When sending invites, what’s the difference between the assessment levels? (e.g., Senior SWE vs Junior SWE)
Byteboard Assessments are generally available in four calibration levels: Intern, Entry Level / New Grad, Junior, and Senior. The level of the interview sent determines the calibration for how it is graded.
The actual interview questions are typically the same for all levels in a given domain, and the primary difference is how much signal must be present for a given skill for a candidate to score highly on that skill.
- For example, it would take a stronger performance from a Senior candidate to be rated as Strong than it would from a Junior candidate
*Note — There are some exceptions to this (for example, interview questions may be phrased with slightly more guidance for intern candidates), but in most cases the grading changes while the interview stays the same
How do I know which level is right for my Byteboard candidate?
As a general recommendation, we suggest the following best practices guidelines for which calibration to send based on a candidate’s level of experience:
Intern: candidates for internships
Entry Level/New Grad: candidates who have less than a year (< 1 yr) of experience
Junior: candidates with one or two to five years (1 or 2-4 years) of experience
Senior: candidates with more than five years (> 4 yrs) of experience
Byteboard also offers a separate Staff Software Engineer assessment, which can be calibrated to Staff SWE and Senior Staff SWE grading levels. Reach out to your Customer Success rep to enable this assessment for your account!
*Note - the guidelines above may vary substantially depending on the specifics of the role and candidate pool. They can also vary from company to company for the specific number of years of experience preferred.
What if my candidate is in between two Byteboard levels?
Byteboard’s general advice is to err on the side of giving a more junior assessment and to stay in touch with us if the signal is not strong enough, as switching to a more senior calibration level is one of several approaches we could take to provide richer signal.
- If a candidate receives a Leaning Strong or Needs Improvement rating for the Junior assessment, this may indicate they are not performing up to the standard required for the most junior roles for which you’re hiring. However, if a candidate receives a Leaning Strong or Needs Improvement recommendation for at the Senior level, they may be performing on the cusp of a senior role and may require further evaluation from your team to assess the best fit.
Best Practice - if you’re unsure of what interview level to send to a candidate, err on the side of giving a more junior assessment, and follow up with Byteboard after if the signal is not strong enough!