Case Study: Zalando achieves more inclusive, unbiased tech hiring with Codility

Achieving A 40% Female Tech Workforce By 2023

Zalando, Europe’s leading online fashion platform, faced a major diversity challenge: women made up only 17% of its tech workforce and the company set a goal to reach 40% by 2023. Tasked with building an inclusive, high-quality hiring process, Global Head of Tech Talent Acquisition Yasar Ahmad needed to eliminate unconscious bias and automate screening amid a COVID-driven surge in applications. To do this, Zalando turned to Codility, using take-home CodeCheck assessments and live remote interviews with CodeLive.

Codility helped Zalando standardize and scale fair technical screening so candidates are evaluated on skills rather than CVs. Since 2016 Zalando has sent over 26,000 CodeCheck tests and conducted more than 6,000 CodeLive interviews, resulting in higher-quality candidate pools, a more inclusive hiring process, and significant recruiter time saved by reducing interactions with unqualified applicants — demonstrating Codility’s measurable impact on bias mitigation and efficiency.

Zalando

Yasar Ahmad

Global Head of Talent Acquisition