Hiring a Developer
From Zanecorpwiki
"We only hire the top 10%" is something you used to hear a lot. It seems to have fallen out of favor. Probably because it's a ludicrous thing to say.
It might not seem so at first--i.e., I'm not saying the people who first thought to say such a thing are ludicrous--but I clearly remember a post on the subject that pointed out that for most companies, this just mean that when they put up a job posting, they got 10 applicants. You might think if we get 10 applicants and hire 1 person, we're clearly hiring the top 10%, right?
Well... first off top 10% of what? The top developers are like the top in anything else. They get most of their jobs someplace other than want ads.[notes 1] Second, each of those 10 resumes is going to 10 other places too, which can all say the same thing, and clearly it cannot be true that every firm is hiring the top 10%.
So how do you hire the "best" developer?
- Offer opportunity... which may be the opportunity to leave once they've outgrown you.
- Consider what the best channel is; really getting the best is all about networking.
- Understand that "best" is an engineered answer, not someone who is strictly superior in every dimension. E.g., you're not going to get the fastest, most accurate, clearest developer at the cheapest price so don't try and maximize everything.
- Understand that creating a any solution, whether it be a product, internal application, or what, takes more than just a developer. Are you able and willing to provide clear goals? Manage time? Do you understand the cost of estimates? If not, and you're trying to get one guy to do product management, interface design, domain modeling, technical analysis, implementation at all levels, quality assurance, documentation, usability, graphics, and a half dozen other tasks and everything has to be done well... then you best be willing to fork over a shit load of money.
Notes
- ↑ Pretty much everyone gets started in the want ads, but by the time someone develops into a top developer, they're getting jobs from their network and referrals more than often than they're trolling Craig's List.
