Meghan Neville 4/24/24 Meghan Neville 4/24/24

The Best DevOps Bootcamps in 2024

Find the best DevOps bootcamps and courses in 2024 to level up your career. Explore online training programs and find the right bootcamp to learn and practice DevOps theories, tools, and hands-on work.

We've compiled this article to help you discover the best DevOps bootcamps and courses in 2024 to level up your career. Explore online training programs and find the right bootcamp to learn and practice DevOps theories, tools, and hands-on work.

The Significance of DevOps

DevOps, or developmental operations, combines philosophies, practices, and tools to enhance a company's ability to deliver high-quality and efficient applications and services. This field is crucial in today's tech landscape and offers robust career opportunities for both novices and experienced professionals.

With the average salary for a DevOps engineer at $114,107 annually, according to Glassdoor, those who undergo training can access higher salaries and expanded career options, even without prior experience.

What is a DevOps Bootcamp?

A DevOps bootcamp is a training program designed to provide individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in the field of DevOps, which focuses on collaboration, automation, and integration between software developers and IT operations teams.

Why Attend a DevOps Bootcamp?

Acquiring Skills and Knowledge

DevOps bootcamps offer a structured learning environment focused on real-world skills applicable immediately in the tech field. These programs often include building a professional portfolio and enhancing soft skills, key for a successful career in technology. With courses tailored to teach practical and theoretical aspects, attendees leave with a solid understanding of DevOps practices and tools.

Career Advancement Opportunities

Bootcamps are geared towards career advancement, providing the technical skills needed in the rapidly growing field of DevOps. Many participants secure employment shortly after completion, with bootcamps significantly enhancing employability. The intense focus on current industry standards and practices makes bootcamp graduates highly attractive to potential employers.

Networking Opportunities

Attending a DevOps bootcamp opens up numerous networking opportunities within the community. Participants connect with professionals, instructors, and fellow students who are active in the field, providing valuable contacts that can lead to job opportunities and collaborations.

Additional Benefits of DevOps Bootcamps

Flexibility: Many DevOps bootcamps offer self-paced and part-time options, allowing students to learn at their own pace and schedule, which is ideal for those who are working or have other commitments.
Affordability: Compared to traditional degrees, bootcamps are more affordable and offer various payment plans. This makes them an accessible option for those looking to break into the tech industry without incurring significant debt.
Accessibility: Bootcamps often require no previous experience in the field, making them a viable option for career changers or individuals starting their tech journey.

Selecting the ideal DevOps bootcamp involves careful consideration of several key factors to ensure it aligns with your career goals and learning style. Here’s a streamlined guide to help you make an informed decision:

Key Considerations for Selecting a DevOps Bootcamp

Hands-on Learning: Prioritize bootcamps that emphasize practical exercises, projects, and labs. This should be your top priority when selecting a DevOps bootcamp; real-world experience is crucial for mastering DevOps tools and practices.
Instructor Expertise: Ensure that the instructors are experienced DevOps practitioners. Instructors who are active in the field can offer up-to-date insights and best practices.
Certification Preparation: If obtaining a certification is a goal, choose a bootcamp that prepares you for recognized DevOps certifications such as Azure DevOps or AWS DevOps Engineer.
Flexible Pacing: Consider bootcamps that offer flexible scheduling options, such as self-paced online courses. This is particularly important if you need to balance learning with other commitments.
Alumni Reviews: Research what past students say about their experiences. Alumni reviews can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of the bootcamp and its relevance to current industry demands.

By evaluating each of these factors, you can select a DevOps bootcamp that not only meets your educational needs but also enhances your professional opportunities in the tech industry.

Our Selection of Top 10 DevOps Bootcamps

We've selected the following ten DevOps bootcamps due to many criteria, including the availability of hands-on labs and DevOps playgrounds, course projects, one-on-one instructor and mentor time, skills tested, certificate offerings, time of program, and value of the program. Here are the best DevOps bootcamps we discovered:

Simplilearn Master DevOps Engineer Certification Course

Details of the Program

This 10-week online program is aimed at professionals seeking a comprehensive understanding of DevOps. It covers deployment methodologies, CI/CD pipelines, observability, and uses tools like Git, Docker, and Jenkins.

What You'll Learn

The program promises a deep dive into DevOps engineering with a focus on practical applications and mastering industry-relevant tools and skills.

Pricing

The course fee is $2,000, which includes access to Google Cloud Hands-on Labs and real-life project work.

Pros

Includes certification upon completion.
Intensive interaction and hands-on learning.

Cons

High cost and short duration of course may not suffice for all learners.

CalTech’s Post Graduate Program in DevOps

Details of the Program

This 36-week bootcamp is offered in collaboration with IBM and focuses on bridging the gap between software development and operations using modern DevOps tools.

What You'll Learn

The curriculum includes extensive training in continuous deployment, configuration management tools like Puppet, Chef, SaltStack, and Ansible, and cutting-edge technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.

Pricing

The program fee is $4,849, which includes access to Capstone projects and industry masterclasses.

Pros

Comprehensive and reputable program with a strong emphasis on hands-on projects.
Access to exclusive job portals and career services.

Cons

Relatively long duration commitment required.

Level Up in Tech Cloud Program

Details of the Program

Level Up in Tech offers a comprehensive 6-step process designed to launch careers in tech, focusing on fundamental and advanced cloud and DevOps skills.

What You'll Learn

Participants will learn server configuration, troubleshooting, infrastructure as code, CI/CD, scripting, containerization, and more, with a focus on AWS Cloud.

Pricing

Available upon request.

Pros

Extensive curriculum with hands-on learning and real-world project work.
Strong community support and personalized coaching.
High quality live DevOps labs.

Cons

Pricing information appears to be available upon request.

Fullstack Academy Cloud Computing Bootcamp

Details of the Program

This 26-week program is designed to teach cloud computing and DevOps skills, integrated with job search support and portfolio development. This program is used at many institutions, including The University of Illinois Chicago DevOps Bootcamp and The University of North Florida DevOps Bootcamp.

What You'll Learn

The curriculum includes AWS, Microsoft Azure technologies, and a comprehensive set of cloud computing fundamentals and advanced concepts.

Pricing

The tuition for the bootcamp is $14,495, which includes extensive hands-on project work and career services.

Pros

Comprehensive and immersive program with excellent job preparation.
High level of student support and industry recognition.

Cons

One of the more expensive options without including certifications.

WeCloudData DevOps Engineering Bootcamp

Details of the Program

WeCloudData offers a flexible learning experience that combines self-paced materials with mentor sessions. This bootcamp focuses on equipping participants with real-world DevOps skills through practical, industry-relevant scenarios.

What You'll Learn

The bootcamp covers an array of DevOps tools and systems, emphasizing real-world applications and hands-on project work to ensure job readiness.

Pricing

$4,000 (self-paced materials + 30-hour mentor support) to $6,000 (adds 6-month career services to the Standard Package).

Pros

Capstone project provides hands-on learning experience.
In-depth mentorship and career services available.

Cons

Higher price point for the packages offered.
Lacks structured, real-time lab environments.

Cloud Academy

Details of the Program

Cloud Academy offers a platform for upskilling in cloud technologies and DevOps, utilizing AI-assisted training solutions to enhance learning outcomes.

What You'll Learn

The training spans multiple cloud platforms, including AWS, Google Cloud, and more, focusing on practical skills through hands-on exercises.

Pricing

Annual membership is priced at $199.

Pros

one of the more affordable options available.
AI-assisted personalized training enhances learning efficiency.

Cons

Less focused on DevOps specifically, more broad in scope covering general cloud skills.
Some details on hands-on learning specifics are unclear, so it may lack sufficient labs and playgrounds.

KodeKloud DevOps Courses and Labs

Details of the Program

KodeKloud offers a unique approach to learning DevOps by providing a platform that combines theory with hands-on practical experience. With over 75 courses and more than 600 hands-on labs, KodeKloud allows users to engage in real-world scenarios through its DevOps and Cloud Playgrounds. These environments are ideal for experimentation and learning without the risk of impacting real systems.

What You'll Learn

Participants gain experience in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud platforms through sandboxed environments, alongside a comprehensive list of DevOps practices and tools.

Pricing

KODEKLOUD PRO is available at $21 per month, billed annually at $250. This subscription includes access to all standard features like 60+ DevOps playgrounds, three cloud playgrounds, all courses, and hands-on labs.

Pros

Extensive labs and sandboxes for hands-on learning.
Affordable and flexible pricing with easy cancellation.

Cons

Lacks structured coursework, more suitable for self-directed learners.

A Cloud Guru DevOps Courses and Labs

Details of the Program

A Cloud Guru has served over 2.2 million engineers, offering courses designed using proven adult learning principles. The program includes fresh courses and labs that cover a range of cloud platforms and DevOps tools.

What You'll Learn

The curriculum spans across AWS, Azure, and GCP, featuring cloud playgrounds, practice exams, and hands-on labs. This diverse toolkit helps users prepare for and pass certification exams while gaining practical cloud skills.

Pricing

Pricing varies between $350 and $588 per person, depending on individual or business use.

Pros

Comprehensive learning tools and fresh course content.
Suitable for all skill levels from novice to expert.

Cons

More expensive than some alternatives.
Primarily focuses on cloud platforms with a broad approach to DevOps.
Lacks structured coursework, more suitable for self-directed learners.

Nucamp ‘Become a Back End, SQL, and DevOps Developer with Python’ Bootcamp

Details of the Program

Over 16 weeks, this bootcamp focuses on Python programming, SQL databases, and the use of major cloud services. The program includes weekly live workshops and project work.

What You'll Learn

Students gain skills in Python, Postgres SQL, Docker, Flask, Django, and various DevOps practices, preparing them to deploy applications across major cloud platforms.

Pricing

The monthly cost ranges from $150 to $170, depending on the payment plan.

Pros

Interactive with live instruction.
Covers a broad range of technologies and tools.

Cons

Lacks more intensive, hands-on lab experiences.

Clarusway AWS & DevOps Course

Details of the Program

Spanning 37 weeks, this course prepares students for a career in AWS DevOps, focusing on practical skills and certification preparation.

What You'll Learn

The course offers extensive hands-on learning through labs, projects, and includes mentorship and career services.

Pricing

Total course fee is $7,950, reflecting the depth and duration of the program.

Pros

Highly rated with extensive curriculum and support services.

Cons

High cost and long duration may be barriers for some students.
No certifications are included with this cost.

Final Word

DevOps bootcamps provide a compelling pathway for those looking to enter or advance in the fast-evolving tech landscape. By offering focused, practical training in key areas of cloud, CI/CD, and system operations, these programs equip participants with the skills necessary to excel in DevOps roles.

Whether you're a beginner looking to break into the field or an experienced professional aiming to upgrade your skills, the right DevOps bootcamp can significantly influence your career trajectory, making it a worthwhile investment in today’s digital economy.

DevOps Bootcamp FAQs

What can I learn in a DevOps bootcamp?

In a DevOps bootcamp, you will acquire skills such as tool proficiency, project management, cloud technologies like AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Azure, Ansible, as well as coding practices, software development principles, pipeline orchestration, and realtime system reliability.

Are there free DevOps bootcamps available online?

Yes, some platforms offer free online DevOps bootcamp programs to help individuals kickstart their journey into becoming a DevOps engineer, providing practice exercises and video instructions. Often, these free courses don't have hands-on labs, which can be good for beginners, but not recommended for those trying to start a career.

What are Alternatives to DevOps Bootcamps?

For those considering alternatives to DevOps bootcamps, there are several other effective ways to learn and develop necessary skills in this field. Here are some popular options:

1. Online Courses and Tutorials

Platforms such as Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning offer a wide range of courses that cover specific DevOps tools and methodologies. These platforms allow for a more self-directed approach, enabling learners to focus on particular areas of interest or need.

2. University Degrees and DevOps Academies

Pursuing a degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field can provide a more comprehensive education. University programs offer in-depth studies in programming, systems administration, and network management, which are foundational to a career in DevOps.

3. Professional Certifications

Certifications from organizations like the Linux Foundation, AWS, Microsoft, or Google can validate your skills and knowledge in DevOps practices. Preparing for these certifications often involves rigorous study, which can be done through self-study, guided online courses, or official training programs.

4. Apprenticeships and Internships

Gaining hands-on experience through an apprenticeship or an internship with a tech company can provide practical knowledge and insights into the day-to-day responsibilities of DevOps roles. This path also helps in building professional networks and can often lead to full-time employment.

5. Industry Conferences and Workshops

Attending industry-specific events like DevOpsDays, AWS re:Invent, or Microsoft Ignite can offer opportunities to learn from leading experts and practitioners. Workshops and seminars provide both theoretical knowledge and practical skills, along with the latest trends and tools in the industry.

6. Meetups and Community Groups

Joining local or online DevOps communities can be an excellent way to learn informally. These groups often host regular meetups, hackathons, and discussion forums where members share insights, best practices, and challenges.

7. Self-Learning through Open Source Projects

Contributing to open source projects can be a practical way to learn DevOps tools and practices. This involves real-world problem-solving and collaboration, which are critical components of DevOps work.

Meghan Neville 3/28/24 Meghan Neville 3/28/24

Prepare DevOps Students for the Real World with Brokee

Today's DevOps educational programs are under increasing pressure to ensure that students are job-ready upon course completion.

Brokee's training platform can offer the real-world experience needed for students to excel in their DevOps careers.

In the rapidly evolving field of DevOps, the gap between educational theory and practical, real-world experience is a significant hurdle for both educators and students. Today's educational programs are under increasing pressure to ensure that students are job-ready upon course completion.

The success of a course is often measured by the ability of students to secure employment, which increasingly depends on their hands-on experience with the tools and practices they will encounter in their careers, not just certifications or classroom hours.

Enter Brokee, a comprehensive training and testing platform designed to bridge this gap. Brokee offers real-world experience across the spectrum of DevOps practices, from basic to advanced levels, covering all major cloud providers. It's not just a training tool; it ensures students are prepared for the real challenges of technical interviews and a DevOps career.

Common Pain Points in DevOps Education

We've talked to educational leaders and learned there are many challenges when it comes to teaching DevOps and Cloud to students. These are some of the biggest pain points we've discovered and have addressed with Brokee:

Unprepared Students for the Real World

Many educational programs struggle to provide students with the practical experience necessary for today's tech jobs. Traditional learning models often fall short in preparing students for the complexities and rapid changes in the DevOps sector.

Lack of Practice Environments

Without a platform like Brokee, educators are faced with the daunting task of creating relevant, current, and unbiased projects. The logistical challenges of setting up diverse cloud environments and ensuring all projects are up-to-date add to this burden.

3. Providing Accurate Feedback

Traditional methods of assessment and feedback often don't meet the needs of DevOps education, where detailed, specific guidance is crucial. Students want to learn how to improve, and instructors can be challenged to present feedback in a constructive and clear way.

Ensuring Integrity

Ensuring the academic integrity of remote and hands-on tests presents its own set of challenges. Anti-cheating measures are especially tough for remote educators who teach in virtual classrooms, where it's tough to keep an eye on students.

Scalability Challenges

Scaling educational content to fit class sizes while maintaining consistency across different learning environments is a significant challenge, exacerbated by the rise of remote learning.

Benefits of Brokee for DevOps Education

We've created a platform full of features that help educators ensure students are ready for their careers in DevOps. These are some of the biggest advantages we hear from educators who use Brokee:

Real-World Environment Access

At the heart of Brokee's value proposition is our ability to provide unparalleled access to real-world DevOps environments. This feature enables students to immerse themselves in hands-on experience with the technologies and practices they'll likely encounter in their careers.

By navigating actual cloud platforms, managing containers, and troubleshooting real-time issues, learners gain a depth of understanding and confidence that classroom learning alone cannot provide.

Curriculum Integration

Brokee's design facilitates seamless integration into existing curriculums, enriching traditional educational content with interactive, live testing labs. We've made it so Brokee enhances the learning experience and ensures that students are engaging with material that reflects the latest industry standards and practices.

Educators can incorporate Brokee's labs into their lesson plans, making the leap from theory to practice both smooth and natural.

Scalability and Ease of Use

Understanding the diverse needs of educational programs, Brokee addresses challenges related to scalability and accessibility head-on. Our platform is built to ensure that every student, regardless of the class size or their individual learning environment, has equal access to its resources.

We pride ourselves on an extremely user-friendly interface, making it easy for both students and educators to navigate its comprehensive suite of tools.

Continuous Update Cycle

DevOps is a field characterized by rapid evolution, and Brokee’s commitment to a continuous update cycle ensures that its labs will always reflect the current landscape of the industry. Since Brokee is built by DevOps experts and engineers with deep field experience, our platform keeps educational programs relevant and prepares students for the quickly evolving realities of a career in technology.

Automated Feedback and AI Summaries

Brokee's automated feedback mechanisms provide immediate, actionable insights into student performance, using AI to generate summaries that explain what students did correctly and where they need improvement. This feature is invaluable for educators who seek to provide personalized guidance to each student, ensuring that learning is both effective and targeted.

Anti-Cheating Measures

Addressing concerns about academic integrity, Brokee incorporates advanced anti-cheating measures that reflect the realities of modern DevOps work. By promoting the use of legitimate resources and tools within its testing framework, Brokee prepares students for the collaborative, resourceful nature of tech careers.

Additionally, the platform's ability to randomize test problems ensures a fair, challenging learning experience for all users.

Brokee: Use Cases in Education

Enhanced Learning With Live Labs

Educators often spend countless hours creating, managing, and scoring take-home work and labs, but with Brokee, they can instantly deploy real-world, pre-configured scenarios. This not only saves valuable time but also ensures that students are exposed to a variety of unique, randomized problems that mimic actual DevOps challenges.

The result is a more efficient, engaging, and effective educational process where students gain practical skills ready for the workforce, and educators can focus more on teaching and less on administrative tasks.

Ideal for Remote Learning

Brokee is a perfect tool for both testing and labs in remote learning settings. Educators can see how students are applying lessons in live environments, using playback features, history of commands, and final results.

The platform is also perfect for virtual labs, where instructors can lead students through each part of common DevOps scenarios: troubleshooting cloud infrastructure, operating and automating multiple servers in complex environments, managing containers, and more.

Collaborative Problem-Solving Sessions

Brokee allows educators to create live environments for group learning. Imagine a classroom where, instead of hypothetical scenarios, students are grouped into teams to navigate real-time challenges presented by Brokee. The teacher acts not just as an instructor, but as a guide, steering students through complex problem-solving processes.

This practical application fosters a deeper understanding of DevOps principles and enhances teamwork skills, preparing students for the collaborative nature of the tech industry.

Large-Scale Exams

Traditional exams often fail to fully assess a student’s ability to handle real-world tech problems. Brokee changes the game by supporting mass examinations where hundreds of students can undertake tests simultaneously, each facing unique, randomized problems that mimic actual DevOps challenges.

This not only levels the playing field by providing every student with a distinct set of tasks but also enables institutions to efficiently gauge the practical skills of a large cohort, ensuring that their graduates are truly ready for the workforce.

Try a Free Demo!

We invite educators and industry professionals alike to experience Brokee firsthand. Discover how our platform can revolutionize your approach to DevOps training, from basic operations in Linux servers to managing complex cloud environments. With Brokee, you get not just a tool, but a partner in education and training.

Our flexible pricing, test-credits system, and inclusive access for team evaluations ensure that our platform adapts to your specific needs. Don’t take our word for it; contact us for a free demo and see for yourself how we can tailor our offerings to best support your goals.

Prepare the Next Generation of DevOps Students for Success

The importance of hands-on, practical experience cannot be overstated. Help equip your students with the practical experience they need to get hired in a DevOps role they enjoy.

Brokee stands ready to prepare the next generation of DevOps professionals for the challenges ahead, ensuring they are not just educated, but truly job-ready. Explore Brokee and take the first step towards transforming your approach to DevOps education and training.

Meghan Neville 3/22/24 Meghan Neville 3/22/24

The Top 10 DevOps and Cloud Conferences to Attend in 2024

Whether you're aiming to advance your knowledge or connect with industry leaders, mark your calendar for these must-attend DevOps and cloud conferences.

In an era where the DevOps and cloud computing landscapes are rapidly evolving, staying ahead with the latest trends, technologies, and practices is essential.

Whether you are an engineer looking to gain experience, a recruiter seeking tech talent, or a business leader wanting to expand your company’s DevOps capabilities, DevOps conferences are pivotal, offering rich opportunities for networking, innovation, and education.

What are the Best DevOps Conferences to go to in 2024?

Choosing the Best DevOps Conferences for 2024 can be a daunting task, given the factors to consider: the quality of content and speakers, the event's reputation and history, and the cost required to attend.

Recognizing that different conferences may cater more effectively to specific audiences—be it DevOps engineers, technical recruiters, or business leaders—we've tried to include events across a spectrum of price points and technical levels. This approach aims to ensure that every DevOps professional can find an event that aligns perfectly with their objectives and budgetary constraints.

The conferences we’ve highlighted in our selection stand out due to their exceptional quality, legacy, and diverse cost structures. So, buy your tickets, mark the dates on your calendar, and prepare to embark on an enlightening journey through the best DevOps events of 2024!

PowerShell + DevOps Global Summit

When & Where:

Dates: April 8-11

Location: Bellevue, WA, U.S.A.

Price:

Price:

Details to be announced.

Why attend?

AGILE + DEVOPS 2024 consolidates insights from the Agile and DevOps communities, offering a comprehensive exploration of methodologies that enhance software delivery and operational efficiency. Participants will benefit from expert-led sessions, practical workshops, and networking opportunities with industry leaders.

DevOpsDays 2024 Series

Why Attend DevOps Days 2024?

DevOpsDays is a renowned series for its community-driven approach, covering software development, IT infrastructure operations, and their nexus. Each event offers a blend of curated talks and space for open discussion on topics like automation, testing, security, and organizational culture.

2024 Locations & Dates:

DevOpsDays Raleigh, NC: Apr 10-11

DevOpsDays Austin, TX: May 2-3

DevOpsDays Seattle, WA & Philadelphia, PA: May 14-15

DevOpsDays Kansas City, MO: May 15-16

DevOpsDays Baltimore, MD: May 21-22

DevOpsDays Houston, TX: Jun 4-5

DevOpsDays Nashville, TN: Jul 10-11

DevOpsDays Minneapolis, MN: Aug 6-7

DevOpsDays Birmingham, AL: Aug 19-21

DevOpsDays Denver, CO: Sep 16-17

DevOpsDays Tampa Bay, FL: Sep 19

DevOpsDays Washington, D.C.: Sep 25-26

DevOpsDays Dallas, TX: Oct 9-10

DevOpsDays Des Moines, IA: Oct 10-11

DevOpsDays Salt Lake City, UT: Oct 17-18

Prices:

Ranging from $100-250

Will We See You at Upcoming DevOps Conferences in 2024?

Attending one of these exceptional conferences offers an unparalleled opportunity to engage with the latest ideas in DevOps and cloud computing. Whether you're looking to deepen your understanding of specific technologies, explore strategic insights, or network with industry leaders, these events promise to propel your professional journey forward.

Mark your calendars for these top DevOps conferences, cloud computing conferences, and cybersecurity conferences in 2024, and take a significant step toward leading in the tech domain. We hope to see you there!

Meghan Neville 3/13/24 Meghan Neville 3/13/24

Embracing AI in Technical Hiring: A Guide to AI Tools in DevOps and Cloud Hiring

The shift from traditional methodologies towards AI-driven strategies underscores the evolving landscape of talent acquisition in the tech industry. Let's explore how AI will shift technical recruitment and how you can integrate AI into your own technical hiring process.

AI: A Catalyst for Change in Technical Hiring

The introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the hiring process marks a transformative era for recruiting DevOps, Cloud Engineers, and other technical talent.

Redefining Technical Recruitment with AI

AI's integration reshapes hiring practices by emphasizing skill based assessments and leveraging talent tools designed to identify the most qualified candidates for specialized roles.

The Talent Tool Advantage: Beyond Conventional Hiring

Embracing talent tools equipped with AI allows recruiters to adopt a more nuanced approach to hiring, focusing on practical skills and hands-on experience rather than just educational background or professional experience.

AI for Candidate Engagement and Communication

One notable development is the use of AI for candidate engagement and communication. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are increasingly being used to maintain constant and personalized communication with candidates throughout the hiring process.

These tools can answer queries, provide updates, and even gather feedback, enhancing the candidate experience and ensuring that potential hires remain engaged and informed.

Candidate Screening: Expedited by AI

AI-driven screening is revolutionizing the initial steps of the hiring process for technical positions, from DevOps to Developers. These tools efficiently sift through numerous resumes to identify candidates with the precise skills and experience needed, going beyond mere keyword matching to understand context and potential for growth.

This not only streamlines the technical screening process, ensuring only the most qualified candidates advance but also frees up recruiters and hiring teams to concentrate on strategic engagement with top talent.

AI-Driven Predictive Analytics for Talent Acquisition

Another emerging application of AI is in predictive analytics for talent acquisition. By analyzing vast amounts of data on candidates' skills, experience, and even past job performances, AI algorithms can predict the likelihood of a candidate's success in a particular role. This predictive capability allows hiring teams to make more data-driven decisions, potentially improving the quality of hires and reducing turnover.

Skills Testing Software: Elevating Technical Hiring

The advent of AI-powered skills testing software is revolutionizing how companies assess technical candidates, ensuring a match between the job requirements and the candidate's actual capabilities.

AI facilitates a deeper analysis of candidates' skills, offering insights that go beyond what resumes and traditional interviews can reveal. This precision in assessment is pivotal for roles requiring high technical proficiency.

AI and the Evolving Landscape of Technical Skills

The influence of AI extends to the skill sets required for technical roles, necessitating candidates to adapt by acquiring new competencies that complement AI technologies.

The Future Skill Set: Collaborating with AI

The demand for skills such as AI collaboration, agility, and resilience underscores the shifting requirements in the tech industry, preparing candidates for the future of work.

Ethical Considerations in AI-Driven Hiring

While AI in hiring offers numerous advantages, it also presents ethical challenges, including concerns over data privacy, bias, and the transparency of AI algorithms. Addressing these concerns is critical for maintaining fairness and integrity in the hiring process.

Implementing AI in Your Recruitment Strategy: Practical Steps

As we recognize the transformative power of AI in reshaping DevOps and technical hiring, it's crucial for recruiters and hiring teams to understand how to effectively implement AI tools within their recruitment processes.

Here are practical steps and examples of AI applications that can enhance your hiring strategy:

Leveraging AI for Efficient Candidate Screening

AI-powered screening tools can significantly streamline the recruitment process by quickly identifying candidates whose skills and experiences match the job requirements. Technical screening tools analyze resumes and application materials at scale, ensuring no potential match is overlooked due to human bias or error.

Crafting Perfect Job Descriptions with AI

Utilize AI to generate job descriptions that are not only appealing but also optimized for search and inclusivity. AI can help identify and eliminate biased language, ensuring the descriptions attract a diverse pool of candidates. Moreover, AI-driven analytics can suggest improvements based on the performance of past job postings, enhancing the effectiveness of your recruitment marketing efforts.

Enhancing Technical Assessments with AI

Skills-Assessment Platforms like Brokee leverage AI to evaluate technical tests, creating summaries that are comprehensible even to non-technical stakeholders. This not only speeds up the decision-making process but also ensures a fair assessment of candidates' skills. By adopting AI-powered assessment tools, companies can ensure a consistent, objective, and detailed evaluation of technical competencies.

Steps for Integration

Evaluate Your Needs: Identify the specific challenges and opportunities in your current hiring process where AI can have the most impact.
Choose the Right Tools: Research and select the best tech recruitment platforms and technical screening tools that align with your organization's size, industry, and specific hiring needs. Consider tools that offer a good balance between automation and human touch.
Train Your Team: Ensure your hiring team is well-versed in the capabilities and limitations of the AI tools you choose. This includes understanding how to interpret AI-generated insights and when to apply human judgment.
Monitor and Refine: Regularly monitor the performance of these tools, gather feedback from candidates and hiring managers, and refine your approach based on data-driven insights.
Ethical Considerations: Opt for tools that prioritize transparency and fairness, and consider conducting regular audits to ensure these standards are met.

Preparing for the Future: AI in Technical Hiring

The journey towards integrating AI into DevOps and technical hiring is an ongoing process that promises to enhance the effectiveness and fairness of talent acquisition strategies.

Organizations that adapt to these changes by incorporating AI-driven tools and a skills-based approach will be better positioned to attract top talent and build a workforce ready to tackle future technological challenges.

In embracing AI's potential to transform DevOps and technical hiring, companies can unlock new levels of efficiency and precision in identifying the right candidates, paving the way for a future where talent and technology are in perfect harmony.

Meghan Neville 2/28/24 Meghan Neville 2/28/24

7 Red Flags to Watch Out for When Choosing Skill Assessment Software

Discover the warning signs to look out for when selecting skill assessment software. Avoid common pitfalls and choose the best skill assessment tool for your employee and talent development goals.

Key Mistakes to Avoid in Choosing Skill Assessment Tools

Choosing the right skill assessment software is crucial for identifying top talent and ensuring a smooth recruitment process. We've highlighted seven red flags to watch out for when selecting skill assessment software.

By being aware of these pitfalls, hiring teams can avoid common mistakes and select a tool that effectively meets their needs, enhances the hiring process, and secures the best candidates for their organization.

🚩 Platform has Challenging User Interface

Choosing a skill assessment platform that is difficult for candidates to navigate, prone to glitches, or missing essential features can significantly detract from their focus on the test, fostering frustration or feelings of inequity.

This not only discourages highly qualified applicants from proceeding with the application process but can also cause skilled candidates to underperform due to the platform's limitations.

Additionally, it's crucial that the platform is equally intuitive for the hiring team to administer tests, ensuring a smooth flow and user-friendly experience for non-technical staff. A platform that complicates the test-sending process can further strain the efficiency and effectiveness of the hiring procedure.

🚩 Talent Assessment Fails to Evaluate Essential Daily Skills

A frequent oversight in the selection of technology hiring platforms is settling for one that provides multiple choice questions or a basic coding environment, without including the advanced functionalities necessary for candidates to showcase their expertise in specific technical roles, such as DevOps, security, or software development.

The inability of candidates to demonstrate their day-to-day job skills increases the risk of hiring individuals who may not be up to the task. At Brokee, we offer broken live environments for DevOps and cloud engineers to fix, we pride ourselves on mirroring real-world challenges that engineers perform daily.

🚩 Vulnerability to Cheating

A major concern with skill assessment platforms is their susceptibility to cheating, as traditional methods like multiple-choice and coding tests often can't prevent dishonesty. Tactics include online searches, AI tools, and external help. To counteract this, some opt for invasive measures like in-person testing or surveillance, which may not mimic real-world conditions.

At Brokee, we tackle cheating by using live environment tests that simulate actual work scenarios, allowing candidates to utilize resources such as Google or ChatGPT. This strategy values the skill of applying information, with tests designed to verify core knowledge and tool proficiency.

Our non-restrictive timing and playback technology ensure process authenticity, offering a practical and integrity-focused solution to the issue of cheating in assessments.

🚩 Excluding Key Stakeholders from the Selection Process

Failing to involve crucial stakeholders, such as hiring managers, recruiters, and technical team members when choosing the type of skill assessment tool can result in a poor fit between the tool's capabilities and the company’s hiring requirements. If tests don't reflect the needed skills on the job, technical teams can feel frustrated if new hires underperform.

Additionally, we recommend ensuring that test results are written in layman's terms so non-technical parties can easily understand the performance of candidates. For example, at Brokee, we utilize AI to generate simple summaries of candidates' testing performance, making the information accessible and understandable for those without a deep technological background, which bridges the communication gap between technical and non-technical hiring team members.

🚩 Incompatibility with Existing HR Tools

The inability of a skill assessment platform to integrate smoothly with a company's pre-existing applicant tracking system (ATS) or other recruitment tools can lead to inefficiencies in the tech hiring workflow, which is particularly problematic for smaller teams or those who hire at scale.

We're happy to announce that Brokee now provides API documentation to facilitate more seamless integration with your hiring stack, alleviating potential bottlenecks and enhancing the overall recruitment process.

🚩 Skill Assessment Tests Aren't Scalable

A common mistake we see hiring teams make is underestimating the importance of choosing a scalable skills assessment tool. Since a company's hiring needs fluctuate during growth or hiring freezes, it's essential to select a tool that can adjust and expand accordingly.

We recommend choosing an assessment tool that offers flexibility and scalability, with the ability to adapt to your budget during peak hiring times and provide rollover features for months when there is minimal hiring.

🚩 Lack of Transparency in Pricing and Trials

If a skill assessment platform isn't transparent in pricing or doesn't offer a free trial period, we recommend finding a different tool! You'll likely experience challenges down the road if you opt out of a trial period and buy without trying.

We strongly advise opting for a platform that not only clarifies pricing but also enables your team—and potentially, a select group of candidates—to test its features comprehensively. This dual-feedback approach allows both your technical team and candidates to provide valuable insights.

Also, a trial lets hiring teams have hands-on experience with the platform, granting them the opportunity to explore its functionalities and assessment library in depth. This strategy is fundamental in enabling teams to make well-informed decisions, ensuring the chosen tool aligns perfectly with your hiring process and expectations.

How can Skills-Based Assessment Software Impact the Hiring Process?

Streamlining the initial pre-employment screening process

Skill assessment software streamlines the initial candidate screening process by efficiently evaluating candidates' skills and competencies. This automation saves time and allows hiring teams to focus on assessing the most qualified candidates, enhancing the overall efficiency of the hiring process.

Providing valuable insights into candidates' strengths and weaknesses

By using skill assessment software, hiring teams gain valuable insights into candidates' strengths and weaknesses. This information helps recruiters and hiring managers make informed decisions about candidate suitability for specific roles, leading to more effective hiring outcomes.

Enabling hiring teams to hire the best candidates

Skill assessment software enables hiring teams to make data-driven hiring decisions based on objective assessments of candidates' skills. By leveraging data and analytics provided by the software, recruiters and hiring managers can identify the best candidates for the job, improving the quality of new hires and reducing employee turnover.

How to Pick the Best Skills Assessment Software for Your Needs?

Talent Strategy Should Test the Right Skills

When evaluating skill assessment tools, it's essential to understand the specific skills being assessed and ensure they align with your company's needs. Look for a platform that offers assessments tailored to the skill sets required for the job roles you're hiring for.

The Best Tools Should be Easy to Use and Accessible

User-friendly software that is easy to use and accessible to all stakeholders is crucial when evaluating skill assessment tools. Ensure that the platform provides a seamless user experience for both candidates and hiring teams to facilitate efficient assessment processes.

Compatibility with Your Talent Acquisition Process

When selecting skill assessment software, it's crucial to assess its compatibility with your talent acquisition process. Ensure that the platform aligns with your company's goals and objectives for hiring and employee development. Look for a tool that seamlessly integrates into your existing HR systems to streamline the assessment process and enhance efficiency.

Assess the Analytics and Evaluation Features of the Software

One of the key aspects to consider is the reporting and analytics capabilities of the skill assessment tool. Opt for software that provides detailed insights into candidate performance, helping you make informed hiring decisions. Look for platforms that offer customizable reports and analytics to analyze data effectively and track the progress of your assessment process.

Avoid red flags and select assessment software that works best for your team.

Next-Level Competency Assessments

As you navigate the complex landscape of skill assessment software, remember that the right tool can significantly impact your hiring success. Choose a platform that values transparency, scalability, and real-world applicability. We've developed Brokee's innovative solutions to address these challenges head-on.

Don't settle for less—opt for a tool that aligns with your hiring goals and elevates your talent acquisition strategy. We invite you to a free trial to test our live environment assessments and experience the difference firsthand. Take the first step towards transforming your hiring process today.

Maksym Lushpenko 2/16/24 Maksym Lushpenko 2/16/24

We've Upgraded Our Recruitment Technology to Give You More Control + API Documentation and More

Our new solution makes hiring more efficient, simplifying the way you invite candidates to DevOps assessments

More Efficient Recruitment Technology

No one likes a tedious hiring process, but unfortunately, many technical recruiting tools don't provide sufficient automation, slowing down productivity for recruiters and hiring teams. For example, individually inviting each candidate to take a skills assessment, rather than being able to invite multiple candidates all at once.

This month, we've introduced a solution to make hiring more efficient, simplifying the way you invite candidates to showcase their skills in areas like DevOps, Cloud, and SRE.

Introducing: Single Invitation Links

With Brokee's latest update, hiring managers can now create a single invitation link for job-specific tests and share it with multiple candidates at once.

This feature cuts down the time spent on administrative tasks, allowing you to focus more on evaluating the talents that come your way. It's a straightforward, efficient approach to tech hiring, designed with both hiring teams and candidates in mind.

Benefits for Technical Recruiters & Hiring Teams

One of the biggest perks of this new feature is the sheer amount of time it saves. Instead of sending out invites one by one, you can now reach an entire pool of candidates with just one link. It's like opening a direct line between your company and potential talent, making the initial steps of recruitment smoother and faster for everyone involved.

It also creates a more candidate-friendly application process. When candidates have a hassle-free experience from the start, it sets a positive tone for the rest of the hiring process. Plus, we've found that most technical candidates care greatly about how technically advanced the hiring process is at the companies they are considering.

Control and Flexibility

In the recruitment process, having control is crucial, and our newest feature ensures that you're in the driver's seat. You can decide exactly how many candidates can take the test through the invitation link, allowing you to manage your recruitment budget effectively without compromising on the quality of your talent pool.

Whether you're looking to fill a single position or several, this feature gives you the flexibility to scale your search up or down, based on your current needs. This way, you'll have the right tools to find the right people, at the right time.

How to Use the New Feature

Using Brokee's new invitation link feature is very straightforward. All you need to do is create an invitation link, add the role, assessment type, and number of candidates, and send the generated link!

With just a few clicks, you can generate a unique link for your job-specific test and share it across any platform you use to communicate with potential candidates.

Once you've filled the position or wish to pause the recruitment process, you can easily disable the link, ensuring no additional candidates will access the test until you're ready to hire again.

What's Coming Next

We're looking to add even more functionality to this feature. You'll soon be able to set an expiration date for your invitation links, providing another layer of control over your recruitment timeline.

We'll also give you the ability to adjust the number of candidates that can use the link, so you can seamlessly add more candidates without needing to create a new link.

As experienced hiring managers, we know the importance of providing you with all the tools you need to tailor your hiring process to your exact requirements.

Also Introducing: Test Preview and Quick Access

We've updated our navigation to make Brokee even easier to use. Upon logging in, you are greeted with access to core features – including 'Invite New Candidate' and 'See Tests in Action'. The latter allows you to view the testing process from the eyes of the candidates you're inviting, giving you special insights into the quality of your hiring process.

Our new candidate dashboard

Plus: New Diagrams for Clearer Test Instructions

To improve our tests' accessibility and clarity, Brokee has introduced diagrams alongside traditional text descriptions.

This initiative is especially beneficial for candidates who prefer visual explanations or face challenges with text instructions, such as dyslexia. By incorporating diagrams, we're making it easier for all engineers to understand the available infrastructure, furthering our commitment to inclusive and effective tech hiring.

Our skills assessment diagram was built with accessibility in mind.

Get Early Access to Our API Documentation!

We're thrilled to announce the initial release of Brokee's API documentation. It's a starting point for developers looking to integrate our skills assessment platform into their systems.

The first version covers the essentials, but we're aware it has room for improvement. We welcome your feedback as we refine and enhance the documentation. Your input is crucial for us to make the API more robust and user-friendly. Dive in, explore its capabilities, and let us know your thoughts!

Conclusion

Brokee's latest features mark a significant step forward in tech hiring: one-click invitations, improved recruiter dashboards, visual test diagrams for enhanced clarity, and accessible API documentation.

These updates will streamline the recruitment process, making it faster, more inclusive, and adaptable to your needs. We're dedicated to improving your hiring experience and eagerly await your feedback on these new functionalities. Explore what's new on Brokee and discover how we're evolving to help you hire the best tech talent more effectively.

Thank you for trusting Brokee with your tech recruitment needs. Let's continue to transform tech hiring together.

Meghan Neville 1/25/24 Meghan Neville 1/25/24

The Best Tech Recruitment Platforms & Technical Screening Tools in 2024

We explored the top tech recruitment platforms, tools, and software solutions that will help your company source, screen, and hire the top talent in 2024.

In this rapidly evolving digital era, hiring top technical talent has become a major challenge, for both startups and enterprises. We explored the top tech recruitment platforms, tools, and software solutions that can help your company source, screen, and eventually hire the best talent in 2024.

Why is Technical Recruitment a Significant Challenge for Many Companies?

Technical recruitment poses a unique challenge for recruiters and employers. Among various processes in the corporate world, tech recruitment introduces one of the toughest tasks to fulfill, especially when there's an abundance of job seekers with more new technologies evolving day by day.

Understanding the Unique Issues for Technical Recruiters

There are several challenges in tech recruitment, including sourcing candidates with the right competency in advanced technologies, understanding specific job requirements like DevOps engineering, translating tech jargon into understandable information for non-tech recruiters, proper technical assessment and testing, and offering competitive salary packages.

Common IT recruitment problems include:

Difficult and expensive to extend search beyond traditional platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed.
Deciding how much to spend on subscription packages and platforms.
Properly assessing candidates' skills.
Understanding and minimizing the costs of your hiring pipeline.

How Can Tech Recruitment Tools Give a Competitive Edge in Hiring?

Tech recruitment tools equip employers with data-driven insights, automation, and AI-powered features that can significantly enhance their ability to source, screen, interview, and hire top tech talent.

What are the top 10 Tech Recruitment Platforms in 2024?

The best tech tools might vary based on the needs of the company or hiring team, however, we've put together our top picks for recruiting technology and tools for 2024.

How Did We Choose Our "Top Picks"?

What constitutes the 'best' recruitment tool or platform? Prime factors we considered included user-friendly interfaces, cost-effectiveness, AI-driven candidate matching, advanced candidate sourcing features, and a robust tech stack. Additionally, great customer service, reasonable pricing, and the reviews and reputations of the platforms came into play as well.

Each platform has its pros and cons based on various considerations like the type of tech talent you are sourcing, ease of integration with other tools, and features specific to your needs. However, we felt this guide would be especially helpful as it contains the top picks from technical experts who work with many of these tools and technologies every day.

Without further ado, let's get to the rankings!

Applicant Tracking Systems

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is the backbone of any recruitment operation. It serves as a centralized hub for managing candidates and streamlining recruiting activities. In 2024, ATS tools have evolved to not only store candidate data but also enhance productivity by automating various aspects of the hiring process.

SmartRecruiters

Pros:
Offers a wide range of features, including automation, analytics, and customizable job postings.
1. Can streamline the hiring process, saving time and reducing manual effort.
2. Provides powerful analytics for recruitment efforts.
Cons:
Design could have a better user experience with improved navigation.
1. Lacks some customization features that users want.
2. It's missing some common integrations.
Pricing: The specific pricing information for SmartRecruiters is not available.

Lever

Pros:
Offers features such as interview scheduling, candidate scoring, and analytics.
1. Can simplify the hiring process and save time when used effectively.
Cons:
Customer support can be lacking at times.
1. Setup can take a while, and tools have a bit of a learning curve.
2. Many reviewers mentioned wanting more features.
Pricing: Pricing for Lever ranges from around $3,500 to $140,000 per year, depending on the number of employees.

iCIMS

Pros:
Offers a wide range of features, including automation, analytics, and customizable job postings.
1. Can streamline the hiring process, saving time and reducing manual effort.
2. Provides powerful analytics for recruitment efforts.
Cons:
The reporting functions can be limited to standard reports, and customization can be challenging
1. Search capabilities could be improved.
2. Interface design could be improved for better user experience.
Pricing: iCIMS pricing ranges from $6,000 per year for 51 to 100 employees to $140,000 per year for 5,000+ employees. They also charge "connector fees" for 3rd party integration partners.

Our Top Pick: Greenhouse Software

Pros:
Offers a comprehensive set of features for recruitment, including interview scheduling, candidate scoring, and analytics.
1. Provides powerful analytics and customizable job postings.
2. Can simplify the hiring process and save time when used effectively.
Cons:
Automated screening may eliminate good candidates, as the system sticks within set boundaries.
1. May lack desired one-on-one contact with applicants, potentially affecting the candidate experience.
2. Might require a lengthy implementation, which can be a potential disadvantage.
Pricing: Pricing ranges from around $6,000 to $25,000 per year for a couple of dozen employees to over $100,000 per year for larger enterprises.

Why it's our top pick: Among the ATS, Greenhouse Software emerges as a top contender. With a wide array of features, including interview scheduling, candidate scoring, and robust analytics, Greenhouse offers a comprehensive recruitment solution. Additionally, it provides customizable job postings and has received a great G2 rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, indicating user satisfaction.

CRM Tools

In this section, we explore CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platforms, keeping in mind how well they work for technical recruiters. We've highlighted their pros, cons, and pricing to help you make an informed choice for streamlining your hiring process.

Freshsales

Pros: Affordable pricing, feature-rich CRM, extensive customization.
Cons: Limited marketing automation, integration challenges, advanced customization learning curve, limited support for large teams.
Pricing: Freshsales starts at $15/user/month.

Recruiterflow

Pros: Highly customizable, responsive customer support, economical for small businesses, user-friendly.
Cons: Limited marketing automation, integration challenges, and limited customization for large teams.
Pricing: Recruiterflow ranges from $85/user/month to $96/user per year, with custom enterprise plans available.

Teamtailor (Our Pick for Best Recruitment Software for Startups!)

Pros: Cost-effective, user-friendly, seamless social media integration.
Cons: Varied quality in customer support, limited analytics, uneditable connect option.
Pricing: Teamtailor starts at $200 per month.

Our Top Pick Overall: Zoho

Pros: Efficient recruitment management, broad candidate engagement, robust sourcing, powerful analytics.
Cons: Limited career site functionality, lack of full-time support, overwhelming features, limited free version.
Pricing: Starts at approximately $17 to $52/user/month billed annually for small to mid-sized enterprises.

Why it's our top pick: While opinions may vary depending on individual preferences and specific needs, Zoho's combination of features, pricing, and user satisfaction ratings makes it a solid choice for organizations looking to enhance their recruitment efforts through CRM software.

AI Screening Tools - Candidate Background Checking Software

If you've ever had to sift through a mountain of CVs, you know how daunting the task can be. Thankfully, candidate screening software has emerged as a powerful tool to streamline the hiring process. These digital solutions leverage AI and automation to save time, verify backgrounds, and identify the best-fit candidates for technical roles. Let's take a closer look at some popular options:

CERTN:

Pros: Offers comprehensive background checks and verification services.
Cons: Some users have complained about background checks taking a long time.
Pricing: Prices for CERTN range greatly, depending on the type of verification check.

Sterling:

Pros: Utilizes end-to-end automation for faster criminal background checks, seamless API integration, and a Quick Search tool.
Cons: Some users have reported concerns about the "consider" status and discrepancies in background checks.
Pricing: Sterling offers a range of pricing options, with background checks ranging from $3.99 for single reports to $59.95 for the Preferred Check.

Veremark:

Pros: Offers a wide range of online background checks, convenient data collection through an app, and instant generation of professional reports.
Cons: Pricing details are not openly shared, and it's primarily geared towards small businesses.
Pricing: Veremark charges on a per candidate per check basis, pricing beyond this is unknown.

Our Top Pick: Checkr

Pros: Provides easy candidate verification, efficient management of screenings, and education verification.
Cons: Some users find pricing to be on the higher side.
Pricing: Ranges from $29 to $79 per background check.

Why it's our top pick: We prefer Checkr over the others for its fast turnaround times, better user experience, and more pre-built integrations. This is backed up by a 4.5-star rating on G2.

Candidate Sourcing Tools

In the quest to find the perfect candidate, digital tools have become indispensable for sourcing talent. The ideal candidate might not be actively job-hunting, but with the right approach, you can attract their attention. Recruiters now leverage multiple social media platforms to discover potential hires, with an average of 7.8 different sites in use.

Additionally, there are specialized sourcing platforms designed to help Talent Acquisition (TA) teams quickly identify qualified candidates. Here are some of our top picks:

TalentReef: (Our Pick for Best Enterprise Hiring Solution!)

Pros: Mobile-friendly features, numerous time-saving automations, and is designed for sourcing hourly workers.
Cons: Pricing details are not transparent and may not be best for hiring salaried workers.
Pricing: TalentReef pricing information is available only on inquiry.

Entelo:

Pros: It has a powerful candidate database search engine, with integrated features for candidate communication.
Cons: Some customers have noticed that it's not highly efficient at pulling profiles from social media. Candidate information may not always be up to date.
Pricing: Entelo ranges from $149 per month to $499 and beyond for custom pricing.

Our Top Pick: Fetcher

Pros: It has a candidate curation feature, automated outreach, and excellent candidate search filters.
Cons: Users don't like the inability to edit contact cards after adding them to searches.
Pricing: Ranges from $149/user/mo to $549/user/mo depending on company size.

Why it's our top pick: If you prioritize candidate curation and automated outreach, Fetcher is a strong option. It offers robust search filters and automation features. Ultimately, the best candidate sourcing software for your organization should align with your specific requirements and provide the features and pricing that meet your needs.

Note: Don't forget about developer forums and hubs to source talent as well! For example, StackOverflow, Github, various LinkedIn groups, and even dedicated Subreddits, can be great places to get in touch with talented technical workers.

Candidate Technical Prescreening & Coding Interviews

How can a recruiter tell if a candidate has technical knowledge? It's easy to write "coding experience" on a resume if you don't need to back it up with proof. This is why it's essential to use technical prescreening tools and coding tests that provide a gamut of coding tests for various features such as plagiarism checkers, tests for specific languages, and applicant screening.

Most of the platforms we write about in this section use live coding, multiple choice, or short answer tests -- these are great for qualifying junior engineers, but keep in mind they may not be sufficient for advanced IT roles. For Mid to Senior level roles, it's essential to use actual skills assessments, which we will cover in the next section - Best Technical Assessment Platforms.

TestGorilla: Automation for Applicant Screening

Pros:
Good accuracy to screen applicants in bulk.
1. Easy to Use.
2. Ability to customize assessments.
Cons:
Unresponsive customer service.
1. Reviewers desire more integration with other systems.
2. Tests are not practical (mainly theoretical).
Pricing: Ranges from free trial to $1150 per month.

Imocha: Live Code Platform

Pros:
The Live Coding Interview feature allows tech hiring managers to interact and assess coding skills – in a completely language-agnostic manner.
1. They offer a free trial.
Cons:
Their pricing is not transparent.
1. Difficult for non-technical employees to understand results.
2. Not the best user-interface
Pricing:
They offer several plans but do not show the price.

CoderPad: Technical Prescreening and Interview Platform

Pros:
Provides a technical interview platform that can be used for technical screening.
1. Quick and accurate assessment of candidate skills.
2. Simple to use.
3. Free basic account.
Cons:
The practice environment is not guarded.
1. Reviewers mention the clunky whiteboard feature.
Pricing:
Team accounts start at $300/month.

Coderbyte: Code Challenge Site

Pros:
Interactive audio and video online environment.
1. Plagiarism detection.
2. Easy to set up.
Cons:
They cannot be integrated into most common ATS.
1. Poor user interface UI/UX.
2. Candidate emails often go to spam.
Pricing: Starts at $199 a month

Our Top Pick: Codility - Whiteboarding Tests

Pros
CodeLive tool lets you see problem-solve in real-time with live whiteboarding interviews.
1. Tools to compare candidates' results.
2. Good user interface.
Cons
Pricing is not transparent.
1. Users say that result reports could be improved and better written in layman's terms.
2. Doesn't test the candidates' use of frameworks or libraries, only math concepts.
Pricing: Hidden Pricing (according to Select Hub, plans start from $5000).

Why it's our top pick: While pricing is a bit high for this one, when it comes to high quality tests and screening, Codility does a great job. It is rated high for its ease of setup as well as its helpful support. With high ratings from both recruiters and engineers on Capterra and G2, it's a great testing platform to add to your toolkit.

Best Technical Assessment Platforms

For advanced technical roles, such as DevOps, System Engineers, and Senior-level positions, code assessments work well for ensuring candidates have the skills to do their daily work.

These skills aren't easily measured through multiple choice tests or basic question-and-answer interviews, instead, live assessments are needed to make sure only genuinely talented engineers make it to the next rounds.

When looking for the best technical assessment platform, double-check with your technical team to make sure the assessments reflect the type of work the candidates will be doing.

HackerRank: Smart Interviews

Pros:
Great tests for basic coding skills, as well as practice for coders to improve.
1. Some assessments can be customized.
2. Large variety of tests and live coding assessments.
Cons:
Tests don't reflect the work that engineers will do, as they are more similar to a coding puzzle.
1. Candidates mention confusing coding interfaces and poorly worded questions that make exams difficult and frustrating.
2. This platform can be polarizing, with many developers saying they don't like Hackerrank tests during the interview process.
Pricing: Pricing ranges from $100 to $749 per month, depending on the number of users and tests.

CodeSignal: General Coding Assessments

Pros:
Precision, efficiency, and a level playing field to the interview process.
1. Real-time feedback for candidates.
Cons:
Inability to replace human nuances in the interview process.
1. Lack of live interview functionality and small code editors
2. Many candidates report not enjoying tests or feeling it tested on useful, daily skills.
Pricing: Pricing is not transparent.

DevSkiller: Live Coding Assessments

Pros:
Users compliment the helpful customer support.
1. It has an easy-to-use interface.
2. There are a large number of pre-defined tests that get frequent updates.
Cons:
The Candidature management doesn't work well when used on a large number of candidates.
1. Some candidates have issues loading the tests and operating the coding challenge console.
2. Parts of the tests aren't fully automated.
Pricing: Ranges from $300 to $5000 per month (with candidate management).

Our Top Pick: Brokee - DevOps Assessments

Pros:
AI-generated results that are easy for non-technical professionals to understand.
1. Innovative live, broken environments test skills that are relevant for day-to-day work for system engineers.
2. Easy recording and playback of candidates' test taking.
Cons:
For now, the testing library is limited to DevOps roles, such as DevSecOps, Cloud Engineers, and System Engineers.
1. There is no interview feature, it currently only offers technical assessments.
2. Tests currently can't be customized.
Pricing: Brokee is priced at $0 to $99 per month.

Why it's our Top Pick: Brokee is the newest assessment company, and while it may not have as many tests as other players on the market, it is our top pick because of the high quality of the assessments. It was created by experienced DevOps, for DevOps who knew they could make better tests than what is currently out there. Because the company is new, they provide personal customer service, free trials, and even demos with the Founder. Try it out for free!

Making the Decision: Choosing the Right Tech Talent Recruiting Platforms

In the vast talent pool, sourcing the best tech talent is like locating a needle in the haystack. The right recruitment software can drive this process with exceptional precision.

Using Tools and Software for Advanced Talent Sourcing

Certain platforms leverage data analytics to vet resumes and process applications quickly and effectively. With these recruitment software solutions, managers can find resourceful profiles in the vast database by filtering multiple attributes related to job postings and candidates.

Screening candidates: AI vs. traditional methods

AI has revolutionized the candidate screening process in tech hiring. Tools powered with AI like Hootsuite, Jasper.ai, or Otter.ai can compare thousands of resumes, eliminating the need for manual shortlisting. They’re cost-effective, efficient, and less prone to human error than traditional methods.

Integrations with ATS and Other Recruitment Software

Most recruitment platforms can integrate with widely used ATS systems, thus smoothing the recruitment process. Platforms like Regie.ai, SSO, or Nationwide Corp even offer single sign-on (SSO) capabilities to ease user management. Integrations should be a major aspect to keep in mind when it comes to choosing any tool or platform.

Make Technical Recruiting Easier

We hope this guide will be a helpful resource in guiding you toward the best recruiting tools and technologies for your company and team. The decision to implement new technologies can be tough, but with the right tools in your arsenal, you'll be on your way to recruiting and hiring with more ease than ever.

Maksym Lushpenko 1/16/24 Maksym Lushpenko 1/16/24

Introducing Pricing Plans and Free Trial for DevOps Tests

We've released pricing plans with a flexible and transparent credit system for tech hiring teams of all sizes. Plus, free trials!

We're starting 2024 off with a bang! We are happy to announce our biggest product update yet: the release of payment plans with a free trial.

To make this a reality, we:

Developed payment plans and integrated our platform with Stripe
Opened sign-ups to the public
Developed free tests specifically for the free trial
Added team management
Implemented a permissions system for various platform features based on payment plans

Let's start with the most exciting part - Free Tests!

Free Trial for (Easy) DevOps Tests

To showcase our platform without asking potential customers for credit card details, we designed several easy tests that can be taken free of charge.

Simply sign up on Brokee with a company name, and get quick access to a feature-limited free trial that allows new users to conduct 5 easy tests and manage 1 user, giving you a preview of our platform’s capabilities.

Once you get comfortable with the process, simply upgrade to any paid plan to send tests to more users and have access to more advanced tests.

What do we mean by advanced DevOps tests? We have environments where candidates can work with live systems deployed to major cloud providers and showcase their skills in real-time. We've found that live DevOps tests help avoid hiring risks more than relying on professional certifications or resumes.

Pricing Plans for DevOps Tests

Our payment plans are crafted with the understanding that every hiring team has its own set of unique needs. Whether you're a startup looking for flexibility or a large enterprise seeking comprehensive solutions, our plans are designed to suit a wide range of requirements.

Flexible System: Credits Rollover Each Month

At the core of our payment system is the credit model. Users can choose between buying a certain amount of credits upfront or opting for a monthly subscription that comes with 2 credits each month.

Test credits indicate how many hiring candidates can take skills assessments. Every time a candidate starts a test, 1 credit is deducted from the company's balance.

Our Growth Plan has one amazing feature: credits accumulate month-to-month if not used. So, no need to stress about paying for a product and not using it. The hiring process can be sporadic, so you can use rollover credits from less active months to hire confidently, without seeing a spike in your billing.

This system offers unparalleled flexibility – if you're on a Growth Plan and go over your credit limit, candidates can still continue taking skills assessments - you will be charged for the extra usage at the end of the month based on a tiered pricing model (the more tests that are used in a month, the cheaper they get).

Similarly, if you’re on an On-Demand Plan and run out of credits, you may simply buy more as needed.

Send as many invites as you'd like to candidates. You'll only get charged if they take the test.

Unlimited Candidate Test Invites

We wanted to mirror the natural hiring process when designing our payment plans. We've seen that when you're hiring engineers for a specific role, you often invite many candidates for a technical interview, but only some of them will show up.

With this idea in mind, Brokee allows you to invite an unlimited number of candidates to take a skills assessment, even though not all of them will actually take a test. This way, we charge customers based on the skills assessments that were started by candidates, not based on the number of invitations you send.

Add Multiple Admins for Team Management

When you're a small startup, one admin user might be enough for a testing platform. However, for tech recruiting firms or large hiring teams, you'll want to be able to provide access to multiple teammates. This is why we added basic team management to our paid plans to support bigger teams.

Right now, the only role is an admin user, but in the future, we'll add more roles with different levels of access.

Team Management Dashboard

Ready to Try Our Free DevOps Testing?

We developed Brokee's payment plans with a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by tech hiring teams. We invite you to sign up for our free trial and experience firsthand how our platform can revolutionize your tech hiring process.

Meghan Neville 1/12/24 Meghan Neville 1/12/24

We Transformed Flatworld’s DevOps Vetting Process

Our technical assessments improved Flatworld’s process of vetting candidates and enabled them to expand their DevOps recruiting services.

Our technical assessments improved Flatworld’s process of vetting candidates and enabled them to expand their DevOps recruiting services.

About the Client:

Flatworld is a Global Recruitment Platform that harnesses the power of predictive hiring algorithms to deliver fully vetted, high-fit remote candidates. For over two years, Flatworld has utilized Brokee’s live, interactive technical assessments to improve their vetting process for DevOps roles.

The Problem:

Flatworld, driven by its ambitious goal to deliver the top 1% of developers to clients, continuously seeks ways to enhance its hiring processes.

Flatworld depended on two testing platforms that utilized rudimentary multiple-choice questions and basic programming tests. These methods proved insufficient in effectively assessing the day-to-day proficiency of DevOps engineers.

Consequently, Flatworld had to invest additional time in live interviews following these assessments. However, even with this extra step, determining the suitability of candidates remained challenging.

Recognizing the limitations of their existing tests, Brokee's Founder engaged with Flatworld, presenting a tailored solution to elevate the quality of their candidates.

Given Flatworld's commitment to delivering high-caliber candidates to its clients, they swiftly embraced the idea of incorporating a more robust evaluation of DevOps engineers' day-to-day proficiency.

Solution:

Initially, Brokee's comprehensive and high-quality DevOps assessments were offered to Flatworld on a trial basis.

Impressed by the relevance and accuracy of the tests, Flatworld asked Brokee to implement measures limiting access for potential candidates. This strategic move aimed to eliminate the prospect of candidates accessing the tests prematurely, mitigating the risk of cheating.

This milestone marked the beginning of a fruitful partnership, as Flatworld seamlessly transitioned to Brokee's advanced platform, ensuring a more precise evaluation of candidates' capabilities.

Brokee’s quick and effective assessments enabled Flatworld to to take on more clients that were hiring for DevOps roles.

The Benefits

Over the last two years, Flatworld leveraged Brokee’s technical assessments to enhance its vetting process.

Some of the greatest advantages they’ve experienced with Brokee include:

Improved Quality of Candidates: Brokee's assessments enabled Flatworld to identify and present high-caliber candidates to clients, reinforcing their claim of providing unmatched vetting.
Time Savings: Brokee's efficient testing process saved Flatworld over two months of time in technical interviews, contributing to a streamlined recruitment pipeline.
Risk Reduction: The enhanced testing process boosted Flatworld's reputation among clients, as the risk of sending an unqualified candidate was reduced by nearly 90%.
Customization and Support: Flatworld's close collaboration with Brokee provided access to tailored features, quick problem resolution, and a responsive support system, fostering a positive working relationship.
Integration and API Development: Responding to Flatworld's request, Brokee developed an API, which will help facilitate seamless integration with their systems and further optimize the testing process.
Opportunities to Work with New Clients: Brokee’s assessments gave Flatworld the confidence to pursue collaborations with clients that have DevOps roles to fill.

Conclusion

Our collaboration substantially improved the efficiency and effectiveness of Flatworld's DevOps vetting process. With Brokee's DevOps assessments, Flatworld experienced significant time savings, reduced hiring risks, and improved candidate quality.

If you're in search of highly-vetted developers and DevOps engineers, we confidently recommend Flatworld. Our ongoing partnership reflects a commitment to innovation, customization, and continued success in the ever-evolving landscape of technical recruitment.

Meghan Neville 12/28/23 Meghan Neville 12/28/23

7 Signs You Need to Hire a DevOps Engineer in 2024

Let's dive into why DevOps is crucial for businesses seeking to improve their development processes and enhance productivity. Also, we'll explore the 7 signs that show your business needs a DevOps engineer.

Discover the top 7 signs that indicate your business needs to hire a DevOps engineer. Plus, we'll explore why DevOps is crucial for businesses seeking to improve their development processes and enhance productivity in 2024.

What is DevOps and Why is it Important?

A modern approach to software development, DevOps combines development and operations to streamline the software delivery process.

Definition of DevOps

DevOps, a combination of "development" and "operations," refers to a set of practices, principles, and cultural philosophies aimed at improving collaboration and communication between software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) teams.

The primary goal of DevOps is to streamline the software delivery lifecycle, from initial development through testing, deployment, and maintenance, fostering a more efficient and collaborative approach to delivering high-quality software at a faster pace.

A DevOps approach emphasizes automation, continuous integration, continuous delivery, and a culture of shared responsibility, enabling organizations to respond rapidly to changing business requirements and deliver value to end-users more effectively.

Why You Need DevOps Engineers

Signs That Indicate You Need to Hire a DevOps Team

1. Deployment Failures and Slow Time-to-Market:

Frequent deployment failures coupled with a slow time-to-market can be indicative of underlying inefficiencies in the development and deployment pipeline. Delays in bringing products or features to market can significantly impact your competitiveness. A DevOps engineer can address this by implementing robust CI/CD pipelines, ensuring quicker and more reliable releases.

2. Ineffective Collaboration and Low Developer Productivity:

Issues in collaboration between development and operations teams can lead to low developer productivity. A DevOps engineer excels in fostering collaboration, breaking down silos, and implementing automation to enhance overall productivity.

3. Manual and Repetitive Processes

If your organization relies heavily on manual and repetitive processes for tasks like configuration management, provisioning, and scaling, a DevOps engineer can automate these processes, saving time and reducing the risk of human error.

4. High Infrastructure Costs

Rising infrastructure costs without a clear understanding of resource utilization may signal the need for a DevOps engineer. These professionals can optimize infrastructure, implement cloud solutions, and leverage containerization technologies to ensure efficient resource allocation.

5. Lack of Monitoring and Logging

Insufficient monitoring and logging can lead to delayed identification and resolution of issues, affecting system reliability. A DevOps engineer can implement robust monitoring and logging solutions to proactively detect and address potential problems.

6. Security Concerns

Security is a critical aspect of any IT infrastructure. If your organization is grappling with security vulnerabilities or lacks a comprehensive security strategy, a DevOps engineer can integrate security measures into the development and deployment processes, ensuring a more secure and resilient system.

7. Scalability Challenges with Increasing Workloads:

As your business grows, scalability challenges may arise. A DevOps engineer is well-equipped to design scalable architectures, implement auto-scaling solutions, and ensure your systems can handle increased workloads seamlessly.

DevOps Versus Traditional Software Development

The evolution of development and operations teams in DevOps marks a significant departure from traditional software development methods. DevOps culture emphasizes collaboration, transparency, and shared ownership, leading to a more cohesive and efficient development process.

When it comes to the difference between roles, DevOps engineers focus on the development and maintenance of software release systems, collaboration with the software development team, aligning with industry standards, and employing DevOps tools.

In contrast, software engineers focus on developing applications and solutions that operate on different operating systems, catering to specific user needs.

The Role of a Full-Time DevOps Engineer

A DevOps engineer plays a pivotal role in driving the successful implementation of DevOps practices within an organization. Their key responsibilities include promoting collaboration between development and operations teams, automating processes to streamline product delivery, and ensuring the continuous integration and deployment of software.

Organizations need DevOps engineers to harness the full potential of DevOps principles. With their expertise in automation, deployment, and infrastructure management, a dedicated DevOps engineer can transform a conventional development team into a highly efficient and productive unit.

How many DevOps engineers do you need for your team? While there's not an official number, the ideal Developer to DevOps engineer ratio is 5:1, and in large software organizations, like Google, the ratio is 6:1.

The Benefits of DevOps for Your Business

Benefits of DevOps

Employing a DevOps engineer or team offers numerous benefits, including:

Improved deployment frequency
Faster time to market
Lower failure rate of new releases
Shortened lead time between fixes
Enhanced developer productivity
Contribution to delivering more reliable and customer-friendly software
Positive shift in customer satisfaction and overall product quality

Additionally, for most modern businesses that have moved to the cloud – such as GPC, AWS, or Azure-- DevOps engineers play a crucial role in managing and optimizing cloud environments. Their expertise extends to various aspects of cloud infrastructure and services, such as FinOps, automation, CI/CD, and more, and they contribute significantly to the effective implementation of DevOps practices in the cloud.

These advantages make having a DevOps engineer or team essential for organizations aiming to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Importance for Modern Businesses

DevOps is rapidly transitioning from a specialized approach to a mainstream strategy. Its adoption soared from 33% of companies in 2017 to 63% in 2020, mirroring the broader shift towards cloud computing.

The importance of DevOps in modern businesses cannot be overstated. It is instrumental in creating a culture of collaboration and shared responsibility among development and operations teams. This approach fosters a more efficient and effective workflow, leading to faster product development and deployment.

Challenges of DevOps Implementation

Identifying the challenges of DevOps adoption is crucial for businesses looking to implement this methodology successfully. Common obstacles include resistance to change, cultural barriers within the organization, the cost of hiring DevOps engineers, and the complexity of integrating new tools and processes into existing workflows.

To overcome obstacles in implementing DevOps, organizations need to focus on fostering a culture of collaboration and openness to change. Encouraging transparency and communication across teams, providing adequate training and resources, and gradually introducing DevOps practices can help mitigate these challenges.

Another difficulty is hiring high-quality DevOps engineers who can do this complicated and highly technical work. A best practice for hiring DevOps engineers is to use DevOps assessments to ensure you select high-caliber candidates.

Many Businesses are Adopting Cloud and DevOps Processes

Future of DevOps

The future of DevOps is significant, especially as businesses increasingly rely on software development to drive innovation and competitiveness.

By 2025, over 85% of organizations are expected to adopt a cloud computing strategy, aligning closely with the integration of DevOps practices. The need to hire a DevOps engineer is more pronounced than ever, given the rapid evolution of technology and the increasing demand for scalable and reliable software solutions.

Embracing DevOps is not just an option; it is a necessity for organizations striving to stay relevant and agile in a constantly evolving marketplace.