Hiring isn’t a job function, it’s strategic. For your company to succeed, you need really talented people: to design your products, solve your business challenges, and develop the tools you rely on. Increasingly, these key roles are filled by in-demand creative technologists – developers, designers, and project leaders. Skill variability can be significant and the media loves to remind us that competition for bright minds is fierce. But, where there’s a will, there’s a way, right? With time and planning, you can craft a strategy that will help you to build a great team.
1. Understand what position or need you’re trying to fill.
What Will They Do?
Too often, we begin the hiring search with only a vague idea of what education, skills and experience are required. It can be tempting to ask for a long list of languages, platforms, technologies and tools, but doing so can greatly limit the number of people ‘qualified’ for your job. So take the time to clearly identify which skills are a must, those that would be helpful, and omit the rest.
How Well Do They Need to Perform?
Map out the level of experience you need as well. Consider whether others in this role have been able to acquire that experience ‘on the job’ or if it’s important to be effective from day one. Keep in mind that hiring early-career technologists means they can mature their skills exactly in the direction that will benefit your company most (and they are generally more affordable too).
Who Will They Work With?
If possible, involve the person who will become your new hire’s supervisor in this ‘scoping’ phase. They can provide insight as to which qualities would be particularly advantageous to add to the team. There is often a ‘microculture’ at the team level – sometimes you’ll need someone who seamlessly fits right in, and other times you need a complementary skill, or even a disruptor.
2. Write a compelling job description to attract the talent you need.
Titles count (and so does copy!)
You’ve probably come across the now famous quip “that if HP were marketing sushi, they’d call it cold, dead fish,” or perhaps the slightly lesser known rebranding of kiwi fruit. Job titles (as a type of headline) matter – you need your potential talent to actually discover and learn about your position. A bland, non-descript “Programmer” or “Designer” won’t get your job the attention it deserves. A word of warning though: using ‘hip’ nouns like rockstar/guru/ninja is a trend that’s most definitely over. This survey found that ‘developer’ is generally preferred over ‘programmer,’ but do try different options to see what resonates most with your target hires.
Describe roles and challenges
Along the same lines, don’t let your description of the job be dry and boring! The talented, creative developers, designers, and technologists you are looking for all have multiple options. Getting them to choose to invest their skills with your company means showcasing the interesting challenges, type of projects, and the capacity for growth and learning you can offer them. If you are not particularly technical, enlist someone who is to help you shape and describe the position effectively. Remember to keep your sentences short and engaging. One last hint: long lists of responsibilities won’t convince anyone that your job is a great fit for them.
Don’t forget the benefits
It’s important to briefly convey why your company is a great place to work. What are the things about it that make you (and others) want to be there? Maybe you offer flexible schedules, great tools, and a flat management structure? Provide enough detail for people to have a sense that they could fit in well with your “tribe” (Seth Godin has an excellent book by this name if you haven’t read it yet).
3. Share your ad in the right places (and with the right people)
Targeted job sites
Although many of your desired prospective hires are likely already well employed, it’s still a good idea to include job boards as part of your strategy. Occasionally, even “passive candidates browse job sites ‘just to see’ and may become interested in your company. If they do find themselves (briefly!) between opportunities, or perhaps a life event such as a move, or return to work following parental leave, opens them to new possibilities – they may apply immediately. Choose the places you advertise your job carefully as it can be expensive and you want the right type of creative/technical professional to see it. Certain niche sites, like Authentic Jobs or Dribbble Jobs tend to attract a very high calibre of talent.
Social media including PPC ads
You’re probably already have a basic strategy for engaging current and prospective clients via social media channels. It’s also a great way to begin building relationships with future hires as well as sharing your immediate hiring needs. If you’re just getting started, remember that Twitter, G+, Facebook are conversational places, so be polite, be helpful, and don’t take yourself too seriously. It’s become difficult to get much organic exposure on Facebook, but paying to promote posts is still quite affordable. You can also market your jobs through specific services like TweetMyJob or TwitJobSearch.
Personal networks and referrals
It’s old-fashioned, but it works. Share your hiring needs with your personal circle of friends and professional connections. Make it a practice to ask new developers and designers who else they know that should work for you. Encourage your current staff to let you know when someone they know (and like!) becomes available. Attend local user groups, Meetups, and relevant conferences such as WWDC, Converge, PyCon, etc. The caliber of the people you hire through ‘relational channels’ is generally very high. Bonus: they probably fit your culture really well too — 46% of employee referrals stay for three years or more.
4. Show off your culture on your site & social channels
One of the best ways to attract and keep top talent is hire people who really ‘fit’ your organization. Most of us tend to instinctively look for people who are similar to us, but corporate culture author, Micah Solomon counsels, “make room for diverse backgrounds, interests, work and learning styles, and [the] need for work/life balance.” Your company is strengthened by adding new people with different skills that complement your existing team. Find creative ways to showcase the skills, qualities, and experience that characterize a successful developer or designer at your company.
5. Create a clear (and preferably not lengthy) application process
It shouldn’t be hard for the developers and designers you’ve worked hard to attract to apply. As Chas Grundy explains, “every click or interaction should take the user closer to their goal while eliminating as much of the non-destination as possible.” So provide easy access to a simple form that captures only the information you really need to start processing their application. Whatever information you decide to collect, make sure you do responsively as the number of job seekers accessing your site on a mobile device is rising rapidly. A survey sent to 728,273 Orange and T-mobile users in the UK found that:
- 72% of respondents are interested in receiving career related information via mobile
- 63% have searched for jobs on their mobile
- 50% have applied via mobile and nearly 100% would like to in the future
In an upcoming article, we’ll discuss how to evaluate the candidates you receive.
