The Unspoken Secret That Technical Recruiting Is Broken

Technical recruiting is broken and no one knows what to do about it. Tech departments are frustrated with the process because HR doesn't have the technical skills to properly screen candidates and, as such, they are forced to provide an exhaustive list of every possible skill they could need to cast a very wide net. This forces HR to evaluate humans using a checklist and everyone knows that humans are more complicated than that.

Oshri Cohen, a senior technologist, serial entrepreneur and CTO, says the industry is suffering on all fronts. The fractional CTO advisory firm founder underlines that HR is at the front of this disaster, followed by archaic assessments that disregard creativity and problem-solving skills.

Companies are increasingly looking at candidates in black and white to avoid bias but even though this is an altruistic goal, the unintended effect is that it alienates good candidates more often than not. Either they have every skill necessary, or they aren't hireable. This is a raging problem as Cohen says hiring–especially in technical settings–hasn't been adjusted to the age of information. Candidates no longer need to be experts. Transferable skills and a person's ability to learn new information are sometimes all it takes to fill a role. However, this approach is ignored as hiring relies heavily on checking boxes.

Thousands of resumes are scanned and rated with little human oversight through applicant tracking systems (ATS). This technology reduces administrative work for HR but alienates good candidates who haven't written a perfect, search-engine-optimized resume. This forces candidates to mass apply to hundreds of positions, regardless of whether they are qualified or not, which further perpetuates the problem, continuing the cycle.

Cohen notes that hiring technical talent is very difficult because there is no governing body to determine skill competency. Software development is largely a self-taught role due to the rapid advancement of technology, even if you have a university degree, which is why HR shouldn't lead the technical hiring process but rather audit it, ensuring it stays unbiased. However, technical professionals should always be at the forefront.

The next step of technical recruiting that must be restructured is technical assessments. These interviews are often run by senior developers who aren't trained to assess candidates. This is a major blindspot for technical recruiting as interviewers try to weed out 'bad' talent instead of matching their strengths with any position available, regardless of what they applied for. Technical assessments are flawed because they focus on regurgitating memorized information rather than showcasing the creativity and problem-solving skills of the candidates.

Red Corner, a fractional CTO organization founded by Oshri, provides solutions to the technical recruiting dilemma. In four simple steps, Red Corner's highly experienced fractional CTOs leverage two decades of experience to recruit great talent because they believe everyone has talent, and it's the technical recruiter's job to find it.

After meeting with the client's technical team and understanding challenges and cultural desires, Red Corner fractional CTOs write job descriptions in a succinct and non-aggressive way. This differs from traditional job descriptions because Red Corner will do the technical assessment and doesn't need to cast a wide net. "In short, we can read between the lines of every resume. After all, we built and nurtured high-performing engineering teams and know the profiles that are needed," shares Cohen.

To ensure that all talent is considered, Cohen notes that their team reviews every application by hand. While time-consuming, this ensures that high-quality candidates reach screening interviews. "I have felt the pain and suffering and demeaning process of looking for a job. I don't want anyone else to feel this way, so I've set forth on this mission to solve every problem that I have personally experienced," he says.

Once the fractional CTO finds a small number of impressive candidates through screening calls, Red Corner's staff will collaboratively produce a customized technical assessment. Cohen believes it's critical to create a test that mimics everyday job tasks relevant to the position being hired for. Otherwise, employers are wasting their time assessing candidates on skills they'll never use.

Finally, Red Corner sends the five most promising technical assessments along with informative summaries to the client. This holistic hiring process backed by over 200 years of company experience has enabled Red Corner to provide unique value to clients and sidestep technical recruiting's shortcomings.

"Technical recruiting is broken because everyone wants the best talent and operates with a mindset that learning new things isn't possible," says Oshri Cohen. "Now more than ever, people have the entire compendium of human knowledge at their disposal. This should be great news for tech, but companies still demand rote memorization of senior-level candidates. This no longer makes sense as no one on the planet can remember every aspect of software development. Companies must treat technical professionals like they treat all other talent: as an investment that needs time and resources to provide returns."

Red Corner is also changing the business model around technical recruiting by shying away from a commission-based cost structure to a flat fee model. This is even more important now given the inflated salaries of developers that the market demands.