IT pulls talent through codeathons

Coding contests are emerging as one of the most sought after ways for organisations to access top technology talent.

Coding contests or codeathons have won the interests of top professionals seeking career growth as well as employers in the tech domain, in India. While these competitions have emerged as one of the most effective ways for organisations to access top technology talent, for professionals, these act as a way to upskill, get recognition, build a personal brand and bag better jobs.

Offering a deeper insight into the growing popularity, TechGig.com conducted a study on the lure and usefulness of codeathons, with inputs from 900 IT employees and 450 employers to understand their perspectives.

According to the survey of employees, nearly 40 per cent said they have participated in codeathons at some point in their career. Of these, 55 per cent respondents were men and 35 per cent were women. Employers also shared similar sentiments on the participation level of candidates, with 38 per cent claiming that their techies are enthusiastic about participating in such contests. Nearly 42 per cent organisations termed the level of participation of employees in their coding contests as satisfactory.

48 per cent employers said that 5-10 per cent participants receive job offers through codeathons.

While the numbers show more inclination of men towards such contests, enthusiasm is picking up among women coders too, with special codeathons, such as TechGig Geek Goddess that highlight their potential and achievements.

The study revealed that corporate codeathons are the most popular type of coding contests, according to 40 per cent employees and 51 per cent employers. These contests offer career advancement opportunities and also include internal gatherings of employees to develop new products.

Also, niche codeathons that offer platforms for development of mobile apps and operating system variations, and upgrading of web and video games are the second most preferred type of contests by nearly 30 per cent employees. On the other hand, language and framework codeathons, where participants develop applications in specified programming languages or frameworks such as JavaScript or HTML5, hold the second spot.

33 per cent employees cited the desire to learn and upskill as the most common reason for participation in such events. Around 26 per cent of the respondents said recognition among peers, seniors and industry leaders were the key reasons to get into these contests. About 20 per cent respondents said participating in codeathons helped them unlock job opportunities. Nearly 30 per cent participants claimed to have received job offers based on their performance in codeathons, the TechGig study revealed.

38 per cent said that on an average, up to 5 per cent participants find new opportunities due to these contests.

Employers shared that branding is the most obvious benefit of codeathons. Nearly 36 per cent employers said coding contests help build and strengthen organisational brands and visibility. In addition, 32 per cent said they help put in place a better recruitment process. Nearly 22 per cent organisations said codeathons offer an innovative platform to engage employees in the long run, while 10 per cent voted for the inventiveness these contests bring to the table. Nearly 48 per cent employers said that 5-10 per cent participants receive job offers through codeathons, while 38 per cent said that on an average, up to 5 per cent participants find new opportunities due to these contests. 65 per cent employees showed willingness to participate in codeathons in the future. Also, nearly 90 per cent employers stated that there should be more codeathons.

A lot of IT organisations are now increasingly arranging such events internally for employee engagement. Most companies nowadays also organise codeathons at institutes, seeking to attract talent and establish a rapport as an employer brand.