The Next-Generation of Hiring: Interview Features

Last updated: February 21, 2025

At HackerRank, we are spearheading the AI revolution in developer productivity, fundamentally transforming the software development landscape.

AI copilots are democratizing programming by leveling the playing field and exponentially boosting developer efficiency. By partnering with intelligent assistants, developers transition from merely writing code to collaborating with AI, enabling faster and more streamlined software creation. Cutting-edge tools like Cognition AI’s Devon and Ellipsis’s AI-powered code review agents are setting unprecedented standards, allowing developers to focus on complex problem-solving and innovation.

HackerRank is leading the way in an AI-first hiring process, seamlessly integrating human expertise with AI to ensure the next generation of developers is equipped to define the future of coding.

Code Repositories in Interviews

  • Assess candidates’ coding fundamentals with real-world challenges

  • Create tasks that resemble feature building from a PRD

  • Fix bugs from a support ticket

  • Perform code review

  • Design scalable systems

  • Work collaboratively with an AI assistant

  • Explore team fit by simulating working together on daily tasks 

  • Leverage the same problem context across all hiring rounds by using the same code repository.

Interview Set-up

  • A code repository is the foundation of your interviews. For example, use the E-Commerce MERN repository for SDE 2 Front-End hiring.

  • Selecting a repository can be done in two ways: 

    • From Quickpad: Select the relevant code repository.

  • Or from the left nav: Select the relevant code repository

  • Add tasks from the repository for the interview. 

  • Review the README file for an overview of the E-Commerce repository.

  • The repository includes bug fixes, system design, and feature development tasks.

  • Choose tasks for each interview from the E-Commerce MERN stack. Example of a sample sequence:

    • Interview 1: Coding – Feature building + Bug fix

    • Interview 2: System Design

    • Hiring Manager Round

    • Value Fit Round

  • An AI assistant is automatically enabled for the candidate to complete their tasks.

AI assistant

  • The AI assistant assists candidates in solving the tasks. 

  • Interviewers can monitor AI-candidate interactions in real time, with conversations captured in interview reports.

  • To disable the AI assistant, contact HackerRank at support@hackerrank.com.

Interviewer Workflow

Candidate Preparation

  • Allocate ~5 minutes for candidates to familiarize themselves with the UI and code repository.

  • Inform candidates about the location and expected interaction with their AI assistant.

Post Interview: Reports

  • Access comprehensive reports for each interview in the Candidate Packet and in the Interviews tab.

  • Monitor the candidate’s interaction with AI in real time, with transcripts available in the reports.

  • Utilize the same code repository across all interviews to build a progressive interview assessment, marking previously attempted tasks and selecting remaining ones for subsequent rounds.