Did you know that hiring the wrong person can cost as much as $240,000 to an organization? At the same time, your business might suffer from lost productivity, damaged reputation, affected workflow, and time wasted on training, all because HR didn’t do the due diligence when hiring.
So, lost recruitment costs are the least of your troubles.
All of this applies to your software development team as well. IT staffing is just as challenging because hiring the wrong person can decrease the entire team’s morale. That is why staffing should be a robust system with technical evaluation of applicants to avoid incompetent hires.
This applies more to software professionals because they are only as good as their practical programming and design skills. No matter how good the résumé, if they can’t show prowess over the tasks assigned, they are automatically the wrong fit.
But that’s just one aspect of software staffing done right.
Here’s a quick look at where businesses go wrong when hiring for software teams.
Vaguely Worded Job Ad
Back in 2014, there were around 1,114,000 Software professional jobs in the US alone, and it was expected to increase by a good 17% by 2024. Exceeding the stats, the number of software-related jobs posted on an average today is much higher. However, the number of adequate job advertisements found on job hunting platforms is less than desirable.
A vague job description reflects an organization’s credibility. Missing information like salary bracket, timings, location, and benefits can put off potential candidates, creating a window for unsuitable people to apply.
A well-written job advertisement can help you target the right audiences and have the right candidates knocking on your door.
For example, if you need to fill a managerial level position, say so in the JD. Doing this would keep unqualified people from applying for the job. Consequently, mentioning the salary bracket will also save you time because anyone who’s already getting paid more will likely stay away.
Only Relying On Inbound Or Local Applications
HR professionals mostly rely on incoming applications and never look for deserving candidates through professional platforms (such as LinkedIn). This often becomes essential when you hunt for a software professional who has the skill set you require.
It is important to expand your search parameters in this day and age. Approaching people “open to opportunity/work” on LinkedIn or even Facebook will enable you to explore many perfect matches who might be more skilled and deserving but might not have applied yet.
It might feel daunting to look for applicants and ask them to apply, but considering how important a software engineer is for your organization, it is worth going the extra mile. Furthermore, it will help you get the best candidate for your company if you can’t find one through inbound applications.
If you want to expand your search horizon further, you can look for dedicated offshore developers who have a wealth of experience and are affordable as well. Outsourcing is a great way to help you find the best candidate for your business.
Excessive Requirements
Finding quality IT staff is difficult. Businesses are often looking for a Jack of all trades, someone who can swoop in and make everything better. In hopes of bagging the best possible candidate for the software team, they build an impossibly long list of what they want in their ideal candidate.
The fact of the matter is that everyone on a software development team has their own place. You can hire a full-stack developer and expect them to also act as the QA lead and project manager. These are all full-time jobs in their regards, and no matter how amazing a CV may be, you can hire one person to do one job online.
Instead, you can ask for proof of expertise in what they do best and then hire them to do that job.
A Chaotic Hiring Process
Is your business guilty of taking too long to call candidates in for interviews?
If vetting through applications takes your HR months in the end, something is wrong with your hiring process.
It’d be a good idea to invest in apps and tools that streamline staffing, minimize workload and automate hiring processes.
Going through each application only wastes time and energy. Using automation to filter out the best applicants can significantly shortlist the best profile that matches the criteria.
With social networking platforms and LinkedIn, hunting for proficient software developers is not a challenge anymore.
Smartly, drafting a job vacancy over LinkedIn or Facebook shows your job post to thousands of matching profiles. Considering the rapid growth of technology in this era, a software professional who doesn’t use the technology won’t be the best fit for any company.
Lack Of Interviews & Technical Screening
Most companies only rely on interviews for recruiting software professionals. But since the role demands hands-on experience of technical skills and a trial/test is a must.
Also, sometimes recruiters tend to hire candidates based on their character, personality, and potential. But when it comes to hiring a software professional, the most important thing to consider is their technical skills; the rest just follows.
Therefore, when hiring a software developer, you need to conduct a proper screening to discuss the candidate’s previous performance, technical knowledge, and achievements to explore the potential based on facts.
Inability To Conduct Background Checks
Many recruiters are easily enchanted by the candidate’s experience with larger organizations. A cool persona, slick demeanor, and sweet-talking abilities can get a person out of many troubles.
But your hiring team should have the ability to see past all that and look into the prospective employee’s past to ensure that everything’s in working order. A background check is never only limited to testing their claims about previous employment but a lot more.
Most recruiters only consider the previous employment and assume that the candidate must be exceptional in every aspect. In contrast, it’s seldom that way.
To avoid inconvenience, a thorough background check is a must. It helps verify the candidate and ensures that all the information, work, or qualification info is accurate.
Also, a criminal background check comes into play in this regard. Knowing that the candidate has never been involved in any illegal activity, fraud, or harassment cases ensures the company’s integrity. Of course, no one prefers to hire such people, but often recruiters end up doing so, and that how things get messed up later.
Similarly, when hiring software developers, it is important to know the niche they worked for and the education they have pursued to analyze their capabilities and risk associated. Software professionals are skilled in hacking into programs and software and damaging the company’s digital assets. At the same time, many software professionals can build an entire competitor once getting into your system in no time. Also, when it comes to monetary assists, software professionals can easily get involved in fraudulent activities. They can hack into your bank accounts, company profiles, websites, and whatnot.
Unfortunately, many companies end up destroyed, as they hire software professionals or computer engineers without any background checks. And the best part is, these professionals can swipe off their tracks from anywhere – both digital and physical. This means you can never track them or get back what was once yours.
Not Checking The Recommendations & References
When hiring for such a sensitive position, where all your information is exposed to the candidate, it is important to ask for recommendations. But, unfortunately, most recruiters never bother to ask for recommendation letters, even when it’s for their own benefit and security.
Recommendations will ensure that the person is coming from the right background and has not lied on the resume. However, completely relying on recommendations is also not essential as the recommendations can’t tell you the proficiency and skillset of the candidate.
Another thing that ensures the credibility and authenticity of the resume and the candidate is references – whether personal or professional.
Rushed Or Delayed Hiring
Many recruiters rush into hiring out of desperation when they are urgently seeking to fill a role. But when dealing with the hiring of a software professional, it’s better to take things slow until everything is checked and evaluated.
However, taking an unreasonable time to evaluate and confirm is also problematic, as the candidate may lose interest in the meantime.
Most staffing professionals make the mistake of rushing or delaying things, but both have their own consequences.
Unclear Evaluation Criteria
When hiring a software professional, the most important thing is evaluating his/her performance thoroughly.
The candidate should be selected based on a variety of criteria that include:
- Personality
- Work Ethics
- Professionalism
- Dedication towards the role
- Communication skills
- Additional skills
- Relevant Qualification
- Additional Professional Courses
- Commutability
- Management skills
- Prior Experience
- Critical thinking ability
- Problem-solving capability
- Technical skills
- The ability to adapt to the team environment
- Background & the provided references
The recruiters often ignore the fact that a person brings a lot to the table once hired. Therefore, evaluating the applicants based on all these factors helps them determine the ideal candidate for the job and the company.
A dedicated and valuable employee goes a long way. However, missing these factors will lead to one problem or another in the long run.
To Conclude
To avoid these mistakes, ensure that you have a proper streamlined process, don’t rush into hiring, thoroughly map out the candidate’s background, and ensure that the candidate is the best fit for your organization.
Now that you know everything, you should cross-check all the credentials, information, and details provided by the candidate.
Evaluate the possible delays and doubts until you are confident about the candidate and that he/she is the best fit for your project and your organization.
Connect with Ryan on Linkedin.
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