The Technical Hiring Problem
Technical hiring is broken. Traditional whiteboard interviews test performance under artificial pressure, not real-world coding ability. Take-home assignments respect no one’s time. And live coding interviews favour candidates who perform well under observation, not necessarily the best engineers.
Integrated code challenges within async video interviews offer a better approach: candidates code in a realistic environment, on their own time, while also demonstrating their thinking process through video.
Why Integrated Code Challenges Work
1. Authentic Assessment
Candidates write code in an actual editor, not on a whiteboard. They can think, test, iterate, and debug, just like real work. This produces a more accurate signal of their actual ability.
2. Combined with Video Explanation
The most powerful approach pairs a code challenge with a video question: “Walk us through your solution and explain your design decisions.” This reveals not just whether a candidate can code, but whether they can communicate technical concepts, a critical skill for collaborative engineering teams.
3. Eliminates Tool Sprawl
Separate coding assessment platforms (HackerRank, Codility, CodeSignal) cost €200 to 500/month and create a fragmented candidate experience. An integrated solution keeps everything in one platform and one candidate flow.
4. Async Respects Candidate Time
Candidates can attempt the challenge when they are at their best, not at 4 PM on a Tuesday between meetings. This is especially important for candidates in different time zones or those currently employed.
Designing Effective Code Challenges
Difficulty Calibration
- Junior roles: Focus on fundamentals. Array manipulation, string processing, basic data structures. 15 to 30 minutes.
- Mid-level roles: Algorithm application, API design, SQL queries, system design basics. 30 to 45 minutes.
- Senior roles: Architecture decisions, performance optimisation, trade-off analysis. 45 to 60 minutes, or a small take-home with video walkthrough.
What to Test
- Problem-solving approach: Does the candidate break the problem down logically?
- Code quality: Readability, naming conventions, error handling
- Testing awareness: Do they consider edge cases?
- Communication: Can they explain their solution clearly in the video walkthrough?
What NOT to Test
- Obscure algorithm trivia that has no real-world application
- Memorisation of standard library functions
- Speed under artificial time pressure
- Tricks or “gotcha” questions
Example Interview Flow for a Backend Engineer
- Video (2 min): Tell us about a technical project you are proud of
- Code challenge (30 min): Build a REST API endpoint that accepts a JSON payload, validates it, and returns a transformed response
- Video (3 min): Walk us through your code. What trade-offs did you make? What would you do differently with more time?
- Text (5 min): How would you deploy and monitor this service in production?
This flow takes under 45 minutes for the candidate and gives the hiring team a comprehensive view of coding ability, communication skills, and production thinking.
Evaluation Best Practices
- Use a structured rubric: code correctness, code quality, communication, problem-solving approach
- Have at least two reviewers independently evaluate each candidate
- Weight the video explanation highly, it reveals thinking that code alone cannot
- Accept multiple valid approaches; do not penalise candidates for not using “your” preferred solution
StormInterview: code challenges in the box
Multi-language code challenges sit alongside the other five question types in every plan, with AI transcription on the video walkthrough in 40+ languages. EUR 79/month.