Developer Hiring: The Basics

Hiring software developers
is tough.

higher ever.
The demand for technical talent is
than

92%
of developers in the
workforce are “gainfully
employed.”
*according to the 2016 Stack Overflow Developer Survey

of developers are
actively looking for
new jobs.
And only
15%

So finding your next Software
Developer will take more work than just
hitting “send” on an email.

Recruiting and hiring tech talent is a
skill you must learn.

Not sure where to start?
That’s OK.

Here are 5 steps you can take to
excel at developer hiring.

Know what
developers want
1
STEP

People who are always
learning don’t get bored.
A clear
growth path.

64% of developers said that
building something new is
important to them at work.
Ability to do
creative work.

Developers care about the
work they do, which means
they need to like what your
organization produces.
Exciting
products.

Independence.
Programmers want to feel like they
have a great deal of control over the
products they build.

Give your developers what they
need to get their job done.
Great tools
and hardware.

Identify with
company goals.
Programmers prefer to work at a
place where they can identify with
the work and are excited about the
company’s mission.

Remote
work options.
71% of developers feel that
working from home is at least
somewhat important when
looking for a new job.

Recruit in a
personal way
2
STEP

Know where and how
developers want to be contacted.
Spoiler: developers don’t love LinkedIn
or Facebook.

52% of developers said they hated being
contacted on Facebook about job
opportunities. 22% of developers
don’t even have LinkedIn accounts.
*according to the 2015 Stack Overflow Developer Landscape

On the other hand
of developers said email is
a great way to be contacted.
65%

Personalize
your messages
Developers hate receiving mass emails
and copy-and-paste templates, so be
sure to do your research on the
candidate(s) you’re recruiting before
you hit the “send” button.

Disclose salary and
company name up front
62% of developers* said that salary is important
to them when they evaluate new job opportunities.
*2016 Stack Overflow Developer Survey

Don’t try to impress them
with technical speak…

But make sure you know what you’re
talking about on a basic level.
Brush up on basic tech terms with our Tech Glossary.

Craft a killer
technical job listing
3
STEP

Don’t overdo
the bullet points
Your job listings shouldn’t read like a
list of demands. Instead, focus on the
required and preferred skills needed
for the job.

Lose the
Developers don’t like being
called “ninjas” or “rockstars.”
JaRgO
n#*

Include a punchy job title.
Try including a brief description of the company
and mention the main technology for the role.
This gives job-seekers a sense of what type of work
they’ll be doing.

Simplify your skills
and requirements.
70% of developers* told us they’re
self-taught, so avoid listing a formal
degree as a requirement.
*2016 Stack Overflow Developer Survey

Let your company
culture shine.
Mention your awesome work culture
or perks to give applicants an idea
of what it’s like to work for your company.

Keep it short and sweet.
Candidates will only spend a few seconds reviewing your
job listing, so make yours count.

4
STEP
Improve your technical
interview process

Be flexible
scheduling.
Developers think taking time off work
to interview is one of the most annoying
aspects of the job search, so don’t be
too firm about scheduling them.
with interview

Offer remote
interviews.
Again, finding time to step away
from work is difficult for any
developer. If a candidate can’t find
time to come into your office, let
them interview from wherever is
most convenient.

Tell them who
they’ll be speaking
Technical interviews are extensive,
so give candidates a heads up about
who they’ll be meeting.
with ahead of time.

Introduce candidates
to the team.
Quality of colleagues is important to developers,
so make sure they know they’ll be working with people
who are just as smart as they are.

Show them
It’s no secret that developers want to
work on interesting projects, so give
them a glimpse of the products they
might get to build.
live code.

Show them
Developers want to know
they’ll have a comfortable
workspace that allows them
to get things done.
their workspace.

Fewer
brainteasers.
Our CEO Joel Spolsky says that
knowing the answer to a brain teaser
isn’t a good indicator of whether or
not someone can write quality code.

5
STEP
Promote your
employer brand

Show candidates what it’s like to work for your
company in your tech job listings, recruitment
emails, and on your company website.

TL;DR
● Recruiting and hiring developers is hard.
● Doing it well is a skill you need to learn.
● To do it well, you need to do five things:
○ Know what developers want
○ Recruit in a personal way
○ Craft killer technical job listings
○ Improve your interview process
○ Promote your employer brand

Stack Overflow is the largest, most trusted online
community for developers to learn, share their
knowledge, and advance their careers. More than
40 million professional and aspiring programmers
visit Stack Overflow each month to help solve
coding problems, develop new skills, and find
job opportunities.
Founded in 2008, Stack Overflow partners with brands
and employers to help them understand, reach, and
attract the world's developers.
Want to learn more about
how Stack Overflow can help
you attract, recruit, and hire
technical talent?
Request a demo

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Developer Hiring: The Basics

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