As the world further slips into digital transformation, the demand for developers is growing steadily. Organisations big and small rely on software developers to keep their businesses up and to run more than ever.
Admittedly, this development leads to the unforeseen demand for developers that would only grow, thanks to the pandemic-infused change in the working styles, leading to a spurt in digitisation.
Adding to this ever-existing chase for developers is the remote work trend. As remote work eliminates the geographical barriers and brings global opportunities to candidates, the recruiters’ task of finding reliable talent becomes even more challenging.
If you are a recruiter or a business owner trying to find the cream of the crop developers, we can understand how painful the process might be for you.
Here, we bring six techniques to help you hire developers the right way and right away. Plus, we discuss the best approaches and leave you with the key takeaways to make your developer hunt tasks less burdening.
Six Ways to Hire Developers the Right way
Now, let’s get started.
Technique #1: Start with source code repositories
As cliché as it sounds, you would want to start with source code repositories. After all, they are the gold mines of developers.
While GitHub and Stack Overflow are popular names in this category, as a recruiter, you must explore all possible source code repositories to find that match made for the open position.
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Explore Bitbucket, SourceForge, ProjectLocker, GitLab, CloudForge, LaunchPad and such developer collaboration platforms without amiss.
Key Takeaway:
Stick to the best networking practices of the corresponding platforms, so you won’t end up being marked as spam.
Technique #2: Find your best fit through Hackathons
What else could be the best way to sieve elite developers than organise a hackathon? Plan, design, and organise hackathons to bring developers that fit your incoming project requirements with ease.
Surprisingly, hackathons help you to target two birds at a go. First, you can get lots of resumes to enrich your talent pool. Then, you can find the developer(s) that precisely fit your requirements.
This means you are vetting them indirectly at no or minimal cost. Organising hackathons is also a tried and tested technique in talent resource management.
Key Takeaway:
Design a hackathon captivatingly and promote it on the proper channels to attract suitable candidates.
Technique #3: Sieve Web 2.0
Social media and content sharing platforms have changed finding candidates way long ago. Today, recruiters have the fullest scope to connect with potential candidates on professional networking platforms dedicated to job networking.
Other platforms in Web2.0 that take you closer to developers are Quora, Reddit, personal websites and blogs of developers, specific keyword searches on search engines, book review sites, etc.
If you are creative and tactful enough, your competitor websites and social media are also treasure troves to find developers and their connections.
Key Takeaway:
Unleash your creative side and explore all possible platforms where developers leave their impressions behind.
Technique #4: Make the maximum use of tech meetups, conferences and events
If there is one way to bring together many brilliant tech minds under one roof, it is through a technical conference.
Be it virtual or in person, events, meetups and conferences always attract the attention of developers. They see them as an invitation to network and find better opportunities. Hence, the creamy talent would land here without an ounce of doubt.
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Additionally, in this digital hybrid working environment, tech meetups connect with global talent at no cost and in less time than expected.
Key Takeaway #4
Organise quarterly, half-yearly or annual events and meetups so that your candidate database is always fresh and full.
Technique #5: Don’t overlook Slack
Slack first originated as a communication channel for techies. However, it took no time to evolve into the developers messaging and collaboration tool.
Studies find that as of pre-pandemic statistics, Slack has more than 12 million developers. So no doubt the platform grew in the recent past, making it a go-to channel to find your potential candidate.
To explore private groups on Slack, you might need an invitation from an already existing member. Take the help of existing developers in your company to join value-adding groups on Slack and begin your mission.
It is important to remember to refrain from approaching the candidate directly on Slack as it may violate the platform’s regulations.
Instead, use Slack as a medium to network and observe how developers collaborate, think and discuss. Undoubtedly, the developer details such as email address, title and current company might be valuable data points for you.
Key Takeaway:
To hire a developer, try to get into their shoes. And that’s what you must do on Slack. No direct pitching. Never.
Also read: Why is Project-Based Learning Key to Driving Placement Rates?
All techniques mentioned above will aid in finding the right tech candidate at the right time. Leverage them in addition to the tried and tested methods such as job portals, job networking platform connections, capturing candidates’ attention with striking job postings, leveraging employee referrals, optimising recruitment process, checking with personal connections and previous employees, etc.
Let’s Not Forget This!
One of the brilliant ways to find developers would be to tie up with professional software training institutes. It saves time, effort and investment that you might otherwise incur in training, sourcing and vetting candidates. By doing so, you also get access to a broader talent pool in a single shot, and your recruiting team will stay thankful forever!
At CodeQuotient, we are committed to training students in emerging software technologies and making them industry-ready. Our fee structure is, well, absolutely FREE and is so designed to allow a more comprehensive student community to skill up. We believe plug and play talent to the market to cater to the needs of businesses.
Connect with us at info@codequotient.com to know how we can solve your developer talent crunch. For more information contact us today.
