In 2023, developers will be a prestigious profession. They are in high demand in the job market, their salaries are outstanding, and they are finally getting the respect that their skill and hard work deserve.
While all this sounds idyllic from a developer’s perspective, what about the companies hiring them? From what we’ve stated in the previous segment, the developers have all the leverage. Worse yet, many people not well-suited for this job might feel incentivized to try and make it.
This is why hiring developers has many challenges for a small business. For instance:
- Businesses that want to grow an office in a traditional sense may lack local talent.
- Large companies demand developers (who can pay considerably more). This means that, unlike in other fields, this is a job market where you, as an employer, need to prove yourself to the talent.
- Even if you hire them, you must always look out for poaching. This is why, from the very start, you must carefully examine their previous work history and identify those jumping from job to job. You also need to offer an impressive list of benefits to stay competitive.
- Skilled developers don’t work for peas. While there are other business costs to focus on, nothing compares to salaries. In the IT industry, salaries are the most significant overhead for any company. So, you must ensure that you’re screening only those you can afford to hire.
- There are a lot of people who try to fake it until they make it. However, if a recruiter is not a developer (more likely, they’re a member of your HR), they might struggle to recognize this.
Here are some services that can help you out.
1. AI-powered recommendations
Imagine if you could only interview people who completely match your job requirements. Well, with AI-powered recommendations, this isn’t beyond the realm of possibilities. These AI services even use the evaluation system to show you how much of a match the candidate in question is. So, if they match anywhere from 70-100%, you’re already starting on the right foot.
In an ideal world, everyone’s LinkedIn profile would be complete. Sadly, people sometimes omit critical information. Fortunately, you can find this info elsewhere on the internet. With these AI engines, it’s pretty easy to enrich candidates’ profiles to get a complete picture.
Reaching out to potential candidates is also a lot of work. This is something that an automated hiring tool can do, as well. You can make a list of requirements; it can create a list of candidates and start sending out a customized message based on a template.
This is especially useful when it comes to direct advertising. An automated message is quicker and can be sent simultaneously via multiple channels. This way, you’re not wasting any time. As we’ve already said, you compete with others for a limited talent pool. You have no time to waste.
2. Resources for interview questions
Your recruiters need to prepare for the interview. Ideally, the company recruiting would have a developer present to represent them. Still, small businesses and startups are often understaffed. This means that having a developer sit through hours and hours of interviews would not be the most efficient use of their time. This is especially true considering that their hourly rate is quite expensive.
Now, even if you had a developer in the meeting, their knowledge of programming languages (C++, for instance) wouldn’t contribute as much as you expect. Interviewing is an art form, and the wrong line of questioning can have an adverse effect.
You need resources with C++ interview questions to help you streamline the interview. Ideally, you would provide your recruiters with these questions, then have them address a developer in your employ with any questions.
Complete resources will usually have a set of questions for:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Just remember that this interview merely helps you assess candidates on a deeper level. It’s not a take-all stage of the hiring process where you automatically hire those who pass. Later, you still have to conduct role-specific and even personality tests. Still, this can be a significant asset on your path.
3. Onboarding software
The process doesn’t end when you offer them the job. The very point of hiring a developer was getting a new team member. To become a team member, they first need to get onboarded. Small businesses struggle with hiring and managing employees, and proper onboarding complicates everything. This is a lot easier to do with onboarding software.
Onboarding tools are not just there to facilitate the administrative aspect of onboarding. Starting a new company is always hard. They’re there for the pre-onboarding and welcoming stages, as well. There’s a lot of anxiety involved with onboarding, and an onboarding tool can help alleviate some of it.
This is important for starting on the right foot and increasing your chances of high talent retention in the future.
These tools are also great for training (what most people think when we talk about onboarding). With software, you get a more systemic approach and a resource that new hires can use to help themselves.
It’s also important to mention that, in the past, onboarding heavily relied on the mentorship system. As we already said in the interview segment, the problem is that it takes people away from their core tasks. By automating a massive part of this process, onboarding is actually saving work hours.
By facilitating the entire process, onboarding tools can ensure that your new employees are productive sooner. This way, you get the desired results way ahead of the deadline.
4. Salary comparison tools
Now, to address the elephant in the room. As mentioned, salaries are the most significant factor when hiring developers. Establishing how much you should pay your developers is something you need to figure out right away. After all, it’s something that you’ll put in the job description before posting the ad.
Before that, however, you need to do salary research. Some of the most popular tools are:
- Glassdoor
- Salary.com
- Indeed
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
Here, you can see what the industry averages are. From this point on, you have a choice. The higher you go (compared to this), the more interest you’ll evoke. With higher interest, you get a higher selection, which gives better results for your hiring campaign.
The best thing about these tools is that they’ll offer extra info. For instance, aside from the industry/national average, you’ll also see the top-paying companies. Perhaps even more importantly, you can see an entire pay trajectory. Here, in the best-case scenario where they stay with you for good, you can see how much this will cost you in the long run.
Things are even more complicated when it comes to running a remote team. Even in today’s world, even for the same position, developers are not paid the same in North America, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Comparing regional wages and using something like Big Mac Index to check the local purchasing power parity might be a good idea.
5. Freelancing platforms
Lastly, there’s no point in beating around the bush. The truth is that while hiring full-time developers is great, hiring freelancers is sometimes a better solution.
Let’s say you have a big project going on, which causes a workload increase. However, after the project, you might no longer need as big of a team. What do you do? Well, you could hire freelancers that pass your criteria. This way, you get the job done without taking on the extra responsibility.
Apart from this, you can use this business model as a pseudo-hiring process. You hire someone for a task or a project. Then, depending on how they perform on this gig, you consider hiring them full-time or part-time. The reason why this method is so great is that it’s safe. Instead of just having to trust that they didn’t lie in their CV and fake it during the interview, you get to see them in action. Actions speak louder than words (and even data).
One of the biggest misconceptions about hiring freelance developers is that they’re less skilled than their full-time counterparts. This is not necessarily true. Some are just new to the job market and need some experience for their resume. Some of the best developers in the world have started as freelancers (in one form or another). Others love the freedom that comes with this working model.
Either way, there are a lot of great platforms where you can hire freelancers. Depending on how much you’re in a rush, you could check out one or more of them.
The right tools and services can improve your hiring process and beyond
The hiring process is incredibly complex when done right. The team in charge of the process has a massive responsibility, and they deserve any tool that can help alleviate this burden. Not to mention that, since your team makes your business, successful hiring campaigns can make or break your enterprise.
By Srdjan Gombar
Veteran content writer, published author, and amateur boxer. Srdjan is a Bachelor of Arts in English Language & Literature and is passionate about technology, pop culture, and self-improvement. His free time he spends reading, watching movies, and playing Super Mario Bros. with his son.
