Written by:
Iain Brook
6 mistakes you should avoid when hiring software engineers
The software engineer hiring process can be complex and considerably lengthy. But it doesn’t have to be. Discover six key mistakes all companies hiring software engineers must avoid.
Behind any leading tech company is a team of highly skilled software developers. However, trying to hire the right one can be quite a faff.
Sadly, the average time to hire software engineers can be time-consuming and costly. In the UK, it can take up to four months on average to find the ideal candidate and costs around £14K.
The good news is that there are several ways to drastically reduce these unwanted figures. Read on to uncover the biggest mistakes companies hiring software engineers should avoid.
How to hire software engineers: 6 mistakes to avoid
1. Hiring an inexperienced developer
Hiring a candidate with minimal experience might be the slightly quicker & cheaper option, but is it the most beneficial option?
It is a common practice in many industries to minimise costs as much as possible. But to ensure greatness and long-term success, you want to find the employee with the most relevant experience for your business. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t hire inexperienced people – because we absolutely recommend you hire a mix of experience levels. However, you should never substitute experience for a quicker hire.
If you are going through the lengthy software engineer hiring process, you want an outcome that leads to a smooth working relationship, making sure jobs are done with little to no issues.
After all, if the average investment to hire a software developer takes a matter of months, you don’t want to repeat the process a few weeks later if they’re not cutting the mustard.
2. An inability to handle or give feedback
Hiring a developer that can handle feedback creates the perfect environment for maximum development within the company.
Building and maintaining effective communication will benefit you and your new software engineer.
This point comes down to not overlooking general employability skills, as someone should be able to give and receive feedback without it being taken as personal criticism.
The rise of technology software makes it increasingly important to be able to communicate and receive feedback as the industry is ever-changing. A good way of testing the candidate is to ask a series of competency-based interview questions.
3. Only hiring local software engineers
Finding the perfect employee isn’t always as easy as you may think. Failing to interview multiple candidates could be the reason you are struggling to find the perfect software engineer.
Although a local candidate might seem the most obvious choice, there are other skilled, excellent professionals outside your catchment area who can offer fresh, undiscovered talent.
Expand your radius and embrace the new way of working. Companies hiring remote software developers and engineers are much more likely to find the ideal candidate efficiently.
4. Failing to create a clear hiring structure
Having a pre-defined, documented software engineer hiring process will reduce the stress, time and potentially the cost of finding the perfect employee for you and your business.
If you want to find the crème de la crème of the tech world, you must have an exemplary recruitment process yourself.
A well-thought-out hiring structure will set high expectations for the business, and you are setting yourself and your future employee up for a job in a professional, well-established tech company.
5. Not doing your homework
It is essential that as the employer you dedicate some time to thoroughly research and verify your potential employee’s credentials.
Being able to build, design, develop and maintain code through software engineering is a highly skilled practice that needs the right experience and education.
Moore’s Law asserts that the growth and speed of technology are exponential. So, software engineering will become even more crucial in delivering tech improvements in the next few years.
Therefore, you must put time into verifying your candidates’ credentials, as poor software engineering will hinder the growth and development of your business if not picked correctly.
6. No follow-up for unsuccessful candidates
As a hiring manager, you’re ultimately after one employee that fits your business like a glove. But during the process, you will have unsuccessful candidates who also need to be treated with respect.
Over 40% of candidates who don’t hear back from an employer say they will never apply to the company again.
This indicates the importance of keeping candidates updated with their applications, as your company’s reputation is on the line, and you might miss out on this software engineer in the future with new job openings.
Need a hand fine-tuning your software engineer hiring process?
At Revoco, we help our clients attract and hire the best tech talent, suited specifically for them.
Over the last few years, we have developed several bespoke tools designed to enhance the hiring managers’ and candidates’ experience. We offer three main recruitment services which could help you fine-tune your hiring process:
Whatever stage you are at, one of our three distinctive service lines will be right for you.
For more information, get in touch with us today.
