Finding top tier developers is not an easy task. Here is a quick overview of our process.
Resume Screening
First up is a look at a candidates resume. We take special notice of work experience, the type of projects, and level of involvement. We like to know how long they have worked at prior companies. We are attracted to candidates that have experience in areas we are currently developing or are moving into. We tend to favor candidates with hands on experience actually writing the code.
Technical Screening
After we look through resumes we schedule a technical screening over the phone. The screening typically lasts 30-45 minutes and usually leaves candidates thinking it did not go well. However, the intent of the screening is to determine if the candidate can converse on a technical level. A developer is picked from the team to call the candidate and perform the screening. The questions are written to require many pieces of knowledge to understand the question – not just know the answer.
What are the public, non-static methods available on System.Object?
To answer this the candidate must know what public is and what non-static is. Most candidates correctly answer ToString, and GetType. The lesser common are GetHashCode and Equals.
One thing that makes the screening effective is the level of knowledge the developer has that is giving the screening. Typically, they will drill down into the questions answered correctly to gauge a candidates depth of knowledge.
A good thing to note here is that no one has gotten all the questions right on our screening. The score is just one piece of criteria we use. We also like to know how well a candidate communicates, frustration level, etc.
In-Person Interview
Assuming the candidate passes the technical screening, they are invited for an in-person interview. The interview lasts between 2 and 3 hours with multiple WideOrbit participants. We go through some white boarding problems (graphs, algorithms, etc.), simple coding problems, and a work history interview. Personally, I find the work history interview most interesting. We ask about the projects a candidate has worked on. We like to know how things were implemented. This is usually a very fun part of the interview. The candidate gets to do some real bragging about projects they have worked on.
After that, we contact the candidate to discuss opportunities. Also, we have and will allow a candidate to ask questions regarding their interview to see why we made a decision.
