*Written by Marc Boudria / Edited by Marina Fontoura
Are you still hiring engineers the old-fashioned way—by scanning resumes for buzzwords and ticking boxes? If so, you’re not just missing out on talent; you’re holding your product and team back. At BetterEngineer, we help tech leaders uncover overlooked talent and build teams that drive true innovation. Here’s how you can transform your approach to hiring.
When you treat hiring like a box-ticking exercise—"must have X degree, Y years of experience"—you risk filtering out some of the most capable candidates. A study highlighted by Wired revealed that even candidates whose resumes perfectly matched job requirements were often rejected due to arbitrary filters like educational pedigree.
Example: Consider a self-taught developer who began coding in their teens, contributed to open-source projects, and built a successful app with thousands of users. Despite lacking a formal degree, their practical experience and problem-solving skills surpass many peers. Yet, traditional filters might prevent them from even getting an interview.
What can you do instead? Rather than relying on credentials as gatekeepers, shift your focus to what candidates can actually do.
Actionable Tip: Implement skills-based hiring practices. Tools like TestGorilla advocate for assessing candidates based on their abilities rather than credentials, helping to uncover "hidden workers" who possess the necessary skills but might be overlooked due to non-traditional backgrounds.
Technical skills are important, no doubt—but they’re only part of the picture. In many cases, it’s qualities like adaptability, curiosity, and cultural fit that shape whether a candidate will succeed in the long run. Experience might demonstrate competence, but it’s character traits like a growth mindset and the ability to navigate change that truly drive sustained performance and strong team dynamics. [source: optimusfinancing.com]
Example: An engineer proficient in a specific language may struggle in a dynamic environment if they resist adopting new technologies. Conversely, a candidate with a strong learning orientation can quickly adapt to evolving tech stacks, bringing continuous value to the organization.
Actionable Tip: During interviews, pose situational questions that assess adaptability, such as: "Describe a time you had to learn a new technology quickly. How did you approach it?" This provides insight into the candidate's learning agility and problem-solving approach.
Traditional technical assessments—like whiteboard challenges or timed coding tests—often fall short when it comes to evaluating what really matters: a candidate’s critical thinking and real-world application skills. Just because someone can solve an algorithm under pressure doesn’t mean they’re equipped to build scalable, user-centered solutions in a real team environment. As Harvard Business Review points out, these methods tend to miss the mark on assessing how candidates think through problems and apply their knowledge in practical, impactful ways.
Example: Instead of asking candidates to write code under pressure, present them with a user story and discuss how they'd approach the solution. This evaluates their analytical skills, understanding of user needs, and ability to devise practical solutions.
Actionable Tip: Incorporate behavioral interview questions that explore past experiences, such as: "Can you walk me through a complex problem you solved and the steps you took?" This approach provides a window into their critical thinking process.
Hiring shouldn't be treated like a transaction—just checking boxes to fill an open role. When focusing only on the immediate need, companies risk missing the bigger picture: building teams that grow with them. A more transformational approach to hiring looks beyond the résumé and aims to align a candidate’s values, goals, and potential with the mission of the organization. That’s where real innovation and long-term commitment come from.
In fact, research from the National Institutes of Health shows that transformational leadership, centered on vision, development, and alignment, correlates with increased innovation across teams.
Some companies are already putting this into practice. For example, Mastercard rebranded their recruiters as Career Coaches, shifting the mindset from gatekeeping to guidance, helping people find roles where they can truly thrive and contribute.
Actionable Tip: Develop a hiring philosophy that emphasizes cultural alignment and personal growth. During interviews, take time to explore candidates’ long-term goals and how they see themselves contributing to your company’s mission.
By integrating these research-backed insights and practical strategies, your hiring process can evolve to identify and attract top talent that might otherwise be overlooked.
At BetterEngineer, we believe hiring is one of the most important decisions a company makes, and we’re here to help you get it right. Whether you’re scaling fast or evolving slowly, we act as your partner in designing hiring practices that prioritize both short-term execution and long-term impact. From finding the talent others overlook to helping you rethink how you assess excellence, we’re here to help you build teams that actually move the needle. Let’s reimagine hiring together.
In Part 2, we’ll explore how to build remote teams that actually work—without sacrificing culture, communication, or alignment.
Coming up in part 2: