How to interview engineers: A case study from Dolby Labs
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Discovering the best engineers with the right questions.
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There is better talent than what you see. It’s just a question of adjusting how you look. Here is how we help you re-adjust your focus. Talented people want to be challenged. Attract them by showing what challenges they will face if they join you. If you want problem solvers, post a technical challenge instead of a job ad. If you ask for PhDs, or years of experience, you end up with exactly that. When you define what needs to be done, cool things happen. People you might not have considered, step up and surprise you. You are clear about the challenges you face. Anybody you now interview will -have shown interest in that challenge and -have proven that he/she can solve it. This improves the odds of ending up with a great match.
Transcript of How to interview engineers: A case study from Dolby Labs
Discovering the best engineers
with the right questions.
We run through several candidates, and a very small percentage of those impress a panel of interviewers with great expectations. This is huge investment of everyone’s time and as a result, more effective pre-screening is required. - Prasad B, Staff Engineer at Dolby Labs.
My story, at a glance.
Prasad BMy name is
and I’m a Staff Engineer at
Job Description
Technical Questions
Outreach ApplicationsSelected
for interviews
Manager’s time
(~30 m/ interview)
Time to hire
Cost per hire
N/A 2 2000+ 7 (answers) 3 1.5 hours <30 days ~$199
Conventional hiring
1 N/A 1000+ 120 (CVs) 14 7 hours 3 months ~$8000+
This is how GapJumpers compares to my regular hiring process.
A few months ago, I had
the need TO GROW MY TEAM.I knew that
finding the right person
WASN’T GOING TO BE EASY!
It was the same feeling of
HELPLESSNESS & UNCERTAINTYlike the last time I was hiring…
But, this time
I decided to try GapJumpers.
When I got a call from the guys at GapJumpers I was impressed by their understanding of my problem. - I was receiving too many irrelevant applications for openings in my team. - I was spending time interviewing candidates who were not motivated. - It was apparent that the skills of people did not match our expectations.
On GapJumpers, I wanted…
… my questions to evaluate the candidates based on a core set of skills that I thought were important for success on the job. !
• Resourcefulness (study existing approaches to video scene cut detection), • Evaluate their approach to solving the problem while discussing trade-offs • Software Design skills • Provide an implementation that is optimized for a specific platform
(Implement the approach on a GPU) • Overall presentation and written communication skills
Within 5 days, I received answers
from applicants in various universities in America.
LARGE
DIVERSE
200+ universities
50+ academic faculties
DegreesPhd, MS & BS
Professors200+ professors
Largest network to reach qualified candidates.
I FELT GREAT!I was in control of the quality of my applicants.
I only received answers from motivated and committed applicants.
I could now schedule interviews with confidence.
IT’S EASY TO PICK THE BEST!“A response on GJ clearly demonstrates a candidate’s motivation to work for Dolby by requiring an investment of their time to tackle a work related problem within a stipulated time - as a pre-screening step. This helps weed out candidates that lack the drive to work for Dolby.”
Increased Efficiency and Quality of Hire
*These metrics indicate the effort required for 1 manager on GapJumpers vs a conventional hiring process. GapJumpers is a tool for hiring managers to proactively engage with recruiters early on in the hiring process.
Job Description
Technical Questions
Outreach ApplicationsSelected
for interviews
Manager’s time
(~30 m/ interview)
Time to hire
Cost per hire
N/A 2 2000+ 7 (answers) 3 1.5 hours <30 days ~$199
Conventional hiring
1 N/A 1000+ 120 (CVs) 14 7 hours 3 months ~$8000+
GJ allowed me to pre-screen candidates at my own convenience before taking the decision to invite someone for an interview. This is bound to improve interview conversion rates. - Prasad B, Staff Engineer at Dolby Labs.
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