After 11 years as a CTO, here's the hard truth, traditional tech hiring is failing us. Here's why, and what actually works...
The Problem:
- Keyword-obsessed ATS systems filter out great talent
- Coding tests create artificial pressure that doesn't mirror real work
- Traditional interviews don't assess communication skills
- We're still hiring like it's 2010, but work has fundamentally changed
What Actually Works:
1. Replace cover letters with 4 key questions:
- Describe a challenging bug you solved
- Tell me about a feature you're proud of
- What type of coding work energizes you?
- Role-specific technical question
This approach lets you evaluate someone’s ability to communicate and tells you much about where they’re at in practical ability.
2. Have them share code they’ve written
- During the interview let them talk about what their code does
- Ask them questions on what they’d change and other critical questions
- Good engineers will always see something they’d do differently, lazy ones have never thought about it.
Don’t worry, someone who’s submitted code they didn’t write themselves isn’t going to be able to speak to it well.
3. Video responses > Written applications
- Tests real-time communication skills
- Shows personality and cultural fit
- Harder to fake or over-polish
- Reveals how they'll interact in Zoom-first world
Even in return to office we’re all on Zoom. Asking the four questions above as a video lets you evaluate the candidate and bypasses someones quick use of AI.
Focus on communication skills first
- Great engineers aren't just coders
- They need to explain complex ideas
- Must collaborate with AI tools effectively
- Communication is the new debugging
The AI Factor:
- Technical skills can be augmented with AI
- Problem-solving matters more than memorization
- Look for candidates who can architect solutions, not just code them
- Evaluate their ability to work with AI tools
The Most Controversial Part: I don't believe in coding tests. You'll know in the first few days if someone can code. The artificial pressure of white boarding and coding challenges screens out great engineers while failing to identify the skills that actually matter.
Agree? Disagree?