22 Oct How to hire tech talents like Google, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft
All of the biggest tech companies first started as smaller startups with two things:
- A dream
- A dedicated group of tech talents working tirelessly to grow the company dream
An organization’s workforce will always be one of its key strengths. If it wasn’t for these devoted talents, some of the biggest tech companies (i.e. Apple, Facebook, and Google) will not be able to achieve the organization’s desired business goals. For instance, Apple might not have been as successful if it wasn’t for Bill Fernandez, the first employee to be hired by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
Large tech companies have devised innovative ways of hiring tech talents. Here’s how companies like Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon navigate their recruitment process. And of course, tips on how you can hire better!
1. Create a streamlined application process to find your tech talents
Google is probably one of the most competitive tech companies to work at. Whilst the interview process is tedious, the corporation gets the process started through an online platform. Dubbed the “Careers platform”, it allows potential candidates to find all the information needed to apply for a position at Google.
The candidate then clicks a button and uploads their CV, along with their basic contact information. If Google finds the application apt, a phone interview will be set. When successful, a second, on-site interview to further assess the candidate will be held. By analysing its past data, the tech company believes that hiring decisions made by a panel of four people provided interviewers with an accurate look into the candidate’s workplace habits 86% of the time.
However, this wasn’t always the case. There was a time when the tech conglomerate believed that the more interviews a candidate went through, the better the company’s hiring decision will be. Of course, this just ate through a lot of time.
2. Screen your candidates via phone interviews
What do Google and Apple have in common? Both companies first screen their desirable tech talents through phone interviews first. Implementing a preliminary phone screening will help to significantly improve your hiring process.
Some major benefits of screening candidates via phone interviews include:
- Shorter hiring time: Weeding out undesirable candidates through phone interviews will save hiring managers time and money. Which would otherwise be spent on meeting a mass of unfit candidates face to face.
- Test candidate’s communication skills: This is especially important for candidates who apply for positions which requires great phone communication skills.
- Less appearance bias: Some people get an easier pass in life thanks to their incredible, good looks. In fact, research shows that employers might be influenced to hire physically attractive candidates even for positions that are considered not high exposure. This might lead picky HR executives to skip over some qualified candidates. A phone interview might minimize the impact of scathing first impressions.
- Improved candidate experience: In a review-centric world, it’s important to handle any form of communication politely. One wrong move could cost you, to tarnish your company’s image. Phone screening allows candidates to feel like they were given a chance, as well as time and attention. This allows you to improve the candidate’s interview experience.
Test your candidates
Testing your candidates is one of the only full-proof ways to find out just how knowledgable they are. Big-name corporations such as Microsoft and Amazon choose to test their job applicants. Of course, there are many different ways to conduct this test. Some notable ones are:
Microsoft
Contrary to popular belief, Microsoft does not subject job candidates to a series of imaginative brain teasers any more. The reason? It’s simple, the company works with real working problems. What’s the point of subjecting candidates to a series of imaginative problems?
Instead, the candidate has to help solve real problems that the Microsoft team is working on. The candidate will be given all the data that the team is using, along with access to the internet if needed. Finally, both the candidate and the interviewees will collaborate to find a resolution to the problem.
This is a great way to test potential job candidates as it gives both the interviewer and the tech talent an insight into what it’ll be like to work with one another.
Interested in learning more about how Microsoft conducts its job interviews? Check out this blog post.
Amazon
Amazon has an extensive interview process with two rounds dedicated to tests. In the first test round, interviewees are given a written behavioural and technical test. Some behavioural questions candidates were given include:
- Give an example of something you tried to accomplish but failed
- Tell me about a time when you coached someone
- When have you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem?
The aim of these questions is to find out the specific soft and hard skills each candidate will be bringing to the table. You can learn more about Amazon’s behavioural questions here.
Afterwards, the candidates will go through an online coding round. Candidates will be given several coding questions (usually 3-4) with intermediate difficulty. Then, they will go through a series of technical rounds to test their capabilities.
4. Interview in pairs
Over at Microsoft, assessors conduct interviews in pairs. Whilst this was initially used to train newer interviewers, the team realised that interviews conducted in pairs resulted in more dynamic conversations.
“Not only was the conversation more dynamic with multiple collaborators, but it also gave us an opportunity to hear multiple perspectives on the same conversation,” concludes John Montgomery, Microsoft’s partner director of program manager.
Maybe it’s time for you to revamp your interview setup if you’re looking to find your desired tech talents?
Finding the best tech talent
The search towards finding the best tech talent out there is a long and tedious process. Big tech companies often have large teams dedicated to sourcing, testing, and interviewing job candidates.
The best way to simplify your tech recruitment process without getting sidetracked at work is to use a reputable manpower outsourcing company dedicated to cybersecurity and tech.
Outsource your cybersecurity headache to trained tech recruiters with A Very Normal Company. At A Very Normal Company, we offer the best manpower available to act as your first line of defense. Find out more about A Very Normal Company here. Or contact Victor at ([email protected])for more information on how outsourcing and recruiting temporary cybersecurity talents is a great option to consider when it comes to protecting your company, its resources, and reputation online.
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