How to source and shortlist {role_name}

Where can you find qualified {role_name}?

  • Professional network
    • Leverage your professional network and reach out to former colleagues, industry peers, and tech community members to ask for referrals.
  • Educational Institutions:
    • Partner with universities known for strong electrical and computer engineering programs
  • Company Career Pages:
    • Post job openings on your company’s career page, ensuring that it’s optimized for search engines to attract candidates looking for hardware engineering roles.

What are the best practices for headhunting {role_name}?

  • Targeted Outreach: When headhunting, focus on candidates with relevant experience in hardware design, embedded systems, and circuit design. Use LinkedIn, GitHub, or specialized engineering forums like StackExchange to identify these individuals.
  • Tailored Messaging: Personalize your outreach messages, highlighting projects similar to their experience and emphasizing opportunities for career growth.
  • Referrals: Ask current employees or network contacts for referrals, as hardware engineers often know other highly qualified professionals in their field.
  • Industry Events: Attend industry conferences and webinars (e.g., Embedded Systems Expo, IEEE conferences) to network with potential candidates.

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 with embedded systems?
    • Options:
      • 0-1 years
      • 2-4 years
      • 5+ years
    • Auto-reject if less than 2 years.
  • How many years of experience do you have with circuit design?
    • Options:
      • 0-1 years
      • 2-4 years
      • 5+ years
    • Auto-reject if less than 2 years.
  • Are you located within [specified location] or willing to work remotely?
    • Options:
      • Yes
      • No
    • Auto-reject if not willing to relocate or work remotely.

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}

Embedded Systems

Understanding and working with embedded systems.

  • What is the main function of a microcontroller in an embedded system?
    • A) Control the electrical circuits
    • B) Manage software processes
    • C) Handle data transmission
    • D) All of the above
    • Correct Answer: D) All of the above
  • Which language is most commonly used in embedded systems programming?
    • A) Python
    • B) Java
    • C) C
    • D) JavaScript
    • Correct Answer: C) C
  • What is an interrupt in embedded systems?
    • A) A software error
    • B) A signal to the processor for immediate attention
    • C) A delay in program execution
    • D) A power failure
    • Correct Answer: B) A signal to the processor for immediate attention

Circuit Design

Proficiency in designing electronic circuits.

  • What is the purpose of a capacitor in a circuit?
    • A) Store electrical energy
    • B) Control current flow
    • C) Prevent over-voltage
    • D) Measure resistance
    • Correct Answer: A) Store electrical energy
  • Which component is used to regulate voltage in a circuit?
    • A) Resistor
    • B) Capacitor
    • C) Diode
    • D) Voltage regulator
    • Correct Answer: D) Voltage regulator
  • What does PCB stand for in electronics?
    • A) Printed Circuit Board
    • B) Power Control Board
    • C) Passive Circuit Board
    • D) Peripheral Control Board
    • Correct Answer: A) Printed Circuit Board

Hardware Testing

Knowledge of testing and debugging hardware components.

  • What is the purpose of a multimeter in hardware testing?
    • A) To measure electrical resistance
    • B) To control voltage levels
    • C) To test software connections
    • D) To store electrical charge
    • Correct Answer: A) To measure electrical resistance
  • Which tool is commonly used to observe the signal in electronic components?
    • A) Oscilloscope
    • B) Multimeter
    • C) Signal Analyzer
    • D) Frequency Counter
    • Correct Answer: A) Oscilloscope
  • What does a Logic Analyzer measure?
    • A) Voltage changes over time
    • B) Signal patterns and timing in digital circuits
    • C) Electrical resistance
    • D) Component temperature
    • Correct Answer: B) Signal patterns and timing in digital circuits

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

One way video interview

Recruitment Bullet

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

Recruitment Bullet

Use sample question given in scorecard.

Collect other information 

Recruitment Bullet

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

Manual candidate profile shortlisting:

Recruitment Bullet

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

Recruitment Bullet

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

Recruitment Bullet

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

Schedule recruiter calls with the candidate

Recruitment Bullet

Use a tool like calendly or whitecarrot to allow candidates to self-schedule calls based on your availability

Recruitment Bullet

Confirm the call details (date, time, dial-in info) with the candidate via email

What questions to ask in the recruiter phone screen?

Recruitment Bullet

 Use scorecard for rating candidates for recruiter

Recruitment Bullet

Sample scorecard : 

Criteria Sample Question Rating (1-5) Comments
Experience with Embedded Systems How many years of experience do you have with embedded systems?
Circuit Design Knowledge Can you explain the purpose of a capacitor in a circuit?
Problem-Solving Ability Describe a time you resolved a critical hardware issue.
Communication Skills How do you explain technical problems to non-technical stakeholders?
Cultural Fit Why do you want to work for our company?
Recruitment Bullet

Check for consistency in responses from the candidates.

Recruitment Bullet

Record such scorecards in an ATS like whitecarrot or use google doc