How Skills-Based Hiring Delivered a 99th Percentile Data Engineer
A mortgage company needed a Microsoft-focused Data Engineer. Emergent Staffing hired a 99th percentile candidate in three weeks.
Background
A mortgage company investing in technology modernization needed a Data Engineer with proven Microsoft Data Engineering expertise. The role required someone who could contribute to transformation initiatives, support evolving data needs, and help build a stronger technical foundation for the future.
Emergent Staffing filled the on-site position in three weeks and delivered a candidate who scored in the 99th percentile on a custom, role-based technical assessment.
The Opportunity
This mortgage company, with approximately 150 employees, was focused on modernizing its technology stack and business processes. Leadership was also beginning to explore AI and other emerging technologies as part of a broader effort to improve operations and stay competitive in a changing industry.
Success depended on hiring professionals who were comfortable working in evolving environments. The team needed someone who could adapt to new technologies, improve existing processes, and contribute to modernization efforts across the organization.
The hiring challenge became more complex because the position required working on-site. With a smaller local talent pool to draw from, every candidate needed to be evaluated carefully for both technical capability and long-term fit.
Finding the right person required a deeper evaluation process than a traditional resume review. The company wanted confidence that any candidate presented could bring real Microsoft Data Engineering experience to the role.
The Solution
Emergent Staffing had already built a strong partnership with the organization through years of successful placements, including consultants, contract-to-hire professionals, direct hires, and leadership roles.
That history gave Emergent's team a clear understanding of the company's technical requirements, culture, and hiring expectations. It also created a high level of trust in the screening process.
For this search, Emergent used a comprehensive evaluation process that included recruiter interviews, culture-fit screening, and a custom, role-based technical assessment designed to validate Microsoft Data Engineering expertise before candidates reached the client's interview stage.
The assessment evaluated skills directly tied to the requirements of the position, including:
- Data Warehousing & Modeling
- Azure Data Services
- ETL/ELT and File Formats
- SQL Development
This technical screening process is strengthened by Emergent Staffing's connection to Emergent Software, a Microsoft Solutions Partner with deep expertise across Microsoft technologies. That experience gives the recruiting team a stronger understanding of the technical skills required for Microsoft-focused roles and helps ensure candidates are evaluated against the capabilities that matter on the job.
Assessment results played a key role in narrowing the field. Rather than presenting a large volume of applicants, Emergent focused on identifying a small number of candidates with demonstrated technical ability and the potential to support the company's modernization goals.
The result was a streamlined hiring process that allowed the client to spend time interviewing highly qualified candidates instead of reviewing large numbers of resumes.
The Impact
Emergent Staffing filled the role in three weeks from intake call to accepted offer.
Of the 84 candidates who completed the technical assessment, only 13 met the passing threshold. From that group, Emergent presented just 2 candidates to the client. Both were invited to interview, ultimately leading to a hire who scored in the 99th percentile on the assessment, demonstrating the level of technical expertise the organization was seeking for this critical role.
The placement also reflected the effectiveness of the long-term partnership. Over the years, Emergent has helped the company fill roles across multiple areas of the business and continues to support hiring efforts tied to ongoing modernization initiatives.
For the client's leadership team, the value comes from knowing each candidate has already been thoroughly vetted, allowing them to move quickly when the right person is identified.
Impact at a Glance
- 3 weeks from intake call to hire
- 84 candidates assessed
- 13 candidates passed the technical assessment
- 2 candidates presented
- Hired candidate scored in the 99th percentile on the assessment
- Data Engineering role filled
