Hiring The Right People For Your Project: Recruiter’s Experience

If you need the development of the complex and progressive web app or just the rearrangement of your project’s design, the best investment you can make is hiring the right person.

Your environment shapes who you are. Your business environment shapes the success of your project.

To create a product of a good quality, you need to find not only keen coders but also those who are discreet, loyal, and can become great tech ambassadors for your brand.

So, what are the most important requirements, apart from tech skills, to consider when hiring a developer?

• Desire To Learn. This fast-paced world got its speed because of the technologies, and altogether they develop fast. You blink — there’s a new update. Blink once more — this design loses its trendy chic. Blink — and you live in 2010, while all your colleagues are there, in the future. If you see that a person is willing to settle in and do what he/she has been doing for the last 5 years — remember, it’s a short-term collaboration.
• Responsibility. It involves meeting deadlines, doing as it’s written in the requirements, and informing about the important decisions. Also, devs must review their work and be really dedicated to making a product of high quality. Bugs may result in serious outcomes, and the more complex your business is, the more responsible people you need.
• Leadership. There should be a share of the leader in each of your workers. It doesn’t mean there will be anarchy. It means that in under-pressure situations, they will be able to make decisions on their own, without waiting for their managers to interfere. Micromanagement kills self-sufficiency.

So, how to find the person who will be meeting all these standards? SapientPro’s recruiter Kate is ready to share her experience.

1. Kate, Where Do You Look For Candidates?

I usually go for the traditional means of sourcing. These are LinkedIn, and Facebook pages checking.

It’s convenient not only for approachability but also because you can see what the person is like from their social media. You have no idea how much information people reveal in free access.

I view the photos, read posts, see what the person shares on one’s page, and read about the previous jobs. Usually, it’s enough to make a conclusion about a person’s responsibility.

If the dev changed jobs multiple times a year, well, it’s a bad sign. Also, I get recommendations from my contacts. Word of mouth provides me with the best candidates.

So I would say, to find a perfect match you need to have an arranged network.

2. While You Are Texting With The Candidates, Do You Use A Set Of Beforehand Prepared Questions?

I used to have a script. Now I understand that it’s important to communicate in a more personalized way. People feel when you just Ctrl+C and Cltr+V your messages.

It makes the impression that recruiters just want to fill in the vacancy and they don’t care about you as an individual. That may mean the company does not care as well.

Why would any dev want to work there? You do need to understand in what way to communicate like now I have to talk about our perspectives, then ask about tech skills, and finally, inform about the perks. However, it’s better to not use templates.

3. What Do You Pay Attention To During The Interview?

The overall appearance — if a person cared enough to look eligible. That means at least combed hair, ironed T-shirt, and clean shoes.

It shows how you treat yourself as a professional. Usually, if you want the job, you will care enough to look neat.

Then, I pay attention to the way they talk. If the dominant emotion is boredom, the person may just need to earn some money, and that’s all.

If there’s a share of excitement — you’ve found someone who may turn out to be a dedicated person. It’s important to find a motivated dev, especially if it’s a long-term collaboration.

4. How Much Time Does It Take To Find One Candidate?

It depends on the position you need to fill in and how rare the technology is in your area. Sometimes it takes a few days if we talk about trendy frameworks. Sometimes it takes months.

5. While Hiring People, What Advice Did You Find The Most Useful?

Treat candidates as people, not just resources or items of the company. The biggest mistake is to hire a person who can get tired, who has feelings and needs — and then treat him or her as an object… like you would a chair or a hat.

Also, communication is the key to great collaboration. That’s why sometimes to entice a person to choose your company for his or her next work destination, you need to communicate with them for months. It’s the power of the network, and it matters.