Whitepaper - Attracting Developers to the Defence sector
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This document discusses challenges in recruiting software developers for the defense industry. It notes that while defense work involves cutting-edge technologies and important projects, the industry suffers from perceptions of outdated practices and lower salaries. The document explores how defense companies can appeal to developers by emphasizing flexible work, job security, opportunities to work on interesting projects using a variety of technologies, and the importance of the work. It argues that developers are motivated by challenges, latest technologies, and producing impactful end products, so the defense industry should highlight these aspects of the work.
Whitepaper - Attracting Developers to the Defence sector
- 1. IS THE DEFENCE INDUSTRY COOL ENOUGH FOR DEVELOPERS? Whitepaper V1.0 - 01/12/2016 How is the defence industry responding to the shortage in talent? What is driving job searches for developers - latest technologies or extraordinary end products?
- 2. We’re all familiar with the challenges of hiring talented developers for the defence industry; strict security factors, the secrecy around project work and budget constraints to name a few. As insiders, we know better than anyone that there are quite futuristic and interesting projects going on, but unfortunately, defence’s reputation seems to have been somewhat tarnished. In this whitepaper, we’re going to be exploring: CHANGING PERCEPTIONS Why Defence? This is a question that we tackle when we’re communicating the details of a new position. We must be able to highlight and communicate the key benefits that the defence industry has to offer to willing candidates. As we’ll discuss shortly, successful recruitment involves working out which factors are going to resonate best with candidates and motivate them to make the move. Are they aware of the flexible working conditions that are possible within many defence companies, or the fact that many of them are located in desirable parts of the country which make for a better work-life balance? Have they considered the benefits of the opportunity to get more closely involved with all aspects of a project, rather than just being a small cog in a machine? Do they realise the job security aspect, within this uncertain world, of working on projects which are primarily government funded? “It’s not quite the salary I was hoping for” “Security clearance makes things impossible” “It might affect my employability” How can perceptions be changed? How can we best communicate the reality of a career in the defence industry? How can we best drive interest from the fresh, homegrown IT talent that defence needs in order to continue to innovate? What matters most to the developers we’re trying to engage?
- 3. The demand for development skills has begun to hugely outweigh the number of great developers that there are to fill them. In almost any other industry, you’d be able to lure talented developers from all corners of the globe - especially countries which place great emphasis on teaching software development from a young age. However, with many roles demanding ITAR and UK eyes only, finding candidates who are security clearable narrows the candidate pool greatly. Salary can also present complications. It is no secret that development skills are in demand, leading candidates to make key recruitment decisions based on salary and employee benefits. This narrows the pool even further and adds an additional layer of complexity when it comes to finding candidates which also fall within budget. With the defence industry presenting growing budget constraints, the salaries offered often struggle to compete with other fast-paced technology industries. In the UK it’s estimated that around 1.5 million people work in the IT and communications industries THE WIDENING SKILL GAP Worldwide, the Asia Pacific region accounts for most developers, with Europe, the Middle East and Africa being home to around 30 per cent of the global developer population. In 2014, the European Commission warned that a shortage of coding ability could lead to Europe needing an extra 900,000 development professionals by 2020.
- 4. surprise that the likes of BAE systems have launched large-scale internal apprenticeship schemes in order to encourage young people into IT careers. The Government, too, is encouraging IT training in schools, but these schemes are for the long term and are unlikely to have an impact on the industry for a decade or so until today’s children begin their careers. In an ideal world, when you find a good developer, the key is to hang onto them. Whether that means keeping them engaged with projects which are challenging and interesting, providing extensive more flexible work-life balance. However, the growing problem with retention comes into play when developers are lured by more attractive salaries or roles which focus heavily on personal development with use of new coding languages, skills and tech. Crucially it’s about understanding what matters most to developers and what their biggest motivator might be for considering a career change. THE WIDENING SKILL GAP
- 5. Development lends itself as much to a hobby as a profession, with many developers getting into their career through an initial early interest. For many, this interest is stemmed from either the excitement of playing with new technologies and gadgets or from the excitement of what could be achieved through coding, development and technology as a whole. Being able to remain ‘interested’ in their day to day work and projects can not only help to keep employees engaged in their role but can also help improve their performance and the end results. WHAT MATTERS MOST TO DEVELOPERS? Latest Technologies Whether it’s new development languages, working within new methodologies or experimenting with emerging practices, developers thrive on getting the chance to explore the latest technologies. Essentially, being at the cutting edge of advancements in the world of development. The IT industry is fast moving which is one of the things that makes it so attractive as a career. But that also means that developers need to be offered the opportunity for continuous professional development in order to keep their skills up-to-date. This requires time away from work to study as appropriate or having time to pursue personal side projects. Making the opportunities for training clear, and highlighting the potential projects an individual might get to experience, could help enlighten candidates as to all the things they will experience within the defence industry. Although many defence jobs do offer the chance to work with the latest technology, for example, the revolutionary work taking place in cyber security, there is an element of dating technologies being used alongside legacy systems due to their tried and tested processes and level of security. This includes the use of coding languages such as ADA, C and C++ which emerged on the scene around the 1980’s. Being in a position to use the latest tech and tools has been attractive to developers pretty much from the start of computing. This could make roles requiring them to convert to older development languages seem to inhibit their future employability or personal development. Highlighting opportunities to ‘mix and match’ old and new technologies, or discussing the opportunities to move between projects requiring differing technologies, could help to combat any concerns.
- 6. WHAT MATTERS MOST TO DEVELOPERS? Cool End Products A lot of development and programming projects present challenges, and it is this opportunity to solve problems which could best inspire interest from developers. These challenges are usually technical challenges, where they have the chance to learn a new skill or create something new. For some it may be working on a new, cutting edge project using technology that is still in its infancy. For others, it could be the challenge of hunting down and correcting bugs in someone else’s code. It is also an interest in the end use of their code they develop or the end products themselves. Think how groundbreaking developments such as AI, drones etc are. To be a part of game changing developments which become globally recognised and adopted across key industries, as frequently demonstrated in the defence industry, is an exciting prospect. Although many projects within defence come with an element of secrecy, giving some indication as to what a candidate could expect or highlighting a typical day could help to excite or capture attention. The Biggest Motivator So what really drives developers? Is it the chance to work with the latest technologies – whatever guiding a missile to its target? The answer will depend on the individual, but there are other factors too. Whilst everyone wants a decent salary and a nice place to work, the chance to be at the cutting edge may well outweigh these considerations. Especially since the presence of a high-profile project on your CV is likely to enhance career prospects in the long term.
- 7. In the commercial world, budget constraints can often cause businesses to defer investment in the latest technology. Unless something can be seen to be contributing positively to the bottom line of the business, it isn’t likely to be a priority. This can be a negative for developers who want to be at the forefront of the latest developments. We all like to see our role in the world as important and making a difference, but there’s a little bit of us that also likes to think of what we’re doing as cool and impressive to others. Many developers engage with a wider community of their peers at conferences, hackathons and so on and even though they may not be able to share details due to Security restrictions they want to gauge what they are involved with in comparison with peers. KEEPING THE BALANCE Discovering Defence Much of aap3’s recruitment and resourcing activity sees us working in the defence, aerospace and cyber security industries. Something which we have noticed, in reference to this ongoing debate, is that the defence industry appears to offer an interesting mix of old and new technologies. Yes - there may be some compromise calling for developers to put some of their old skills to the test again, but the revolutionary work also being done in this sector shouldn’t be underestimated. Although not always a ‘first port of call’ for developers in terms of obvious career paths, the defence sector is quickly becoming a key employer of developers and programmers. Appealing to Developers While almost every business today is reliant upon technology to some degree, there are only a relatively small number of enterprises in which technology will be dominant – the tech giants such as Google and IBM for example – and these will be looking to recruit only the very best developers. Whilst it’s sometimes overlooked, the defence sector can offer interesting and challenging work that is of great appeal to the developer mindset.
- 8. What challenges are you facing? The Defence sector can be an attractive career for developers. But what’s the key for HR professionals, recruiters and developers already working in the industry? How do they engage with the wider development community and make the benefits of working in the industry clear? This goes beyond emphasising conventional employment benefits. Employers need to show what the role has to offer for to the developer in terms of technical and intellectual challenge. That means finding a way to appeal to the inner geek. HAVE YOUR SAY Start the debate... Are HR professionals doing enough to make defence seem like an attractive career option for a developer? Are the benefits of working in the defence industry being communicated clearly enough? Have businesses in the industry fallen victim of thinking their name alone will drive their recruitment efforts? JOIN THE CONVERSATION!