The benefits that contestants in the Classified Post Hackathon experience go beyond solving real-world business challenges through leveraging technology, says Alan Wong, managing director of Kelly Services Hong Kong and PERSOLKELLY Consulting. Wong says he was very impressed by the ideas and solutions produced by the participating teams. “I am amazed at what these young people achieved in a 24-hour period” he says.
Wong says that he would not hesitate to hire some of the participants in the hackathon, given their strong will to succeed, their creative ideas, and most importantly, their “can do” approach to working under pressure and to a tight deadline. “These are the type of soft-skill strengths that feature prominently on the ‘wish lists’ of employers in any industry sector,” notes Wong. Those observing the hackathon activities didn’t need to be technically savvy to appreciate the creativity, passion, and drive that hackathon participants demonstrated throughout the weekend in their research, development of prototype projects and presentations to the judges, he says.
Wong says the way the shortlisted finalists engaged with the judges to showcase their ideas and solutions demonstrated outstanding presentation skills. “Thinking outside the box and resilience are traits and attitudes that employers dream about, because they bring a positive impact to the workplace, and create a high-energy culture for success and employee engagement,” Wong says. As a global leader in workforce solutions, and a partner organisation of the Classified Post Hackathon, Kelly Services was keen to help young participants to see the true value of joining a hackathon, and offer them tips on how they can use the experience when they are applying for jobs in the future.
Wong believes the collaborative process, coupled with the energy needed to put an idea into action, allowed young people from different academic backgrounds to work together to achieve a common goal. Although participants were competing for prizes, the hackathon would have been worthwhile without any type of reward incentive, Wong says. The takeaways that the hackers gained from the event provide valuable experiences to share with potential employers.
For example, Wong says participants discovered new things about themselves, such as an ability to work under pressure, communicate ideas, and work in a systematic way to achieve an end-result. “You don’t just get a sense of achievement from completing the hackathon task — you also learn how to work efficiently, how to work as a team and how you can put your skills to work in a quick-turnaround environment,” notes Wong. “Including hackathon experience on a CV indicates that you are willing to be challenged and push yourself outside your comfort zone to a potential employer. Employers are not only interested in your skills and success stories. They are also interested in learning about how you work under pressure and how you deal with challenges, and they also like to hear how you handle failure,” Wong says.
The Classified Post Hackathon is an ideal event for broadening experiences, Wong says. But although hackathon participants excelled in all the technical areas, and ably demonstrated their soft skills, Wong says they did not take advantage of the networking opportunities on offer. Participants could have talked more with potential employers, future mentors, and possible business partners. “Understandably, they were preoccupied, and saved their energy to concentrate on what they were doing,” acknowledges Wong. But he adds that the usefulness of networking at hackathon events should never be underestimated. “I know a lot of students that have secured their first job through networking at events such as hackathons,” says Wong.
