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TLDR ⏱️ |
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A slow or rigid technical hiring process costs you great candidates. To attract, assess, and retain top engineers, your approach needs to be structured, fair, and engaging. ✅ Time-to-Hire Matters – A 3-4 stage process (~3.5 to 4 hours) is ideal. If using take-home tests, keep them under 2 hours to reduce dropouts. Pair programming speeds up hiring but isn’t always inclusive. ✅ Make Assessments Inclusive – Audit your process for barriers like long take-home tests or high-pressure live coding. Track where candidates drop out, set clear expectations, and provide preparation resources. ✅ Focus on Quality of Hire – A strong hire is more than just technical skills. Case studies, paid trials, and values-based interviews help assess long-term fit and engagement. ✅ Prioritise Candidate Experience – Sell your company early, set clear expectations, and always provide constructive feedback—even to unsuccessful candidates. ✅ Choose the Right Assessment Format – Pair programming is fast, take-home tests offer flexibility, and case studies simulate real-world work. Choose based on your hiring priorities. A great hiring process tests ability, not availability, while also helping candidates assess if your company is right for them. If you’re seeing dropouts or bottlenecks, now’s the time to refine your approach—and we can help. 🚀 |
Is your interview process costing you top tech talent?
In a competitive market, slow, unstructured hiring processes lose candidates. This is especially true in software engineering, where lengthy or rigid technical tests often lead to dropouts.
If you’re struggling with high candidate abandonment or long time-to-hire, here are 4 things to consider to help choose the right testing method for your business. Plus, a breakdown of the pros and cons of different testing methods used by top tech-led businesses.
⏰ Is your technical assessment impacting your time to hire? ⏰
We've found that a 3-4 stage process, totalling 3.5 to 4 hours, is the sweet spot for our clients. If speed is a priority, streamlining to three stages can significantly reduce your time to fill while keeping top candidates engaged.
Many candidates prefer shorter testing methods like pair programming , which is fast (1-1.5 hours) and easy to schedule, but may not suit caregivers or passive candidates. Take-home tests, while flexible, often cause delays. Candidates juggling multiple processes may deprioritise lengthy tasks, and if people seek external help this can distort the accuracy of your results.
💡 Key takeaway:
If you’re using take-home tests, review your completion times and dropout rates—they could be slowing down your process. Switching to a live pair programming session can help accelerate hiring, keeping top candidates engaged and preventing them from accepting other offers before reaching your final stage. If using take-home tests, set clear time expectations and limit them to 2 hours max.
💛 Diversity & Inclusion: Is your process fair & unbiased? 💛
Take-home tests can be a barrier for working parents, caregivers, and those with demanding schedules, as they often require 3-4 hours of personal time. This can shrink your talent pool, with strong candidates dropping out due to time constraints rather than ability.
Pair programming on the other hand can be stressful for neurodivergent candidates or those with anxiety. Strict time limits can make it harder for candidates to work as they naturally would, leading to over-engineering simple problems or withdrawing from the process altogether.
How to improve fairness without compromising hiring standards:
✅ Audit drop-off points – Track diversity data to identify barriers and spot any patterns.
✅ Offer choice where possible – Let candidates select an assessment that best fits their strengths.
✅ Set expectations early – Publish your hiring process on your careers page so candidates can prepare and request adjustments if needed.
✅ Standardise prep materials – Provide FAQs or a Notion page ensures all candidates have equal access to key information.
✅ Ask about accommodations upfront – Address any adjustments early to improve engagement.
💡 Key takeaway:
Make sure your assessment process tests ability, not availability by identifying barriers that may exclude strong candidates. Audit drop-off points, track diversity data, and set clear expectations upfront to create a structured and inclusive process. Small adjustments—like offering flexibility or providing preparation materials—can significantly improve engagement and hiring outcomes.
🚀 How to assess & improve quality of hire 🚀
Quality of hire is typically measured through retention, performance, time to productivity, and engagement, alongside manager feedback - it’s about long-term fit and engagement. The best hires align with your mission and values, not just your job description. Selling the role effectively ensures candidates are genuinely invested, increasing retention and performance.
While CVs highlight experience, case studies and paid trials provide deeper insight into problem-solving, mindset, and real-world skills. They also help candidates assess if the role is right for them, leading to better retention and engagement.
If your technical test doesn’t assess soft skills, integrate evaluations at other stages, like recruiter calls or final interviews. Embedding values-based questions throughout the process can help you assess cultural fit and long-term commitment, ensuring you hire people who thrive in both the role and your organisation.
💡 Key takeaway:
A strong hire isn’t just technically capable—they need to be aligned with your mission and genuinely engaged in the role. Prioritise real-world assessments, values-based questions, and meaningful candidate interactions to gauge both skill and long-term fit. A well-structured process ensures you attract, assess, and retain top talent who will thrive in your business.
😁 Are you providing a positive candidate experience? 😁
Candidate buy-in is critical to avoid dropouts. If a candidate has a positive first-stage interview and connects with your company’s mission and values, they’re far more likely to stay engaged—even if they’re not entirely sold on your technical assessment method.
How to create a stronger candidate experience:
✅ Use the first interview to sell your company – The best hiring teams treat early-stage interviews as an opportunity to pitch the business. Clearly communicate your mission and team culture, and highlight things like progression opportunities and team dynamics.
✅ Set candidates up for success – Reduce nerves by clearly outlining expectations. Let them know what you’re assessing, how you expect them to communicate, and whether they can use external resources (e.g., Google). A well-prepared candidate will be more confident and perform better.
✅ Make take-home tests relevant – The best technical challenges mirror real-world work. Provide clear criteria upfront so candidates understand expectations.
✅ Give feedback – Pre-book a 30 minute feedback session, even for unsuccessful candidates. This small step can really enhance your reputation in the market and improve a candidate's experience.
💡 Key takeaway:
A positive candidate experience keeps top talent engaged and reduces dropouts. Use early-stage interviews to sell your company, set clear expectations for technical assessments, and provide constructive feedback—even to unsuccessful candidates. A well-structured, engaging process not only attracts talent but also strengthens your employer brand.
Common technical assessment formats: Pros & Cons
Take-Home Tests
✅ Candidates can complete tasks in their own time, reducing scheduling constraints.
✅ Provides a real-world coding challenge, allowing for deeper technical evaluation.
✅ More accessible for neurodivergent candidates, removing live performance pressure.
✅ Helps identify strengths and decision-making abilities without nerves affecting performance.
✖️ Time-intensive—can take 3+ hours, leading to dropouts, especially among passive candidates and those juggling multiple processes.
✖️ Lacks real-time insight into problem-solving approach and communication style.
✖️ Slows down hiring velocity, as candidates take time to complete tasks and hiring managers need time to review them.
✖️ Higher dropout rates among parents and those with limited evening/weekend availability.
Live Pair Programming / Coding Exercises
✅ Faster turnaround (1-1.5 hours), keeping the hiring process moving.
✅ Allows real-time assessment of problem-solving skills, collaboration, and communication.
✅ A great opportunity to sell the team and culture while working on a task together.
✖️ Can be stressful, leading to candidates underperforming due to nerves.
✖️ Requires significant interviewer time and scheduling coordination.
✖️ Less flexible for candidates who may struggle to take time off during the day.
💡 Platforms like Coderbyte offer live, time-tracked coding assessments that track problem-solving approaches, monitor behaviour (e.g., Google searches), and provide engineers with 2x-speed playback for efficient review.
Case Studies
✅ Tests real-world problem-solving, simulating scenarios relevant to the business.
✅ Great for assessing decision-making, architecture design, and critical thinking.
✅ Works across multiple functions (Engineering, Product, Marketing, Design), making it versatile.
✅ Helps candidates gauge their excitement for the role—if they enjoy the case, they’ll likely enjoy the job.
✖️ Doesn’t always assess hands-on coding ability.
✖️ Can be time-intensive for both candidates and hiring managers.
✖️ Needs clear instructions—vague prompts can lead to confusion and frustration.
Whiteboard Challenges
✅ Tests algorithmic thinking and live problem-solving skills.
✅ Allows hiring managers to observe a candidate’s approach in real time.
✅ Provides an opportunity for the hiring team to sell the role and team culture.
✖️ Often unrealistic—most engineers don’t write code on a whiteboard in their actual job. It's common for developers to use shortcuts for coding, which they then don't have access to.
✖️ High-pressure format can disadvantage strong engineers who struggle with live performance.
Portfolio Discussions & Code Reviews
✅ Portfolio discussions allow candidates to showcase real-world work, reducing test anxiety.
✅ Code reviews assess a candidate’s ability to critique and improve existing code—great for leadership roles.
✅ Well-suited for senior hires (Lead, Principal, Staff Engineers) where architecture and decision-making matter.
✖️ Harder to benchmark candidates consistently due to varying experience levels.
✖️ Works best when candidates have relevant past work they can legally share.
Paid Work Trials
✅ Gives candidates firsthand experience of the team and work environment.
✅ Provides the most accurate insight into how someone will perform in the role.
✅ Great for assessing cultural fit, collaboration, and adaptability.
✖️ Logistically challenging, especially for candidates currently in full-time roles.
✖️ High commitment—many candidates won’t be able to take time off for a trial.
✖️ Less viable for passive candidates who aren’t actively job-seeking.
✖️ Requires upfront investment and planning to execute effectively.
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Final thoughts
Regardless of the format, some things should remain consistent:
✅ Preparation – Candidates need proper context before an assessment.
✅ Feedback – Always provide detailed feedback, even to unsuccessful candidates.
✅ Involvement – Make sure candidates meet a range of stakeholders to get a full picture of the company and role, and to give you different reference points.
A great hiring process tests ability, not availability, while also helping candidates determine if your company is right for them. If you’re seeing dropouts or bottlenecks, now’s the time to refine your approach.
Whatever you decide, make sure you discuss your decision making process with those in your team that will be required to invest their time in assessing the candidates at this technical stage. If you're a small team, consider how interview fatigue might affect morale so it's important that everyone understand the time commitment required to create a great candidate experience whether they pass or fail!
Burns Sheehan are working with several organisations that are leading the way in hiring and are committed to providing the best service to both candidates and clients in the current market. If you’ve experienced candidate drop outs or bottlenecks caused by technical interviews & are looking for tailored advice on adapting your recruitment process, feel free to reach out to us here.
