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:
    • Top Universities and Technical Colleges: Look for candidates through job boards or career services at institutions with strong IT or engineering programs.
  • Company Career Pages:
    • Large Technology Companies: Many experienced candidates may have their resumes on the career pages of well-known tech companies.
  • Role-Specific Job Boards:
    • For the US:
      • Indeed
      • Monster
    • For India:
      • Naukri
      • Shine
    • For UAE & KSA:
      • GulfTalent
      • Bayt
      • Whitecarrot.io
    • For Remote Positions:

What are the best practices for headhunting {role_name}?

  • Leverage Industry Connections: Use your professional network to find recommendations and referrals.
  • Attend Industry Events: Participate in conferences, webinars, and meetups related to infrastructure and cloud technologies.
  • Engage with Professional Communities: Join forums, LinkedIn groups, and online communities where infrastructure professionals discuss trends and job opportunities.
  • Use Recruitment Agencies: Consider specialized recruitment agencies that focus on IT and engineering roles.

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 infrastructure management?
    • Auto-Reject Criteria: Less than 3 years.
  • How many years of experience do you have with cloud platforms such as AWS or Azure?
    • Auto-Reject Criteria: Less than 2 years.
  • Are you located within the specified location or willing to work remotely?
    • Auto-Reject Criteria: No.

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}

Cloud Platforms

  • What is the primary function of Amazon EC2 in AWS?
    • a) Storage
    • b) Compute
    • c) Networking
    • d) Database
    • Correct Answer: b) Compute
  • Which Azure service is used for virtual machines?
    • a) Azure Blob Storage
    • b) Azure Virtual Network
    • c) Azure Virtual Machines
    • d) Azure SQL Database
    • Correct Answer: c) Azure Virtual Machines
  • What does the AWS service S3 stand for?
    • a) Simple Storage Service
    • b) Scalable Storage Service
    • c) Secure Storage Service
    • d) Standard Storage Service
    • Correct Answer: a) Simple Storage Service

Networking

  • What is the purpose of a subnet in a virtual private network?
    • a) To isolate network traffic
    • b) To connect different networks
    • c) To provide encryption
    • d) To manage user access
    • Correct Answer: a) To isolate network traffic
  • What protocol is used for routing IP packets?
    • a) FTP
    • b) HTTP
    • c) IP
    • d) OSPF
    • Correct Answer: d) OSPF
  • What does VPN stand for in networking?
    • a) Virtual Private Network
    • b) Virtual Public Network
    • c) Verified Private Network
    • d) Verified Public Network
    • Correct Answer: a) Virtual Private Network

Server Management

  • What is the primary purpose of server virtualization?
    • a) To increase server capacity
    • b) To reduce server cost
    • c) To improve server performance
    • d) To allow multiple virtual servers on a single physical server
    • Correct Answer: d) To allow multiple virtual servers on a single physical server
  • Which operating system is commonly used for server management?
    • a) Windows 10
    • b) macOS
    • c) Windows Server
    • d) Android
    • Correct Answer: c) Windows Server
  • What tool is used for monitoring server performance?
    • a) Microsoft Word
    • b) Excel
    • c) Nagios
    • d) Adobe Acrobat
    • Correct Answer: c) Nagios

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)
Technical Skills Describe a challenging infrastructure problem you solved.
Communication How do you explain complex technical issues to non-technical stakeholders?
Problem-Solving Provide an example of a time when you improved system performance.
Experience How many years of experience do you have with [Specific Skill/Technology]?
Fit with Company Culture Why are you interested in working at [Company Name]?
Recruitment Bullet

Check for consistency in responses from the candidates.

Recruitment Bullet

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