in order to match you with the right jobs, make sure you sign up to try the Beta version of our app when it launches!
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