By Mark Kawalya
Andela, a startup that has been known for helping companies build their remote engineering teams by furnishing them with experienced developers that have undergone rigorous training, is expanding its service offering. The firm is expanding into design, data and product management and has boasted high level clients like Goldman Sachs, Cloudfare and Github.
“Having worked across the continent and beyond, we know that the tech ecosystem does not just need engineering talent,” Agnes Muthoni, Director of the Andela Learning Community, said on the move. “It’s very rare that software engineers work entirely independently. It takes a variety of skill sets and expertise to make technical solutions that work. “
New talent will have a similar onboarding process as software developers, which will comprise soft skills assessments, English language proficiency and technical assessments along with a review of their portfolio. However, there will be a few changes to the selection process as software developers are assessed on their software building abilities.
Muthoni stated in an interview that a software engineer will typically complete a coding challenge and peer code review, whereas a designer may complete a project or do a portfolio walk-through and critique.
Clients also have the option of using Andela’s self-service portal, which reduces the hiring time to as little as 48 hours.
“The need to build scalable teams that can grow together when miles apart is becoming increasingly apparent. Using the platform, hiring managers can find and hire their ideal candidate in two days or in less than two weeks, 70% faster than traditional in-house recruitment,” Muthoni added.
A hiring manager needs to create a company account, post a job, and preview vetted candidates in real time. Service providers are also able to see how their skills are suited to roles, with both entities having access to visual compatibility.
Andela says its platform utilises algorithms and data-driven technology to make well suited match recommendations.
“The Andela platform is constantly learning, helping to refine its personalized recommendations. As users accept or reject recommendations, they are also asked for specific feedback. With each bit of feedback, the platform becomes more personalized, what this means is Andela’s clients can now choose their preferred service through a supported approach or rapid self-service through their new platform,” the company further explained in a statement.
