Expert Tips to Recruit the Best Software Developers

Introduction

What is the most essential thing required when executing a specific tech project? 

Well, it's the skillset required to perform that job. 

The growth of your business and the success of your project highly depend upon having a skilled team of developers who can meet the project goals.  

And that is where many businesses lack! 

Whether the requirement is for skill-based hiring or project-based, companies have experienced a global shortage of talent.  

According to recent stats, the global talent shortage was 77%, a 17-year high in 2023. Even in 2024, where we are already halfway, the number is 75%. 

The number can grow by the end of the year. This makes recruiting software developers difficult.

If you are also experiencing the same, then this blog is for you. Read on to learn about practical tips to recruit the best software engineers and effective ways to retain them.  

The growing demand for software development talent at a glance 

The demand for software development talent is on the rise, driven by the increasing need for digital solutions across various industries. Here are some key factors that highlight the growing demand for software developers: 

Tech talent is expensive

Recruiting tech talent is consistently increasing, and so are their requirements. However, because tech talent is expensive to acquire, hiring is difficult for mid- and small-scale companies. Due to the higher pricing, they often struggle to compete with the big players. 

The Solution

Although tech talent is expensive, there are a few ways that can help you obtain the skill level you are looking for. Let us check out:

• Broaden your talent search by opening the doors to remote talent. By expanding your talent search beyond geographical limits, you will have a better chance of accessing the best talent match for you. 
• Redefine your recruitment process to achieve maximum efficiency in your efforts. Rather than just sourcing the traditional ways to hire developers, you can also connect with offshore development service partners to ease your search process. 
• Discover the ways to reduce the cost per hire. Yes, this can also be reduced. By offshoring talent from developing countries, you can reduce your cost per hire. Recruiting software developers from a developed country is generally higher than hiring one from a developing country. For instance, the cost to hire a software engineer from the US ranges between $30-$120 per hour, and the cost to hire a developer from India ranges between $15-50 per hour.

Sourcing niche-specific or high-quality software programmers is complex 

In such a competitive landscape, just posting a job description and expecting the applications to start rolling in is not enough. Businesses must proactively recruit tech talent to access skillful developers for their projects. 

The Solution

With the technical market requirements being so competitive, businesses need to be more creative with their sourcing methods. You cannot rely on traditional methods and expect something out of the box.  

Along with the software developers actively searching for new opportunities, passive talents should also be considered. You do not need to wait until a programmer is actively searching for the role and reaches out to you themselves. 

In fact, even passive talents can also make the best teams. According to a survey, around 37.3% of the talents are passively open to new opportunities. So, when we restrict the search to active ones only, the passive ones get completely neglected. 

Recommended Read: A Complete Guide to Hire a Programmer in 2024

Attracting and retaining the software coder is challenging

Attracting and retaining software coders is challenging due to the high demand for skilled programmers. Many factors that influence a coder's decision to join or leave a company include salary, work environment, opportunities for growth and development, and work-life balance. 

The graph below appropriately depicts what parameters attract the software developers to a new opportunity. Indeed, money is the first thing that comes to the mind. But what after that? Let's delve into it. 

The Solution

Incorporate some retention strategies to attract and retain software engineers. You can include some of the compelling factors in your processes. This includes:

• Offering attractive packages
• Understanding the personal values of your potential resources
• Providing some work flexibility
• Creating a positive and strong culture 
• Ensuring leadership and growth opportunities
• Providing training and required resources

Technical skills and requirements are constantly changing

The technical world is constantly evolving. And so do the skills and qualification requirements. What if you are not from a technical background? And even if you are, how do you keep a note of all the technical variations happening around?

It is certainly difficult to keep up with all the technical stuff.

The Solution

Whether you come from a tech background or not, it's always a great idea to have some knowledge about the technical landscape. You can also opt for skill-based hiring and proceed with covering up the gap. 

To overcome this challenge, 

• Focus on hiring adaptable and continuous learners.
• Look for candidates who demonstrate a strong foundation in core programming concepts and a track record of quickly mastering new technologies. 
• Provide ongoing training and professional development opportunities to keep your team updated with the latest trends and tools. 
• Emphasize a culture of learning and innovation within your organization. This will ensure that your developers can navigate and thrive amid changing tech requirements.

Tips to Recruit the Best Software Developers

Recruiting the right software developer is vital for the success and innovation of any tech-driven company. To find and attract top talent, you need a strategic approach. Here are some tips to help you recruit the best software developers.

1. Identify your hiring requirements

So you want to recruit a software engineer! But why? What are your expectations and requirements for recruiting software engineers? 

You need to be completely clear about what you want. What type of role is most suitable for the project? 

When hiring a software developer, it is crucial to identify the hiring requirements for your project. This marks one of the best tactics to align your requirements with the goal. To do so, you must note some factors below. 

The engagement model

The engagement model defines how you will work with your development team. Choose the one that best fits your project needs and budget. You can choose a fixed-cost project model, hourly-based, or even monthly-based model.

The experience level

No one size fits all! And so do the expertise levels. Choose a skilled developer that best matches the experience level required for your project. Below are some of the experience levels that one can choose from! 

The type of developer 

You must check out what type of developer you want to hire. Software developers have an extensive range of skills and abilities. Although you need to understand the basic requirements of the type of developer you want to hire, below are some common ones:

• A frontend developer- Hire a frontend developer if you want to emphasize the user side of the software applications. Look for hiring a developer with expertise in React, HTML, CSS, Angular, and JavaScript to enhance the visual interface aesthetics.
• A full-stack developer—Look for a full-stack developer if you plan to have your complete project handled by a single developer only. Full-stack developers have expertise in varied areas that allow them to create logic behind the backend while maintaining the frontend aesthetics. 
• Backend developer—Backend developers work on the logic of software apps. They are experts in backend development programming languages like SQL, Python, and ASP.net.
• DevOps Engineers- Find a DevOps engineer if you are looking for a dedicated developer to oversee and manage the relationships between the company operations and the development team. They work closely with the development teams to create, implement, and maintain the distributed systems and software through agile methodologies. 
• QA and Testing- A QA engineer is responsible for identifying whether a software product matches the aligned goals. They ensure that the outcome is high-quality software only. 
• Specialists- Specialists include roles like DevOps engineers, data scientists, AI/ML experts, and cybersecurity professionals needed for specific project requirements.

2. Define job role requirements clearly

To recruit the best software developer for your project, clearly define your needs. Just being simple and short here will not work! 

The project goal refers to the ultimate destination of the project. So, the success and failure of the project is highly affected by this parameter.

You need to make the job description very specific and convey the goals and requirements clearly. When advertising a job, make sure to clearly outline the programmer's roles, responsibilities, required skills, and experience level. 

This will help streamline the process of hiring software engineers and identify the best fit for the position. A job description must include:

• Position for which you are hiring
• Experience and technical knowledge required
• Soft Skills 
• Project & company description 

Pro-tip- To attract top candidates, highlight the perks and benefits of working at your company and share your collective vision. 

3. Showcase your employer's brand

In today's competitive market, hiring the best talent is at the top. Finding a talented developer is among the biggest challenges, and even huge companies are suffering from it. 

75% of active job seekers are more likely to apply for a job if the employer actively manages its employer brand. Also, 86% of employees and job seekers check company reviews and ratings before deciding where to apply for a job.  

Although there is a skill gap, how can you attract the top tech developers for your project? Well, a unique brand presence can help. You need to create and maintain a brand presence that resonates with potential developers and encourages them to collaborate with you. 

This means showcasing your organization's unique culture is an excellent way to attract potential employees to work with you. 

4. Create a hiring funnel/ strategy

The hiring of the right software developers for your project is not a hit-and-try. It is a result of a well-planned and calibrated hiring process. So, developing a hiring funnel is necessary to get it right the first time. 

Your hiring funnel should define every process and sub-process of hiring resources at different managerial levels. Here, we'll determine the key elements of a hiring process and how to measure their effectiveness.

Sourcing and selection

When you get a clear idea about the job requirement and publish it, create a list of possible matches. This will help you select promising software developers from the global pool of talents. 

Screening 

During the screening, evaluate the programmer's CV, tech skills, experience, awards, interests, and recognitions to find suitable coders.

Evaluate and interview

Once you have shortlisted the list of programming experts to find the best match for your project, it's time to evaluate their skills.  

You might have analyzed everything during the CV screening. But do you think this was enough? 

Well, no! 

At this stage, you must evaluate their skills practically and interview them for a better understanding. Below are some ways how you can assess:

• Conduct the coding tests to evaluate their programming expertise.
• Divide the tests into two parts: technical & problem-solving skill analysis.
• For the technical skills, prepare a list of technical interview questions for the developer to perform. 
• For problem-solving skills, give them some real-world scenarios to assess and provide solutions for.
• For the interview, prepare a list of general and technical questions to evaluate the knowledge and communication abilities.

Hire and onboard seamlessly

Once you have completed the entire hiring process, hire developers and onboard them seamlessly. Do the paperwork and introduce them to your in-house team for better collaboration.

5. Partner with an offshore development company 

Collaboration with a reliable offshore development company can save you tons of time and effort when finding developers in a foreign country. An offshore development company has a pre-existing talent pool of certified developers across technology stacks. 

You can hire offshore developers on-demand and scale up or down the team to meet project requirements.

Now that you know the dos of hiring software developers. It is time to cover the don’ts. 

6. Recruit a Smart Software Engineer

Recruiting software developers who are smarter enough to handle their tasks should be the first requisite in remote recruitment. The term smart here is not confined to technical knowledge but has a broader spectrum that includes the creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills of your hired resource. We are not asking you to ignore the technical knowledge of your resource but to look beyond it.  

A technically sound developer would know what to do when things are right, but a smart developer can navigate through new and unforeseen issues that may arise during project development.  

A smart developer will not only resolve the challenges but will work on creating innovative solutions that would improve development speed and product quality. You can gauge the smartness of a qualified developer by their skill learning graph and work portfolio, which give you an insight into their eagerness to learn new skills.  

7. Recruit Someone with Great Communication Skills

Smooth communication is vital for successful development when working with a remote team. But this can only be ensured when the recruited developers are well-versed in the language (English) and have good analytical skills. 

Good knowledge of language ensures no gaps and miscommunication regarding expectations and delivery. At the same time, good analytical skills ensure a deeper understanding of project requirements, empowering developers to build better-quality products. 

Good communication helps facilitate seamless collaboration between in-house and remote teams, ensuring every member is on the same page. Moreover, a good communicator can bring the team together to deliver results that are aligned with business objectives. 

Also Read: Software Developer Hourly Rate Comparison Across the Globe

Mistakes to avoid when hiring the best software developers

Hiring a competent team is fine, but what if you hired an unreliable and incompetent team for your project? 

It's completely a waste of resources, right? 

With so many things to look for while hiring a software developer, there are a few mistakes that you must avoid. Below are some of the mistakes that you should watch out for when hiring software developers. 

1. Having unrealistic expectations

Unrealistic expectations from software developers are a common issue that can lead to frustration, disappointment, and even project failure.  

By setting clear and realistic expectations from the start, both developers and the company can understand what is required for success in the role.  

Clear expectations help employees focus on their tasks and allow employers to give helpful feedback based on agreed-upon criteria. Ultimately, clear expectations promote a positive work environment and improve productivity by ensuring everyone understands their job responsibilities and performance standards.

2. Choosing price over skills

In today's competitive world, having a skilled software developer is like a gold mine. They can create your dream application, streamline the processes, and fuel your business growth. But this is one of the common mistakes that business owners often make.  

To manage the pricing for hiring the roles, they often choose the one that best fits their pockets and neglect the skills lacking, which can cost them a lot. 

The cause of this is that many industries prioritize output volume over output quality in their quest to cut costs at any cost. 

In reality, investing in the right skills pays off! 

One effective solution is to hire a dedicated software developer. A skilled professional will ensure a productive working relationship, meet deadlines, and resolve problems independently. Hire a remote software developer to obtain the quality skills you are looking for in your project.

3. Overlooking cultural fit 

When hiring a programmer, it's important for the hiring team to remember that they are looking for a person to join their team, not just a coding machine. It's crucial to ensure that the programmer fits well with the rest of the team.  

Therefore, it's important to understand the candidate's views on topics such as

• Project selection
• Remote work
• Cooperation
• Collaboration

in addition to their qualifications and experience for the position. 

According to a survey by Robert Walters's group on workplace culture in recruiting top talent, it is noted that 98% of employers and 97% of employees agree on the importance of cultural fit for the organization.

It is certainly not only about understanding the importance of a good cultural fit but also about getting one. Do you know that when a good cultural fit is found, businesses can experience a myriad of benefits? 

Yes!  

In the image above, see how much you can improve on delivering greater job satisfaction, higher retention, and enhanced productivity. 

4. Poor onboarding practices 

A reputation for a solid onboarding process could help your business recruit top talent in a competitive market. 

Unfortunately, many employers don’t take the necessary steps to plan and implement an effective onboarding program. In fact, O.C. Tanner’s 2023 Global Culture Report found that only 43 percent of employees surveyed had an onboarding experience consisting of more than a one-day orientation and a packet of information on benefits. 

A poor onboarding process can cause a number of negative consequences for both the employee and the employer. 

Poor onboarding can lower productivity by making employees unclear about expectations and success, leading to a lack of motivation and hindering their ability to tackle new responsibilities effectively.

Studies show that early employee turnover is highest, often within the first 45 days. Companies must provide the right tools and information to retain top talent, as competition is strong.

Poor onboarding experiences lead to increased employee disengagement, which costs businesses around 18% of their salaries and negatively impacts workplace culture and morale.

Best practices for retaining software developers

 So, you have the desired tech talent for your project, but did you know that retaining the hired software developers could be more complicated? Well, hiring the right software developer is just the first step! And retaining them actually requires real energy. Include some retention strategies to collaborate with and keep your software developers for the long term.

1. Emphasize opportunities for learning and growth

Technology is drastically changing, and you can't expect every software programmer to remain stagnant in terms of expertise, skills, and capabilities. Not updating the tools is always bad for your product. And the same rule applies to software developers.

Keeping them on the same skill set and not offering growth to the developers can hinder their performance. So, offering learning opportunities to enhance their skills can make the developers feel that you care and invest in their growth.

When a group of software developers was surveyed, 34% of respondents said they look for career growth opportunities.

2. Offer Constructive Feedback and Open Communication

Regularly schedule one-on-one meetings to give employees helpful feedback and coaching. During these meetings, 

• Ask open-ended questions to understand their motivations and concerns
• Create an open environment where developers feel comfortable asking questions and sharing concerns
• Deal with issues quickly and take action on reasonable requests and suggestions

3. Offer competitive benefits

Retaining top software developers is essential for maintaining the continuity, quality, and innovation of your projects. One of the most effective strategies to achieve this is by offering competitive benefits. Here's how you can use comprehensive benefits packages to keep your developers engaged and committed.

• Competitive salaries
• Health insurance benefits
• Flexible work arrangements
• Additional perks 

4. Foster a Positive Work Environment

Promote a positive and inclusive workplace culture where employees feel valued and respected. Offer flexible working hours and remote work options to accommodate different lifestyles and preferences. Also, ensure that your developers have access to the latest tools and technologies to perform their best work. 

Bottom Line 

The process of hiring a software programmer is undoubtedly a difficult task. The hiring team has to be resourceful and strategic in how to search for the best developers. But with the help of this blog, you can build a well-rounded game plan to recruit software developers.  

These approaches will work whether you are a start-up or a multinational firm that wishes to scale up quickly. Besides this, continuously improving your recruitment funnel over time can go a long way in finding software developers. 

Your Team in India is a reputed offshore development company in India that helps entrepreneurs globally find software developers and programmers best fit for their business. With a team of 200+ readily available experienced developers, we can help you ramp up development quickly.