Case Study: How a Dubai Fintech Reduced Bad Hires by 70%

The Challenge

This Dubai-based fintech was struggling with a 45% bad hire rate. Engineers looked good on paper but failed to deliver in production. The company was losing money, time, and team morale with each mis-hire.

Company Background

A fast-growing fintech company in Dubai with 150 employees, including 40 engineers. They were scaling rapidly, hiring 2-3 engineers per month, but struggling with quality.

The Problem

High Bad Hire Rate

• 45% of engineers left or underperformed within 6 months
• Average cost per bad hire: AED 295,000
• Annual cost: AED 2.6 million in bad hires alone

Root Causes

• Resume-based screening missed actual capability
• Interviews didn't predict performance
• No structured evaluation process
• Decisions based on gut feel

The Solution

They implemented HireTrust's structured hiring framework:

1. Role-Specific Technical Assessments

• Backend engineers: API design and database optimization
• Frontend engineers: Component architecture and performance
• Full-stack: End-to-end feature implementation

2. System Design for Senior Roles

• Architectural thinking challenges
• Scalability and reliability assessment
• Trade-off analysis

3. Decision-Grade Reports

• Evidence-based evaluation
• Clear strengths and gaps
• Actionable recommendations

4. Structured Interview Process

• Consistent evaluation criteria
• Multiple interviewers
• Objective scoring

Implementation Timeline

Month 1: Pilot

• Started with backend engineer role
• Defined requirements and assessment
• Evaluated first 5 candidates

Month 2-3: Rollout

• Expanded to all engineering roles
• Trained hiring managers
• Refined process based on feedback

Month 4-6: Optimization

• Measured results
• Refined assessments
• Improved reports

Results

Bad Hire Rate

• Before: 45%
• After: 13%
• Reduction: 70%

Time-to-Productivity

• Before: 3-4 months
• After: 2-2.5 months
• Improvement: 35%

Retention

• Before: 18 months average tenure
• After: 24+ months average tenure
• Improvement: 33%

Financial Impact

• Annual savings: AED 1.8 million (from reduced bad hires)
• ROI: 1,200% (investment vs savings)

Key Learnings

1. Skills Over Credentials

Resumes don't predict performance. Actual code and problem-solving do.

2. Structure Matters

Structured evaluation reduces bias and improves outcomes.

3. Evidence-Based Decisions

Decision-grade reports provide confidence in hiring decisions.

4. Continuous Improvement

Regular refinement based on data improves results over time.

Conclusion

This Dubai fintech's success demonstrates the power of structured hiring. By validating skills, using evidence-based evaluation, and making data-driven decisions, they transformed their hiring outcomes and built a stronger engineering team.