A competency-based approach to hiring skilled Software Developers

The Problem: According to a survey conducted by Forbes, it was found that a large number of IT service companies are currently experiencing two big challenges:

·         Customer satisfaction issues: The survey reveals that customers aren't satisfied with the results provided by the technology team of various IT Companies. 

·         Delay in Projects: This is the harsh truth - most of the IT services projects stretch beyond the deadline. The teams lack a collaborative approach which results in bad quality or delayed outcomes.  

Reason for these issues: No fixed role for software developers 

The report also says that the core expectations out of a Software developer have changed over the last few years. IT Service companies need to understand that the clients expect an agile and collective approach from the Software Engineers. The Software Engineers who used to work from their desks are now expected to interact with project sponsors and stakeholders.

Is the need for upgrading the Software Engineers required?

 

Yes. 

Companies these days are carrying out a large number of Skill-Upgradation Programs to do proper Talent assessment and to improve the cognitive skills of their Software Engineers. 

Problems in Skill-Upgradation:

Time: Educating them about various behavioral traits such as collaboration and customer focus takes approximately 90 days to come into implementation. 

Assistance and Resources: Such programs need approvals, Capital and Volunteer support from the senior management to bring theory into implementation. 

Employee Reluctance: Many current employees who hold experience in a particular job profile tend to decline for such programs. 

Scalability: The members are expected to coordinate with others and learn at a collective pace to make it easier to execute such programs and make them a success. 

The Way out: Hire suitable candidates by a competency-based approach 

Experts in the field of thought leadership and Hiring suggest changing the hiring approach by assessing cognitive and behavioral skills as talent assessment during Entry level recruitment. This strategy suggests following the competency mapping process and enables the Recruiters to hire suitable candidates which are ideal for the job role. 

Software Engineers in the current era of agile environments are expected to properly follow the client needs and compile the requirements into a program that works by being in proper touch with customers and stakeholders. 

Competency Approach - Positive Impacts

A Competency Approach will empower hiring managers to hire candidates with suitable cognitive and behavioral traits. Recruiters can build a comprehensive team of Software Engineers with good customer focus and collaboration traits. Such traits will deliver results more effectively which in turn will translate into the following long term benefits:

• ·    Better Client Satisfaction
• ·    Improved Project Results and Deliveries

An effective way to hire quality developers - HireMee

HireMee is an Online Assessment Platform that offers effective Recruitment Solutions to Recruiters through its pre-employment test. Recruiters get to choose from a vast pool of job-ready candidates (4lac+) and get guaranteed responses as soon as they post a job opening.

2300+ recruiters use HireMee to effectively recruit quality candidates PAN India.

Questions to ask an employee during exit interviews

An exit interview helps you to understand what opinions the employees have about the Company and about the work culture. It is always beneficial to be welcome to suggestions to the work you are doing. Exit interviews also help you to strengthen your employee retention strategies and help you to do better talent assessment of your current employees. 

To help you to make your exit interview process more effective, we have gathered 6 questions. Read them carefully!

1. What made you quit the Company?

This question is the soul of any exit interview. This answer to this question will give you clear insights as to why the employee decided to leave the company. Although a better salary, more incentives, personal reasons, etc will form the majority of answers, you should definitely include this question in all your exit interviews. 

There may be an employee who has decided to quit because of your Company culture or the behavior of senior management - who knows? And if you get the same answer from a lot of employees, then you should know something isn't right.

2. Where do you think we can do better?

Since the employee is leaving, they have the liberty to speak freely. You will get an honest answer which will help you to improve your current work culture and maybe increase employee retention.

3. Did you face any shortage of resources during your work tenure? If yes, please let us know. 

The answer to this question will give you an insight into the technology you are using. Is it complementing the work of your current employees or do you need to upgrade? Listen carefully to the answer and take notes!

4. In your opinion, what is the best and worst aspect of this Company?

This will enable you to understand what are some aspects which the employees like and dislike about the Company. The dislike aspect can help you to improve growth, employee satisfaction, and retention.

5. How highly would you recommend this company to others?

This is yet another question that needs to be asked in any exit interview. What an employee thinks of your Company is imperative to its growth. Make sure you record all the observations and pay special attention to the repeated answers.

6. What comments or suggestions would you like to give to our Company? 

This question is a good way to ensure that the employee who is exiting the Company is happy that you care about their preferences. This will help your brand image. Moreover, you will get to know the good as well as the bad aspects of your Company.

Conclusion:

Exit Interviews really help to strengthen a Company's brand image. Moreover, taking feedback from someone who is quitting isn't a bad idea either. Although this is a very effective idea, many companies are still not leveraging it - especially which are into Entry-levelRecruitment.

About HireMee:

HireMee is one of the leading Online Assessment Platforms which provides Recruitment Solutions to Recruiters through its pre-employment test. It believes the best way to have lesser exit interviews is to source job-ready candidates.

How to answer the common interview Question “What makes you unique?”

One interview question which every recruiter likes to ask candidates is - "What makes you different from others?". Although the essence is the same, but it can be asked in many ways-

·         How can you say that you're the perfect fit for this role?

·         Why are you the best candidate for the role?

·         How are you different from other candidates?

The reason behind asking this question is that the interviewer wants to know your personality. They want to know what skills you can bring to the table and who you are as a person.

Moreover, the answer to this question varies according to the job role. But one is common to ace this question - practice. The more you practice, the better it will show in your answer during the Resume.

Before you take the mock interview, you need to sit down and write down answers to these common interview questions.

You can also attend Mock interviews to better yourself, but before that, you are required to sit down in peace and write answers to common interview questions. Below is the detailed guide of how to answer "What makes you unique".

Talk about skills from the job description

Including the points from the Job description will enhance your answer and make it more focused. For example, if the job description mentions Google Ads in it, then you can talk about your Google AdWords certification that Google granted you online for completing the course. This will help to put a positive impression in the mind of the Recruiter.

Mention relevant accomplishments 

Talking about unique skills which you have in Sports or cooking isn't going to help your cause. The entire game is about relevancy. If the job description states about Content Writer, only talk about the Blogs or text content which you have written and which hold value. That is an accomplishment that is more suited to a Content Writer than being proficient in Sports or Cooking!

Stay positive and focus on your achievements

This is a very important aspect while answering any interview question, and not specifically what makes you unique. Your answer should reflect your enthusiasm towards the job role and not nervousness. One thing to note here is that you should talk about what makes you suitable for the job role and not why others should get this job. If you try to lower your competitors, the Recruiter might think you have a negative mindset and this can affect your chances.

Talk about how you can add value to the Company

One of the best ways to gain success in the interviews is by including how your skills can add value to the company and how your goals match with the Company's. When a Recruiter feels that a candidate looks at a job as an integral part of his life and not "just another job", the chances of them saying yes to your candidature increases by two-fold. Generally, Companies look for candidates who can work well under pressure and collaborate with teams. So if you can include points like these in your answers, you will increase your chances of making the cut.

 Using the above-mentioned tips will definitely portray you as a better candidate compared to others and will increase your chances of getting hired.

How to get more Interview Calls? - HireMee.

HireMee is an AI-based OnlineAssessment Platform which links colleges, companies, and students via its pre-employment test. Students can appear for its online test and find jobs from over 2300+ Companies who are into Entry Level Recruitment as well as lateral hiring.

Tips to prepare for a Job Interview in a Day

Be it circumstances or personal work, somehow you are one step away from your dream job but also got only one day for the interview. So how to go about it? Those negative thoughts are understood but over thinking isn't advisable.

This blog lists out various things you can do to prepare for the job interview when you have just a day to prepare for it.

Scan the Company's Website and Observe the Job description carefully

The first you have to do is to not panic. Take a deep breath and although it's just a day, you still have to plan your way out. Start with analyzing the job description and understand the roles and responsibilities. Gain insights from the "About section" on the Company's website to know what kind of candidate they are looking for. This is the first step in your preparation which will let you know whether this job even fits your skills or not.

Once you are sure that is job is really meant for you, do in-depth research on the Company and the services it offers. Research about its reviews on Glassdoor.com and Ambitionbox.com to have a sneak peek in its inside culture. You can also visit Indiabix.com to see if former candidates have shared their interview experiences over there.

An Early Preparation helps

Your resume would be the most important thing you would want to keep in your bag. Before that, sit down in peace make sure you draft it in the best possible way. Understand that a lot of questions will be asked from it so make sure you don't over express yourself.

Once you are satisfied with the contents of your resume, you should then start preparing for the common interview questions and their answers. Getting familiar with the prospective interview questions will keep your confidence high during the interview. Another important piece of advice would be to keep your statements crisp and precise while practicing. You can practice speaking about your skills and what value you can add to the Company.

You can also prepare a set of questions that have crossed your mind while you were analyzing the Company's website and ask those questions if given a chance in the interview.

Practicing with Mock Interviews

 The best way to prepare before an actual interview is by taking part in the mock interviews. You can give the list of questions you have prepared for your friends or family and request them to observe your gestures and see where you can improve. Such inputs can greatly enhance your performance in the actual interview. 

Brace yourself

You need to plan other basic things like what you will wear and keep it ready beforehand. The clothes should be well ironed and neat. For boys, if you think your beard needs to be trimmed or hair needs to be cut, then do it.

Eat light yet nutritious dinner and try not to overstuff food. You do not want to attend the interview with burps and hiccups. At last, get a good eight hours of sleep. And, avoid thinking about the following day.

The way forward - HireMee

If you are someone who is looking for jobs, HireMee's Online Assessment Platform can be the way. Through its vast network of 2300+ companies, it helps Companies to do quality talent assessment while providing job opportunities to candidates through its pre-employmenttest. Thousands of students have taken HireMee's career test to find their dream job. You can be next!