How to Suck Less at Recruiting Software Developers

Monday, March 4, 13

Most companies suck pretty bad at recruiting software developers. Here are some tips to help you not suck as bad as they do.

Monday, March 4, 13

We’re Work for Pie. We help software developers connect, compete, and show off their best work. We also help them discover great companies. If your company is great, you can set up a company page for free (and post up to two jobs for free too) at https://workforpie.com/companies/join

We’ve advised companies in the past, and thought we’d share some of our tips with you. Feedback is always welcome. Reach out to info@workforpie.com. We hope you like it!

Some Fun Facts

Monday, March 4, 13

Here are some fun facts...

...and maybe a few tips to go along with them.

Fact 1:The “careers” page is usually the second most

visited page of a company’s website.

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So if yours looks like this:

you’re doin’ it wrong...Monday, March 4, 13

Your careers page is selling your company to the outside world. If it’s nothing but a list of available jobs, with no information about the team, the environment, the culture, or anything else, you’re doin’ it wrong.

Tip 1:Build (at the very least) a basic careers site

that shows off your team and environment. Give folks something to see when they come looking.

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Fact 2:Fewer people know who you are than you think.

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You want to be here:

but you’re not...Monday, March 4, 13

Tip 2:Optimize your careers and individual

jobs pages for SEO.

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All the job boards optimize for SEO, which is why they hit the front page when someone searches for “keyword” + job(s) + “city.”

But you can optimize too! Put your jobs on individual pages and tag them with the appropriate keywords. That’s a good start to building the exposure you need.

Fact 3:Most people read about 150 words per minute. That’s close to the amount of time an average candidate will spend reading your job listing.

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Really?

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The full description here is 866 words. Read it all. I dare you.

Tip 3:Keep your job descriptions short and to the point. A competent applicant will know what he or she is

getting into in well under 200 words.

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(hint: short job listings also help to establish the fact that you’re not an organization run by committee)

Fact 4:Job descriptions are sales documents, not

technical documents.

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Exhibit A:

The Software Engineering Development Manager is responsible for leading major applications software development efforts beginning with the concept definition and concluding with sustaining. The Manager manages a team of technical staff members and leads a project’s development efforts for all areas within product development by establishing development objectives and project timelines, determining and obtaining resources, assigning work, monitoring progress and results, and providing technical leadership. The Manager provides leadership within the department and is accountable for product delivery and introducing new technologies and methodologies into the Exhibit A product development function. This is a seasoned, accomplished engineering manager position.

Green = what a candidate gets out of the jobRed = what is expected of the candidate

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Facebook:

Want to create products that more than 1 billion people around the world use? Want to build new features and improve existing products like Photos, Video, Places, NewsFeed, Search, Mobile and Messaging? Want to solve unique, large scale, highly complex technical problems? Facebook is seeking an experienced Software Engineer to join the Products team. You can help build the next-generation systems behind Facebook's products, create web applications that reach millions of people, build high volume servers and be a part of a team that’s working to help people connect with each other around the globe. Join us! This position is full-time and is based in our Menlo Park office.

Green = what a candidate gets out of the jobRed = what is expected of the candidate

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Tip 4:Make the job description about what the candidate

gets out of the experience, not so much about what’s required.

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The Facebook job description above is almost all about what you’ll get out of working at Facebook. The Exhibit A description is all about what you’ll have to do when you go to work for the company. The difference is significant.

Fact 5:Most candidates will not apply to your position

when they first discover it.

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Changing jobs is a big deal, so most candidates (the good ones anyway) do their research.

This never happens the first time around

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So give candidates an alternative that requires less commitment

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Tip 5:Your careers page is the second most visited page on your website, but your conversions are nowhere near the number of visitors. Give candidates a way to stay in touch that isn’t actually applying for a job,

and the conversion rate will increase.

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The number of applicants/the number of unique visitors to your careers site is your conversion rate. You can increase it by making requiring less commitment up front. Recruiting is sales.

The End

cliff@workforpie.comwww.workforpie.com

@workforpie

Monday, March 4, 13

Monday, March 4, 13