As technology is expanding its presence in almost all business functions, it has become essential for employers to look at appointing the right talent to handle the changing needs of the business. 

Hiring software developers for a business is everyday work, especially for companies involved in the tech industry. 

With the limited talent pool available in the market, it is crucial to hire the right talent for the job.

The hiring manager needs to focus on the demands of the role, timelines to close the position, and the route to get the right person for the job.

Hiring software developers for the team is not the same as hiring managers for other business functions. The business cannot follow the standard approach of asking for formal education and experience as benchmarks. 

As a result, when hiring software developers for the team, companies must ensure that the typical mistakes involved in the process should be avoided to get top talent to join the group.

Top 5 mistakes to avoid when hiring software engineers

Not looking at the hiring experience.

The hiring of people must be made seamless and smooth for the candidates. Be it the job advertisement used to attract applications or the process the candidates must go through. The process must be pleasant for the applicants. Even small mistakes in the hiring process can cost a business a good developer.

For instance, the posted job ad should have a clear title, job description, requirements, and a good closing statement. You should avoid the overuse of buzzwords and post clear conditions when hiring software developers.

According to a study, nine out of 10 potential applicants drop out of the application process at Fortune 500 companies because of a frustrating experience.

Once you can share your needs clearly, you can expect to have the right candidate putting in the applications. Even as you get suitable candidates to apply, you should focus on building the remaining levels of the hiring process with the same level of attention to detail. 

How to avoid

Companies have started to think out of the box to provide a comfortable environment to the candidates in the job application process. For instance, rather than giving a never-ending test to the candidates, companies are opting for a focused test that can judge them on the required skills for the job. Depending on the role's requirements, you can build a process that helps you get the right person for the job in the least amount of time and cost to the organization.

Avoiding a proper test

Hiring software developers based on credentials and formal education is not suggested. As a business looking to hire software developers, it will be a costly mistake if you try to avoid a proper test for the candidates. By providing the opportunity to the candidates to show their coding skills and knowledge in software development, you would likely be able to get the right fit between the candidate and the role. A hiring process should maintain a balance between the duration of the process and the tests involved. 

Companies like Google, Meta, and Apple can afford to have layers within the hiring process that run into several rounds and take a few months to complete. As the FAANG (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google) companies can command more weight in the eyes of the candidates, they are willing to wait a few months to get the job; it is not the same for small and medium-sized companies.

How to avoid

As many opportunities are available for software developers, you can find a situation where candidates drop out of the test stage if it is not weaved efficiently. According to a survey, 70% of applicants drop out because the hiring process asked them to invest more effort than they were willing to. The hiring team should collaborate with the software development team to build a proper test for the job.

Hiring the candidate for the wrong reasons

Each software development candidate can have a different career, job, and growth approach. There is no clear-cut answer to the essential ingredients of a good software developer.

The hiring manager needs to be clear about why they hire a candidate. It can be because of educational background, experience, or skills. In an evolving field, candidates can have a few years of experience but still be good at their job.

Even the big, established tech companies do not require formal education as a must-have for software developers. Some employers prefer self-taught developers for the role as they can see more dedication and motivation in the candidates to learn and apply knowledge.

According to the CodinGame2021 Survey, almost one in three software developers are self-taught using web resources. This should be kept in mind when hiring software engineers.

How to avoid

Some hiring managers hire candidates based on their experience. As previous roles cannot be a good barometer of the skills and expertise a developer can bring to work, it is better to avoid giving it undue importance in the hiring process. Formal education and work experience can help in filtering candidates, the practical knowledge and skills should be given more priority in closing the role.

Not looking at cultural fit.

Hiring managers should never forget when hiring software developers that they are expected to work as part of the team in the organization. The flip side of hiring candidates based on experience and skills is that you tend to avoid the cultural fit in the organization.

It is always important to remember that the candidate is not a code writing machine but an individual expected to work in an ecosystem with colleagues. Therefore, it is essential to understand the candidate's perspective on project selection, teamwork, remote work, and collaboration, apart from the skills and experience needed for the job.

According to a survey, 98% of employers and 97% of employees agree on the importance of cultural fit for the organization. Getting a good developer on your team may not add much value if they cannot work together.

How to avoid

Some questions can be made part of the interview to help you judge an individual's personality. You can include questions like how the candidate handled the situation when they disagreed with their team lead or see how the candidate thinks about collaboration and teamwork.

There must be a delicate balance between the need for a cultural fit and new ideas and skills coming to work.

Limiting your talent pool

With remote and hybrid work becoming the new norm for various companies worldwide, it is not a good idea to limit your talent pool based on the geographical location of the candidates. It is better to be open to hiring candidates with the opportunity to work entirely remotely or in hybrid mode.

One of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been increased acceptance of remote work. As a result, hiring candidates from various locations without any geographical barrier has become possible.

About 86% of software developers from Canada and America work remotely. Only 2% of developers do not want to work in remote mode. Companies can hire hidden talent irrespective of their size. Small, medium and large companies can employ hidden talent as per their needs from any location.

It is also essential to understand the time-zone challenges that come into the picture when you hire talent from various geographical areas.

How to avoid

You must ensure that the role's requirements are clarified in the hiring process. You need not hire candidates from different continents. However, limiting yourself to the city of your workplace is not a good idea. Even if you cannot offer a full-time remote opportunity to your employees, it is better to ask them to relocate close to work for the job.

Conclusion

The hiring process for IT roles is not as straightforward as it may look from the outside. Many software developers in the market are looking for a switch, but if you expect top talent to join your team, you would need to upgrade the hiring process.

Be it the job advertisement you put out, the test you organize, or the contract you sign, each action plays a vital role in forming an opinion about the employer. It is critical to ensure that these are seamless and without redundancies

Always keep your eyes on the goal of hiring the best candidate for the job rather than picking the one with the most polished resume. With a clear focus on the end objective, your team would be able to focus on building a perfect couple.

You can choose to hire with Cogent Infotech at zero cost. As we update our Bootcamp curriculum based on changes in the industry, we can help you get an industry-ready candidate with a quick turnaround time.

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FAQs

What are the common mistakes in hiring software engineers?

Some common mistakes in hiring software engineers are using unconscious bias, not putting together an accurate job description, hiring less qualified candidates, rejecting an overqualified candidate, and waiting for the perfect candidate.

How do you avoid making hiring mistakes when hiring software engineers?

Some actions like compelling job descriptions, improved employer brand reputation, decreased employee turnover rate, and proactive communication can help avoid hiring mistakes in the organisation.

What are the four critical reasons for the ineffective recruitment of software engineers?

The top four reasons for ineffective recruitment are:

• Poor communication.
• Inadequate management of candidates.
• Lack of briefing and debriefing during the interview process.
• No clarity in the process.

What is a bad hire in software engineering?

An individual that misrepresents their qualification, knowledge, or experience during the interview and fails to meet the minimum standards for performance and quality work is a bad hire.

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