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It took Lucelli Martinez and her team 50 days to fill a software engineering role at a global technology company.
The role attracted 3,360 applicants and seven references, she wrote. LinkedIn Post. That meant Martinez had the big task of narrowing down the best candidates.
“This role was for a Level 3 software engineer with full-stack expertise and knowledge of a specific programming language,” Martinez told Business Insider. “While we encourage people from diverse backgrounds and those who do not meet all of our criteria to apply, there are certain elements that are non-negotiable.”
Martinez spoke to BI about behind-the-scenes technology recruiting and how he narrowed down his list at each stage of the application process.
non-negotiable
The first few cuts were relatively easy. Martinez used applicant tracking software to screen out candidates who didn’t meet the basic requirements of the job.
First, 1,662 applicants were not affiliated with any of the listed hiring locations. A further 739 applicants required visa support.
We then eliminated 763 candidates because they did not meet the basic skills and experience needed for the role.
What she wants in her profile
The next step took more time. Martinez manually reviewed one-third of her applications. She spent an hour or two each week looking through her resumes as they came in.
“First, I try to find out through my investigation whether they are honest about their suitability for the role: consistency, days worked, type of work done,” she said. “I’m checking social media.”
Martinez said it’s not just the job title that matters, but also the impact of contribution and the hard skills required for the role.
She also looks at how long people have been in their past roles.
“Ideally, I’d like to have some long-term gigs, but with the pandemic, there’s likely to be a gap for the past four years. That’s OK,” she said. But she hopes these gaps can be filled through upskilling initiatives, projects and volunteering.
The successful candidates had the following in common: That is, they met the basic criteria, quantified their contributions, and had bonus points such as experience building software applications or specific programming languages.
She shortlisted 124 resumes for the hiring manager.
Recruiter selection call
Hiring manager selected 43 candidates for recruiter review —1.28% of all applicants.
The next step, a screening call with the recruiter, explored many of the same items she was looking for during the profile review.
“I check the facts and make sure they can communicate effectively,” Martinez said.
These candidates had several characteristics. They were honest, had read the listing carefully to ensure they were a good fit, understood the needs of the position, and their answers matched the written application.
The more successful candidates were “those who could give examples rather than speaking generally about their experiences.”
They also briefly outlined their career goals and projects they wanted to work on, Martinez said.
Recruiters selected 21 people who interviewed with hiring managers.
last few steps
The hiring team, including hiring managers and recruiters, meet before interviews begin and agree on what they’re looking for. Each person selects a few skills and designs questions to assess them, Martinez explained.
After the hiring manager interview, 10 people were cut and the remaining 11 people were given a take-home assessment to assess their proficiency with the technology required for the job. Out of them, she passed nine of them and was asked to sit for a technical interview.
Six people successfully completed the technical round and were invited for a cultural interview.
“We will consider all available information when making the final decision and mark the pros and cons in our scorecard,” Martinez said.
This offer was extended to one applicant 50 days after the job was first posted.
Make sure you meet most of the qualifications
With a large number of applications posted online for various positions, Martinez shared top tips for those looking for a new job.
“Do your due diligence. Read the job posting carefully before applying to make sure you’re the right person,” she said. “All qualification requirements, her 90% of the qualifications, plus the nice-to-have qualifications must be met.”
She also said the job search process can be long and tiring.
“Job hunting is a marathon, not a race,” she says. “Take your time and learn how to succeed and improve at each stage.”