Technical IT Skills

A technical skill is typically a skill that is closely related to a specific field or profession. A technical requirement is often 100% necessary to be able to fulfil the requirements of a specific position. Therefore, in this blog you will learn about technical IT skills and how to test your candidate for them.

IT sector recruitment can be extremely aggressive, due to the fact that the skillset needed is so specific and in demand, making the suitable candidates for IT roles limited. This makes the recruitment process a bit more complicated than other sectors and could result in the recruitment process being longer than usual. To be successful in the IT sector, the candidate needs to be familiar with IT systems such as React, Azure, Amazon Web Services, Offensive Security Certified Professional, Spark, AngularJS and R.

The extra step taken in the recruitment process is necessary to assess the candidate and make sure they are suitable for the role they are being recruited for. This step is all about testing their technical skills!

To start off, lets touch base on what technical IT skills are and why they are necessary.

Coding: In the IT sector, there’s always a chance you’ll be programming which makes the skill of coding absolutely crucial. Coding is the language of computing and you can’t really get anywhere without it due to the mass volume of working with technology and information systems.

Data analysis: a lot of data analysis is all about using tools like Microsoft Excel and even Google Analytics.

Software testing: Putting programs through a variety of tests to catch bugs and determine whether the software meets specifications or requirements.

Rapid Prototyping: this sub-specialization in the UX/UI field is all about wire framing applications quickly. It can be as simple as a quick sketch or as complex as a full prototype: the point is to have various design options for a website or application idea and incorporate feedback to refine the final product.

Command of Adobe Products: tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign allow you to wireframe websites, make blog graphics and social media graphics and more.

A/B Testing: split testing, which is essentially testing two different versions of the same web page and seeing which performs better (gets more button clicks, collects more emails, makes more sales, etc).

Ideal testing method

Some skills can be assessed through written exams and others may require a more creative approach. Online scenarios and serious games can be used to test skills that may not have a valid grading rubric. These are technologies that you could use to help your recruitment process to be more efficient and strategic.

The most disruptive companies are managing to harness these technological trends with products geared towards candidate engagement, screening and interviewing all while keeping an eye on diversity. Here are the most exciting new talent acquisition product disruptors that you should keep in mind:

hackerRank: the platform allows you to send templated or custom coding assessments to candidates in over 35 programming languages, making it easy to objectively assess their skills. Or to watch them code in real time, you can use their online coding interview tool. This creates a coding environment for them to work in while supporting video and chat in the same browser where you talk

LuGo: it’s a unique technical skill testing service to optimize your company’s recruitment and selection process. Enabling you to screen and process your candidates much faster and more effectively. It allows you to set online quizzes for your candidates.

Codingame: is an online platform that helps recruiters to test programming skills. This tool allows recruiters to avoid mis-hires due to lack of skills by 90% and saves 75% of time in interviewing candidates. It has 10+ supported technologies such as Java, JavaScript, SQL, C, C++, Python and Angular JS to name a few.

How do you test your candidates?