It is normal for a technical area, especially when you are expecting a candidate to come with a particular kind of skill, to test their ability in this area. In some organizations, this skills test is put before the first interview, in order to save time during the process. However, there is no rule when you do it, but I would just recommend that you do it. For example, hold a coding test to verify that they know the basics of writing a simple program, similar to what you would expect them to do in a real job.

If you have used a coding challenge, hack-fest, or game to test skills, you already have an insight into your candidate; we described all these options in Chapter 3, Creativity Rules in Gaining Graduate Interest. The types of skills to test are job-related skills, and at a graduate level, such as engineering challenges, software application tests, and problem-solving skills relevant to the role. You can include interpersonal skills such as collaboration, influencing...