7 Best Practices For Hiring Developers

By Arjun Ruparelia

 

Tech is the dominant force behind all advancements, and developers are the driving force behind this revolution. That's why they are always in high demand.

Companies always look for skilled developers in AI, machine learning, e-commerce, automobile or IoT.

However, hiring developers is tricky; you must have a system to pick the best candidates for your organization. In this article, we compile a list of dos and don'ts while hiring developers.

 

7 things to do when hiring developers

The recruiting process should test a candidate's all-round abilities.

Each step is crucial as it tests a candidate's problem-solving ability and helps the recruiter see how they would work in a professional environment.

You must look beyond a college degree and thoroughly test a candidate's ability to fit into your work culture. Below, you’ll find tips to filter out the best candidates for your organization.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               1. Consider cost per hire

The tech industry also faces the issue of a skill gap which makes it hard for companies to hire good developers. Finding suitable candidates to conduct interviews and hiring takes time and funds.

Moreover, developers switch companies frequently, which makes hiring a continuous process for organizations. That's why you must consider cost per hire to manage your budget. Here's a guide to cost per hire to help you understand the costs behind this elaborate hiring process.

 

     2. Craft a dynamic technical assessment 

Source

Gone are the days when companies would test a candidate's ability with random questions. With the competition and talent volume, you must design a thorough assessment to find the right fit for our institution. 

Use practical programming tests and deep questions to bring out a clear picture of the candidate's technical and soft skills along with his problem-solving capabilities. Click here for the C++ programming test and follow the framework below to create a rock-solid assessment:

 

Problem Solving Skills

• The candidate should be able to solve fundamental issues 
• They should be able to improvise the code for more difficult constraints 

 

Job Challenges 

• The candidate should be able to find bugs in the elaborate database. 
• The candidate must possess adequate test case coverage. 
• The candidate should be able to determine the code structure. They must be able to distinguish between one giant file or modularized code. 

 

Common Attributes 

• The candidate should be a team player 
• The candidate should be able to read and create a well-documented code
• The candidate should be fluent in the language of their preference 
• The candidate should possess a general aptitude 3. Use credible sites for hunting for developers.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 3. Use credible sites for hunting for developers.

Source

Nowadays, you can't rely on one job posting to attract credible candidates for your company. Try multiple websites where candidates actively hang out. Even HRs need to network and approach candidates online to talk to them about the vacancy. 

Young professionals and freshers create personal brands on social media to make it easy for HRs to find them. Going through their social media handles on LinkedIn or other job boards and communities gives you insider access to their values and skills. 

Here are the top job boards that you should try: 

• Indeed
• Workable 
• Recruiter.com
• Careercloud
• Glassdoor                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    4. Move beyond resumes

 

Source

 

Education from top schools is not always a reflection of skill. You must go beyond a resume to find whether a candidate is a good fit or not —especially in the case of freshers who might not have job experience. 

When companies emphasize candidates' resumes, they are tempted to lie. CNBC covered exclusive interviews with candidates and hiring managers about the topic and discovered that it's a real problem in the hiring process. 

Moreover, many companies with candidates use Applicant Tracking Systems to monitor resumes. This HR automation software judges resumes based on knockout - multiple choice - questions and rejects those with unsatisfactory answers. 

They compare keywords, job descriptions, and ranking to remove 'bad' candidates and filter out the best ones. The system is meant to ease recruiters' work, but this eliminates the chance for candidates to represent themselves. If someone had lied in their resume, it might go through the ATS while a credible candidate stays back.

 

     5. Assess the test properly 

 

Source

 

Creating a solid assessment is only half the task. You must measure the results appropriately to find the right candidate. Gather the assessment data and focus on answering these questions: 

 

• Completion rate: Did the candidates complete the assessment or leave specific questions? If most candidates go through similar questions, they might be a little out of their league. 

• Unique Approaches: Look for candidates with unique approaches to solving a problem. These can be new ways of solving problems that result in faster or more efficient solutions. 

• Time Taken: Asses how much time each candidate takes to solve a question.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       6. Simulate on-the-job experience

Source

Most interviews revolve around questions from the candidate's past. What have they done till now? Where did they study? What internships did they do? But questions about the future should also be a part of the recruitment process. 

And we're not talking about the classic, 'where do you see yourself in 10 years" question. Recruiters should ask about various situations candidates might face while working with you. 

For instance, you can give them a situation or issue that commonly arises in your workflow and ask for their opinion or solution. You can give general workplace situations or ask technical questions. 

For example: "Merge two strings' a' and 'b' so that they return a single string." This is a direct 'school-like' question the candidate must've heard in his exams too. Let's twist it a bit. 

Ask, 'build a county filter.' 

In the latter question, the candidate is faced with a real-world task they may have to do while on the job. It helps you better judge their understanding and problem-solving skills in the real world rather than in an examination hall.

 

     7. Offer Competitive Salary

Source

Salary is one of the most critical aspects for any candidate—research well about salary trends in your city, state and industry. The average salary for a developer in the US is $110,140, while highly paid developers earn up to $140,470. 

Offer competing amounts so skilled candidates apply at your company. Consider hiring remote workers if you have a retraining budget. This is because there's a significant gap in average salaries in the US vs countries like Europe, where a developer earns $69,000 on average. 

However, it's wise not to hunt for cheap labor as it ultimately costs your business. Remember, those talented individuals will demand a competitive salary and are mostly aware of such salary gaps.

 

     8. Talk about opportunities for personal and professional growth

Source

Now that we've talked enough about what you can do as a company to hire great developers, we should focus on their good. Candidates are generally more tilted toward companies that offer room for growth. This growth can be in terms of salary or ranking. 

Every company wants to hold a suitable developer for many years, but they naturally switch companies as they grow. It's common to see companies raising salaries when employees hand in their notice. It dents your reputation while giving no guarantee that the employee stays for a long time. 

Once an employee leaves, you're bound to restart the hiring process and look for fresh talent. That's why it's crucial to gain their trust from the beginning. Please talk about the scope of growth so they can imagine a long, prosperous future with your company. 

 

What not to do while hiring developers?

Times have changed, and so should your interview processes. Using the same testing pattern from a decade ago, you might miss out on great developers. 

Here are some common mistakes recruiters make while hiring developers: 

 

• Focusing heavily on technical knowledge: Although technical knowledge is crucial for developers, that's not the only thing that matters. Focus on both hard and soft skills along with work experience like internships. Candidates always gain more knowledge as they work. 
• Only hiring local developers: Since the pandemic, many companies are hiring remote talent. By focusing only on local developers, you're missing better candidates on the table.  
• Testing meaningless tasks for theoretical knowledge: Meaningless theoretical questions will only show what candidates learned in college. Use assessments to test their practical knowledge that will be useful while working. 
• Hiring based on degree: Many candidates learn coding outside of college from online courses. Analyze practical knowledge by looking at their work experience, personal projects or portfolios. Or test them with your assessment. 
• Hiring full-time developers for ad hoc requirements: Try freelancers for ad-hoc requirements as full-time employees need other facilities like medical, which would be unnecessary if the requirement is on and off. 

 

Hire only the best

It all comes down to the assessment part. If you nail a solid assessment, you'd be able to test all the necessary skills of a good developer. Implement the above tips to select the best candidate for your organization in your interview process. 

Author Bio: Arjun Ruparelia

Email - [email protected]

 

An accountant turned writer, Arjun writes financial blog posts and research reports for clients across the globe, including Skale. Arjun has five years of financial writing experience across verticals. He is a CMA and CA (Intermediate) by qualification.

  Back to Recruitment blogs