Joshua Tyler in one who has spent more than a decade is building teams in high-growth startups in Silicon Valley. In his book “Building Great Software Engineering Teams” lays down the blueprint of how to build a great mobile app development team. He states that building a team is a multidimensional challenge. Why challenge? Because these teams have to be absolute best and deliver products with each sprint that works flawlessly. They bear the responsibility of bringing the dream to reality.
The ever-growing software industry demands more and more talent every year. The maximized returns on investment of this industry have attracted elite investors from all around the world. The higher stakes demand the best technical minds. Thus, the need to carefully design the process of recruitment that gets you one of the best in the industry.
The first step is to design the Job description by keeping in mind the uniqueness of the product. The job description should be articulated in a way where it defines the most important outcomes of the role. If you are targeting the most eligible then the written illustration for the job should be enticing. It would be enough to catch the attention of the desired candidate. A great job description along with a persuasive recruiter wins half the battle.
The recruiter is the first contact to the organization and so utmost care should be taken while making this first contact. The purpose of this contact is to tell the story of the company to the prospective candidate. Such as, he or she knows that the role has a great potential for their next career move.
The Interview
Once the recruiter gets the candidate committed in the first step, then comes the great interview process. Based on the resume, professional experience, and the discussion a decision has to be made that will have consequences for both parties. The discussion should be done in a way that when it’s done you can come out of the room with a decisive answer. Certainly, at times reassurance is required and that’s when you re-evaluate in the further rounds. The interviewer should be aware that the interview is a discussion to understand the potential of the candidate and not a battle of superiority.
While most software development interviews may start with brainteasers, Laszlo Bock, the former Vice President of People Operations at Google, in an interview mentions that brain teasers are a waste of time and don’t give results. Instead, he believes that well structured behavioral interview processes give better results. However, different organizations have different requirements and one size doesn’t fit all so the interview process should be structured in a way so that it gives the best result for your requirement.
The evaluation
A software developer’s life is about solving problems, solving the bugs that may bring down the business to its knees. So, important traits such as whether he or she can be a problem solver. Whether he is ready to get his hands dirty when required, proactively look for a solution to problems, nail the estimates, and above all whether he will be committed to the team. The evaluations mentioned should be aligned with the role of the candidate.
Another important aspect is how well the candidate fits your culture. Organizational culture is the force that holds all the employees together. Any misfit here may topple down everything like the dominoes effect. It is very important that he adapts to the core values and collective behaviors quickly.
First impressions, introductions, evaluations are complete and you decide to offer the candidate. The Offer should be decided to keep in mind the current market for that particular technology as well as the candidate. Some candidates come at a higher price but the value that they add to the team is priceless.
Offered and closed cheers!
The candidate accepts your offer and your position is closed, hooray!! The period between the offer and joining is the most pivotal. A lot can happen here such as the candidate may change his mind, there might be a change in the external circumstances, he might receive another offer and lo and behold your position opens up again. The essence here is to keep the prospective employee engaged. Check up on him, send birthday wishes (if), share news about the team or company and slowly and steadily keep involving him in the big picture. Building great relationships here will take you a long way in your journey of success.