Hiring a developer is one of the most challenging tasks for a startup. The developer must be the ideal one for the job, plus he/she will have to actually want to work at your startup! Great developers, that is developers that fit ideally your job opening, will need more that a financial incentive.
Headhunters and hiring managers are using traditional platforms such as LinkedIn and Monster to find potential candidates.
But as a startup, you want to make it more personal and transmit your startup enthusiasm directly to the developers you’re interested in.
Here are 7 tips to help you hire talented developers!
1. Company Testimonials
Your employees are your best brand ambassadors. Videos and testimonials of your employees sharing their experience working at your company has a strong impact on potential candidates. Employer branding is one of the Top 5 Recruiting Trends of 2019 to watch out for, so it’s about time for you as a company to showcase your unique culture!
2. Host or sponsor parties for Developers
Getting talented developers under your roof is a fantastic strategy. By bringing your hiring strategies offline, you can increase the chances of finding the right talent. Since developers like to meet peers and exchange ideas, hosting a party for developers gives you an exposure which you could never get online. Think of creative ways to build a relationship with them and convince them to join your startup!
3. Organize Hackathons
Hackathons are a great way to attract developers. Specifically, online hackathons have higher participation rates compared to traditional tournaments. But if you do not have the resources to organize your own hackathon, you should definitely consider sponsoring one. Your senior developers can be mentors or judges of existing hackathons. Through these tournaments, you’ll be able to showcase your identity and eventually build relationships with potential talents.
4. Don’t just rely on resumes
A developer resume can be attractive. However, a resume reflects the experience of the candidate, not his/her coding skills. For example, the skill set of a freshly graduated candidate cannot be easily identified by his/her resume. A coder might be a fresher, but he/she possess the perfect set of skills required for the job. On-paper accolades are nice, but understanding the skills of the candidates is much more important.
5. Set the Right Expectations
It is very important to set your expectations right. For example, if you require them to be available online 24/7 then you have to be clear on this before hiring. Startups tend to lose their employees in the first stages of employment due to this reason. Be upfront with them on your expectations. This way you will be able to build a strong team rather than needing to find a replacement every now and then.
6. Learn more about Their Favourite Project
Look for an enthusiastic developer and not just someone who does coding to pay his/her bills. A part from just shooting technical questions, do ask them about their favourite projects. This will help you understand their interest in what they do. Do not hire someone to just fit the role, instead find a teammate!
7. Test their Programming Skills
The most efficient way to hire the ideal developer is to test his/her coding skills. You can use platforms such as HackerRank which has over 1500 pre-built assignments to test the skills of a developer. Relying on their resume and past experience is not enough when it comes to hiring a programmer. These abilities are best identified by validating their skills through assignments.
About Indorse, the objective way to evaluate programming skills!
Indorse is the first Decentralised Professional Network with an initial focus on programming skills! On the Indorse platform, coding skills are evaluated by expert coders.
When a developer claims that he/she is an expert in PHP, a panel of expert coders are picked randomly to review his/her coding skills. At the end of this evaluation process, the claim will either be indorsed or flagged and you’ll have a 360° report with comments from the expert validators!
By using the Indorse platform, you won’t need to spend several man-hours to sieve through the barrage of resumes. It allows to find the ideal developer with a minimum effort and budget.
Do share with us your comments on Twitter, Facebook, Telegram and/or drop us an email at info@indorse.io!
