How a Fortune 500 brand Rockwell Automation sourced top C++ developers with a coding contest

Learn how the industrial automation and IT leader Rockwell Automation attracted more than 600 highly-skilled software developers in just 2 months. Read on to find out how this organization took advantage of the coding challenge to find highly-skilled C++ developers.

About The Client

Rockwell Automation employs over 22,000 people and serves customers in more than 80 countries all over the world. To source talented engineers, the company carried out a 2-month programming contest that generated spectacular results in candidate engagement.

The Problem

Hiring top talent is becoming increasingly difficult. A recent survey conducted by CareerBuilder revealed that 45% of hiring managers struggle to fill the much-needed positions in their organizations.

Rockwell Automation was looking for experienced C++ developers who are relatively hard to source and attract. Traditional job boards didn’t perform up to their expectations. Their aim was to get new talent on board and boost Rockwell Automation employer branding.

The Solution

To succeed in the challenging job market, the company’s hiring managers took advantage of the programming contest. They decided to pilot this recruitment method and targeted it at Polish developers.

Rockwell Automation C++ Challenge was an online competition that included programming assignments and tests to check and evaluate participants’ programming skills. Companies can use coding challenges as a recruitment tool, while participants can get an employment opportunity and win prizes. It also helps attract passive candidates who are not actively looking for a job.

The challenge consisted of:

• introduction page to present the brand image,
• customized registration form to learn more about the participants,
• coding tasks to verify candidates skills and knowledge,
• promoting it in the dev community.

The Final Results

The final effects of the first Rockwell Automation C++ Challenge:

• The challenge website received over 14,000 views, attracting 639 registered participants.
• Even though the contest targeted candidates from Poland, it attracted many foreign participants - around 40% of participants came from abroad.
• A total of 369 candidates have completed the challenge.
• More than 500 developers declared their interest in the company recruitment process.

The entire process of verifying tech candidate skills was faster and more efficient than in traditional HR methods. In only 2 months we helped the company attract almost 700 developers and equipped the hiring managers with background information about their real skills and qualifications.

Do you want to find out more about our solution? Contact us and let's discuss how coding challenges can facilitate your recruitment processes.