Recruiting and keeping software developer employees happy is a major part of any company. You hired the right guy for the job but if you cannot keep him for long then all the extra work you did for hiring them is a waste. So, companies and successful businesses want to keep their employees as long as possible.
5 Tips for Successfully Hiring Software Developers as Employees
1. Creating the perfect job description
A good job description goes a long way in hiring the needed employees in any country. Good candidates are confident in their ability and will not waste their time applying to some job where the company does not even know what they want them to do!
If you’re wondering how to hire a software developer, you need to know that you have to mention what they need to know and what they will be doing. If it involves communicating with clients directly then mention it, because not every developer is good at communicating with people.
Another thing to keep in mind is that although money is significant, it is not always everything the top talent developer is looking for. They will be looking for a work environment that challenges them, has scope for innovation, makes the workplace more enjoyable, and also provides a great work-life balance. It can mean that you can offer PTOs or paid time offs, permission to work from home, time for volunteering to their communities, and the permission to take unpaid leaves for the pursuit of interests.
The company must develop an EVP or employee value proposition for using it as a selling point for the candidates. It must tell you what sets your organization apart and why it is an attractive proposition to work there for people. The more attractive you can make your EVP more likely you are to attract the top talent for the company.
2. Strategize on how you want to hire the right recruit
This is an important part of successfully recruiting new employees. After you have the job description ready, your next step will be to go ahead and have a meeting with your current employees who will oversee the recruiting process.
If you are hiring a junior software developer, it is important to discuss with the senior developers to understand what qualities are fit for this position. Because those who are batting on the pitch can tell how well the pitcher throws. This will certainly take you a great amount of time and effort.
One of the better strategies for drawing the best available candidates is by using a mobile-friendly recruitment process. One of the experts informed that more than 43% of the prospects use their cell phones for their job search. This is a big number and it will continue to rise until the use of mobile phones becomes a dominant force in recruitment. Therefore, to ensure this aspect is looked after your website and the app must allow the various candidates to hold live video interviews, accept offers, self-schedule interviews, and finish referral tasks from their mobile phones. For retention, you may also use built-in functions for the newer employees. You may have things such as benefit registration, interactive employee handbooks, and access to the PTO balances.
3. Keeping a checklist
4. Multiple Screening process
This is one of the best methods for when hiring a recruit. You see if you post a job post online, thousands of people see it and hundreds of them will apply for the job.
It is hard to judge a person’s quality only by looking at their CV. That is why adding a screening process based on the job can determine if the software developer candidate is worth it or not.
Until about a decade ago, it may have been a distant possibility to have an off-site, full-time employee having the same technical abilities as the workers operating through the office. However, thanks to the advancements in various technologies such as video conferencing and cloud computing, people have opened doors to hire remote staff members. Therefore the recruiters are not restricted anymore to hire candidates from the closer geographic proximity to the office headquarters.
When the organization is situated in a competitive hiring market, it is a good idea to get top talent from the less competitive areas. Technology makes it possible for smooth communication and collaboration and it doesn’t matter where the prospect is located. Therefore, there is no need to lose hiring the experts from the field just because of the location of your company.
Another important aspect of the recruitment process is raising the hiring process speed. It is one of the immediate expectations of any workforce. The top talent will move fast as it is in demand. You need to be ahead of the curve by learning new ways of speeding up the hiring process but keep on asking for top-quality candidates to reach higher standards. Some people may view the slow hiring procedure as a reflection of the speed used by your organization to make decisions. They may drop out if they are expecting quicker decision-making.
You may speed up the hiring process by prioritizing the prospects for the key or revenue-generating positions. You can survey the past candidates for their perception of what was useful and what was not. You need to identify the unnecessary delays in the recruitment process that keep on appearing during all the vacancy filling efforts.
The Interview
A face to face interview is often the final step towards your recruiting process. So, it is important to ask the right question for hiring. Prepare a list of questions relevant to the tasks which you expect the candidate to answer. In this way, you will be able to know whether the person you are hiring is right for you or not.
Many times the best way of attracting a prospect to your organization is by showing off the kind of people he or she will be working with. Some experts advocate highlighting the existing talent pool of your organization at the time of the recruitment procedure. All talented web developers candidates are looking to work with other top talents. Therefore, showcasing all the stars working in the organization can aid in validating why the other top latent should take this opportunity to hop on to the bandwagon. The current employees can also be used by the recruiters as a recruitment tool by asking them to share their positive testimonials with the prospective candidates. Ask them questions such as why they enjoy working for your organization. At the time of vetting top talent use the feedback and anecdotes shared by the existing workers with you.
Ideally the interview should be divided into two parts, first a technical interview where the developers could display their skills and secondly a personal interview where you can look at their personality, soft skills and whether there’re a cultural fit.
After reading the 5 tips on successful recruitment, you should be able to hire the right candidate. Now, that you have your ideal employee it is time for you to keep them happy. How are you going to do it? Read the 5 tips below to find out:
1. The work-life balance
We need to have a balance between work and life to function properly. Your employees need to make sure they have their work-life balance in order so they feel satisfied when working for you.
2. Make them part of the bigger picture
Remember your employees and you are on the same team. If they win you win so it is your responsibility to make them believe in the bigger picture. Whether you’re making a mobile app or a desktop one, the final work should be seen as the end project of collaboration and unity. As humans, we work better if we believe we are part of something big.
3. Be Honest
Being honest with your employees helps them connect with you. If you see someone slacking off at work but you know they have the potential, to be honest with them and tell them how they can improve without scaring them and telling them you will fire them.
4. Set goals and rewards for them
As a company, you can set weekly goals and reward your employees with a company dinner if they reach the goal.
5. Motivate your employees
Sometimes your employees may not see the bigger picture and at that time it is your job to help them see it. Tell them what they can do to earn a promotion as it will help them focus and work even harder.
Wouldn’t it be great if someone else can handle the employee recruitment, payroll, and other employee facilities especially when expanding internationally? There are global PEO Service providers that will take care of all the process for you, all you need to do is tell them what you need and give them a budget and leave the rest up to them. This is especially handy when expanding internationally and you do not know how to find and hire local software developers there.
This article was contributed by guest writer, Regina Walt. Regina Walt is a HR Manager with five years of experience. She helps companies by coordinating, supporting the recruitment process, and managing company staff. She has a demonstrated history of helping businesses with growth decisions and HR solutions. Regina is passionate about reading and writing. She has contributed to a lot of websites with articles related to different business fields.
