What makes it hard to hire good developers?

How hard is it to hire a good developer?

In the world of startups, having the right team is often the key to success. A strong team can shape the growth story of a startup, and the right hires can help create a company that is greater than the sum of its parts. However, getting the right people on board is easier said than done.

Challenges in hiring quality tech talent

There are many challenges that companies face when trying to hire quality talent, especially when it comes to hiring developers. It takes a lot of time and resources, and even then, there's no guarantee you'll get the right person. Let's explore some of the hurdles businesses face when trying to recruit quality tech talent.

Time-consuming Recruitment Process

Hiring a skilled developer can take months. The entire process, from publishing the job post to the developer joining the team, can stretch up to four months. This duration can increase due to delays like notice periods at their current jobs. It's not just the time that's a concern, unfilled positions cost companies billions in lost opportunities.

The Challenge of Access to Skills

One of the biggest challenges in hiring developers is finding candidates with the right skills. More than half of hiring managers say that finding candidates with relevant skills is their biggest challenge. Great talent is rare and hard to come by, making the hiring process difficult.

Competition with Other Companies

Another challenge is competition with other companies. With good talent being so rare, companies often find themselves in fierce competition to attract the best candidates. This competition is even more intense when large tech companies enter the picture, making it hard for smaller companies to consistently make good hires.

Fickle Loyalty

Hiring can also be difficult due to the behaviour of candidates. Some candidates may not be loyal to the offers they receive and may use an offer from one company to negotiate a better one from another. Many new-age workers, especially millennials, switch jobs frequently. About 21% of millennials change jobs every year. That's a lot more than older workers. This means companies invest months in training, only to see their employees leave in a couple of years. Replacing an employee can cost a company up to 9 months' salary!

Limited Flexibility

Sometimes, you need to add more people to your team quickly. Maybe you have a project that needs a special skill your team doesn't have. Hiring a full-time employee can take too long. Plus, you might not need their skills once the project is over. This is where having the option to hire on a project basis is useful.

Lack of Skills to Evaluate Candidates

Another significant challenge in tech hiring is the lack of requisite tech expertise in the existing members of a team. Understanding tech is crucial when evaluating developers, and a lack of this understanding can often lead to lowered standards. Even HR departments of large companies might lack the required technical proficiency to evaluate developers, which can lead to poor hires and lost opportunities.

Solution

So, hiring good developers is a long and costly process. It can be even more challenging when your employees switch jobs frequently, and you need different skills for different projects. But don't worry, there are multiple options that can help you find the right person faster and with less cost. These are:

• Be strict about cultural fit: The right people can make or break a startup. Look for people who are not just technically sound but also a cultural fit for their company. This is very important for the company's long-term success.
• Remote talent is the way to go: It is tough to find quality talent in a competitive market. To deal with this, you can hire talented remote developers from around the world. This will save your company a lot of time compared to local hiring.
• Hiring contractual employees: Another fantastic solution is to use contractual employees. They can help you meet your product goals quickly. They can also offer the flexibility you need to adapt to changing market needs. Also, you can save on overhead costs like benefits and office space. There are multiple platforms that help with this. With premium tech talent platforms like Flexiple, hiring developers has become easier than ever!

Conclusion

Hiring good developers is a complex task that comes with many challenges. From finding candidates with the right skills to dealing with intense competition, unreliable candidates, and a lack of skills to evaluate candidates, companies have to navigate a multitude of obstacles. However, by understanding these challenges and finding ways to overcome them, companies can improve their chances of building a team that will drive them towards success. Options like premium tech talent platforms are a great way to find reliable candidates easily.

FAQs

• How hard is it to hire a (good) developer?

  Hiring a good developer can be quite challenging. The recruitment process is time-consuming, and finding a developer with the right skills who also fits the company culture is difficult. Competition with other companies for the same talent and dealing with unreliable candidates can also make the process hard. Plus, there can be internal challenges such as a lack of skills to properly evaluate candidates. Moreover, maintaining loyalty among younger workers is a significant challenge.

  However, solutions like premium tech hiring platforms can help to solve these challenges with ease.

• Is there a shortage or an abundance of talent?
   
  While there is an abundance of developers in the job market, finding highly skilled and experienced developers can be challenging. The tech industry evolves rapidly, and not all developers may have the most current skill, making quality talent rare and hard to come by. This means that when it comes to hiring quality talent, there may be a shortage of talent.
• How much time does the hiring process take?

  The hiring process for a developer, from posting the job to the candidate joining the company, usually takes around 3 to 4 months. The time it takes to hire a developer can vary greatly depending on various factors. These can include the availability of candidates with the right skills, the level of competition with other companies for the same talent, and the company's own capacity to evaluate and process candidates. Therefore, it can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months to hire a developer​.

  However, with the help of premium tech talent networks like Flexiple, you can hire a quality developer in just a few days.