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 that offer programs in Electrical Engineering, Embedded Systems, or IoT Development. Institutions like MIT, Stanford, and IITs (India) often have strong candidates in this field.
  • Company Career Pages:
    • Regularly update your company’s career page to showcase your IoT-related roles. Promote this on social media and other professional networks to drive traffic.
  • Job Boards
    • US
      • Indeed (indeed.com): Offers a wide range of engineering job postings.
      • Glassdoor (glassdoor.com): A job board combined with company reviews and salaries.
      • EngineerJobs (engineerjobs.com): Dedicated to engineering roles, including IoT engineers.
    • India
      • Naukri (naukri.com): The largest job portal in India with a focus on engineering roles.
      • Shine (shine.com): Another popular Indian job board for engineering positions.
      • Monster India (monsterindia.com): Widely used for engineering jobs in India.
    • UAE & KSA
      • Bayt (bayt.com): A popular job portal for roles in the Middle East, including engineering.
      • GulfTalent (gulftalent.com): A job site specific to the Gulf region.
      • Naukrigulf (naukrigulf.com): Tailored to Gulf countries and suitable for engineering roles.
    • Remote Positions
      • We Work Remotely (weworkremotely.com): A popular platform for remote engineering jobs.
      • RemoteOK (remoteok.com): Another platform that lists remote engineering roles.

What are the best practices for headhunting {role_name}?

  • Join IoT Communities: Participate in IoT forums, Reddit groups, or Slack channels like IoT Central or IoT for All. These platforms allow you to connect with skilled professionals and showcase your open positions.
  • Use Targeted LinkedIn Messaging: Look for candidates who actively share IoT-related content or contribute to discussions, and reach out with personalized messages.
  • Leverage Personal Referrals: Ask your current employees or IoT specialists in your network to refer qualified professionals.

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 IoT protocols (e.g., MQTT, CoAP)?
    • Auto-reject: Less than 2 years.
  • How many years of experience do you have with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS IoT, Azure IoT)?
    • Auto-reject: Less than 1 year.
  • Are you located within [specified location] or willing to work remotely?
    • Auto-reject: If the candidate is unwilling to relocate or work remotely (based on your requirements).

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}

IoT Protocols

Evaluate candidates' proficiency in common IoT communication protocols.

  • Q1: Which of the following protocols is lightweight and commonly used for IoT device communication?
    • a) HTTP
    • b) MQTT
    • c) TCP/IP
    • d) FTP
    • Correct Answer: b) MQTT
  • Q2: What is the primary purpose of the CoAP protocol in IoT?
    • a) Ensuring data encryption
    • b) Managing device identity
    • c) Communication between constrained devices
    • d) Connecting to cloud platforms
    • Correct Answer: c) Communication between constrained devices
  • Q3: Which protocol is often used for local IoT networks, requiring minimal power consumption?
    • a) Zigbee
    • b) Wi-Fi
    • c) Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
    • d) HTTP
    • Correct Answer: a) Zigbee

Sensor Integration

Test knowledge of integrating sensors into IoT devices

  • Q1: Which type of sensor is typically used to measure temperature in IoT systems?
    • a) Accelerometer
    • b) Gyroscope
    • c) Thermistor
    • d) Proximity Sensor
    • Correct Answer: c) Thermistor
  • Q2: What is the main function of a humidity sensor in IoT applications?
    • a) Detecting motion
    • b) Measuring electrical resistance
    • c) Monitoring moisture levels in the air
    • d) Tracking GPS location
    • Correct Answer: c) Monitoring moisture levels in the air
  • Q3: How is data from a sensor typically transmitted to an IoT gateway?
    • a) Direct connection
    • b) Using an embedded system controller
    • c) Via an IoT protocol such as MQTT
    • d) Through a cloud platform
    • Correct Answer: c) Via an IoT protocol such as MQTT

Embedded Systems

Evaluate the candidate’s understanding of embedded systems and microcontroller integration.

  • Q1: Which microcontroller is commonly used in IoT devices for handling sensor data?
    • a) Arduino Uno
    • b) Raspberry Pi 4
    • c) ESP8266
    • d) BeagleBone Black
    • Correct Answer: c) ESP8266
  • Q2: How do you program an embedded system to transmit data wirelessly?
    • a) Install additional hardware
    • b) Use an IoT communication protocol
    • c) Modify the firmware of the sensors
    • d) Use cloud-based APIs
    • Correct Answer: b) Use an IoT communication protocol
  • Q3: What is the primary use of firmware in IoT devices?
    • a) To manage operating system updates
    • b) To control the device’s hardware
    • c) To store large amounts of data
    • d) To connect devices to the cloud
    • Correct Answer: b) To control the device’s hardware

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 Can you explain your experience with IoT protocols like MQTT or CoAP?
Sensor Integration Describe a recent project where you integrated sensors into an IoT solution.
Problem Solving Tell me about a time you faced a significant technical challenge in an IoT project.
Communication Skills How do you communicate complex IoT concepts with non-technical teams?
Adaptability How do you stay updated with the latest IoT technologies and trends?
Recruitment Bullet

Check for consistency in responses from the candidates.

Recruitment Bullet

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