The last couple of years have proven to everyone that everything about jobs and hiring changed drastically, which is majorly seen in tech and IT. It’s a fact that every profession is important, but undoubtedly, developers are the ones that make remote work genuinely necessary, if not downright irreplaceable.
First and foremost, we have all seen how accessibility and work do not have to be bound to a specific location or spot, and of course, this is especially true for developers. With so many places to find software talent, it becomes easier to follow the new hiring novelties and it’s also fast and in some ways more convenient likewise. Companies can now become a part of a large pool of job seekers available to everyone and tap that same pool to make their future engagements.
Many successful fast-growth companies have also contributed to a more intense demand for developers globally. Hence, a hiring change was inevitable anyways. It is nothing new that working remotely has become almost a norm in general, and other trends and changes have followed.
In the sections below, you can read about the most notable changes, paradigms and trends for hiring developers in recent years.
The emerging trends for hiring devs
Remoteness
It’s evident that remoteness and working from home are essential for a prospering business and happy members, and there is little doubt that experienced business managers would think otherwise. Everyone proved in the last few years that the job quality does not depend on where you work from (if you are into the “digital sphere” of jobs and you just need internet access and a computer).
Nothing can replace the utmost comfort of a home office or replace the multiple benefits of remote work. The business owner, and the dev/member, both will be satisfied in the long run. So, lately, it is common to see that almost every job ad offers remote work, which has perhaps become a standardized thing to see in job ads overall.
As long as there are conferencing tools that are used regularly, and a stable internet connection, remoteness is not an obstacle to good, high quality work.
Digitalization for every step of the recruitment and hiring
Working with a vast talent pool of countless job titles and expert devs, you’ll notice how the digitalization of the entire process is the best possible option when you want to hire (remote) devs. What would happen if managers insisted everything to remain on-site, from recruiting to interviewing and working altogether? Virtually impossible, right?
No need to miss out on amazing devs – focus on digitizing the recruitment and hiring process and making it not dependent on the geographic location of the tech experts.
Even the selection of resumes and candidates goes faster and better through the help of various AI software created for managing algorithms and processing information in bulk.
Various options for employment types and agreements
Things in the past were relatively rigid and standardized, similar to the nine to five office job, with some exceptions.
But, in recent years, we see more and more job categories listed with different arrangements. For example, part-time, fulltime, project-based, flexible hours, and so on. Based on the developer’s skill and expertise, and your requirements for the engagement, you can quickly determine what type of work agreement you’ll offer in the job ad for the devs.
Employer branding matters as well
Remember that employer branding plays a huge role in whether or not a developer would want to apply in that company. So, it is not always the devs who are under the spotlight for interviewing and evaluation, but often it’s also important how the company will present itself to the public
Companies with excellent company culture and established, successful, and proven branding have better chances of engaging the best developers within their respective budget. It is crucial that a potential team member feels that it culturally and professionally belongs in that company. Of course, a happy member is more productive, and employer branding plays a huge role in this.
Referral programs
When in doubt, ask for a referral recommendation. If everything becomes too overwhelming when dealing with a vast pool of job seekers, there is also a quick and very efficient way of using referral programs.
You can easily get referrals from contacts within your network or someone that closely follows your employer branding, belongs to the same industry, or already works in the same company. These recommendations are almost always valuable and valid, and they provide a significant reduction in the hiring time, thus making engaging devs easier and simpler. Anecdotally speaking, members who refer new candidates are somewhat likely to be retained for longer and be trusted that they recommend the best for the company too. This brings the referral person not just responsibility but importance and appreciation within the company as well.
The importance of soft skills
When you engage a dev or any other professional, you basically ‘hire’ the soft skills and personality traits too, not just the technical expertise. Any new team member you add should reflect and fit well with your company culture and other team members.
When hiring developers, we can see how recruiters focus a lot on soft skills and technical skills, or equally on both aspects. When focusing on soft skills during the hiring, emphasis is placed on communicativeness and a problem-solving mindset. For example, a proactive and curious personality that goes beyond just resolving a delegated task would be an ideal team addition.
Are any specific roles in demand or prerequisites preferred for the tech and IT industry?
Developer jobs are always in demand, which will likely stay that way for a long time. Almost everything is virtual or automated, and developers are the ones that help in the execution of processes that lead to such a change globally.
Most developer stacks or expertise are popular and in high demand; backend, frontend, and fullstack.
However, it is also commonly noticed that many companies often go for senior developers rather than someone just starting out or with medium expertise. This is mostly common for sizeable big brand companies that need senior developers to lead the team of medium-level devs as lead management. Usually, the companies that go for a senior dev want this to save time and resources and finish a work engagement flawlessly in a relatively short time.
Regarding the demand for specific skills or technologies, machine learning has proven to be in greater demand overall. Still, data analytics, React.js, and perhaps AWS will always be highly popular as they have been so far too.
E-learning and self-taught experts are increasingly valued
In an era of internet access and so many possibilities, it is not uncommon for many devs to acquire their tech skills in a modernized, digital, and self-taught way. What we mean by this is that more and more devs learn programming languages by themselves, some even without attending college.
This is nothing strange if you think about it. We’re not saying that college degrees or certifications lose their value, but self-taught devs are getting more and more recognition as the industry moves forward. E-learning, for example, has acquired great popularity now more than ever. Even many colleges and universities have transferred almost all their courses online, so e-learning has a broader scope of what it encompasses lately.
Besides, e-learning offers upgrading your skills quickly through accessible, “countless” courses that devs could take or refer to when they need an additional skill for landing the job or excelling at it.
The takeaway
If any of the above-mentioned hiring trends seem familiar (or already standardized) it is because of the turn of events in recent years. A few such years recently are not a short period for adopting such trends.
At the same time, it’s both expected and new to see the focus placed on remoteness, company culture, employer branding, flexible job arrangements, soft skills, self-taught learners, and much more.
And it is all positive, too, since the proof of it can be seen in rapid company growth, better quality work, and a simplified hiring processes overall.
