19 tips for employers hiring a lot of student, recent grads for early career, technology jobs

When hiring dozens or even hundreds of candidates for technology jobs, employers need a scalable, skill-based hiring strategy that identifies top talent without bogging down the process. Tech roles—such as software developers, IT support specialists, cybersecurity analysts, and data engineers—require a combination of technical proficiency, problem-solving ability, and adaptability. Employers can streamline the hiring process by using applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter candidates based on coding languages, certifications (like CompTIA, AWS, or Cisco), and experience with specific tools or platforms. Job boards like College Recruiter are ideal for reaching early career tech talent, including students and recent grads from computer science, engineering, and IT programs. Technical assessments—ranging from coding challenges to system troubleshooting tests—help verify skills before interviews even begin.

To efficiently manage high-volume hiring, tech employers can host virtual hackathons, coding bootcamp partnerships, or digital hiring sprints where applicants can showcase their skills in real time. Group technical interviews, pair programming exercises, and portfolio reviews offer deeper insights into how candidates write code, debug systems, and work on collaborative tech projects. Structured interviews that mix technical and behavioral questions can help evaluate communication skills, project ownership, and a candidate’s ability to explain complex solutions clearly. Once hired, a thoughtful onboarding process—including sandbox environments, documentation reviews, and mentorship from senior engineers—ensures new team members ramp up quickly and start contributing to builds, launches, and innovations from day one.

We reached out to 19 hiring experts to ask them to share their tips for employers who are hiring dozens or even hundreds of students, recent graduates, and others early in their careers for technology jobs.

• Look Beyond the Resume
• Prioritize Candidate Experience
• Balance Automation and Human Elements
• Use Skill-Based Assessments
• Focus on Real-World Problem Solving
• Value Cultural Fit and Adaptability
• Avoid Over-Prioritizing Credentials
• Ensure Infrastructure Supports Onboarding
• Identify Talent for Innovation
• Implement Robust IT Management
• Avoid Rushing the Onboarding Process
• Respect Candidates as Individuals
• Avoid Rushing Technical Assessments
• Develop Role-Specific Interview Scripts
• Avoid Over-Standardizing the Process
• Consider Tech Stack Experience
• Create Hands-On Technical Assessments
• Use Real Codebase for Evaluations
• Treat Candidates as Future Employees

Look Beyond the Resume

If I could advise employers on one thing when hiring for high-volume tech positions, it would be to look beyond the resume and focus on potential and adaptability.

I have seen many times how fixating solely on a candidate’s precise skill set as listed on their resume can cause you to overlook diamonds in the rough. The tech landscape evolves at warp speed. The specific technologies that are hot today might be old news tomorrow. Someone with a proven ability to learn quickly, adapt to new challenges, and demonstrate problem-solving skills can often outpace a candidate who checks all the boxes on paper but lacks that innate drive and flexibility.

I recall a time when we needed to quickly scale up our development team. We were initially laser-focused on candidates with expertise in a particular JavaScript framework that was all the rage. Yet, we decided to take a chance on a candidate who didn’t have that specific experience. He had a solid foundation in programming principles and a portfolio demonstrating his capacity to learn new technologies rapidly. He was able to pick up the framework faster than anyone anticipated. He became one of our most valuable team members because of his ability to learn and adapt. That experience taught me a crucial lesson about the importance of prioritizing potential over rigid qualifications.

Paul DeMott, Chief Technology Officer, Helium SEO

Prioritize Candidate Experience

One mistake I see too often is companies ignoring the candidate experience when hiring at scale. Just because you’re dealing with hundreds of applicants doesn’t mean it’s okay to go silent. At Tech Advisors, we once had a rush to hire new technicians after expanding our services to Florida. We learned quickly that even automated messages can go a long way in keeping candidates informed and interested. We used simple status updates to keep the process moving and saw a big difference in how many quality candidates stayed engaged.

Speed is important, but never at the cost of quality. I remember Elmo Taddeo from Parachute telling me about a time his team hired too quickly during a growth period. They ended up having to repeat much of the hiring process because they skipped proper evaluations. At Tech Advisors, we take time to get to know each applicant, even when we’re hiring in volume. We’ve found that showing genuine interest leads to better hires and fewer problems later.

If you’re bringing in a lot of tech candidates, make the process accessible and meaningful. Make sure the application is easy to complete. Let people know what to expect. Share a glimpse of your company culture and the projects they might work on. Candidates want to feel like they’re joining something exciting. That starts before the interview ever happens.

Konrad Martin, CEO, Tech Advisors

Balance Automation and Human Elements

Hiring for technology roles at scale presents a significant challenge. The pressure to fill numerous positions quickly can tempt organizations to lean heavily on purely automated screening processes. While automation undoubtedly brings efficiency gains essential for managing volume, one critical mistake is letting it overshadow entirely the human element crucial for evaluating tech candidates effectively. Technology jobs demand far more than keyword matches on a resume; they require assessing complex problem-solving abilities, adaptability, creativity, and cultural fit – nuances often lost when the process becomes overly mechanical and loses personalized interaction.

Depersonalizing the hiring funnel too much carries substantial risks. Primarily, it risks filtering out exceptional candidates who don’t perfectly fit a rigid, predefined mold generated by an algorithm. Relying solely on automated tools for initial screening might prematurely discard individuals with unconventional backgrounds or unique, valuable skill combinations simply because they don’t align perfectly with standard criteria. Furthermore, a cold, entirely automated candidate experience can actively deter top talent, particularly those who seek employers who demonstrate a genuine interest in individuals and their potential. Building strong, innovative tech teams requires understanding this potential, not just ticking qualification boxes. Integrating human touchpoints, such as personalized communication updates or brief, targeted screening calls earlier for promising candidates, ensures a more holistic and accurate assessment. It’s best to use automation for efficiency gains in scheduling and basic qualification filtering but permanently preserve human judgment for evaluating deeper competencies and cultural alignment.

Meeting urgent project deadlines while maintaining a high-quality, high-volume hiring process can often feel impossible. Feeling forced to rush hires frequently leads to costly long-term mistakes, impacting team morale and productivity. This specific pressure point is where staff augmentation offers a highly strategic advantage. You can immediately fill critical skill gaps and ensure vital project continuity without delay by temporarily bringing in skilled contractors or consultants to particular projects or during intense demand.

Steve Fleurant, CEO, Clair Services

Use Skill-Based Assessments

There is one major thing employers should do when hiring high-volume candidates for technology jobs, and that is to focus on **skill-based assessments rather than resorting to using resumes or degrees**. In tech, some of the best developers may not have come through traditional channels—they could have learned at bootcamps, taught themselves, or even worked freelance. To that end, employers can use short, relevant coding challenges or real-world problem-solving tasks at the beginning of the hiring process to help them better assess a candidate’s fitness to do the job. This allows for a more level playing field of sorts and stops talent from being excluded from the get-go simply because they haven’t gone to university or don’t have a big company on their CV.

On the other side, one thing employers should *not do* is **over-automate the screening process**. Automation is certainly necessary when dealing with large numbers of applicants, but overreliance on keyword filters or rigid criteria can result in good candidates being overlooked. For instance, there could be an employee who does not use the exact word in their resume, but that employee might be a great problem solver and adaptable. A purely automated system will not pick that up. Using a human layer of review at key points helps to ensure quality and fairness.

It is important to get the relationship between scalability and personalization right. Those employers who take the time to create effective, skill-based, and inclusive hiring pipelines will not only attract better candidates, they’ll create a better, more diverse team.

Filip Roškot, CTO, UniteSync

Focus on Real-World Problem Solving

One of employers’ biggest mistakes when hiring a high volume of tech candidates is rushing the process just to fill seats. In tech, the wrong hire can be costly, not just in salary but in security risks, downtime, and inefficiency. We learned early on that technical skills alone aren’t enough. Cultural fit, problem-solving ability, and adaptability matter just as much.

Instead of just checking off certifications and experience, we built our hiring process around real-world problem-solving. We give candidates practical scenarios to see how they think on their feet. Can they troubleshoot a network issue under pressure? Do they communicate clearly? Are they resourceful when they hit a roadblock? Those qualities matter more than what’s on a resume.

The other key is retention. Hiring in volume is one thing, but keeping great people is another. Tech professionals want growth, so we invest in training and mentorship. People stick around when they see a path forward. If you’re bringing in a lot of new hires, make sure you have a plan to keep the best ones engaged. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself right back at square one, constantly filling roles instead of building a strong team.

Jason Fisch, Founder & President, Fisch Solutions

Value Cultural Fit and Adaptability

When hiring numerous candidates for tech jobs, avoid focusing solely on technical skills or credentials. Often overlooked is the importance of cultural fit and adaptability. Technology evolves rapidly, so look for candidates who show a keen interest in continuous learning and can easily adapt to new tools and environments. This can sometimes require simple strategies like including scenario-based assessments during the interview process. Instead of asking them to write a piece of code from scratch, present a real-world problem they might encounter at your company. Then observe their problem-solving process and approach, which can shed light on their ability to think critically and adapt on the fly. This method helps find candidates who aren’t just technically sound, but also ready to navigate the evolving tech landscape.

Matthew Franzyshen, Business Development Manager, Ascendant Technologies, Inc.

Avoid Over-Prioritizing Credentials

One thing employers should not do when hiring high-volume candidates for technology jobs is over-prioritize credentials over real-world skills. Too often, companies filter candidates based on degrees from top universities or big-name past employers, which can lead to missing out on highly skilled, self-taught developers or those with non-traditional backgrounds. Instead, they should focus on skills-based hiring, using practical coding tests, real-world problem-solving exercises, and collaborative assessments to evaluate a candidate’s actual ability to contribute to a team.

Our software company has seen the most success by implementing structured, repeatable technical assessments that allow us to measure competency at scale while ensuring a fair process. This approach has helped us uncover talented engineers who might have been overlooked in a more traditional hiring process while speeding up decision-making and reducing hiring biases.

Robert Chen, CIO, DataNumen, Inc.

Ensure Infrastructure Supports Onboarding

One thing employers should focus on when hiring high-volume candidates for tech jobs is ensuring their infrastructure can handle rapid onboarding and integration. At FusionAuth, scaling our authentication solution to meet the needs of diverse clients has taught me the value of setting up robust systems from the start. We had to ensure our platform was not only scalable in terms of user volume but also flexible to handle various deployment methods seamlessly.

Another critical aspect is investing in a solid developer-first approach. As a company built by developers for developers, we’ve found that empowering our team with the right tools and autonomy improves efficiency and satisfaction. At Talent Funnel, this approach led to us rebuilding our platform to increase scalability, which ultimately streamlined recruitment processes and improved candidate experiences.

Lastly, respect user privacy and comply with regulations like GDPR. Building trust with your users by protecting their data is crucial. Our guide on integrating best practices for GDPR compliance into system design has been pivotal for us, and it’s something other companies should consider seriously during high-volume hiring phases to maintain that trust.

Brian Pontarelli, CEO, FusionAuth

Identify Talent for Innovation

High-volume tech hiring isn’t just about speed–it’s about identifying talent that will drive innovation. One common mistake is over-relying on resumes and automated filters. Many highly capable candidates–especially those with unconventional backgrounds or self-taught skills–get overlooked because they don’t check traditional boxes.

A more effective approach is skills-based hiring. At Invensis Technologies, structured assessments, real-world problem-solving tasks, and scenario-based interviews have been game-changers. This method not only uncovers hidden talent but also ensures hires can adapt and thrive in fast-moving tech environments.

Anupa Rongala, CEO, Invensis Technologies

Implement Robust IT Management

When hiring high-volume candidates for technology jobs, one critical mistake is neglecting a robust IT management system that supports new hires from day one. At Next Level Technologies, I’ve seen how a comprehensive IT infrastructure not only aids in seamless onboarding but also protects against the pitfalls of a fragmented setup where new employees struggle to integrate into existing systems. Emphasizing a well-structured IT approach can prevent long-term issues and improve new hire retention.

Another strategy is prioritizing cybersecurity training right from the start. Many businesses take a reactive approach to cybersecurity, but proactive training as part of initial onboarding is vital. For instance, we ensure that all new team members are versed in the latest security protocols and understand the importance of data protection. This has significantly reduced security incidents and instilled a culture of vigilance, proving beneficial for both employee safety and company resilience.

Additionally, avoid the pitfall of treating all candidates with a one-size-fits-all solution. Tailor the tools and technologies offered to each role’s specific needs. Our ability to adapt IT support and services based on the unique requirements of each position has allowed us to maintain high employee satisfaction and avoid unnecessary expenditures, setting a strong foundation for growth as personnel needs evolve.

Steve Payerle, President, Next Level Technologies

Avoid Rushing the Onboarding Process

When hiring high-volume candidates for tech jobs, it’s crucial not to rush the onboarding process. I’ve found that this often leads to mismatches and higher turnover rates, which just inflates hiring costs. Instead, focus on finding candidates who not only have the technical skills but also align with your company’s culture and values. At NetSharx, we’ve improved our hiring efficiency by utilizing a “Trusted Advisor” approach. This involves leveraging existing team members with deep industry knowledge to participate in the interview process.

From a cost-saving perspective, you can apply strategies similar to how we manage vendor comparisons. Conduct a thorough evaluation of the candidate’s potential impact on your tech stack and operations, much like how we analyze our 350+ cloud and security providers. One example that comes to mind is how we cut 19% of our own technology costs by optimizing our hiring practices, which included identifying areas where an internal candidate might grow into a role.

Don’t make the mistake of relying solely on traditional recruitment methods. Use analytics to proactively identify the kinds of candidates who have delivered the best performance in similar roles. This mirrors our approach to cloud service selection, where data-driven decisions improve outcomes. Implementing this approach, we’ve seen a notable increase in employee retention and satisfaction rates, key indicators of a successful hiring strategy.

Ryan Carter, CEO/Founder, NetSharx

Respect Candidates as Individuals

One thing employers should avoid when hiring at scale for tech roles is treating humans like ticket numbers. High-volume hiring often devolves into resume roulette—automated filters, generic assessments, and zero context. This approach weeds out great talent who don’t fit the mold but could have excelled in the role.

Instead, employers should lean into structured, human-first processes. They should use technology to streamline, not sterilize. Pre-screening should be done with purpose, asking real-world problem questions, and giving candidates a glimpse of what it’s actually like to work on the team. Employers aren’t just hiring for skills—they’re hiring for fit, curiosity, and adaptability. By respecting the humans behind the code, they’ll attract better candidates.

Daniel Haiem, CEO, App Makers LA

Avoid Rushing Technical Assessments

I’ve learned that rushing technical assessments is a huge mistake at Zentro Internet, where we used to speedrun coding tests to hire faster. Now, we give candidates realistic time-boxed projects that actually reflect day-to-day work, like debugging a small feature or reviewing code – it’s cut our turnover rate in half. I always tell my hiring managers that it’s better to spend an extra hour in assessment than waste months training someone who isn’t the right fit.

Andrew Dunn, Vice President of Marketing, Zentro Internet

Develop Role-Specific Interview Scripts

When we’re hiring multiple tech roles simultaneously, I’ve noticed many employers make the mistake of using identical interview scripts for different positions. Last quarter, I worked with our HR team to develop role-specific scenarios and questions that better assess each position’s unique requirements – this improved our success rate significantly. While it takes more upfront effort, I recommend creating detailed skills matrices for each role type to ensure you’re evaluating candidates against relevant criteria.

Justin Mauldin, Founder, Salient PR

Avoid Over-Standardizing the Process

When hiring high-volume tech candidates, one thing we avoid is over-standardizing the process. It’s easy to fall into the trap of using the same technical tests for everyone just to speed things up. However, that usually leads to hiring people who are good at passing tests, not those who will thrive in real project situations.

Instead, we switched gears. After the initial screen, we give candidates short, practical tasks like reviewing messy code or explaining how they’d approach a vague client request. This tells us a lot more about how they think and communicate, not just what they know.

We also ensure that at least two team members join the evaluation. It helps to prevent bias and provides a more comprehensive assessment. This process takes a little longer, but it has saved us from bad hires and helped us find those who can actually deliver.

Vikrant Bhalodia, Head of Marketing & People Ops, WeblineIndia

Consider Tech Stack Experience

Employers should pay close attention to a candidate’s tech stack experience because not all engineering environments are the same. Someone coming from a fast-moving startup using modern frameworks might struggle in a legacy enterprise system—and vice versa. Beyond just technical skills, it’s important to consider the engineering culture they’re coming from. Do they thrive in highly structured teams with detailed processes, or are they used to more autonomy and rapid iteration? Matching both technical expertise and work style to your team’s needs will lead to better long-term success in high-volume hiring.

Vivian Chen, Founder & CEO, Rise Jobs

Create Hands-On Technical Assessments

At PlayAbly.AI, I’ve found that relying too heavily on technical certifications and degrees can make you miss out on amazing self-taught talent. Last year, we hired a former mechanic who taught himself machine learning and became one of our top performers, completely outshining some candidates with prestigious degrees. I strongly recommend creating hands-on technical assessments that test real problem-solving skills rather than just checking boxes on paper qualifications.

John Cheng, CEO, PlayAbly.AI

Use Real Codebase for Evaluations

At Local Data Exchange, I made the mistake of using generic coding tests when hiring developers, which didn’t effectively demonstrate who could actually build our products. We now give candidates a small slice of our actual codebase to work with, asking them to add a feature or fix a bug – it’s far more revealing than algorithmic puzzles. What really works for us is having candidates pair-program with our team members during interviews, which showcases both their technical skills and how they collaborate.

Joshua Odmark, CIO and Founder, Local Data Exchange

Treat Candidates as Future Employees

To avoid problems later, I advise you to treat each candidate for the position as a full-fledged employee. Yes, hiring a large number of talents is an energy-consuming process, and you have to rely on automation in many ways. However, if you are guided only by rigid algorithms and general evaluation, you may lose ideal candidates.

Try to pay attention to each stage so as not to sacrifice quality for speed. Focus on real problem-solving skills, not keyword matching. For example, a developer with non-traditional experience can bring fresh ideas to your team.

My main advice is to automate repetitive processes, such as sending out test tasks or updating vacancies on job search platforms. However, when reviewing resumes and conducting interviews, approach it as if you have a future member of your team sitting in front of you, even if it turns out that this is not the case. This method helps you immediately assess whether the person fits the company culture.

Anatolii Kasianiv, CTO & Co-Founder, My Passion