It's been a month since I got into the role of Tech Lead at my workplace. One of my first major responsibilities was hiring a Senior Backend Engineer, which involved managing the entire interview process from start to finish. This was my first professional experience in hiring, and it came with its own set of challenges and learning curves.
As the application deadline approached, I was overwhelmed by the large number of applicants we received in less than a week. The job description (not written by me) had some questionable components, but we needed to fill the position, so I looked for qualities beyond the JD.
We received over 300 applications from the specified region. However, during the initial CV screening, I found that about 75% of the applicants were either underqualified or irrelevant to the position.
The candidates were given a 5-day assessment to complete. The task was designed to be at a mid-level standard, balancing difficulty without going deeply into complex data structures and algos. However, the inclusion of socket streaming added a layer of complexity that made the evaluation more interesting. Having done the CV screening and task evaluation, as well as prioritizing NestJS candidates, we narrowed it down to the top 9 candidates (8M / 1F).
Next, we booked interviews with the shortlisted candidates. I was responsible for vetting them for technical skills, which was the most crucial factor.
Sadly, the first three interviews resulted in no good candidates for the job. Then we met Gb. He was nice and seemed less scripted than the others. We set him aside, hoping for more competitive candidates.
The following candidate, AT, was exceptional with technical skills. He identified himself as A Product Engineer with a passion for tech discovery and novel projects, AT had a background in blockchain and AI. Despite identifying as an introvert, he didn't come across that way in the interview. His intriguing interest as an indie developer made him my preferred candidate.
We also identified two more candidates with exceptional qualities and communication skills. The top three, including AT, were moved forward to meet with the executives and CEO.
At this stage, my job is done it is left for the senior executives to determine among the three who deemed to be the best fit for this role and was more on evaluating the candidates' personalities, experiences outside of work, and cultural fit rather than their technical abilities. Although I believed AT was the most technically endowed, the other two were more composed and communicated better.
In the end, AT was not chosen, despite his technical prowess being acknowledged by the hiring team. TK was given the role due to his excellence and potential.
This hiring experience has been incredibly insightful, and I look forward to onboarding TK in the coming days.
Cheers 🥂 for reading this far
