The Hiring Success 18 conference is rapidly approaching and, of course, we’ll have all the top speakers, influencers and professionals you’d expect from HR tech’s biggest event. On top of all that, we’ve also planned something rather special.

SmartRecruiters will break new ground in the HR-tech space by launching our first annual Hiring Success hackathon. The event, which runs from March 13th-14th, will see 10 teams of SmartRecruiters customers going under the hood, and head-to-head, to create the next great SmartRecruiters feature.

Jumping into a hackathon can be a daunting prospect, especially if you’re not a master developer or coder. However, whereas hackathons traditionally cater towards these professions, SmartRecruiters want to change things up by extending the invitation to anyone who’s ever wanted to make a change to our platform.

With that mind, we’ve compiled seven tips which will help any hackathon newbies survive, and enjoy their first time.

Develop Your Ideas In Advance

We start with perhaps the most important tip of all: prepare an idea. It doesn’t have to be a fully fledged plan with pie charts and Powerpoint slides, but you should at least come to a hackathon armed with some kind of basic premise. It could even be as basic as identifying a problem with a piece of existing software, therefore allowing you to direct the entire team’s brainwaves towards finding a solution.

Additionally, try to develop your idea into a quick and snappy elevator pitch. This will help you quickly and clearly explain it to your teammates, an important tactic in the hectic opening minutes of a hackathon.

However, do not be too precious with your idea. Let others suggest theirs, or make adjustments to yours. Perhaps they have some experience or expertise which could prove invaluable. Remember: hackathons are collaborative events.

Get a Decent Night’s Sleep

Hackathons, as the name suggests, are extended gruelling exercises design to test both your speed and endurance. Usually they’re at least 24 hours, but can run as long as 48. With this mind, it’s going to pay to get a decent night’s sleep before things kicks off. Although it’s quite possible to sleep during the event, it’s not guaranteed and any sleep you do get will not be particularly restful.

Instead, perhaps stay in and work on your idea, or even better, just chill out and watch your favorite TV show. You’re not going to get much ‘me’ time during the actual hackathon, so don’t be afraid to pamper yourself before you dive into the coding chaos.

Swot Up on Some Coding Lingo

By no means are hackathons only the domain of coders and developers. In fact, non-technical team members can often be instrumental in other ways, such as managing the project and directing team members.

Having said that, if you’re not a developer, it wouldn’t hurt to learn some of the basics of their work. This doesn’t necessarily mean writing code, but it would be helpful to know some of the lingo behind building a product. This will speed up communication and avoid you spiralling into a mire of confusion.

Keep It Simple

The objective of a hackathon is not to create a complete, glossy and expansive app. There just isn’t enough time for that. Instead, aim to create a functional product with features which clearly address the problem you identified. Not only is this easier to produce, it’s also easier to sell to the judges during your presentation.

Building a fancy product with great user experience and all the bells and whistles might look good, but there’s no guarantee it’s going to win against a basic, well-defined and functional app. In a hackathon, a working product is always better than a pretty one.

Don’t Forget To Eat, Drink and Rest

It might sound strange, but once you’re stuck into a hackathon, it’s easy forget about your basic human requirements.
Hydration, in particular, is critical to keep all your systems going. Failing to attend to this will result in sluggishness, lack of creativity and probably headaches. So, make sure you always have a bottle of water on the go. Additionally avoid energy drinks and sugary treats as much as possible. They might give you a temporary boost but in the long run you’re probably going to end up crashing.

Beer is a controversial subject. Traditionally, it goes against the above mentioned hydration rule, but for some it can improve cognitive functions – to a point. In fact, it has often been a drink of choice among coders, even leading to a phenomenon known as Ballmer’s Peak. Named after Microsoft developer Steve Ballmer, this suggests that chugging a couple of brewskies can endow the drinker with a peak in performance, although continued consumption predictably results in a massive decline. According to anecdotal evidence, the sweet spot lies somewhere around two pints. A University of Illinois study even confirmed its existence, and suggested a blood alcohol level of 0.075 is ideal. Don’t over do it though, no one likes working with a hangover.

Rest, even if it’s not full-blown slumber, is also of critical importance. If you’re struggling with a line of code, or you find your eyesight going a bit blurry, it might be time for a bit of a rest. This could be anything from a five minute wander around the room, to a 20 minute micro-sleep or an hour long extended chill-out. It might seem like a waste of time, but you will generally perform much better after returning from a break than trying to break through a wall.

Communicate

When working with any team, communication is key. This is especially true for a hackathon where you might be working with new people and in a compressed, and potentially chaotic, period of time. Of course, with only 24 hours to work you can’t afford lengthy arguments, miscommunications or continued explanations. This means, as well as being able to communicate clearly, you need to employ patience with other teammates, especially towards the end of the project.

Furthermore, if you’re feeling confused, do not be afraid to ask questions. It will make everything smoother in the long run.

Perhaps most importantly of all, don’t forget to laugh. Sure, there might be some money on the line, but at the end of the day, hackathons should be an opportunity for making new contacts, trying out ideas and having fun. Losing your patience, manners and sense of humor is the antithesis of this.

Don’t Forget To Bring The Essentials

Although food and drink is generally provided at most hackathons, you’re still going to need some vital equipment to get through the day.

Perhaps most critically of all, remember to bring your laptop, tablet or whatever other gizmo (and their chargers!) you’re going to need to get through the day – otherwise embarrassment will ensue.

If you think you are going to try and grab some shuteye during the contest, you’ll probably also want to bring a sleeping bag or blanket.

Finally, a change of clothes is probably also a good idea, especially if you have been selected to present your project to the judges. Although not essential, you (and everyone else) likely appreciate a non-funky T-shirt after a long days hacking.

Want to put these tips to the test? Well, grab your tickets for Hire18 and register for your first-ever hackathon. Head over here to find out the rules and how to get involved.

Ever used an ATS platform, found something lacking and said, ‘There should be an app for that’? Here’s your chance.

SmartRecruiters is pleased to announce that its First Annual Hackathon will be held at the Hiring Success 18 conference in San Francisco from March 13-14th. However, the event is not only a first for SmartRecruiters, it is a first for the HR industry in general!

Hack-a-What?

Hackathons are now pretty common among developers, but for the uninitiated, they are organized events – usually held over a 24 or 48 hour period – in which groups of designers, developers and experts compete to create the best app, feature, or enhancements on top of an already existing platform, often for a cash prize and/or personal glory.

Traditional thinking dictates hackathons are the domains of coders, developers and technical experts. We want to to change that by letting our ticket-holding SmartRecruiters customers become developers for a day. This means, at Hire18, you’ll have the chance to work directly with our Talent Acquisition Suite Public APIs, and if required, the SmartRecruiters developers themselves.

So, if you’ve ever provided feedback to your ATS provider that has seemingly gone down a black hole, here is your opportunity to make that change happen.

We’ll Give You The Team You Need!

Don’t know the difference between a coding variable or conditional? No problem. We’ll give you the guys who do.

Teams will have the option of including two SmartRecruiters developers and/or one designer, assigned based on their relevant experience, to assist them in their project. This means if you or your company lacks the resources required, you can still join in the competition. All you need to do is come up with a great idea and communicate it clearly to your hackathon team. That’s it!

The best projects will be those which zero-in on a particular issue and deliver practical features that solve it. Extra points will be granted for durability and scalability, but if your idea just makes recruitment easier in a way we’ve never considered, you might be onto a winner.

So What Do I Win?

If your idea trumps all the others in the competition, then you’ve got a lot to look forward to, not least the $5000 prize money (to be split among the team members). It’s also likely your creation will eventually be rolled into the SmartRecruiters platform and assist recruiters and hiring managers around the world!

What Are The Rules and How Do I Get Involved?

Below are the full rules for the Hire18 Hackathon, including what you need to do to get access to the SmartRecruiters developers.

1. Customers teams are made up of 3-4 people. One of those team members must act as the spokesperson for the team during the final presentation.
2. Customers must prepare a working prototype of their “hack” within the 24-hour window, including one page design overview/requirements document.
3. Customers must demo their prototype to our panel of judges (leading analysts and venture capitalists in the space) and all Hire18 attendees in order to be qualified for the grand prize.
4. Customers must submit their idea, a paragraph summary, and full list of all participants (including contact information) by February 1, 2018 to product@smartrecruiters.com.
5. Customers must provide their own development, design, and product resources.  Should a customer have an idea and wish to participate, but not have access to their own development resources, they can borrow two (2) developer resources and one (1) design resource from the SmartRecruiters R&D team with the purchase of five (5) or more tickets to the Hire18.
6. Customers are limited to only the SmartRecruiters Public API. Details can be found at www.dev.smartrecruiters.com.  Development environments and machines must be supplied by the customer and their resources and will not be provided by SmartRecruiters.
7. All participants must have purchased a ticket to the Hire18 prior to the submission deadline.

As mentioned above, SmartRecruiters will be required to purchase an Hire18 ticket and deliver a short summary of their idea to product@smartrecruiters.com by February 1, 2018. Alternatively, you can apply via the form on our Hire18 Hackathon page. Entry includes three free meals, wifi, and access to Hire18’s Design and Development lab. The hackathon will be limited to 10 teams, so it’s important you apply as soon as possible to confirm a place.

SmartRecruiters’ Hiring Success 18 is already set to be the defining HR and recruitment conference of the year. Taking place in San Francisco from March 12th-14th, Hire18 will consist of numerous workshops, firesides and presentations with some of the foremost speakers, thinkers and innovators in today’s HR space.

Below is the current list of confirmed speakers, and we will keep things updated as more speakers and their session plans for Hire 18 becomes available. To not miss out on any of these insightful experts, make sure to register today.

Lisa Wang – Founder/CEO – SheWorx

At only 29, Lisa Wang has already achieved a lifetime’s worth of accolades – featuring on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, attending Yale University and setting up a successful food delivery app, Fooze. If that’s not enough, she’s also won eight gold medals and two silver for rhythmic gymnastics at various international competitions, earning her entry into the Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2014.

Now, Lisa is dedicated to helping other women achieve the same level of success with SheWorx – a global collective of women entrepreneurs striving to assist others gain the capital, knowledge and access they need to set up their own companies.

At an Hire18 fireside chat, Lisa will discuss issues concerning gender parity, in particular the biases and slights which often go undetected in various companies and sectors.

Tigran Sloyan – Founder/CEO – CodeFights

To the untrained eye, coding can often seem like an inaccessible and daunting field filled with jargon, double monitors and insanely fast typing. Luckily, Tigran Sloyan is here to make things much easier by helping aspiring coders develop their skills via fun games.

Tigran is the co-founder of CodeFights, a San Francisco start-up which aims to discover, build and and promote technical talent through core game mechanics. They are especially interested in supporting coders in finding new positions, introducing an ‘Interview Practice’ mode in order to help candidates grab top jobs.

During Hire18, Tigran will host a fireside chat discussing how, in a post-resume world, companies can add similar assessment levels to their recruitment processes, improving data and reducing bias.

Nick Macario – Co-Founder and CEO/Co-Founder – Remote.com/Dock.io

Nick Macario is dedicated to staying ahead of the curve in the rapidly evolving world of recruitment and employment. He is currently founder to two San Francisco Bay area companies, Remote.com and Dock.io, both of which harness the latest technologies to pair workers with opportunities.

Remote.com uses artificial intelligence to locate freelancers and remote workers and connect them with employers, while Dock.io aims to use blockchain technology to create a decentralized data exchange in which information can be passed between apps seamlessly.

Byron Katie – CEO – The Work

Named by Time Magazine as “a spiritual innovator for the 21st century”, Byron Katie is leading spiritualist teacher specializing in reducing stress and harmful thinking. Her philosophy, named ‘The Work’, revolves around the idea that suffering is caused by believing our stressful thoughts.

Through international workshops and numerous books, Byron teaches new ways of thinking to reduce stress and improve efficiency and happiness in the workplace.

Andrew Blum – CEO – The Trium Group

After a successful career with Towers Perrin’s Strategy and Organization Practice, Andrew Blum now heads The Trium Group, a consultancy firm that operates on the mantra: “All strategy problems are leadership problems.” Armed with 20 years of consultancy experience, Blum’s expertise allows him to change the hard-entrenched thinking of business leaders, resulting in important breakthroughs for major companies.

Lee-Martin Seymour – Co-Founder/CEO – Xref

Having worked in recruitment for 17 years, Lee-Martin Seymour knew the industry’s damaging pain points all too well. That’s why he decided to set up his own company to tackle one of the worst: inefficient referencing.

With Xref, candidate referencing is taken from the long, convoluted and inefficient process of yesteryear into an all-encompassing platform that is quick, data-driven and secure.

John Sumser – Principle Analyst – HRExaminer

Since the inception of the internet, John Sumser has been wondering how the web could be employed to revolutionize recruiting and find the best candidates out there – a task which is becoming more important as technology moves ever more rapidly. His thoughts and insights are now central to leading HR newsite HRExaminer.

Most recently John released The Emergence of Intelligent Software: The 2018 Index of Predictive Tools in HRTech, an in-depth industry analysis on the emergence of intelligent software that is sometimes all-too-simply banded together under the moniker of AI.

For an in-depth Hire18 interview with John Sumser about the future of recruiting and AIs role within that, click here.

Matt Charney – Executive Editor – RecruitingDaily

An alumnus of Hiring Success 17, Matt Charney cut his teeth on the recruitment side of major corporations like Disney and Warner Bros… Later he would take on HR marketing roles for companies such as Monster and CornerStone.

Now, he uses all of that experience to run the daily editorial operations of RecruitingDaily, the number-one online resource for the HR and recruiting world.

Gerry Crispin – Principal and Co-Founder – CareerXRoads

An experienced and sought-after speaker, Gerry Crispin travels the world dispensing the unique sage advice that can only result from over 40 years in the recruitment business.

As well as his frequent seminars, blogs, and numerous published titles, Gerry also heads up CareerXRoad, a special invitation-only event in which competitive corporate hiring leaders discuss and share their insights and experiences.

Bill Boorman – Founder – #truEvents and @BillBoorman Ltd

Somewhat of a maverick renegade of the HR tech world (he never wears a suit for one thing), Bill Boorman’s aim in life is to put people in front of each other and get them to talk. To achieve this he founded #tru events, a recruitment conference which prides itself on being unlike any other. Instead of lengthy lectures in front of a Powerpoint presentation, #tru prefers intimate, smaller gatherings where practically anyone can get involved in discussions – making great contacts along the way.

In addition to this, Bill has worked to advise and consult on recruitment with various companies and corporations, especially in relation to the implementation of new technologies.

Ethan Medeiros – Senior Talent Acquisition Partner – Jane.com

As one of the fastest growing online retailers, Jane.com needs recruiters and hiring managers who know their craft in-and-out – especially when brand is central to their success. That’s where Ethan Medeiros comes in.

With over 10 years worth of experience in recruiting in the online and technical sector, Ethan brings insightful hands-on everyday operational experience to Hiring Success 18.

To find out how Ethan achieves hiring success at Jane, head over to our pre-Hire18 interview, here.

William Tincup – President – RecruitingDaily

A compatriot of Matt Charney, William has hundreds of articles, HR conferences and podcast hours under his belt – making him one of the foremost authorities on the emerging technology and issues of the recruitment world.

As well as writing and presenting, he also works closely with startups to provide bespoke HR tech advice and consultancy across areas from marketing, to sales, to brand, and beyond.

Kyle Lagunas – Research Manager – IDC

As the head of IDC’s Emerging Trends in Talent Acquisition and Staffing research department, there are few people better placed to elucidate the technologically complex world of the next few years of recruitment. Whether it’s blockchain or artificial intelligence, Kyle will help you understand how the changes on the way to the HR tech world and how your company can successfully navigate them.

Ilit Raz – Co-Founder & CEO – Joonko

Named after the first woman to summit Mount Everest, Joonko is a firm which can actually deliver results on your diversity training. Ilit has created a firm which looks at your internal data to locate unconscious bias within your structure and operations and then suggest meaningful responses.

Scott Johnsen – Design Manager, Brand & Design Systems – UserTesting

Need to test your product but don’t have a viable target audience handy? Well, that’s where UserTesting comes in. Whether its a website, app or even a physical product, UserTesting can give you video, audio or written feedback from the people you want to turn into users. At Hire18, we’ll have Scott Johnsen, the manager responsible for devising UserTestings own UX experience.

Robert Merrill – Head of Global Talent Acquisition – Ephesoft

With intelligent document capture software company Ephesoft looking to expand its workforce by 100% in the next year, they’re going to need a recruiter who knows how to get the best of the technology available. Luckily, they have Robert Merrill on their team, a highly experienced recruiter with reams of experience in diverse companies.

Helping Ephesoft scale up! After recent funding, our profitable company is doubling in the number of employees worldwide over the next year. I’m here to help lead the charge. I enjoy working with this scrappy, fast-paced, cutting edge team. They are true visionaries in this valuable, yet unseen industry of intelligent document capture.

Steve Fogarty – Senior Director Talent Futures – Adidas

A veteran of sports wear giant Adidas, Steve Fogarty has been the brain behind the behemoths recruitment for over 10 years. Having worked in establishing its worldwide recruitment brand, Fogarty now heads up the Global Talent Futures Team, a division tasked with keep Adidas’s talent acquisition ahead of their rivals through innovative, data driven and digital solutions.

Lou Adler – CEO & Founder – The Adler Group

A giant of the recruitment industry – and a Hiring Success 17 alumni – SmartRecruiters is proud to invite Lou Adler back as a speaker for Hire18.

Having founded one of the business biggest and most respected recruitment consultancy and training firms, there are few personalities in HR with a resume to match Lou’s. Furthermore, using his Performance-based Hiring model was inspiration, Lou has penned a series of best-selling tomes, including Hire With Your Head and The Essential Guide for Hiring & Getting Hired.

When he’s note writing books, he is also a frequent and notable contributor to LinkedIn’s influencer program, as well as Inc. Magazine, Business Insider, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal.

Eva Muller – Managing Consultant HR Transformation and New Work – Promerit

Need someone to revolutionize your companies recruiting? Well, you’re probably looking for someone like Eva Muller, one the leading HR brains behind one of the most highly regarded recruitment consultancy firms, Promerit.

Having gained crucial experience from some of tech’s biggest names – including Siemens, IBM and Hewlett-Packard – Eva now heads up a wide range of varied projects, such as HR Strategy, HR Transformation, Digital HR and Talent Attraction and Acquisition.

Marie Kofler – Global Project Leader – Bosch

Working for one of Germany’s biggest and most internationally recognized brands is no easy gig, however Marie Kofler has made her mark on the company, rising from a Junior to Senior level. Now she leads up Bosch’s HR IT projects, making sure the team at Bosch have all the right tools to achieve Hiring Success. Perhaps it’s no surprise, they prefer to use SmartRecruiters ATS.

Thibault Duchemin – CEO and Founder – Ava

San Francisco based entrepreneur Thibault Duchemin is a man on a mission to break down barriers in communication – for everyone. He founded Ava, an app which provides communication and conferencing software for deaf and blind users, allowing to to seamlessly become involved in any conversation they like. The idea took off, winning numerous awards including the Phillips Innovation Award.

Now he’ll put that mind to helping to solve today’s recruitment issues at Hire 18.

Paige Cherny – Project Expert – Recruitment Technology Consultants

If you find yourself sitting near Paige at Hire18, expect to get involved in a deep conversation about Talent Acquisition. Paige loves talk and learning from professionals, experts and basically anyone she meets. She marries this gregarious nature with years of experience with major companies – such as T-Mobile, Amazon and SAP SuccessFactors – in order to deliver technical and organizational solutions to recruitment challenges for all manner of customers.

Angie Verros – Founder – Vaia Talent

You know those dull emails you constantly receive from companies? Well, Angie Verros probably didn’t write those. Instead, she has forged a reputation for approaching recruitment with a unique flare and humor. Over here 13 years in recruitment, she has used these assets to build high successful social and brand awareness campaigns, eventually forming her own company, VaiaTalent.

Lisa Hu – Senior Vice President – Blippar

Imagine a future where you can interact with any physical product in the world from the comfort of your desk. Well, actually don’t bother imagining it, because that’s something you can do right now. Blippar is a world’s first visual search engine allowing its users to interact and experience products via the wonder of augmented reality.

Blippar’s Senior Vice President, Lisa Hu, will be joining Hire18 to discuss how this revolutionary technology could change the recruitment world, as well as our day-to-day lives.

Sophie Huss – Global Director of Talent Acquisition – Arkadin

Sophie Huss is a talent acquisition veteran who understands that, in the modern world, recruitment is marketing. And if she says this, you should probably listen, as Sophie has worked for over 25 years in both BtoC and BtoB marketing with major corporations such as FujiFilm and Coca Cola. Now, she knows HR is where her heart is and is bringing all her accumulated experience to bear at Hiring Success 18.

Chassidy Rellinger – Director TA & Global Implementation Lead – Avery Dennison

There are few areas of human resources that Chassidy hasn’t made her mark in, including HR management and research and development. More recently she’s made the move to talent acquisition, successfully heading up the recruitment efforts of the global packing solutions brand Avery Dennison.

Gaurav Dosi – Product Manager Facebook Jobs – Facebook

No one’s entirely sure what the impact of Facebook Jobs will be, although Gaurav Dosi is probably in the best position to make an educated guess. As Product Manager for Facebook’s newest endeavour, Gaurav holds all the secrets HR managers the world over want to get their hands on. Although, unfortunately, we can’t expect him to spill all the Facebook Job beans at Hire18, you can rest assured his presentation will be a must-see for anyone curious for what Mark Zuckerberg has in store.

Sandi Lurie – Senior Director, Global Recruiting – Optimizely

Having previously worked with some of the biggest names in tech and HR – including Salesforce, LinkedIn and Google – Sandi is bringing a thirty-year in the making treasure trove of wisdom to Hire18. Now, she heads up the full cycle recruitment, talent acquisition, analytics and initiatives for Optimizely, an innovative platform that provides a safe, experimental proving ground for businesses and developers the world over.

Tracey Allison – Director Global Talent – Avery Dennison

With an impressive resume spanning Vodaphone and Microsoft, Tracey established the talent acquisition infrastructure for packaging materials giant Avery Dennison. Additionally, Tracey is a master of graduate hiring, having assumed the responsibility for scouring the world for the best up-and-coming talent.

Remember, you’re only going to be able to take advantage of our speakers’ experience and knowledge if you have a ticket. So make sure to grab one early while you still can.