How To Recruit Programmers More Effectively? 6 Practical Tips
Experts estimate that by the end of 2017 expenditures of companies in the world for technological solutions will exceed 3.5 trillion dollars. The demand for qualified engineers in the IT industry is constantly growing. However, there are still fewer top-class specialists than attractive jobs they can take. This puts out a new challenge to employers - how to recruit programmers for their teams? We will show you a few ways how to make this process more efficient.
1. Get involved in a community of people working in the IT
Top programmers are usually already successfully employed. Sending them e-mails with new job offers usually does not produce the desired effects. Therefore the best is to become a part of their community. When they start thinking about finding a new job - you will be one step further and present them with specific offers before they even enter the phrase "PHP developer job" into a search engine. Where to find such communities? For a start, in the Internet: join conversations on Twitter, follow the most influential representatives of the industry there, engage in thematic discussions on quora.com, search groups on LinkedIn, explore StackOverflow and Reddit websites, follow opinion-forming blogs valued by professional programmers. Thanks to these activities you have a good chance to become a part of the community among whom will you recruit the best employees.
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2. A recruiter in the IT industry works around the clock
If you start looking for a suitable candidate only in the moment when you know you have to employ someone urgently - you are doing it far too late. A good specialist with extensive experience is a tempting target for head hunters and HR departments of both large and smaller companies. Stay ahead of them and write an article about development opportunities in your company right now. Boast about friendly working environment offered by your company. Build your Employer Branding and make the candidates knock on your door themselves. Effective recruiting of employees does not end at 5 pm when you leave the office. Social media, conferences, trade meetings and blogosphere are also available outside standard working hours. Use them and react swiftly.
Source: Pxhere
3. Think why it is worth working in your company
Most likely, you can answer the question what products or services your customers expect. But can you say why a particular specialist would like to work at your company? Try to put yourself in his/her place while keeping in mind a few factors that are currently very important for people changing jobs. And we do not mean a salary or perks such as private medical care, access to healthy meals in a company or a sports and cultural package, as they are obvious. It is about something more. What matters here is a work culture in your company, reputation in the developer community, flexibility of employment, the ability to work remotely, real development opportunities (training, conferences, certifications). When looking for a good specialist do not offer him or her only a high salary and a Multisport card, because this is what they will get in every larger company they apply to. Watch your competitors and read reports of the best jobs in the world as those referred to by the Fortune magazine in its article.
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4. Sponsor or organise a hackathon
People in the world of IT usually do not treat their work only as a way to maintain themselves, repay the loan and earn money for holidays. They are really interested in what they do. Therefore they love to talk, write and listen about it. Consider organising or sponsoring a meetup or hackathon. The former may consist in inviting known and respected industry professionals to take part in a discussion who in turn will promote it among their recipients. The latter may fulfil both recruitment and image functions. Show programmers that you are interested in new technologies and that innovation and modern work culture are important to you. Even if at the moment they are not looking for work they will remember your company when their situation changes. Paweł Kwiatkowski from ChallengeRocket.com platform offering support in organising programming events claims that in 2017 the number of employees looking for non-standard ways of reaching their potential employees will increase.
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5. Technical competence is not enough
When it comes to programmer recruiting and employing people with technical skills, one of the most common mistakes is attaching importance only to strictly technical competences, e.g. the number of programming languages. But this is not the most important. The programmer should feel comfortable in the work environment offered by your company. It is therefore important to draw up your own list of qualities and soft skills you would like a member of your technical team to have. For example: if a technical leader you want to employ is going to deal with different departments in your company and his/her cooperation with diverse teams will be on a daily basis, maybe it is worth looking for someone with good negotiating skills instead of focusing on the number of years of work in the PHP. On technical positions such qualities as the ability to adapt, flexibility, endurance, the ability to ask questions and ask for help as well as provide such assistance to others are equally important.
Source: Pxhere
6. Publish only well thought out job offers
One of the most popular forms of searching new employees is publishing job advertisements on dedicated portals. What should a job advert be to attract a good specialist? Well, always specify a salary offered, or at least its range. Candidates need to know if it is worth considering. Job adverts without the specified salary are not taken seriously and cast a shadow on your credibility. Do not include in the offer everything that you associate with the work of a programmer. If you are looking for a Back End Developer do not add information about the knowledge of Photoshop to the list of required skills. It is like a red rag to a bull. Specialist reading such advert will get suspicious that you do not know who you are really looking for and what kind of person you need for your team.
