Hi David, the tech firms that I know are realistically no different to many other employers. They believe they have a story to tell, they are seeking the best available talent, and they are faced with incredible levels of competition in order to attract that talent. but quite often, the actual basics that are crucial to attracting those candidates get lost along the way. at the end of the day, a company can be the latest and the greatest, may have a incredible buzz about it, but alas unless the people strategy is clear and concise (and this includes retention of existing employees) then the buzz will only go so far. those who have a clear and concise plan, a well thought out people strategy, and who importantly execute it well will succeed irrespective of how 'hot' they may be as a company right now. a very creative tech person may not be the best person to run a process to acquire talent however they may well be an integral part of the process. so the most successful companies that i know have a defined plan, some responsible to execute it, and those involved all know their parts and play them accordingly. the process is seamless, utterly professional, is flexible enough to handle any deviations that may occur, and ultimately the targeted talent is left with nothing but a positive 'i want to work there' experience. i know this all sounds basic considering we are talking about tech companies, but the more complex a process gets, the more chance it has of not succeeding. hope this helps, best of luck with your article, cheers

posted 3 months ago

Personally the number one thing I look for in prospective hires is that they take the time to research the company. Nothing is more disappointing than meeting with a candidate who looks good on paper but has not taken the time to research the company.

Key items I look for in an candidate are:

1. General knowledge of the company including products and services.
2. Awareness of at least one of our communication channels e.g. website, social media etc..
3. A clear match between the skills on their resume and their demonstrable knowledge

Other than that I also try to feel out candidates for specific ways they feel they can contribute to the organization IMHO simply wanting a job is not enough. That said I get really excited when a candidate can talk descriptively on how they can contribute to the organization.

As to funny story:

I met with a candidate for a web development position about 6 months ago. The candidate had in retrospect "liberally copied" his skills and backgrounds from another resume. Part way through the interview he started asking me for suggestions on how he could improve his interview techniques for an interview he had later that week. Once he realized what he had said he recovered by saying something like "unless you offer me the position of course". I laughed it off and actually gave him a few pointers but it was definitely a new one for me. :)

posted 3 months ago

David,

Thanks for the invite to answer this one... Feel free to reach out to me if you would like to set aside 30 - 60 min for a more in-depth Q&A dialog.

While your question is short, the reality is the answer is VERY long. I'll touch on some areas for you.

An employer really has to understand a few key elements of their story. In no particular order...

1 - Know yourself. Most employers simply see themselves through rose-colored glasses and the higher up in the organization the rosier that view seems to get. All companies have some great things about them, and all have things that are not so good. Potential employees will know both. Don't be shy, explain why there is turnover, explain why the recent quarter wasn't so good, explain why Gartner (tm) didn't place you in the MQ Leader spot. Explain that you the prospective candidate are being interviewed to affect these things.

2 - Know the market. If you pay 20% below market, don't expect to get the most experienced, highest performing A-Players. You might be able to get FUTURE A-players and give them enough rope to either hang themselves or tie the right knots in the wind. The market includes your competition. Both in your markets and in the talent market.

3 - Be honest in the Talent Acquisition process. Half-truths, misrepresentations and outright lies hurt everyone. Be hones when the position requires 100% coach class travel. Surprises to the downside suck the wind out the honeymoon period. (Dang, another sailing metaphor and I don't sail!)

Along with honestly, possibly THE most important thing for a successful recruitment cycle is to know the job! Let me dig further into this.... If the manager can't explain all of the following items quickly & with full conviction there are significant issues:

Over the next 12 months:
1 How does this singular role support the department goals
2 How does the department goals support the strategic direction of the company
3 What resources are required to complete the stated goals in this desired time
4 What resources are in place, on order, and not be be in place in the desired time
5 What will this person measure their success in the next 3, 6 and 12 months
6 What is the next great thing

Flat-out, if a hiring manager can't explain the job, the group, how they affect the core business of the company, how they will get things done and what is their next great project.. they should NOT be the hiring authority. (They aren't qualified to be in charge of the company's next hire.)

end part 1

posted 3 months ago

It's been a while since I've done technical recruiting and I got out of it by choice, BUT, there are several things in my experience that technical companies do right:

- Lots of perks - normal stuff ++++. The perks beyond the norm (ie, the norm for other companies) include picking up your dry cleaning, providing gourmet lunch rooms, lots of special interest clubs to build comraderie, catered dinners for those working late, free pop (soda), water & snacks, subsidized car pooling / bike riding, etc.
- Decent training programs -- those companies who want to survive technology know they have to keep up. That means keeping their employees trained. Worth $$$ in the bank to employees.
- Good wages.
- Pleasant work environments (physically)
- Interesting work

Where some companies fall down (not all) is:
- Unpleasant work environments (emotionally / hours / some insane managers)
- Concern for deadline over quality
- Concern for dealine over work / life balance

I can actually recall sitting next to another recruiter where I worked who had been told to tell candidates things like (& I'm not exaggerating):
- Don't get married -- you won't have time to put into a relationship
- If you're moving, get rid of your pets -- you won't have time for them and you won't have time to find an apartment or other housing that will take them

Unfortunately, I've conveniently forgotten many of the other negative aspects of working for / within tech companies. I chose to get out of technical recruiting because I found it to be over-saturated and, sadly, many of the recruiters in it were trying to pump #'s over quality. What this meant to candidates was getting blitzed by phone calls from recruiters who had absolutely no idea what they really did. What this meant to recruiters, was consequently a jadedness or outright hostility from candidates. Even today, because I have technical terms appearing on my personal resume, I get calls and e-mails from recruiters who want me to come to work for their employer as a coder or programmer. Oddly enough, I haven't coded since FORTRAN was a big deal. I guess this would be my final thought about what could be improved by technical companies -- hire recruiters who pay attention to what they're doing.

Links:

• http://computer.howstuffworks.com/googleplex3.htm
• http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fortune/0801/gallery.BestCo_unusual_per...
• http://blog.ryanparman.com/2011/04/01/death-to-recruiters/

posted 3 months ago

1) Don't rely on a human resources department to create job descriptions, put out announcements, or vet candidates. The average HR dept. is about wading through volume for keywords and looking for matches to unrealistic job descriptions that do not exist and have no business being out there. Such as the 6 years minimum needed for HTML5 and CSS3, or the 10+ concurrent experience in open-source, Apache, and Microsoft systems and programming, like most companies actually have all three of those systems in play at any one time.
2) Work with a truly tech-placement oriented recruitment agency which has tried-and-true talent they have worked with.
3) Don't be cheap. We all know the triangle: price, quality, and speed. You can not have or retain excellent talent if you are cheap, have low-quality work environment and personnel standards, and try to rush to find warm bodies. Be different. . . look for talent.
4) Actually WANT talent. These days, prospective talent is made to feel like meat, and is treated that way. The fact is that developing tech skills, experience, aptitude, and innovation takes as much effort and intelligence as studying for a bachelors and master's degree in something (even if the learning curve happens in only one or two years), so expecting steady and excellent performance from folks you see as McEmployees to be swapped in and out is the new stupid.
5) Actually plan to provide real products and/or services to a little something called. . . drumroll please. . . CUSTOMERS. The very minute you regard your customers as Consumers, and as only a partial way to a financial payoff, just give-it-up. No one wants to work for you.
6) Invest!! No matter what anyone says or tries to force, talent comes as a human toolbox of skills, experience, and aptitude. Your goal should be to find the ones who are 90%+ there, and be willing.able to invest the rest in the training and orientation to your own organization's needs, without guilt put in the new staffer. I see jobs where the minimum requirement is to have worked in 1 specific type of program/system/methodology for Microsoft or somewhere, as if you can plug Microsoft's expertise right into your job and get sudden fame and perfection. Nope.
7) Did I say to bypass HR for your most valued positions? The common work market standard is to constantly rewrite your resume and cover letter to make HR folks feel personally comfortable that you have catered to their gatekeeper mentality, which has absolutely nothing to do with the talent and experience needed to find, reach, and attract the talent you need. Think about it - do you want your bright, shiny new developer to be a fine bureaucrat, or to be able to excel at the job you are paying for?
8) As for all the rest - be generous in salary, benefits, and extras. Don't be chintzy or nickel-and-dime folks. Have extra available personal time (at least 15-18 total days/year) as a basic part of your package, not just the 10 days max that McEmployees are grudgingly granted. Have a budget for ongoing trainings, seminars, and conferences as talent earns and needs them. For goodness sake, if you bring in someone on a work visa, support them in keeping/extending it, instead of dumping them to cut costs.

Look, it really is simple. Do you yourself want to be treated as one of the best assets your own employer has, or like fresh meat? Do you expect to be well-compensated and supported as an investment, or kicked to the curb like old trash when some new and shiny thing comes along? This is all common sense stuff, which is what attracts the best folks to the environments they love and stay in. People first, everyone matters, no one as cog.

Excellent question!

posted 3 months ago

Do's:
Promise less and give more in terms of perks, incentive and learning opportunities.
Give assurance that work-life balance issues shall be dealt with humane approach.
Reduce the commuting time through administrative arrangements.
Provide food, especially breakfast without asking of payments.
Involve top management and team heads in the selection process.

Don'ts:
Compare candidates with yourself or your employees.
Judge them by their looks, resume or claims.
Offer them lower than existing remuneration, unless justified.
Hide the reason of employee turnover issues and trend in your own organization.

posted 3 months ago

Many employers are trying to dangle carrots in front of potential tech candidates in order to woo them to hard to fill jobs. This is equivalent to what the military did when I previously recruited candidates, offering huge signon bonuses and everything from more vacation to stock options and dependent care cost offsets. All of this works for the short term, however the candidates still have to fall in love with the job and the company. A sign on bonus can be spent and then that employee is stuck in that position for a period of time and if they become unhappy with the position, all of these carrots did no good but to fill a seat for the short term. In order to fill positions with great candidates, both the company and the culture have to be solid. I can do my best to create incentives to join my company,but when it really comes down to it, the company has to have a good reputation. How about offering a competitive compensation and benefits package to retain the right candidate and continuously treating them right as time goes one. I see this as more of a challenge as many companies start offering large sign on bonuses and incentives. To me this would make more sense than some of the tactics companies are trying to come up with to tackle the shortage of qualified talent.

posted 3 months ago

Simply put ...

- Have a culture that is like Google (every techie wants to work for Google),

- Have a clear vision/strategy and market position of future growth,

- Do not discriminate by gender, age, or ethnicity,

- Be environmentally aware ("green"),

- Do not ask dumb "mind-game" questions in interviews - stick to the point.

posted 3 months ago

Hi David,
You posed a good question, and you have already gotten some good, thoughtful replies.
I'd like to suggest some basics and would suggest that a company doesn't have to be a bleeding edge company that has go-card races through the office at lunchtime in order to attract good people:
1. Consistency of purpose: I know of several clients that had very good product ideas conceptually, but the leaders were erratic and prone to promising the world in order to get new business. The result was that developers would regularly get pulled from trying to complete the core product in order to discuss adding some new feature that the leader felt would really help them stand out. A good leader who is great at big ideas and bringing investors on board sometimes can benefit from having someone else to deal with product development and operations.
2. Good communication between hiring managers, recruiters, and candidates.: Unlike the individual who would have you believe that HR is all about unrealistic expectations, I'd argue that the specifics of what recruiters are told to look for, whether they are corporate or 3rd party recruiters always gets approved by a hiring manager before a position is posted. Unfortunately, I have dealt with many hiring managers who after the fact have added, "Oh yeah, we really need this skill too," when explaining why a candidate wasn't a good fit. It is imperative that recruiters really understand the role that is being filled, and the only way they can do that is to have a good conversation with the hiring manager after having reviewed the position description. There's a difference between a generic job description that is used to classify positions for the purpose of determining compensation levels, and what should be posted online when seeking to fill openings.
3. Effective internal communication and accountability: The reason that Dilbert remains a popular cartoon to this day is that it reflects the absurdity of corporate life sometimes. Don't have meetings just to have meetings. Have a clear purpose and let people know what it is before hand. Leave meetings with a clear understanding of what is expected of people - making sure the expectations are reasonable and accepted. ... Then if someone fails to deliver, get to the root of why the task wasn't completed. (Perhaps the leader has been pulling people into meetings so much they can't get their jobs done.)
The bottom line is that good ideas plus good leadership generally results in a company that's appealing to tech employees or anyone else. The challenge is that, while these things seem pretty basic, even good leaders can get off track. Very few companies (go carts or not) are able to become attractive places to work and stay that way over the long haul.
Best of luck with your article. I hope this helps.

posted 3 months ago

Don't expect that anyone will exactly fit the bill! Don't be too prescriptive about experience required. The candidate may or may not have used the particular system/software you employ but that doesn't mean he cannot learn quickly. the candidates you want should be looking to grow so it is unlikely that they have done the exact role before - in fact it is undesirable!
That is why HR should never be involved! They remove good people because their grades weren't the best, because they don't fit the psychometric mould HR prefers. The greatest Management guru of the 80's Tom Peters said "Give me Wierdos, people who are different!"
He got it right in one!

posted 3 months ago

Having worked with high achievers for many years, I can tell you that recruiting and retaining them is much different than the "average joe." My experience has been with highly educated professionals (Master's or PhD level). Most of these performers have a good sense for both sides of the corporate equation; that is, the technical and business side.

High achievers (HA) like:
1. Challenging work – if you’re bringing in the best, don’t give them easy problems to solve. You’re wasting their time.
2. All the tools necessary to be successful – the last thing a HA wants is to be given a monumental task without the proper tools to solve the problem. You must give them full support and, if you do, they’ll move mountains for you.
3. Working with their peers (equivalent education level) – A HA needs to grow and develop too. Keep them around others like themselves so that they can learn from each other, socialize and develop relationships.
4. Some vision of where the company is headed – If you’re not hiring the HA to develop the vision, you’ll frustrate them to the point of quitting if you can’t figure out where you want the company to go. I’ve seen too many companies lose their talent because they had no vision of what they company would be or where it was heading.
5. Freedom to do their work as they see fit – If you want a HA to quit the job, tell them how to do it. The best thinkers don’t need a manager to tell them how to do their job, especially one that has no background for the issue at hand. You hire the best and let them figure out the problems.
6. Access to information (such as a company library) – Big thinkers like to learn from others and need access to databases, journals, symposiums, conferences and many other publications. It’s an expensive thing to provide that has huge gains in return. This also includes travel to conferences and other venues where they can interact with other big thinkers.
What do companies do wrong?

The three biggest issues where companies drive away their talent are both related to the work environment. First, brilliant minds need brain food. They need challenge and the freedom to explore new worlds. They want to be a part of the new world, or at least create part of it. I’ve seen companies hire big talent to create new products but never release the new products as an offering to the public. If a HA can’t see his contribution as a benefit to anyone, then he’ll quit making it.

Another big problem is micromanagers. I’ve experienced this myself. When I was working on my PhD at the University of Texas, I remember having my boss, in the same discussion, ask me what it was that I do and then tell me how I should do my work. Now, my boss had a bachelor’s degree in an unrelated field to the science we were developing. So, I’m quite sure he didn’t know that much about it (never mind the question he asked). Yet, he still felt the need to tell me how to do my job. I’ve heard this many times from my clients.

The last problem with most companies is a lack of vision. Today, companies change leadership way too often. A new vision of where the company is headed is put on like fresh underwear in the morning. Why can’t figure out that changing a vision too often is like not having one at all? I know most of the latest research, like IBM’s Global CEO surveys, indicates that management is having issues seeing the change, much less responding to it effectively. This has major ripple effects among the brightest in the company. If leadership can’t figure out what to do and they won’t let me help them, then I see it as a sinking ship. Find me a life raft. I’m bailing out. Most likely I’ll communicate my concerns to all the other brilliant minds in the company I respect, suggesting that their future is doomed too. This is a natural progression and much of the reason why companies enter that death spiral just before they shut down or are sold off.

posted 3 months ago

Hi David, Thanks for reaching out and asking for my input. I'll give some simple, pointed advice:

1) Sell your company and the opportunity as much or MORE than you expect your candidate to sell themselves. This means that you need to share with a potential new hire your revenues, your anticipated revenue growth, your current market share and how you plan to expand on that market share. Don't forget to sell benefits that you may offer that could differentiate you from your competition. Do you offer flex-time or telecommuting? Do you subsidize health club memberships? These things add up. Also, be clear about career path options, and what is expected in order to progress in the company. In any market, you need to sell your company and its opportunity in order to attract top notch talent.
2) Differentiate yourself culturally. We’ve all heard how great it is to work for Google, Microsoft and other companies that have unique cultures. Long gone are the days when people just wanted a good job at a stable company close to home. People want to know that their employer thrives on innovation, engages their staff at all levels, and regardless of title or position in the company, that you can approach, interact, and share ideas with everyone, from the CEO on down, and right back up the chain.
3) Make the hiring process simple and quick. While it’s impossible to address every applicant individually, those whom are qualified and in the running for a position, should be handled with courtesy and an expedited process. Respond quickly to those candidates whom you intend to interview. When the time to meet them comes, simple one or two interview process is all that is necessary. Have them meet with one or two key people in the first interview, then the ultimate decision maker as the final interview. Be sure that you receive them and treat them in a warm, inviting way for these interviews. Be human in your approach to the interview itself, do not be clinical. Get to know the person behind the qualifications. Yes, they need to be competent in their skills. More importantly, they have to be good PEOPLE. You’re probably going to work with this person someday, get to know them by drawing out who they are, not what they do.
4) Use the 80/20 rule. If a candidate has 80% of the skills the job requires, they are qualified. Hire them! They will learn the 20% and be 100% whole in a shorter period of time than it will take you to find the 100% perfect fit. This does two things. It incentivizes the new employee to be on their toes and learn. (Hey! Look what I get to do in my new job!) It also gives you a much more motivated employee than the guy who has “been there, done that, got the T-shirt to prove it”. In fact, I’d venture to say that you’re more likely to retain a happy “80% guy”, than the “100% guy”. After the honeymoon phase, the “100%” guy loses interest based on lack of challenge.
There are many other things that can and should be done to attract top talent, but these are the ones I find most important and that come immediately to mind.

Bob

posted 3 months ago

What most tech employers don't do:
-Attract talent through thought-leadership and designing a sustainable corporate culture (fountain vs. firehose)
-Hire based on talent & strenghts (Dr. Rendall's Freak Factor) vs. skills or knowledge (which can be taught or developed)
-Create and execute towards a clear vision and purpose (again, fountain vs. firehose)

Additional resources below.

Links:

• http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5917.html
• http://www.daverendall.typepad.com/
• http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/blog/2011/07/23/3-step-social-media-guru/

posted 3 months ago

After reading answers posted, here’s my tips looking from the inside (employer’s) eyes out to the job candidate market:

1) Don’t write a job description by ‘committee.’ Determine minimum & OJT skills for training within X days; have a realistic plan in place for training with supervisor onus; Get the needs directly from supervisor and peers working with new hire – not a program director, EVP, or CEO with aspirations of growing a company skill pool (never using skills while paying for them).

2) A new generation of workers seeks work-life balance; offer ‘pay for performance’ versus the hourly/salary wages. This requires deadline-driven project completion, but you really don’t care if they work days, nights, or weekends, as long as project completed (think sub-contractor on payroll); think tele-commute on steroids (think per square-foot reduction of overhead office expenses where there is no need for a tech worker’s desk & chair). Determine if corporate culture will affect the telecommuter employee; effective communications piece or if they are fine in their own little world of coding, programming, designing, and producing from home of off-site?

3) In addition to fully-loaded health, life, vision, EAP, fully-vested 401(k) plans and company matches, and dental benefits, offer a cafeteria plan of employee-paid or company partial-contribution benefits: disability, identify theft protection, pet insurance, pre-paid legal, free/discounted computer/tech purchases, financial/retirement planning, and concierge services (keeping staff onsite vs. leaving for personal errands). Sign-on bonuses are good but legally must be tied to deadline-driven tasks and achievements.

4) Sponsor challenging contests – e.g., smart phone apps (company owns the submissions, but revenue from future sales, the employee gets a small honorarium fee or percentages as long as with company [retention incentive]); website improvements; client software, hardware updates with ‘value-added’ above contract requirements (employee time/brain + company equipment/payroll = happy client and more contracts) = percentage of / bonus recognition.

5) Research and development lab (or online access to) for software, hardware, hands-on experimenting, and training by employees for business OR personal projects, including access to educational software, online training, lectures, in-house/external trainers to add to employee’s KSAs).

6) Brand company as an ‘employer of choice;’ research others highlighted in media stories; what can be imitated? Use social media for employees and past alumni who love the company (internal marketing for external public relations). What community involvement activities (donations of labor, money, equipment, etc., to non-profit organizations) does the company pursue?

7) Be willing to hire ‘out of the box’ –hackers, closet gamers, the ‘rough’ looking, scary dude – because if they are telecommuting – customers may never see them, so who cares what they look like?

8) Ensure an employee ‘wiki’ is in place as well as an employee portal that is loaded with FAQ’s, and links to internal and external information, and the company ‘maven’ (the old crow in the back corner office who’s been with the company forever) - the designated ‘mentor’ for all company related data.

9) Don’t rely only on full-time, regular hires – look outside the company for job-unique specialists. Create an intense intern program for home grown employees; work with local universities and college workforce development programs. Don’t forget savvy tech global workers - use a US-based worker to stitch together pieces of the project.

(see # 10 in clarification)

Links:

• http://dboyerconsulting.com

posted 3 months ago

Flexibility in work locale scenarios would be the top one, I don't have a lot of time to write ten paragraphs here like everyone else, as I am on a very tight i3D production schedule for a major release, but we can set up a phone interview if you like as I can talk and model 3D at the same time... ;) Cheers!

Links:

• http://www.Krillionaire.com
• http://www.ePublishi.com
• http://www.The-Pod-Squad.com

posted 3 months ago

I've reviewed the answers and many of them are quite good (especially Greg's.) I'll try not to repeat, but I may. I'll also try to get down into some of the nuts and bolts of attracting candidates, coming from 1) a former recruiter 2) someone who's familiar with Talent Acquisition tech and 3) a nerd!

1) It helps your organization if you have some sort of technical presence in your talent acquisition process. In other words, will a techie judge your organization if you don't have a Careers website? Yes, they will. Will they judge you if you only supply an email address that says "Apply here." Yes, they will. Sure, having a full applicant tracking system may not be realistic for some organizations, but I can tell you from hearing friends talk, yes, they judge.

2) If your organization has dual career paths, one for management and the other for individual contributors, tout that. Or, if your organization doesn't have that, maybe you look into creating one. Many techies I know aren't keen into joining management, yet still want to grow into a career path. Showing the ability to develop a techie's career regardless if she or he wants to be a manager goes a long way toward attracting techies.

3) Please make sure your recruiters are tech savvy themselves. Techie suffer no fools, so if your recruiters don't know the difference between java and javascript, for example, the candidate will have a low opinion of your organization. The recruiters don't have to know how to code, but they better have more than a passing familiarity with the lingo and the different roles in an IT organization.

4) Techies, being who they are, tend to be more plugged in. Talent organizations should be equally plugged in. This goes beyond having a social media presence for posting jobs; this goes into providing more interaction, answering questions, etc. (Granted, this activity is pretty labor intensive.) Relatedly, talent organizations should review their glassdoor.com profiles regularly to see what candidates are saying about their selection processes. I know far too many recruiting managers who've never once visited glassdoor.

5) I'll reiterate what quite a few have said about job descriptions. Though you may be under specific organizational restrictions (e.g., you may have standard job descriptions that can't be changed much), please try to make sure your JDs are tight and focused. Hiring managers have a tendency to write JDs to the most ideal candidate, asking for the world, when in reality, the job may not actually require that skill set. It's incumbent on the talent consultant to reign in hiring manager expectations and partner with them on what jobs are actually needed to succeed for that specific role. To that point, here's an oldie but a goodie that's been passed around by several of my techie friends:

http://blog.jitbit.com/2011/05/what-if-drivers-were-hired-like.html

I hope that helps. Good luck with your article.

posted 3 months ago

David, this is a complex question. There is no one thing any employer can do, regardless of intentions. Employers are attractive to quality candidates because of the way the company behaves/performs over time. Companies get a 'brand' for candidates just as they do for products. When employees feel valued, they promote the brand. The why/how a company can demonstrate they value employees is a book in itself. But there is no magic bullet a company can pull out at hiring time. Making a list of things a company can do to hire seems a bit counter productive. I am sorry, but putting a band aid on a sliced artery isn't going to do anyone any good. Rethinking and revamping how they treat employees is the way to go. TIP: If employees are not referring their friends, there is a whole lot wrong internally.

Links:

• http://www.jobsearch4execs.com

posted 3 months ago

SIMPLE: Ask the star you want to recruit what he or she requires in order to jump on board. :-)

posted 3 months ago

Try.

I once had the opportunity to drastically overhaul a process bottleneck, and the prospect was so potentially daunting that conventional wisdom suggest it would be impossible.

Happily, a former colleague was at that time extremely receptive to an offer I was empowered to extend to him. We augmented the team with a most excellent candidate recommended by a mutual acquaintance and friend.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We attempt to consume our elephants one bite at a time. A wise professor advised our class that one introduces the camel into the tent nose-first.

The job was by no means simple or easy, but the prospect of being able to make a substantive and sustainable difference sometimes is a beginning upon which one might be able to build a reliable foundation.

From our core of leadership, we ultimately were able to innovate and progress our processes and projects. Our team successfully introduced some innovations and many improvements.

It all began for us by simply asking.

posted 3 months ago

Rule #1: Tell Your Story
You need to show why good tech talent would want to work there, what is your compelling story. This is something I think we could all get better at, demonstrating why people should want to join you. And it's not just for the free massages and M&M's, although that is nice. Great Tech Talent wants to see the challenges, they want to see how they can make a difference. So to stand out from the competition, show them how they can make an impact rather than just another number in the ranks.
We as humans all want to see how we can make a difference, how what we do on a daily basis can make someone's life a little better.

Links:

• http://resources.dice.com/report/finding-passive-candidates-attracting-tech...
• http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903635604576474462658840194.h...

Sara F. also suggests this expert on this topic:

• John V.

posted 3 months ago

Sarah from Expedia nailed it. I've led very large recruitment teams for tech companies like Amazon and Expedia, and have consulted with companies like Groupon, Google, Salesforce, and all kinds of tech startups.

The best way to be more attractive is to share compelling stories that reinforce how technologists will come to your company to...

- Build stuff that matters (impact)
- Learn (keep their skills sharp, work with smart people they can learn from)
- Work on challenging projects (discuss scale, complexity, tech and user challenges)

I've found in my 20 years in recruiting that the best technologists don't define themselves by programming languages (i.e. Java engineer). Instead, they are phenomenal problem solvers, who will use the right tool for the job. Show they how they can solve really complex, interesting problems, make an impact, learn a ton...and you've got one powerful attraction strategy.

Companies that get it wrong focus on free pop, benefits, exposure to new tech (without connecting it to real problems to solve), and generic culture stuff (i.e. team oriented culture, fast paced).

posted 3 months ago

So many great answers. As a former recruiter, who has worked at startup and big tech, and as a founder of a company with the goal of being the simplest Applicant Tracking System on the planet (getsortbox.com) here's my quick input.

A few years ago people all wanted to work for Google. Now they want to be Mark Z.

If you can offer real entrepreneurship training, and even incubator like environments, that is a something that really hooks some of the best techies. Letting a employee know that you understand they might leave in 2 years. or 1. but you need them now. and for that you will help them with their own dreams. powerful stuff..

The best UX guy I currently have I recruited by stating from the beginning that I will help him with what he wants to do. (even if it means leaving my company). I will network for him if he outgrows us to get him a better job, or help him set up his own shop.

posted 3 months ago

Hi David,

I don't think that tech employers are really all that different than other employers.

Time and time again, I see employers take a cookie cutter approach to how they retain and incentivize employees who are at the same time becoming more and more individualized and unique.

Something like a bonus, may not matter at all (or may even be insulting) to someone that wants more time with their family.

Challenging work may be the ultimate driver for others and no other incentive can replace that, especially to someone that is trying to grow and develop skills.

And for those motivated by money, you are very unlikely to get them excited by providing something else.

This translates to recognition too… How many times have we seen people called up in front of the entire company (or department) and they are obviously uncomfortable? How does making someone uncomfortable translate to a reward? I have seen individuals like the one described be much more appreciative of a simple hand written card sent to their home, where they can share it with their family.

In my own career, I was in a situation where I had given notice and the person I reported to continually brought up how I would have gotten a bonus if I had stayed just a little longer… What did I really want? I wanted her to follow through on her commitment to let me work from home on Friday afternoons so I could spend more time with my family. Throughout my time there, this was something that they simply did not understand, that time with my family was far more valued by me than money…

So I think companies really need to have a variety of incentives within the framework that is available and legal and allow managers to provide the appropriate incentive (with guidance if necessary) so people get what resonates with them!

I hope this helps!

Mike

posted 3 months ago

David, I'm a job search coach with 20 years of executive sales experience:

1) Don't have a set amount that's paid even for multiple employees doing the same job. Pay for performance. You might have a candidate that's ten years out of school that can bring a vast amount of value add that should be paid more than entry level.

2) Differentiate yourself as a company who does not make employees "fit the mold." Leverage their strengths, work on their weaknesses and LISTEN to their input.

3) Be fair. Promote from within when it's deserved. Hire from the outside when a person is more qualified.

I think that it's pretty obvious why these things work.

Links:

• http://www.annwagnerlive.com

posted 3 months ago

HI David

I just posted an article about how to improve your hiring in 2012 and although it was written for the hospitality industry all the points covered would apply just as much to a tech company..

http://news.bentleyprice.com/news.php?include=143418

Sally Falkow

posted 3 months ago

Be "disability friendly." Many disabled people have degrees and are extermely willing to work. Let it be known that you will give everyone a fair shot at the job. It truly is worth the investment of a big monitor or special keyboard to get that dedicated employee!

posted 3 months ago

DELIVER WHAT YOU EXPECT. As simple as that:

- If you expect your candidate to be honest about his career, be honest about his chances of going up in the firm.

- If you expect your candidate to work for less, offer less to all your employees as well

- If you expect your candidate to be on time for an interview, do not make him wait

- If you make dumb questions, swallow dumb answers

You will be able to deliver all that as long as you KEEP HR AWAY.

posted 3 months ago

Good day David,

The 'long-story-short' response is: stop holding out for the 'ideal' candidate.

In other words, it seems to me that there are three broad-categories that any given (job) applicant falls into: 1) Must-have; 2) Great-to-have; 3) Would-like-to-have; regarding their respective skill-sets / background / experience, etc.

Towards that end; a good example of this is the (U.S.) talent pool of capable / qualified professionals who got hit by the Sub-Prime Financial Crisis (and the resulting fall-out) who are now seemingly being punished for being out of a job for 'too long.' That said, it's highly unlikely (an obvious point but worth noting) that any given one of said individuals woke-up one day and said, "today would be a good day to get hit by a major macro-event whereas my career takes a significant turn for the worst, etc."

This combined with the shift towards outsourcing (and other factors too numerous to list herein) has put too many talented people into a construct whereas they're ready, willing and able to begin a position tomorrow (literally in many instances). Yet, many job listings stay 'open' because of the three broad categories listed above (in particular the first one... maybe the first two ... whereas there's no deviation on the part of the firm seeking talent for any given role).

What ever happened to intangibles such as: passion; drive; sacrifice... and/or just taking a chance outright, etc.? Yes, a bad hire does have a negative impact (and diminishing that point isn't what I am driving at). However, the beauty of Silicon Valley's ethos (e.g., people building firms - pre the dot-bomb era vs. trying to take them public) was the non-conventional approach - usually this meant a person who was / could have been often times categorized as somewhat of a misfit - being given a chance via being placed into a dynamic where they were mentored and developed into an invaluable contributor to their role / organization, etc.

Granted, it sounds ideal but that's what made the Valley (and, by extension, High Tech such an incredible industry to work in) an orientation towards changing the world whereas this approach resulted in the commercialization of products that largely did (see Apple; IBM; Netscape; Sun and a host of others as but a few examples of this 'ideal' being put into 'reality.'

Regards,

John S. Rajeski

Links:

• http://www.rajeski.com/

posted 3 months ago