@hardnold

Why HackerRank and Codility Don't Work for Startups (And What to Use Instead)

2d ago · 8 min read · If you're a startup CTO who just signed up for HackerRank or Codility, I get it. You want structure. You want to stop guessing. You googled "technical assessment platform," picked one of the top resul

Engineering Hiring Process for Startups: A Step-by-Step Framework

4d ago · 9 min read · The first time I had to design an engineering hiring process from scratch, I had no HR team, no playbook, and a co-founder asking "how many rounds do we need?" Startups don't have the luxury of six-st

How to Keep Engineering Hiring Consistent as a One-Person Hiring Team

Mar 5 · 8 min read · You write the job description. You screen the resumes. You design the assessment. You run the interview. You make the call. Somewhere in between, you also ship the product. If that sounds like your we

The First-Time Engineering Hiring Manager's Survival Guide

Mar 2 · 7 min read · You shipped features. You led projects. You got promoted. Now someone asks: "Can you hire two engineers by Q2?" You've never run a structured interview process. You've never evaluated a take-home assi

Live Coding vs Take-Home Assignments: Which Is Better in 2026?

Feb 27 · 8 min read · The first time I had to design a technical interview process, I defaulted to what I knew: a live coding round. It felt "real" - you see the candidate think. A few years and many hires later, I've run