Startups face a significant challenge in finding and attracting top talent in today’s fast-paced and highly competitive business environment. The issue is that startups frequently operate with limited resources and budgets, making it difficult to compete for the best candidates with larger and more established startups. To address this issue, there is a growing demand for a centralized event where startups can mass-hire innovators. Attracting high-quality candidates is one of the most difficult challenges for startups. Startups frequently struggle to offer the same level of compensation and benefits as larger startups due to limited resources and smaller team sizes. As a result, startups must find new ways to differentiate themselves and attract top talent. This is where a centralized event can be extremely useful. Startups can access a diverse pool of talent and evaluate candidates based on their skills and abilities by bringing together a large group of innovators.

Another challenge for startups is finding candidates who fit their company culture. Startups frequently have a distinct culture that necessitates highly motivated employees who are adaptable and willing to take risks. Identifying candidates who possess these qualities during a traditional hiring process can be difficult. A centralized event, on the other hand, can provide startups with a better understanding of a candidate’s personality, work ethic, and values. Startups can get a better sense of whether a candidate is a good fit for their company culture by interacting with candidates in a more casual setting. For startups looking to fill multiple positions, a centralized event can be extremely beneficial. When a startup is in its early stages of development, it frequently needs to hire multiple employees at the same time. As startups must evaluate candidates for multiple positions at the same time, this can be a time-consuming and difficult process. A centralized event, on the other hand, can allow startups to evaluate a large number of candidates in a short period of time, allowing them to identify and hire top talent quickly and efficiently.

This is where organizing a Virtual Hackathon fits in! Let us break them down one by one and see how organizing a virtual hackathon can significantly enhance the operations of your team while saving the OpEx, time, and energy of your team by dodging to organize hirings by visiting college campuses. So without any further ado let us get started with this informative article.

Reasons why Hackathons are a better way to identify and recruit new talents than the traditional college hirings for startups

Organizing hackathons and virtual recruiting events can be a powerful way for businesses to find new talent. Virtual events can be a highly efficient recruitment strategy because they provide access to a larger pool of talent, save time and money, improve candidate evaluation, improve candidate experience, increase brand exposure, and provide greater scheduling flexibility. As the world shifts towards virtual and remote work, virtual hackathons and recruiting events are likely to become an increasingly popular way for businesses to find and hire top talent.

1. You have more fish to attract

Startups can access a much larger pool of talent through virtual hackathons than they could on a single college campus. Startups can connect with talented individuals from all over the world by opening up the recruitment process to a global audience. This can assist businesses in locating candidates with unique skill sets and diverse backgrounds. 

2. Saves OpEx and Time significantly

Organizing hackathons and virtual recruiting events can be less expensive and more efficient than physically visiting college campuses. Startups save time and money by eliminating travel and lodging expenses. Furthermore, virtual events can be organized quickly, allowing startups to reach out to more candidates in less time.

3. You get to evaluate candidates on-duty

Startups can use virtual hackathons to evaluate candidates in a more structured and standardized manner. By setting specific challenges and tasks, startups can evaluate candidates’ abilities and skills in a more objective manner. This can assist startups in identifying candidates with the technical and problem-solving skills they require.

You need to make sure to frame a Hackathon guide that is fair to every participant, gives proper rewards to the deserving ones, and tests each of them significantly so that you get to evaluate them better.

4. Things are more exciting from the perspective of candidates and thus they have higher energy to perform

Candidates may have a better experience with virtual hackathons and recruiting events than with traditional recruitment methods. Candidates can feel more relaxed and perform better when the stress and pressure of in-person interviews are removed. Virtual events can also be more inclusive and accessible, allowing candidates from a variety of backgrounds to participate.

5. They are a way to advertise and market your brand simultaneously

Startups can increase brand exposure and reach a larger audience by organizing hackathons and virtual recruiting events. In the future, this can help startups build their reputation and attract top talent.

6. Can be scheduled as per your flexibility

Virtual hackathons give businesses more flexibility in scheduling recruitment events. Companies can hold events at any time of day or night, allowing candidates to participate regardless of location or time zone.

Hackathons allow startups to network with potential investors and seeders. Startups can connect with investors who are interested in their industry or technology by attracting a diverse group of participants. This can assist startups in developing relationships with potential investors and seeders, which may lead to future funding opportunities. Hackathons can generate a lot of social media buzz. Startups can reach a larger audience and generate excitement about their brand by promoting the event on social media platforms and encouraging participants to share their experiences. This can help to attract investors and seeders who are interested in their company.

When it comes to choosing a platform to organize virtual hackathons, Mercer | Mettl has been the unquestioned market leader for years. Mercer | Mettl provides a seamless cloud platform capable of hosting several participants at a time and automating most parts of the invigilation for you as a host. You can also use their newsletter to spread awareness about your event and thus attract a larger audience.