According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 1.4 million software development jobs in America, and this number is increasing day by day. If you’re a company or start-up that needs software engineers, knowing how to hire the best talent is crucial.
Hiring the best software engineers and building a good team is challenging, but it doesn’t have to be like playing craps where you roll the dice and simply hope for the best. If you have a technical background, you’re likely equipped with personal experiences to guide you in the hiring process. But let’s face it, even ex-developers or engineers in management need to be careful in selecting people to hire. That said, if you don’t have a technical background, then you need to be even more cautious.
Choosing great engineers and building a competitive software team requires a deep understanding of what a software engineer is, the role’s contribution to the company, and the qualities they need to have. This guide will help you find the right people through different best practices you can apply during the hiring process.
But First, What is a Software Engineer?
If you’re not a software engineer or developer yourself, you have to have an adequate understanding of the role before you can spot and hire the right talent.
In the tech space, software developer and software engineer are two titles that are frequently used interchangeably. These roles are responsible for designing and creating functional software or applications. A software engineer typically works with systems as well, where they can implement engineering principles and design thinking to achieve specific results.
How To Hire The Best Software Engineers in 2021
Software engineers are in high demand these days. Companies and startups all around the globe need them, so the best talents are hired rather quickly.
If you want to hire the best, you need to be creative and adopt new methods in screening potential candidates. Below are some of the best practices you can apply.
Understand the demographic you’re dealing with
Before you begin the hiring process, one of the first things you need to do is understand the field’s demographics. Doing so will help you know where to find the right candidates and decide whether you want to hire someone around your area or outsource it from another country. This can also give you an overview of what to expect from your candidates.
Some resources you can use include industry studies and surveys done by trusted institutions. For example, StackOverflow performed a survey with over 90,000 respondents that contains valuable information about today’s talent pool. Resources like this can help you re-familiarize with the current demographics of the field.
Build the best candidate pool
Hiring begins with a candidate pool. You can only hire the best software engineers if you have the best and most qualified pool of candidates. The better candidate pool you have, the faster you can find the best ones to fit the role. This step is crucial, and if you’re able to do this right, you’re more likely to end up with your ideal candidate.
Improve the quality of your assessment
A good software engineer should obviously know how to code well. But a great software engineer knows how to code as a part of a team. You can test both of these skills during the hiring process by revamping your code assessments.
You can use take home coding challenges on CodeSubmit to assess your candidate’s skill level. CodeSubmit’s coding challenges use real engineering tasks across more than 50 languages, frameworks, and platforms. They closely resemble real work and can be customized to fit your requirements better.
Aside from the quality of the assessments they offer, CodeSubmit also has features that make reviewing a breeze for whoever is carrying out the hiring process. You will receive real-time updates as your candidates progress through the assessment. Insightful reports are also available on-demand.
Go over their output
After narrowing down your prospects through the code assessment, have your in-house developer pick the candidates’ code apart. You can go over the code during the interview to get to know your candidate’s technical skills better and observe how they will react to criticism.
Closing remarks
Hiring a team of great software engineers is tough but not impossible. While finding and securing the best talent involves a lot of work, the real challenge is keeping them satisfied in your team. That being said, take good care of your software engineers and give them ample room to grow. Feeling restricted and stagnant is a trigger for many to look for other opportunities.
As the tech industry continues to expand at unprecedented rates, hiring the best people will naturally become more and more grueling. And the best way to adapt is to ensure that your hiring process and assessments are in tip-top shape.
