For the first time, Filtered is sharing cumulative statistics on the technical assessments more than 90,000 candidates have completed on its platform over the past five years. The top programming languages used for assessments were Java, Python, and SQL, with nearly 63% of all tests involving one of these three languages.
Java Remains King
The majority of technical assessments during the last five years were completed using one of 8 core programming languages. In some instances, the candidate could choose from a selection of languages to complete the assessment, while in others, the hiring company specified which language to use. The five year averages were as follows:
Leading all languages, Java was the most popular choice for candidates to complete technical assessments in. The next two most popular were Python and SQL, reflecting the ongoing importance of data management and analysis skills for today’s technical talent.
The Least Popular Programming Languages
Of the 33 languages actively tested on the Filtered platform, the nine least-commonly used are— in descending order—Clojure, Haskell, Typescript, EmberJS, Perl, Rust, Erlang, and Fortran. Together, they represent less than 0.02% of all assessments.
“Certainly these skills can be critical to a company’s technical footprint, but they are not languages that we’re seeing candidates use (or be asked to use) consistently across our platform during the interview process,” shares Filtered CTO and founder Oliver Weng. “Java, Python, and SQL are the more table stakes skills. If you’re looking to upskill in order to break into technology roles, these can be a great place to start.”
Other interesting findings
The data showed other interesting trends over five years, including that Python still retains a healthy lead over R in popularity, taking 18% of the overall demand while R only accounted for 0.7%. Among JavaScript frameworks, the popularity in descending order is: React (3.0%); Angular (1.0%); and Vue (0.11%).
Embracing a skills-first approach
As workplaces continue to combine remote and in-person options, while simultaneously grappling with potential economic headwinds, a skills-based focus will increasingly dominate hiring decisions. With that in mind, candidates who understand what skills are most popular and in-demand can best prepare for the technical interview process.
“More opportunities are available to technical talent now than ever before in terms of where they can work and learn. Employers are laser-focused on the skills candidates bring to a job, so I’d encourage anyone looking to make a career move to focus on how well their skills align with a given role, and to explore upskilling opportunities if needed,” said Dan Finnigan, CEO of Filtered. “We’re also seeing that companies want true proficiency in these skills and are using actual job simulations to assess candidates, so honing your abilities is really key.”
Filtered is a leader in skills-based hiring. Our end-to-end technical hiring platform enables you to spend time reviewing only the most qualified candidates, putting skills and aptitude at the forefront of your decisions. We’ll help you automate hiring while applying objective, data-driven techniques to consistently and confidently select the right candidates. To get started, contact our team today or register for a FREE demo.
