How to Hire a Good Programmer
Attracting top talent is one of the main concerns of all leading organizations. In the field of programmer recruitment, two factors affecting the attraction of talents include building a successful employer brand and then creating a suitable process for recruitment and employment.
In this article, we will focus specifically on the process of recruiting and hiring a good programmer in the following five steps:
Step #1: Interview
Stage #2: Technical Skills Assessment
Step #3: Final review
Sub-stage: outsourcing to job search companies
Sub-stage: hiring telecommuting programmers
Step 1 in Hiring a Programmer: Interview Tips
Go beyond “love at first sight”!
What articles have not been written about the importance of the first few minutes of the interview! Although they are not wrong, if you rely too much on your perceptions in the first encounter, you can not make a realistic judgment about the other party.
Techniques such as a mock test, measuring general mental ability (intelligence tests and other similar tests), and structured interviews (behavioral and/or situational) have been more effective in predicting human resources performance.
Don’t worry! You don’t have to use all of these methods to hire a programmer; we suggest you try some of them and finally add one or two most valuable tests to your recruitment process.
Conduct the interview in a structured way.
If you hold an unscheduled interview, you are unlikely to have a beneficial talk. So it is a good idea to prepare in advance.
Make a list of required questions and topics, the ones you intend to ask. Furthermore, think about the questions order. Have real-life examples of work situations in your pocket to challenge the job seeker.
Actually, it is good to have a structure, but do not panic if the interview process suddenly changes. Be prepared to adapt to the new trend if necessary. Like everything else in life, success is hidden in balance.
Give job seekers an excuse to join your team.
In an ideal world, when job seekers leave the meeting, they should think to themselves working for your company is the only attractive job in the world!
However, the competition to attract expert programmers is fierce all over the world. Thus, you need to show your job seekers why the projects you are going to work on together are outstanding.
Ask yourself:
- What makes my company an excellent place to work?
- Why are my applications better than the competitors’ ones?
- What is the mission of my company?
- What makes my company unique?
When you get the answer, you can talk about them with your job seeker.
Encourage job seekers to ask questions.
A good interview is like a two-way street. Consequently, you are not the only one who has questions. The interview is also an opportunity for the other party to learn more about your business and company. Some people have high self-esteem and ask any question they have, but encourage those who are shyer to ask. Remember to give honest and straightforward answers and use this opportunity to build a more intimate relationship. This will help you to hire more professional programmers.
Step 2 in Hiring a Programmer: Technical Skills Assessment
Do not choose enormous scope test projects.
Undoubtedly, you want to know more about the programmer’s talents and skills. However, if the test project is too long and complicated, even the most eager job seekers will not continue! So make sure the test project takes no more than three or four hours.
Step 3 in Hiring a Programmer: Final review
Give the test-project feedback as soon as possible.
Ideally, you should provide this feedback in two to three business days. Even if you do not want to hire the programmer, try to provide complete feedback. By identifying the strengths of work, and helpful advice, you can reduce the frustration of unaccepted job seekers and build a good employer brand for your company. By doing this, you will hire programmers more professionally.
Be prepared to make a quick hiring decision.
The field of technology is growing worldwide, which means that a skilled programmer will not be idle for long! Experience shows that even a few days delay in making a decision can lead to a good developer’s loss. So if you find someone who fits your company and its needs, do not waste time and hire that programmer immediately.
Sub-stage 1: Cooperation with job search companies
If you want to outsource part of your programmer recruitment process to IT hiring agencies, keep these two bits of advice in mind:
Number 1:
Provide complete details to IT hiring agencies
Tell the IT hiring agencies in detail what skills you need and what you are looking for. No one knows your business better than you do. So you need to give the agencies information so that they can help you. Any extra information you provide will help them find more skilled programmers interested in working for your company. Also, with enough information, you will no longer have to deal with job seekers who are not a good option for you.
Number2:
Just work with one IT hiring agency.
It sounds like a weird recommendation, but you probably agree that it would be much harder to manage the programmer hiring process if your organization is involved with several different job agencies at the same time.
Sub-stage 1: Attracting telecommuting programmers
Many organizations are willing to hire telecommuting programmers for various reasons, most notably the recent pandemic. Specific organizational culture, temporary projects, and limited talented pools in a city can be some of these causes. If you want to hire a telecommuting programmer, kindly consider these tips:
- Invite hired programmers for a face-to-face interview. Although most interaction with telecommuting developers is through messenger programs, it is best to have a face-to-face meeting first. With face-to-face conversations, you will get to know your new programmers better, and you can build good, trust-based business relationships from the very first day. Besides, some job seekers consider business trips a positive advantage when deciding whether to join your team.
- If you plan to ask the hired developer to settle around your company’s headquarters region, think about your proposed package in advance. Also, be sure to tell him precisely what costs you will cover and what legal processes the hired programmer must go through before joining the team.
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Fundamental programming skills to look for
First skill: Analytical skills
The programmer’s main task is to analyze complex information and data and use them in the form of code. A programmer must be able to research, analyze complex algorithms properly, and generally be able to interpret different data correctly.
Second skill: mastering two or more programming languages
The programmer you hire should be able to write code in two or more programming languages. Of course, the project you are involved in may need only one programming language. However, the ambiguity of coding in different languages is an option that you can not ignore.
Some of the most requested programming languages are:
- Python programming language
- JavaScript programming language
- Go programming language
- C # Sharp programming language
- MATLAB programming language
- Java programming language
- C ++ / C programming language
- R programming language
- Swift programming language
- Phoenix programming language
Third skill: Troubleshooting skills
The software you produce, the servers, and generally everything that humans make may encounter problems. Just as a good mechanic must find and fix a car problem, and a physician must be able to diagnose the disease correctly, a programmer must be able to troubleshooting. However, It is not possible to solve an issue without finding it.
Your candidate for employment as a programmer should be able to find and fix problems.
Fourth skill: Communication skills
Communication skills are necessary not only for programmers but also for other jobs and professions. Without effective communication, things do not go well, especially for programmers who need to work in a team. Recently, soft skills have become as important as hard skills in hiring. For example, communication skills are one of the soft skills that increase employee productivity and help to succeed in teamwork. Your programming candidate should have good communication skills.
Learn more: What are Soft Skills and How Transforms Your Life?
In addition to the above, the skills that are currently in high demand in the job market and are on the employer list, according to the US Department of Labor, are:
Coordination: Adjusting actions based on the steps of others
Programming: Writing computer programs with different purposes
Time Management: Manage your time and that of others
Systems Analysis: Identifying how a system works and how changing conditions, functions, and environments can affect its output.
Talking: Talking to others to convey information effectively
Dynamic learning: Learning in such a way that the learner get involved in the problem-solving or decision-making process practically
Equipment Selection: Identifying the types of tools and equipment needed for a particular job.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and applying appropriate methods and procedures for learning and teaching
Quality control analysis: Performing tests and reviews on a product, service, performance, or even the processes responsible for evaluating quality.
Operations Analysis: Analyzing product requirements to create a design
Mathematics: Using mathematical science to solve a problem
Operations Analysis: Analyzing product requirements to create a design
Mathematics: Using mathematical science to solve a problem
Installation: Installation of equipment, machines, wiring, or applications.
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