Where can you find qualified {role_name}?

What are the best practices for headhunting {role_name}?

How to shortlist candidates?

Once you have started to get applications from applicants, a thorough screening process and shortlisting of prospects will help you make the most of your time spent with the most qualified ones. 

Automated shortlisting tools :

Automated screening quickly filters out unqualified candidates, saving time for manual review. This allows the manual process to focus on the most promising candidates, ensuring the best ones are considered for further evaluation.

Screening questions to auto-shortlist based on predefined criteria

like qualifications, location, experience, and skills. Either use job board or use an ATS such as whitecarrot. Here are some questions for {role_name}

• How many years of experience do you have in engineering leadership roles (e.g., Engineering Manager, Director of Engineering)?
  • Auto-Reject Criteria: Less than 7 years of experience.
• How many years of experience do you have in managing cross-functional engineering teams?
  • Auto-Reject Criteria: Less than 5 years of experience.
• Are you located within [specified location] or willing to relocate/work remotely?
  • Auto-Reject Criteria: Not willing to relocate or work remotely if required.

Skill based question to auto shortlist candidate

Analyze the skill test data to automatically shortlist top-performing applicants. (recommended screening test time - 15 minutes). Here are some skill test questions for {role_name}

Engineering Management

Assessing the candidate's ability to manage engineering teams and projects.

• What is the primary goal of engineering management?
  • a) Maximizing team productivity
  • b) Aligning engineering efforts with business objectives (Correct Answer)
  • c) Reducing project costs
  • d) Increasing team size
• Which method is most effective for managing a large engineering project with multiple teams?
  • a) Waterfall
  • b) Agile (Correct Answer)
  • c) Lean
  • d) Six Sigma
• What is a key responsibility of an engineering manager during project planning?
  • a) Writing code
  • b) Budget allocation and resource management (Correct Answer)
  • c) Client communication
  • d) Product design

Strategic Planning

Evaluating the candidate's ability to plan and execute engineering strategies.

• What is the first step in creating a strategic engineering plan?
  • a) Identifying team roles
  • b) Analyzing current capabilities and market needs (Correct Answer)
  • c) Allocating resources
  • d) Setting a project deadline
• Which tool is commonly used in strategic planning for engineering?
  • a) SWOT Analysis (Correct Answer)
  • b) Gantt Chart
  • c) Root Cause Analysis
  • d) Kanban Board
• How often should strategic engineering plans be reviewed and adjusted?
  • a) Annually
  • b) Quarterly (Correct Answer)
  • c) Monthly
  • d) At the end of each project

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Testing the candidate's ability to collaborate effectively across different departments.

• What is the most important factor in successful cross-functional collaboration?
  • a) Clear communication (Correct Answer)
  • b) Individual performance
  • c) Time management
  • d) Budget control
• How should conflicts be handled in cross-functional teams?
  • a) By escalating to upper management immediately
  • b) By facilitating open discussions to find a mutual solution (Correct Answer)
  • c) By ignoring them until they resolve themselves
  • d) By assigning blame to one department
• What role does a Director of Engineering play in cross-functional projects?
  • a) Approving budgets
  • b) Mediating conflicts and ensuring alignment between teams (Correct Answer)
  • c) Designing product features
  • d) Managing marketing strategies

Note - Auto reject candidates if scores less than 70% in this section

One way video interview

Use tools like hirevue, whitecarrot.io to ask candidates pre-recorded questions about their experience and skills.

Use sample question given in scorecard.

Collect other information 

Collect data from shortlisted candidates, such as salary expectations and visa status.

Manual candidate profile shortlisting:

Thoroughly review the CVs of the top scoring candidates from the automated process

Look for evidence of the required skills, experience, and achievements

Review the candidate’s portfolio or GitHub repositories to see examples of their work.