Every candidate we introduce to you has been through three stages: a screening that every applicant takes, then two reviews we do ourselves. 3.9% of developer applicants make it through screening and our two reviews. Every role we place goes through the same three stages; the figure is measured on developer placements.
Here is what each stage involves.
Stage 1: Screening
Every applicant answers questions about their skills, their experience and how they like to work, and is ranked against your role. Only the applicants who come through screening move on to our reviews.
Stage 2: References and work
Every screened applicant is checked before we spend time meeting them. We:
- Contact their references. We reach out to people who have worked with them.
- Review their code or portfolio. For a developer that means their code (repositories or work samples); for a designer, their portfolio.
- Confirm their experience is what they say it is.
Only those who pass this stage move on to meet us.
Stage 3: We meet them
We meet every candidate before you do, and we check their English. You will work with them in standups, code reviews and written threads, so we hear them speak before you do.
A candidate only reaches you once all three stages hold up.
Then you interview
You run your normal interview, and the choice is always yours. Because the screening and our two reviews have already covered English, references and the candidate's actual work, your interview can spend its time on fit with your team. Our post 'How to Interview a Senior Software Developer in One Hour' covers what is worth asking.
What the 3.9% means
An acceptance rate on its own tells you little. What matters is what it selects for, which is why the steps are written down here. Whichever provider you are weighing, ask the same two questions: what do you check, and how many applicants don't get through? A vague answer to either usually means there is no real bar. The buyer's checklist in our post 'Everyone Says Nearshore Now' has more questions like these.
For how vetting fits into the rest of an engagement, from opening a position to the first day of work, see How it works.