DEV Community: Stout Systems

Coding Exercise Tips for Technical Candidates and Hiring Managers

Stout Systems — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 19:11:25 +0000

Here at Stout we screen a lot of technical candidates. Our first step is to filter the resumes. (We have little need for glass window installers despite the fact that they match the keywords "windows" and "installation!") Then we conduct a technical interview to assess a candidate's skill level. For candidates who will be contracting with us directly we like the extra step of doing a coding exercise.

Why not just request a code sample?

We do like to get code samples from candidates, but we rarely get useful ones—and frequently we get nothing at all. Candidates are understandably leery about sharing code that is owned by the companies they've worked for, and sometimes they aren't able or willing to give an anonymized sample.

Sometimes we get code from hobby projects, but that usually isn't deep or up to production quality. Other samples are just too small to glean anything useful from. Very occasionally we get code stolen from the Internet, which is helpful in identifying candidates who are stupid!

Thus, the coding exercise.

A good coding exercise is about more than just coding. It should also be about process, communication and personality / working styles. Our coding exercise follows a process that is common to many of our contracting projects:

It's geared towards remote work, so it's conducted via email.
The programmer is given a generic task with some requirements.
The programmer needs to do some analysis and come up with an implementation plan, along with time estimates.
After we've reviewed the plan, the programmer is directed to implement some or all of it—or is given slimmed down requirements as needed.
The programmer delivers the finished product and reports how long it took.
It's important to note that the tasks we give them are generic. They are something any programmer can understand and don't require any specific domain knowledge. While we are asking them to spend time on this exercise (typically less than an hour for the analysis and somewhere around an hour for the implementation), we aren't asking them to do free work. The task they are implementing is for the exercise only. We don't use the results.

The exercise must be small enough that it can be comprehended easily and implemented quickly, while still being complex enough to produce meaningful results. Coming up with a good exercise is quite a challenge!

Having programmers implement the popular "FizzBuzz" test would tell us whether they could code, but it would tell us neither how well they deal with real problems, nor whether they can analyze or estimate.

I've administered our coding exercise to a number of programmers over the past few years, and I've seen some interesting results (focusing on the failures here because they are more interesting!):

Some developers aren't a good personality fit; they can be difficult or unpleasant to deal with even for the length of the exercise, or even fail to respond to the exercise all.
Some fail to comprehend requirements or follow directions. Some people take a lot of back and forth iteration to understand what others grok in one go. Even when told specifically to "do X, don't do Y" some developers will ignore you and do Y anyway.
The quality of the implementation plans vary wildly. Some come back with excellent detail and a complete plan, while others come back with plans that are sketchy or actually infeasible.
Estimates for implementation have varied from 0.5 hours to over 8 hours, though some of that is due to differences in plans or requirements.
Strangely some programmers will deliver code that doesn't actually work or run. I've had implementations with a single click crash bug or implementations with a lot of code that just doesn't work. Makes you wonder if the programmer actually ran it!
Our exercise requests "production quality" code, but apparently that's a very broad definition.

No coding exercise is perfect and I'm sure we've passed up great candidates who just misunderstood something or were having a bad day. But our exercise gives us invaluable insight into how a programmer might operate on real world projects within our specific process and requirements.

Tips for Companies

Recognizing that candidates are in short supply, avoid some of the common coding exercise turn-offs. Don’t expect a candidate to enthusiastically accept a coding exercise before they’ve had an opportunity to meet with the hiring manager. Most candidates won’t undertake a coding exercise unless they are jazzed up about the opportunity. Integrate the coding exercise into, say, a half day interview that includes short sessions with the hiring team. Candidates are willing to make a finite investment with a company and its interview process. They balk at interview after interview, exercise after exercise, spread out over several weeks.
If you want to use a coding exercise for your company, first figure out what process points you want to cover. For example, if you do a lot of requirements gathering then perhaps you want to give them an underspecified task and have a dialog where you can see how they elicit requirements.
Focus on finding a task that is simple enough that it doesn't require discovery and isn't too specific to your problem domain (unless you require programmers to have pre-existing domain knowledge). Any coding should be specific to your language / platform. If your company uses a practice like Test Driven Design or pair programming, then your coding exercise should too. It may be helpful to provide a starting project or skeleton code that has TODOs to be finished by the programmer.

Tips for Candidates

Read the instructions. Then read them again. If there is something that isn’t clear, ask for more information. Many coding exercises deliberately leave out vital information to see how candidates address that.
Focus on completing features or sub features instead of bouncing around and completing nothing. I'd rather see a working backend with no UI, or conversely, a working UI with stubbed or mocked backend then have everything be a work in progress. Maybe you display data, but can't yet sort it or edit it.
As you go, leave TODOs about things you still need to do. That will help you not to forget things, but more importantly if you run out of time it shows that you are aware of something that needs to be addressed, not just that you forgot about it entirely.
Aim for production quality, but a little under polished is okay. You should absolutely do things like closing database connections, preventing SQL Injection attacks, or releasing/disposing of resources (as any production quality code should), but not everything needs to be as clean and refactored as full production code. This only applies to a time-limited coding exercise though! If you are turning in a pre-written code sample, I assume you think it's polished and production quality!
Please test your code, or at least run it! If I can't run your sample or it breaks with a single click you didn't anticipate, it doesn't reflect well! Expect your code to be reviewed by developers who know how to break things (like putting text in number fields).
Comments and error handling matter, but too much of either can be as bad as too little. Again, aim for what you consider to be production quality, with TODOs if you are constrained by time.

Summary

Whether you give the programmer time by him- or herself to implement the code or you pair program, you will come away with a far better understanding of how the programmer approaches tasks. If, as a candidate, you are lucky enough to be given a paired programming coding exercise, realize that this is a great way to get to know how your team interacts and approaches problems. For both, coding exercises give you better insight into whether or not you've got a good fit!

This is a technical/business article catered to developers, hiring/project managers, and other technical staff looking to improve their skills. Sign up to receive The Informatizer in your email inbox.

If you're looking for a job in the tech industry, visit our job board to see if you qualify for some of our positions. If you're looking to hire technical talent for your company, please contact us.

Stout Systems is the software consulting and staffing company Fueled by the Most Powerful Technology Available: Human Intelligence®. We were founded in 1993 and are based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We have clients across the U.S. in domains including engineering, scientific, manufacturing, education, marketing, entertainment, small business and robotics. We provide expert level software, Web and embedded systems development consulting and staffing services along with direct-hire technical recruiting and placements.

Navigating the Tech Job Market: 10 Essential Tips for Developers

Stout Systems — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 21:03:07 +0000

Searching for a job in any industry can be a very daunting task, but it is especially taxing in the competitive tech industry. With rapidly evolving technologies, changing trends, and increasing competition from remote workers anywhere, it's important to approach the tech job search process strategically. Fortunately, Stout Systems has been in the tech recruiting game for over 25 years and we have gathered valuable insights and practical advice to help developers successfully navigate the job market and increase their chances of landing their dream job.

1. Understand the Current Tech Job Landscape

You can gain a deeper understanding of the current job landscape by following reputable tech news sites and blogs like TechCrunch, The Verge, and Wired. Make sure you are gaining insights into emerging technologies, industry trends, and in-demand skills. If you have the means, attend tech conferences and webinars, like CodeMash, Google I/O, or Microsoft Build. This can offer valuable exposure to cutting-edge innovations and expert insights while also allowing you to connect with industry experts, hiring managers, and other developers. By leveraging these resources and conducting thorough research, you can tailor your skill sets and applications to meet the demands of your target companies, positioning yourself as a valuable asset in the competitive job market.

2. Build an Impressive Developer Portfolio

Showcase your personal projects, open-source contributions, and side projects to demonstrate your practical experience and passion for coding. Platforms like GitHub allow you to effectively exhibit code repositories, collaborate with others, and demonstrate your version control skills. Highlight your relevant skills and accomplishments in your portfolio to help potential employers gauge your expertise and achievements. You can even build your own website to display your portfolio—be sure to link to it in your resume!

3. Craft an Outstanding Developer Resume

Your resume is the first opportunity to make a favorable impression on potential employers. Tailor it to match the job requirements to demonstrate that you’re a strong fit for the specific role. Emphasize technical skills, projects, and achievements using action verbs. This conveys a sense of proactivity and impact, while quantifiable results provide tangible evidence of your contributions. By presenting a well-structured resume that effectively highlights your technical prowess, notable projects, and measurable achievements, you can capture the attention of hiring managers and increase your chances of progressing to the next stage of the hiring process.

4. Master the Technical Interview Process

Prepare for challenging interview questions, coding exercises, and whiteboard sessions. This involves practicing common coding problems, understanding algorithmic concepts, and honing problem-solving skills. Review fundamental data structures and algorithms—many interviews assess a candidate's ability to apply these concepts effectively. Utilizing online resources and practice platforms, such as coding websites and interview question repositories, provides valuable opportunities for mock interviews and targeted practice. By investing time and effort into comprehensive preparation and leveraging available resources, you can increase your confidence and perform exceptionally well in technical interviews, thus increasing your chances of securing your job offer(s).

5. Showcase Soft Skills and Collaboration Abilities

Employers aren’t just looking for exceptional technical skills—they want to know that you have cultivated soft skills and collaboration abilities. Highlight effective communication and teamwork skills to demonstrate your ability to work well with others and contribute to a collaborative work environment. Share experiences working in agile environments or with cross-functional teams to highlight your adaptability and the capacity to thrive in dynamic settings. Demonstrate problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities to illustrate your analytical mindset and capacity to tackle complex challenges. By emphasizing these soft skills and collaboration abilities in resumes, interviews, and project discussions, you can present yourself as a well-rounded professional capable of not only delivering technically but also excelling in teamwork and problem-solving situations. This is highly attractive to potential employers looking to expand their workforce.

6. Network and Build Professional Relationships

Tech conferences, meetups, and hackathons provide valuable platforms to connect with industry professionals, share knowledge, and expand your network. Utilize online platforms like LinkedIn and GitHub to engage with like-minded individuals and establish connections with industry experts. Online communities and forums like Stack Overflow and Reddit's programming subreddits allow developers to discuss industry developments, share knowledge, and stay updated on the latest trends. You can also leverage personal connections and referrals—they often lead to valuable introductions and job opportunities. By actively participating in networking events, leveraging online platforms, and nurturing personal connections, you can expand your professional network, access hidden job opportunities, and gain valuable insights from others in the industry.

7. Enhance Online Presence and Personal Branding

Develop a strong online presence by engaging in activities like blogging or contributing to tech publications in order to establish credibility and demonstrate expertise. Engage in relevant online communities and forums to connect with peers, share insights, and build a network within your niche. Showcasing your expertise through social media platforms, a personal website, or portfolio enables you to highlight your skills, projects, and achievements—making a lasting impression on potential employers. By proactively managing your online presence and leveraging various platforms, you will amplify your visibility, strengthen your personal brand, and attract exciting job opportunities in the tech industry.

8. Continuous Learning and Skill Development

Keeping up with the latest industry trends and technologies will help you to stay relevant and competitive. Actively follow (and engage with) tech blogs, webinar presentations, and online communities. Pursue certifications and online courses for a structured approach to enhancing your skills and acquiring new knowledge. When you’ve completed a course, be sure to display these certifications and courses on your resume and profiles. This will demonstrate your commitment to professional growth. Employers highly value a growth mindset and eagerness to learn because it reflects adaptability and a proactive attitude towards personal and professional development. By embracing continuous learning, you can expand your skill set, stay ahead of industry advancements, and position yourself as a valuable asset.

9. Track and Monitor Job Applications

Maintain a record of the jobs that you apply to in order to help you stay organized and ensure that you don't miss out on any opportunities. By creating a spreadsheet or using specialized job tracking tools, you can easily keep track of the company names, job titles, contact info, application dates, and any other relevant details. This allows you to stay on top of your application progress, follow up on pending applications, and schedule interviews or technical assessments accordingly. Tracking the positions you apply to enables you to analyze your job search strategy, identify patterns or trends, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your future applications. By diligently keeping track of your job applications, you can streamline your job search process, stay proactive, and increase your chances of securing the right job.

10. Engage a Recruiter

Engaging a recruiter to advocate for you in your job search can be a game-changer for developers seeking opportunities. Stout Systems' recruiters can be your invaluable partners in navigating the competitive job market. With our extensive network and connections within the tech industry, our recruiters have their finger on the pulse of the latest job opportunities, even those not publicly advertised. We can match your skills and aspirations with the right companies, which can save you time and effort in the application process. Recruiters can also provide valuable insights and guidance throughout the entire hiring journey, from resume optimization to interview preparation. Their expertise and advocacy can significantly enhance your chances of landing your dream job. A good recruiter will be an ally in your job search and will leverage their industry expertise and vast network to propel your career forward. A word of caution: When applying for jobs, make sure that you don’t ghost anyone, as it just burns bridges you might need in the future.

Summary

Navigating the competitive tech job market successfully requires a strategic approach. By staying informed about the industry landscape, tailoring your skills to specific roles, and showcasing a strong developer portfolio and resume, you can stand out among the competition. Mastering technical interviews, highlighting soft skills and collaboration abilities, networking, and enhancing online presence all contribute to becoming a well-rounded professional and attracting exciting job opportunities. Continuous learning and skill development demonstrate commitment to growth and adaptability, while tracking applications ensures an organized job search. Engaging a recruiter can also be a game-changer, as their expertise and advocacy significantly increase your chances of landing the dream job. With these strategies in place, you can confidently navigate the tech job market and propel your career to new heights.

Enjoyed our Getting Hired article? Sign up to receive a monthly article in your inbox! Looking for a job in the tech industry? Check out our job board.

Tech Workforce & Hiring Trends - July 2023

Stout Systems — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 20:50:29 +0000

This is Stout's monthly curated digest of hiring and employment news. Sign up to receive it each month in your email inbox.

Tech Layoffs

Despite recent headlines involving layoffs at major companies, tech jobs remain among the most in-demand jobs in the labor market. What has changed about the tech hiring landscape: the jobs are less at Big Tech companies. Instead, tech workers should target their job search at small and medium-sized enterprises. Read more from CNBC.

Labor Market Trends

Tech sector companies increased headcount by 5,348 jobs last month. Among the six top level tech occupation categories three show positive gains through the first half of 2023 – IT and custom software services and systems design; PC, semiconductor and components manufacturing; and cloud infrastructure, data processing and hosting. Read more from PR NewsWire.

AI Regulation in Hiring

After months of delays, New York City today began enforcing a law that requires employers using algorithms to recruit, hire or promote employees to submit those algorithms for an independent audit — and make the results public. The first of its kind in the country, the legislation — New York City Local Law 144 — also mandates that companies using these types of algorithms make disclosures to employees or job candidates. Read more from Tech Crunch.

Employment Discrimination

This year, preventing employment discrimination remains a significant employment law and regulatory concern, with legislatures continuing to expand the protected classifications beyond those protected under federal law, and creating new limitations on what demographic and pay-related information an employer may seek from job applicants. Read more from Littler.

Crisis Management & Preparation

Are you prepared for your key employees being taken out of the loop? Is your company prepared for YOU being "hit by a bus"? Dealing with something like that is never easy, but with planning and on-going preparation, you can make it much easier for the company/project to survive. Read more from Stout Systems.

Human Resources

Technology companies are shedding the very talent that incumbent players need to meet their own digital objectives. Here’s what HR teams in traditional organizations can do to capitalize. Read more from McKinsey.

Featured Candidates Available for Hire

To browse a sampling of our candidates that have been through our 21 point screening process, visit our candidate directory page.

This is Stout's monthly curated digest of hiring and employment news. Sign up to receive it each month in your email inbox.

How To Prepare For When A Key Employee Gets "Hit by a Bus"

Stout Systems — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 17:45:28 +0000

I'm not sure where it came from or how it started, but that's the euphemism we use. As in, "Can we still deploy if Joe is hit by a bus?" It sounds either flippant or morbid, but really it's just short hand for anything that could make someone unavailable with little or no notice. That includes an accident, but also something like handling a family emergency, quitting, getting fired or even retirement. (Congrats, Joe!)

Are you prepared for your key employees being taken out of the loop? Is your company prepared for YOU being hit by a bus?

Dealing with something like that is never easy, but with planning and on-going preparation, you can make it much easier for the company/project to survive.

Passwords

The immediate thing that comes to mind is passwords and access to accounts. This is especially true if Joe is an administrator of any systems. The key here is to use a password manager that is secure, but also has distributed access. Password managers are also the number one way to start improving password security, so this is a no brainer!

Mandate that everyone use a password manager, and make sure that it's either an online service or something that is backed up regularly to somewhere that can be accessed. Make sure that the service or process is encrypted and secure; you don't want this to become your next security vulnerability. An excel spreadsheet of accounts copied to a network drive is not a good plan!

I personally don't like cloud services, and I like the Keepass application, so I use a self-hosted web solution that has a Keepass interface. The actual database is backed up to a zero knowledge encrypted system, which more than one person has access to.

Of course you also need to consider what happens if your password server gets hit by a bus! You need some sort of (secure!) redundancy here to. I found this out the hard way when I couldn't access my server password to fix an issue with my password server! I now keep a copy of a few critical passwords in my personal Keepass repository (which is also backed up, and which a few key people have access to).

Multi-Factor authentication

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is where a login system also sends you a text or email to verify your identity. MFA can increase security, but it needs to be used with care. Ideally the second factor should be something the company has access to, so it shouldn't be a personal email or personal phone. Even a work cell phone could be a problem; if the phone itself is hit by a bus it could take you days to get the number transferred to a new SIM card.

MFA isn't such a big deal on most of Joe's logins, but imagine if he's the technical contact for your domain and you can't login to renew your domain or update DNS entries without receiving a text on Joe's personal phone!

Some systems allow a secondary "recovery email" for resetting passwords. Setting that to a company address that is secure (i.e. only a few people can access) can be a good plan.

Email

The goal here is for all of Joe's work correspondence to go through joe@yourcompany.com instead of his personal email account. This is true for logins, but also for emails to clients, vendors, or whomever. You should be able to access Joe's email and redirect it if needed, so you don't miss any critical communications.

If you have access to his email, that may also help you reset the passwords on any accounts where you can't recover the password.

Emergency Contact Info

This one is pretty low tech, but if you really need an employee's laptop or work phone, it's pretty hard to get it without someone to call! Get this info from your employees and have them review it once a year to keep it current.

Source code

I hope this goes without saying (but I've worked with enough variety of clients to know that it doesn't), all source code should be in a source repository and kept up-to-date. Make sure that more than one person has full access to this repository, and that nothing gets deployed without being in the repository. (That excludes secrets like database passwords and authentication keys. If you have secrets in config files they should be in your encrypted password repository or other solution, not in source control.)

There are plenty of cheap or free online solutions for source control. There are self-hosted solutions as well. Github is pretty commonly used and well known among developers.

Documentation

Having code documentation is important, but even more essential is high-level and process documentation. How does our software get deployed? Where are our servers? What are their purposes? How does data flow through the system? How do we add a new client to our SAS product? Good documentation can help answer all of these. Having the docs in a wiki or other online solution can make them easier to update. You should have a task reminder to review this periodically and refresh documentation.

Hardware

Does Joe have any unique or hard to replace hardware or physical systems? Some examples of this might be having his IP address whitelisted to administer a system. Or he has a special USB dongle for accessing a vendor product. Or he's the only one with the prototype of the new product we are building.

These can be hard to eliminate in some cases, but you should at least take inventory and document them so you aware of the failure points.

Code Readability / Maintainability / Quality

This is a special concern if Joe is a developer, and one of the hardest to address. If you have multiple developers on your team, you ideally want to avoid silos and sandboxes, where only Joe works in this area, so only he understands it.

The overall goal is to make sure your code is high quality and maintainable, so that you could hire another developer to take over after Joe. This isn't just a quality issue though, you also want code that uses languages, libraries and techniques that are commonly used and understood.

I'm highly cognizant of this. As a contract developer I want to be invaluable but not irreplaceable! I try to avoid languages and platforms that don't have broad commercial use. This can be regional too; in some areas it's easy to find a Ruby programmer, but it's pretty rare where I'm at.

This doesn't mean that I code for the least common denominator, and that all of my code can be taken over immediately by a fresh out of boot camp developer! Rather, that a seasoned dev should be able to recognize what I'm doing and understand the code at a high level without much effort. I evaluate each library, language and framework from this view point; does it bring enough value to justify its cognitive load and learning curve?

This is a big concern for legacy systems. Over time it gets harder to find developers who want to work on, or who have experience with, really old technology.

Conclusion

I'd like to say that surviving being hit by a bus (you or someone else) is easy, but it won't be. Preparing for that eventuality needs to be a constant on-going task and part of your day-to-day processes. Make sure to do a test run of your recovery plans periodically! See if you can access your source repository. Log in as an admin to some of your critical systems. What happens if your password system is unavailable? Good luck, and please look both ways before crossing the street!

How To Train Your Technical Recruiter

Stout Systems — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 19:54:06 +0000

In an ideal world, all of the jobs coming your way from your Technical Recruiter would be an exact match to your skill set, salary desires, career aspirations, and geography. But let's face it, in many instances that's simply not the case. So, if you're suffering from Job Description Mismatch Syndrome, then it may be time to train your recruiter.

Step 1

Ensure that your recruiter is up to date with your particulars. If it has been awhile since you've had a conversation, they may not be aware that you've moved on to new technologies, or that your salary has increased significantly since your last job search.

Step 2

When you receive a job description that's an obvious mismatch, take a moment to let your recruiter know why this one is not such a good fit. A good recruiter will add that information to your profile to ensure that future reach-outs are as targeted as possible.

Step 3

If there have been some changes in your situation since you last interacted with your recruiters, send them an updated resume so they can familiarize themselves with what you are now doing.

Step 4

Take a moment to update your LinkedIn profile and send the URL to your recruiter. More and more, LinkedIn has become recruiters' go-to source for up-to-date information on prospective candidates.

Even if you aren't currently in the market for a new job, it never hurts to maintain a relationship with a "well-trained" recruiter. At the very least, it allows you to keep your finger on the pulse of what's happening in the job market for people with your skill set and experience level. In a worse-case scenario, it keeps you in a better position in the event that things take an unexpected and bad turn in your job situation.

If you follow these steps, you’ll have a mutually beneficial relationship with your recruiter. If you're looking for a job in the tech industry, visit our job board to see if you qualify for some of our positions.

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Estimation and Scheduling Tips for Beginners

Stout Systems — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 18:20:39 +0000

Let’s start with this statement: You cannot accurately estimate anything you haven’t done before.

If I asked you to estimate how long it would take you to make a new suit for jolly old Saint Nick or to walk to the North Pole to take his measurements, you would probably laugh at me.

But in many, if not most, cases, that’s what people in technology are asked to do. We have to figure out how long something will take that we’ve never done before.

Here are two definitions of estimate from yourdictionary.com: (1) an opinion or a guess of the size, worth or cost of something, (2) a rough calculation or guess.

Notice that both definitions include the word guess.

Guessing how long a project is going to take isn’t going to be very popular with your customers or stakeholders.

Other than gaining the insight and wisdom of twenty or thirty years of experience, are there things you can do to improve your estimates? Yes.

1. Break tasks down.

When we teach estimation to software developers, we quote Joel Spolsky, founder of Trello, co-founder of Stack Overflow (among many other illustrious accomplishments) from his Joel on Software blog.

Pick very fine grained tasks. This is the most important part to making your schedule work. Your tasks should be measured in hours, not days. (When I see a schedule measured in days, or even weeks, I know it’s not real)…

If you are sloppy, and pick big “chunky” tasks (“implement grammar correction”), then you haven’t really thought about what you are going to do. And when you haven’t thought about what you’re going to do, you just can’t know how long it will take.

As a rule of thumb, each task should be from 2 to 16 hours. If you have a 40 hour (one week) task on your schedule, you’re not breaking it down enough.

If there is any one thing I hope you’ll remember, this is it. In order to estimate and schedule correctly, you need to break your project down into very small tasks—so small that they aren’t longer than 16 hours in duration.

If you think your way through your project at this level of detail, you can then roll up the task estimates into a reasonable guess about the scope of a project.

Anything done with less detail isn’t an estimate. It’s a WAG. (If you don’t know this acronym, look it up. You’ll get a chuckle.)

2. Track your actual hours.

Once you’ve created your task breakdown, don’t just put it in a drawer in your desk.

The way you improve your estimation skills is by tracking your actual hours.

You said Task X would take 4 hours. Were you right? If not, were you over? Under?

Tracking actual hours provides a feedback loop so that you can learn from your mistakes.

This isn’t about beating yourself up over your crummy estimating skills. It’s about observing how you did and using your observations to hone your estimation engine.

Were you generally overly optimistic? If so, by what factor? You can try multiplying your estimates by your optimism factor to see if that brings you closer to accurate.
Were you only off on a specific type of task?
Did you completely forget some tasks? When we work with software developers, they’ll often omit time for testing or bug fixing or status reporting or meetings. If you observe that you forgot to budget time for a specific task or two, you can add that to your estimating template so you don’t make that mistake again.

Your estimation skills will grow by leaps and bounds if you track actuals and then retrospect about where you were off and what you can do to improve.

3. Don’t confuse task estimates with a schedule.

If you estimate a project at 80 hours, that doesn’t mean that the schedule is two weeks.

You have dependencies on others. You need to schedule a meeting with someone or get feedback from a busy executive or a thousand other things that will slow you down calendar-wise.

Where task estimation is something you tune on a personal level, scheduling is something you tune on a client or team or company level. As you become familiar with the various stakeholders you’ll be working with, you’ll know whether or not scheduling meetings is easy or turnaround times are quick.

You create a schedule to accommodate all of the delays and pauses that you anticipate.

And then you pad the schedule to allow for disruptions. And then the next time you do a project with the same group, you have a good sense of how things will go.

Summary

As a newbie, you shouldn’t expect that your estimation and scheduling skills will be good. That’s no excuse to continue to suck at it for very long. Follow these tips to improve your skills. This area is one of the major differentiators between someone who is viewed as junior versus someone who is viewed as senior. It will pay off in raises and promotions. So do it!

Tech Workforce & Hiring Trends - June 2023

Stout Systems — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 18:13:48 +0000

This is Stout's monthly curated digest of hiring and employment news. Sign up to receive it each month in your email inbox.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity professionals are landing jobs every day, and IT professionals from other roles may be able to transfer their skills into cybersecurity relatively easily. As cybersecurity continues to remain a top business priority, organizations will likely keep hiring for cybersecurity roles. Companies are increasingly recognizing that without experienced team members, they are increasing their risk of a cybersecurity attack or breach. Read more from Security Intelligence.

Immigration Labor Market

With natural population growth slowing, immigration could play an important role in how labor demands are met. The impact of technology on the U.S. economy, now including the rising use of artificial intelligence, could also influence how many workers are needed across occupations in the future. Read more from Reuters.

Tech Unemployment

The unemployment rate for technologists remained low in May at just 2.0%, below the national unemployment rate of 3.7% across all occupations. With only minor month-to-month fluctuations, tech sector employment and technology jobs across the economy have risen steadily in the last two years. Read more from CIO Dive.

Artificial Intelligence

AI’s impact on the workforce won’t be all doom and gloom, scholars say. While it carries a disruptive force, it also offers new opportunities. Lawmakers are looking at legislation that would tackle the issue at the education level to better prepare workforces for new jobs. Read more from Bloomberg Law.

Task Estimation for Beginners

In most cases, people in technology are asked to figure out how long something will take that they have never done before. Other than gaining the insight and wisdom of twenty or thirty years of experience, there are many things that can can be done to improve task estimation right now. Read more from Stout Systems.

Political Discussions in the Workplace

It's not uncommon for differing political views to cause angry arguments or even physical altercations in the workplace. These political disagreements tend to heat up in a presidential election year. It's important to understand federal and state laws that govern when an employer can or can't discipline or fire someone for political diatribes that might be offensive, profane, harassing or discriminatory. Read more from SHRM.

Featured Candidates Available for Hire

To browse a sampling of our candidates that have been through our 21 point screening process, visit our candidate directory page.

This is Stout's monthly curated digest of hiring and employment news. Sign up to receive it each month in your email inbox.

Virtual Interview Success: Expert Tips for Nailing Remote Job Interviews

Stout Systems — Tue, 23 May 2023 16:56:06 +0000

Written by Samantha Ogletree, Marketing & Media Manager at Stout Systems

Welcome to the digital era of hiring! COVID lockdowns and the rise of a remote workforce propelled us into a world in which we are conducting everything online. Remote interviews offer undeniable advantages — convenience for both hiring managers and candidates, easier coordination of multiple interviews, and cost savings on travel expenses. Moreover, from the candidate’s perspective, it provides an opportunity to swiftly connect with the potential team, demonstrate skills, and showcase enthusiasm for the role.

To many job seekers, the interview can be the most stressful part of the job search. It’s understandable — oftentimes, you get only a limited amount of time to connect with the person who is interviewing you and to make a good impression. Thankfully, there are many ways in which you can wow the interviewer from behind a screen.

1. Verify the specifics.

If the information is not provided to you, ask your recruiter or point-of-contact for details regarding: who will be interviewing you, on what platform the interview will be conducted, what topics you can expect to discuss, as well as whether the interviewer expects cameras to be turned on. The information communicated to you will not only help you to prepare, but will give you insight into how the hiring team positions its candidates for success.

2. Test your technology.

Before the interview, test your wifi to make sure it’s strong. Download and test the video conferencing app on the device that you will be using for the interview. Check your camera and mic settings inside your app to ensure everything is working appropriately on your end and time is not wasted dealing with preventable technical issues. Make sure your device is charged or plugged in to a power source.

3. Prepare in advance.

As is recommended for in-person interviews, research the company (browse the company’s website in addition to their Glassdoor reviews), brush up on the job description, and dress professionally. Have a list of questions to ask as a way to signal your interest and engagement. Have your resume memorized and close-by for reference.

4. Minimize any distractions.

Make sure your background doesn’t have too many visual distractions–for example, a messy bookshelf or elaborate wall art. If you have any email alerts or notifications that may pop up during the interview, mute them in advance. If you have kids or pets, figure out how to securely close the door to your interview space. If possible, arrange to have the kids and pets attended to during the interview. Have Kleenex, water, cough drops, and anything else that you might need right there in the room — out of sight from the camera, but where you can reach them. For a long interview, you should be offered a bio break. And if not, you should feel comfortable asking for one. But having the necessities in the room will prevent unnecessary interruptions.

5. Stay focused and visibly engaged.

It’s really easy to lose concentration during a video interview. You are missing all of the non-verbal cues that typically keep the listener engaged–eye contact and body language, for instance. Do your best to treat the interview as if it were in-person, one-on-one. Smile when it’s appropriate and ask follow-up questions to show that you are a real person on the other side of the screen! It will certainly show the interviewer that you are interested in learning more about the company and value his or her time.

6. Stay in touch after the interview.

Don’t ghost your interviewer after the interview, no matter what! In most cases, a follow-up thank you email will be viewed favorably, and every check in the “favorable” column only works to your benefit. Chances are pretty good that your competition will not have followed-up their interview with a thank-you email, so you’ll stand out from the other candidates. Another check for you in the “favorable” column. In addition to a “thank you for taking the time to interview me,” this is also one last opportunity to convey to the interviewer how excited you are about this opportunity. Hiring managers like to hire people who are enthusiastic about the opportunity and who think they will like working at their company.

We all understand that technology can still fail, despite all the planning in the world. Take it in stride. If you manage that smoothly, that’s seen positively by the interviewing team. Make sure to provide your contact information (email address and phone number) well before the interview so that you can reschedule or switch the interview to a phone call in a pinch. The point of using remote interviews is to save time, so make sure you are not sacrificing too much of it with technical mishaps!

If you follow these tips, you’ll have all the keys to succeed in your virtual interview. Now all you have to do is find the right opportunity! If you’re looking for a job in the tech industry, visit our job board to see if you qualify for some of our positions.

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Tech Workforce & Hiring Trends - May 2023

Stout Systems — Mon, 15 May 2023 16:22:02 +0000

This is Stout's monthly curated digest of hiring and employment news. Sign up to receive it each month in your email inbox.

Tech Labor Market

Tech hiring is moving back up again after dipping in the second half of 2022 - job postings for tech positions topped 300,000 for the first time this year. It is difficult to say exactly how hiring will play out given many other macroeconomic trends, but the prioritization of digital transformation as a strategy for resiliency will likely result in relatively strong hiring and relatively low tech unemployment rates. Read more from IT Pro Today.

Remote Interviewing

Despite the challenges that remote interviewing can present, there are significant benefits for both the candidate and the hiring personnel. Remote interviewing allows you to save time and resources while broadening your search for candidates. In this month's Informatizer, we share tips to help you master the art of conducting remote interviews. Read more from Stout Systems.

Cyber Security & HR

Common wisdom holds that when organizations are hit by a cyberattack, the ensuing response should be led by IT, security, legal and finance staff, with human resources taking a back seat. But cybersecurity experts say HR's communication skills, its key role as the bridge between leadership and employees, and its knowledge of sensitive worker data should make it an integral member of any incident response team. Read more from SHRM.

Tech Skills in Demand

Despite the doom-and-gloom headlines about tech jobs, the Linux Foundation's latest survey says companies are still hiring savvy Linux and open source staffers. The demand for skilled tech talent remains strong, particularly in fast-developing areas, such as cloud and containers, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence and machine learning. Read more from ZDNet.

Employment Law Update

Last month, the United States Supreme Court heard oral argument in Groff v. DeJoy, a case that could set a new standard for the burden an employer must demonstrate to deny an employee's request for a religious accommodation. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers provide reasonable accommodations for their employees' religious beliefs and practices. Read more from Mondaq.

Handling Complaints

Complaints at work are essential and often unavoidable aspects of organizational communication. When done ineffectively, complaining can harm the collective mood, individual relationships and organizational culture. But when done effectively, complaining can help manage risks, provide early red flags, uncover opportunities for growth and change, and even boost relationships and well-being. Read more from SHRM.

Featured Candidates Available for Hire

To browse a sampling of our candidates that have been through our 21 point screening process, visit our candidate directory page.

This is Stout's monthly curated digest of hiring and employment news. Sign up to receive it each month in your email inbox.

If you're looking for a job in the tech industry, visit our job board to see if you qualify for some of our positions. If you're looking to hire technical talent for your company, please contact us.

Tips for Conducting Remote Job Interviews

Stout Systems — Tue, 09 May 2023 19:05:58 +0000

Written by Samantha Ogletree, Marketing & Media Manager at Stout Systems

It’s without a doubt that we are in the digital era of hiring. COVID lockdowns, remote work, and the prevalence of Zoom propelled us into a world in which we are conducting everything online. The appeal of remote interviews is obvious–it’s convenient for both you and the candidate, it’s easier to coordinate multiple separate interviews with different hiring managers, and it saves on travel expenses. More importantly, it can allow you to quickly meet and assess a top candidate and extend an attractive offer quicker than your conventional competitors that prioritize the on-site meet-and-greet.

In order to maximize your company’s efficiency, it’s important to understand and master best practices when it comes to conducting a remote interview. Using these tips you can identify top talent and promote your company’s values to attract the right candidate.

Test your technology

Before the interview, test your wifi to make sure it’s strong. Check your camera and mic settings inside your video conferencing app. Perhaps do a trial run with a coworker who has a few minutes to spare, just to ensure everything is working appropriately on your end and time is not wasted dealing with preventable technical issues.

Communicate your expectations in the meeting invite

Do you want cameras on? If so, we recommend turning yours on as well. Will there be one interviewer, or will the candidate be facing questions from a Zoom screen that looks like the Brady Bunch? Can you provide a list of what topics you want to cover? (Remember that you need to sell your company and culture as well as interview the candidate!)

Inform the candidate of which platform you will be using

Zoom, Google Meet, GoTo Meeting, Skype, Microsoft Teams, etc. This will help the candidate prepare by downloading the appropriate app to their device. Let the candidate know who will be conducting their interview and how to contact these individuals via phone or email. This will help if a technical issue occurs on their end.

Always have a backup plan

We all understand that technology can still fail, despite all the planning in the world. It’s really helpful to have the candidate’s contact information (email address and phone number) so that you can reschedule or switch the interview to a phone call in a pinch. The point of using remote interviews is to save time, so make sure you are not sacrificing too much of it scrambling to reach the candidate!

Minimize any distractions

If you are interviewing from home, make sure your background doesn’t have too many visual distractions–for example, a messy bookshelf or elaborate wall art. If you’re interviewing from the office, send a message to your coworkers informing them so they do not disturb you during this time. If you have any email alerts or notifications that may pop up during the interview, mute them in advance so you yourself don’t have any distractions.

Focus and listen actively

It’s really easy to lose concentration during a video interview. You are missing all of the non-verbal cues that typically keep the listener engaged–eye contact and body language, for instance. Do your best to treat the candidate as if you are interviewing in person, one-on-one. Smile when it’s appropriate and ask follow-up questions to show that you are a real person on the other side of the screen! It will certainly show the candidate that your company values his or her time and you aren’t just trying to fill a seat.

Despite the challenges that remote interviews can present, there are significant benefits for both parties. It allows you to save time and resources while broadening your search for candidates. Follow these tips and you will have a streamlined and effective process for remote interviews.

Tech Workforce & Hiring Trends - April 2023

Stout Systems — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 18:43:31 +0000

This is Stout's monthly curated digest of hiring and employment news. Sign up to receive it each month in your email inbox.

Labor Market

The March employment report confirmed indications of a stabilizing labor market. Additionally, the report indicated an increase in the labor force participation rate to 62.6%, the highest level since March 2020, suggesting that workers are gradually returning to the labor market. Overall, the jobs report was strong and represents a steady step towards balancing out the labor market. Read more from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Technical Interviewing

Nowadays when it comes to hiring a software developer, every hiring manager takes a different approach to qualifying candidates in the technical interview. In this month's Informatizer article, we list some common approaches and share one of our favorites. Read more from Stout Systems.

Challenges in Tech Hiring

Recent layoff announcements from Meta to Palantir and Eventbrite are further proof that tech companies are still shedding workers. Even so, it’s harder to find and retain tech talent, according to a survey of 1,000 human resources professionals. The mismatch is two-fold: the time it takes to hire is too long, and hiring overlooks underrepresented groups. Read more from CNBC.

Right to Work

On March 24, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation repealing Michigan's right-to-work law for private-sector employees. The legislation had previously passed the Michigan House of Representatives on March 8 and the Michigan Senate on March 21. Both bills passed along party lines. Read more from SHRM.

AI Regulations in Hiring

New York City has introduced new rules to regulate the use of Automated Employment Decision Tools (AEDTs) by employers to prevent biased hiring. Companies using AEDTs must inform job applicants, perform annual bias checks, and establish a complaints procedure. Non-compliance may result in significant penalties and fines. Read more from The National Law Review.

Future of Hiring

HR leaders are optimistic about hiring and retaining workers over the next few months. And that confidence comes despite expectations of a recession in 2023 and news of layoffs. Indeed, three-quarters of Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs) expect hiring to stay steady or even ramp up over the next six months. That’s according to The Conference Board CHRO Confidence Index for the first quarter of 2023. Read more from The Conference Board.

Featured Candidates Available for Hire

To browse a sampling of our candidates that have been through our 21 point screening process, visit our candidate directory page.

This is Stout's monthly curated digest of hiring and employment news. Sign up to receive it each month in your email inbox.

How to Handle Delicate Interview Questions

Stout Systems — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 18:15:53 +0000

Written by Brian Skory, Tech Talent Specialist at Stout Systems

We've all heard the advice to be prepared for any interview question that comes your way—but let's be honest, we can't think through every question that could be asked. That said, we should at least give some thought to the questions that are likely to come our way—particularly those pesky "take you by surprise questions" that have the potential to catch you off guard. Answer it the right way and you can practically feel the interviewer's satisfaction with your response—but screw it up and you might as well shut your folio right then, thank the interviewers for their time, and walk yourself out the door. Here are some examples of those questions and the thought process behind them.

Tell me about moving on from [previous position]?

The interviewer is looking to see whether or not you left under favorable or unfavorable circumstances. Did you outgrow the position, and the company had nothing better to offer? Was your work shipped overseas? These would be acceptable responses. On the other hand, being caught off-guard about leaving because of something unfavorable (terminated for non-performance, couldn't get along with your boss, etc.) and stumbling to come up with an acceptable explanation will surely set off alarm bells. Be prepared to account for why you moved on from each position listed on your resume, and consider how your reasoning will be perceived from the hiring manager's perspective.

What could you have done to improve your performance at [previous position]?

The interviewer is simply checking to see if you are a process improvement-minded individual. If you are, it will be obvious that you have given this some thought and will be able to offer up something such as, "In retrospect, had I taken a bit of time to brush up on my Perl scripting, I would have been able to perform certain tasks much more efficiently." Stumble on this answer, and you risk being perceived as someone who doesn't particularly have improvement on their mind.

What would you consider one of your weaknesses to be?

This remains an ever-popular interview question, but again, if you are unprepared to answer it, the first thing that comes to mind could be the thing that kills the interview. No interviewer is expecting you to spill your guts or reveal your darkest secrets. Instead, they are looking to see if you've given this some thought—and if so, if you've been able to frame it with a positive outcome. An appropriate response would be, "I'm not much of a socializer at work, but I've been working on that so I don't come across as unfriendly." This shows that a candidate has thought about their weaknesses as well as potential solutions, and it puts the candidate in a much better light than a response such as, "I spend too much time at work checking on my Amazon storefront."

With a few minutes of forethought and mental rehearsal, you'll be able to put your best foot forward and maximize your chance of being the candidate of choice.

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