Overview

Northbyte Labs needed to hire 12 backend engineers in one quarter. Their existing challenge process was slow, leaked publicly, and generated noisy pass/fail outcomes.

Challenge

• Too many false positives in technical screens
• High interviewer load due to weak early signal
• Candidate frustration with irrelevant algorithm problems

Approach

The team switched to Sift's adaptive assessment flow and scored candidates across:

• debugging approach
• product tradeoff quality
• AI usage patterns
• communication clarity

Result

• 38% improvement in screen-to-onsite conversion quality
• 31% reduction in interviewer hours spent on low-signal candidates
• 22% faster time-to-offer for shortlisted candidates

Why It Worked

Instead of measuring memorized solutions, the process captured how candidates reason through unfamiliar problems, which aligned better with day-to-day engineering expectations.