Hiring an efficient developer is a major task in the software industry. There is a chance for the occurrence of some common mistakes. The software industry is one of the gigantic markets in the world business ecosystem. So the recruiters must be aware of the mistakes that can occur while hiring a developer. One of the major demanded fields of software development is Hiring developers for Web development. The demands of JavaScript, WordPress, Python, and PHP web developers are very high.
According to Plunkett Research, the total revenue from computer programming and software development in the US was about $146.647 billion in 2018. The total revenue of software publishers in the USA was about $235.55 billion in 2017. The total software market in China was estimated at about $900 billion in 2018. According to the Market Research Future forecast, the software engineering market is expected to cross the $37 billion mark by 2023 with over 8% of CAGR growth during 2017 and 2023. So recruiters must avoid mistakes while hiring a developer in the software industry.
Despite the fact that there are about 21 million software developers for worldwide staff augmentation. And more than 4.4 million in the US only, and many new tech graduates are appearing in the market annually. The software industry still faces serious challenges on how to hire a developer.
Major Challenges in Hiring a Developer
According to the Tech Republic survey information, the most common challenge the hiring managers face while recruiting a software developer is the lack of software engineering education followed by the limited pool of software engineers with job skills that are needed for particular tech jobs.
Other major challenges are:
The increasing software development cost in the shape of developers salaries
Retaining the tech resources against the lucrative offers by the competitors
Maintaining team efficiency and team productivity through local recruitment of tech talent on time
The lack of workplace competencies and personal soft skills are also a big challenge
Maintaining team diversity
Increasing expectations about the fringe benefits of tech talent
A longer process of hiring
Choosing the right candidate through the hiring process
And others
6 Primal Mistakes While Hiring a Developer
Hiring a developer for an on-premises or a distributed team is a very complex, long, and tricky process. During the course of the hiring process, many managers make mistakes. This results in a reduction in team efficiency and team productivity of the company.
Creating a Generic Job Description
Creating a generic job description leads to many confusions during the hiring process. Many candidates can apply for the generic job description, which will result in a wrong selection of shortlisted candidates. Creating a specific job description requires both technical and management skills. The creator of the job description should have both expertise to create the right job description.
The knowledge of remote team management software and project management tools should also be considered while designing the job description. Interpersonal communication skills, knowledge of team communication tools, and other soft skills should also be considered. We should clearly mention all the processes and activities that the job role is supposed to do.
Choosing Incorrect Role Name While Hiring a Developer
The definition of software roles is continuously changing. Different countries have different benchmarks for the software developer role. This is a very critical mistake. This can divert the right candidates from applying for that role and the wrong candidate may hook in. The name of the role should resemble and match the work activities that the developer has to perform. The required skills and experience for the position should also be very clear in the name of the job role.
Nowadays we notice that a large number of software developer roles are created for remote or offshore teams. This should also be very clear from the name of the role. Normally, three levels of roles are very common in the marketplace. So, it is a good idea to choose the format of those roles and create a suitable role name.
Not Using Resume Filtering Technology
Many managers still use manual ways to read the entire CV of the candidates to shortlist. This is a big mistake. Manual sifting is time-consuming and prone to mistakes. The solution to this problem is to use the latest resume tracking systems by putting the right criteria for short-listing. It is done in a while and you can sift through hundreds of CVs. It is better than just relying on a few that you are able to go through.
Conducting Diverse Interview when Hiring a Developer
The short-listing process is very prone to mistakes. It is mostly done on the basis of keywords and general CV formats and CV content. But, the real step to choosing the right candidate is a technical interview. Many hiring managers digress from the main technical activities and skillsets and involve in the generic technical discussion. This may lead to the wrong selection of the candidate. So, always focus on the main technical skills and activities that relate to the job.
Skipping Phone or Video Conversation
In the fast-paced life overwhelmed by the heavy workload, many managers rely on short-listing and some online written tests or chatting. This is a major mistake while hiring a developer. You cannot judge the soft skills, personality, and technical skills at the level that you should in chatting or text messaging. The phone or video call is very important to know about the candidate and his soft and technical skills.
So always take at least 10 to 15 minutes of voice or video-based interview. So you can make sure that you are going to choose the right candidate that you need at your place. This will also help you assess the remote team communication skills. And also remote team collaboration approach of the candidate.
In many cases, the references provided by the candidate online and offline are not checked and verified. This is a big mistake that hides the weak spots and flaws in the candidate that you are going to hire. It is always recommended to talk to the references that are provided by the candidate. So that you can know the third angle perspective of the candidate that you are going to hire.
Final Takeaway
Hiring a software developer is has become very tricky in the modern industry of IT staffing recruitment. Enterprises face tougher challenges for hiring and maintaining skilled technical talent. They have to go through a lengthy and patchy path of hiring. So there is a chance for mistakes while hiring the developer.
So, it is a good idea to choose fully managed software development services that manage the hiring process professionally for you.