6 Best practices when hiring developers

Software developers have a huge ocean of opportunities for them in the job market and this has increased their attrition rate. Keeping this trend in mind, you need to know about the best practices to hire developers and… retaining them. This article deals with some of the best practices in the market for hiring and retaining software developers.

  • Try the ARG strategy for yourself

A R G, means Attract, Retain and Grow and if you are able to implement this in your hiring practice then you will be awarded with excellent developers who will grow old in your company. If you want to attract the best talent, then spruce up the working conditions in the company and improve their perks. And don’t forget to make the pay package as attractive as ever. Hiring is one thing; in fact, you can say that, that would be the least of your problems. The problem comes when you try to retain them. Your rival is out to get the best developer in the industry and if you have the best in your company, then that is just the start of your problems. If you want to retain your developer, then you must give him the opportunity to channel his skills in the right direction. Let him take the decision to accept challenging projects and give him all the latest gadgets and toys in the industry and provide opportunities that would be growth oriented for him, both personally and professionally.

  • Niche talent hiring

Companies usually find it tough to find the right talent when they are on the hunt for niche developers. It is even tougher to retain them because they are always highly demanded. But you have the benefit of social media and that is a good channel when you search for niche developers. This has actually made the hiring process easier because you can directly target the people you want to. Well, that has its side effect as well, because your competitor can do the same as well. So when you are on a “retaining mode”, you must keep the developer happy by paying well and giving compensation and attractive perks. Make sure your developer has a good work culture because that is quite important in keeping him/her in. Developers generally don’t like to work in places they find stifling, or where they don’t have opportunity for growth. They are going to find rigid structural hierarchy and rules as unfavorable working conditions.

  • Practicing good retention procedures

As said before, practicing good retention procedures would be the ideal procedure to keep back the people that may be lured away from your company. Apart from having an open and transparent work culture, you must develop good bonding with the staff. Ensure you indulge your developer with the latest softwares, and make sure that they get rewarded and appreciated on new milestones achieved. A good developer would always be interested in professional growth, so he would be open to valuable inputs and feedback regarding his work. Such an appraisal process should always be motivational. Ensure that you give the developer training in the new and trendy skills that would enable him to grow at his job.

  • A strict recruitment process, nothing less

Hiring a developer must be done with the prime objective of hiring the best one. The selection process must be strict if you want the cream, so it can be done through four steps –

    • Initial screening
    • Technical interview
    • Assign a project and assign performance
    • Including the stakeholder

Each of these steps is important to get the cream. But you must be careful during the initial screening, so as not to let them slip between your fingers. Most people consider the culture and location of the candidates as well when they hire. In the technical interview, you can test their technical expertise by preparing a panel of experts who would judge their skills and knowledge. Once you are sure of their technical acumen, you can assign a project and test the practical aspect. Once you’ve shortlisted a few candidates who you think would be the best for the company, you can introduce them to the stakeholders of the company who would then judge them finally.

  • Maintaining excellent communication channels

Communication is the best process through which misunderstandings can be avoided. When you communicate something to your developer, ensure it is received well, so the end deliverable would be exactly what you want. Sometimes, you may have to conduct several meetings, but eventually, you would be able to deliver what your clients want. There is a huge difference between understanding your project needs and actually delivering it.

  • Do not trust the resume because that is just sales talk on paper

Finding the A-player for your company doesn’t start with the resume. Information about the skills of a developer can only be garnered from the knowledge of someone reliable and for whom the developer has worked for. It is always better to let the good ones go so you can hire the best in the industry. If you have to provide an enticing pay package, it is worth the effort.

Conclusion

The scenario for recruiting developers is becoming highly competitive these days and so is the market for developers. If you are not ready to change your tactics then you will fall victim to the high attrition rate that would only increase in the coming years. Changing the working conditions by giving them attractive perks would definitely be the first move in this aspect. Never forget that good retention practices would lower the attrition rate.

Interesting links about the topic:
How to hire and recruit developers
Tips for hiring developers

Pictures: Flickr.com/ Steven Depolo/ USACE Europe District/ woodleywonderworks


The author: Reema Oamkumar is engaged as a thought leader at Software-Developer-India.com which is a part of the YUHIRO Group. YUHIRO is a German-Indian enterprise which provides programmers to IT companies, agencies and IT departments.

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