Gone are the days when tech companies used to send out job posts and watch their email inbox fill up with applications in minutes. Today, the biggest problem with hiring software developers is the fierce competition.
High demand for developers has resulted in higher demands from applicants in selecting employers.
The biggest cities are the worst when it comes to recruitment. One may think that a larger market will provide abundant developers, but in reality, hiring a decent software developer in Bengaluru or London is almost impossible.
Moreover, if you are hiring for a remote position, then you are virtually competing with the whole world to secure your perfect candidate.
All is not lost, though. While your quest to hire software developers might be taking a bit longer, the task is not impossible.
You just have to turn to some unconventional ways to tap the right talent for your business.
Search for developers on GitHub
Recruiting software developers from Github can be one of the ways you can assess their skills before having direct contact with them.
On Github, recruiters are mostly checking the applicant’s code. Whereas you can use it to check other things like a developer’s personal projects, interests, and contributions to the software community.
A proactive developer would also engage in discussions on the platform, indicating good collaboration skills.
Work with a vetting agency or talent network
Vetting agencies and talent networks are known for their impeccable screening ethics. Working with a partner to hire software developers is the best way to broaden your reach.
This is because they may have access to a wider pool of talent, even the ones who might not be actively seeking a job.
A vetting agency also helps to streamline the hiring process as the candidates are pre-screened and evaluated, which saves you time and effort.
Organize developer meetups
Hosting developer meetups is an active approach to recruitment that can effectively boost your visibility as an employer. This can also make you more attractive to work with.
As meetups often revolve around specific technologies, you get the opportunity to connect with developers who are actually enthusiastic about a framework or a language.
Either you can pinpoint active participants and email them later expressing your interest or subtly announce during the meetup that you are hiring. The interested candidates will be filtered out when they contact you.
Seek referrals from your network
This is one way to get a new developer on board even before announcing it to the entire organization. Ask around in your network if they may know anyone who fits the role.
You’ll be surprised by how seriously your employees would take this task. Doing this will also let your employees feel that their opinion is valued. At the same time, your recruitment process will be truncated.
Look for talent on Quora
Even though Quora is a Q&A platform, some spaces can be conducive for you to spot top developers before your competition does.
Why so? It is a platform where developers have discussions, ranging from writing software to resolving issues in code. This will allow you to identify top contributors and contact them. Ultimately, everybody wants a developer who is eager to help their teammates.
Explore Reddit
Reddit is not a recruitment platform; however, you can still leverage it to find some excellent hidden talent.
Even though you won’t be able to see the real names of the developers you might like, you can always create an account and contact them. You can also post your offer or browse through job seekers on subreddits.
Here are some subreddits you can try:
- r/jobbit
- r/techjobs
- r/INAT
- r/hireaprogrammer
Recruit early
We live in a society where an experienced individual is valued more than the beauty of a fresh mind.
Young talent is essential for the future, but many companies still deny them a chance due to their unvalidated skills. Don’t count them out, especially for junior roles.
If there are no urgent project deadlines that require senior developers, hiring and training junior developers is a beneficial strategy for the long-term success of your company. Scout your local campus for computer science graduates seeking working opportunities.
Organize a boot camp
Run a coding boot camp. Yes, this is a complicated method to hire software developers and requires many resources. But you will have access to trained professionals who possess the required technical expertise.
You teach them the skills you desire, and you hire them right off the bat. This would significantly reduce training time during the recruitment process.
79% of boot camp graduates find jobs within months where they specifically use the skills they learned at the camp.
Use social media
Your company might already have different social media profiles. You might be using them primarily for marketing purposes. But according to a study, over 90% of employers in 2021 used social networks to find the right talent.
Ask yourself what sites software developers can use to showcase their professional skills. Your safest bet is LinkedIn. But we need to go beyond that. Leverage other mainstream social media such as Facebook or Twitter as well.
Host a hackathon
Hackathons are usually not organized with the goal of luring the perfect candidate for your company.
Hackathons are specifically designed to help developers network, think out of the box, and solve problems in teams.
Nonetheless, there’s no stopping you from making a note of developers who show their A game. You can reach out to them after the event.
Wrapping up
Posting job ads and waiting for the candidates to come to you is not enough. Modern hiring processes are continuously evolving.
Candidates are the ones who seem to dictate the hiring process now. They want you to find them. Getting creative in ways to approach talent will intrigue applicants and can also motivate them to apply.