The Hackathon Culture of Companies
Hackathons model themselves on a couple of types external and internal. The former deals with participants from outside the work area whereas the latter engages with individuals within the workforce. You can further segregate both these categories in line with the task they undertake
- Offline or online- the name is derived from the location. Offline relates to a physical location whereas online covers from registration to judging things via an online platform.
- Demographic graphics- they tend to be community specific and focus more on brand awareness.
External hackathons: If you are exploring the possibility of hacking the age-old recruitment procedures or branding modules, then external hackathon is a worthy bet.
It serves as a recruitment tool-
Selection of right fit at a given job is a sensitive issue where the heart of a company is involved. Various modern recruitment tools in the form of assessments have made the process simple, but the addition of Hackathons as part of recruitment process has presented companies manifold advantages. In this modern era of artificial intelligence, automation Hackathon seems to be the go get tool for all millennial. The next generation of employees who are going to storm the market which is anticipated to be around 50 % of workforce classify as millennial. Since the needs of the industry are changing on a day to day basis, a trigger for this force would be to horn their skills which is part of a great experience. One event that suffices all these needs works out to be hackathon. You need to figure out on how hackathon makes the life of a recruiter easy
A conducive environment-
Hackathon works out to be a platform where the amalgamation of creative minds and ideas come under one roof in formulating unique solutions. The competition main focus would be to develop something unique within a stipulated time frame; a sense of work pressure is installed among the candidates which test them beyond the desired limits. The engaged candidates are able to figure out what the recruiters are looking from them. On the other hand, recruiters do get an idea about the passion along with skill sets that a candidate can instill at a given job. If you observe carefully recruiters are provided with a 360-degree vision associated with the working potential of an individual.
Superior community
Most companies want a top-notch candidate for a job. Hackathons present a worthy opportunity in meeting a power community entrusted with creative ideas. With hackathons, it does not only provide an opportunity to assess the technical skills of an individual but in the manner, they approach and interact with others.
Internal hackathon: If you are looking to eradicate the boredom factor whereby maximum productivity from your workforce is assured, then internal hackathons are a worthy option.
It is an employee engagement tool
Most organizations devote considerable time or effort in an employer to make them corporate ready. But when cross-communication among departments or unsuitable work culture prevails they call it quits. Within 3 months 1/6 of employees are known to quit their jobs.
Quitting is just the tip of the iceberg as other costs come into consideration. Think about the time along with the money you might have spent on recruiting employees. The same logic applies when you train them for a job and they leave causing you virtually a heart attack. You can leave behind this misery by engaging whereby employees stick to your organization.
To build work culture, online hackathons are a great option whereby a professional bond is developed among the existing workforce.
How to organize a hackathon?
Before setting up a hackathon, there are some ground rules which needs to be formulated.
Set up realistic expectations; do not fall into the assumption that the group is going to provide timely solutions to all your problems. The participation is to be energized, provides them with an opportunity to learn and formulating pressure in achieving the desired results. At the end of the event if you want a product or software you should not go further, and search somewhere else.
All of us are looking to run a successful hackathon and newcomers are the worst people who bear the brunt in such situations. A sense of insecurity is witnessed when they are surrounded by experienced personnel and are not sure on how to conduct them. You can try to reduce the feeling of awkwardness if you hire team heads.
The date along with space
To host an event there has to be a decent space. The location has to be wheelchair friendly with proper sanitation facilities with internet connectivity being of the highest order. The seating has to be simple and comfortable. Take note of the fact that the date of your hackathon does not clash with major other events in the field mostly weekdays
Sponsors
Costs of hackathons are exuberant and you need someone to provide you with financial aid. Sponsors are a timely intervention and they would help you cope up with the costs. What the sponsor look from you is some form of recognition in return. Make an entry into this field and look for a sponsor.
Registration
Be aware of maximum invites you can handle at a given point of time. Develop a form in order to spread the word and garner information from participants. The must-dos of a form is.
- Name along with job title
- Are they new to hackathons
- Their needs or requests
- What are the areas which interest them
The focal point of a hackathon is a learning experience. It provides a new pathway for inspiration. It does provide a great platform for establishing bonds with like-minded people, to garner knowledge outside the comfort zone and how all people can work for a hand in glove to achieve the desired goal.
For a company, hackathons have become a great branding and exercise tool. In the developer community, a sense of awareness is created. For the candidates, they do have a single project with them. This is an important area of not to miss as organizations need to interact with prospective employees whereby develop a like-minded community of their own.
