Recently, my workload has surged significantly as I’ve taken over tasks from other sites. Between managing original coding responsibilities and new oversight, I’ve started a serious search for outstanding talent to join the team. During the first month, I tried sourcing candidates through internal referrals and my personal network, but without luck. I’ve now moved this search to headhunters and have begun the interview process.
I interviewed many people in my first two roles, but interviewing candidates recommended by headhunters at this stage of my career feels different and much more interesting. The criteria for what kind of developer you need are heavily influenced by the organization’s current goals and history.
Take my first job, for example. The company was hesitant to pay a premium for experienced engineers due to past negative experiences and general uncertainty. Consequently, we focused exclusively on hiring fresh graduates. The strategy for finding “new blood” was straightforward:
- Check academic records to ensure they performed well during their studies.
- Administer aptitude tests to gauge logic, patience, and problem-solving skills.
- Conduct personal interviews to assess attitude, communication, and, most importantly, potential.
Today, the requirements are vastly different. We are looking for highly experienced, elite developers. Academic records and basic aptitude tests are no longer the primary indicators. Instead, we must rigorously judge the complexity and impact of the work they’ve done throughout their careers. While headhunters are supposed to filter resumes, some operate more like aggressive sales reps, so we still must do our own due diligence across different channels to verify a candidate’s pedigree. I’ve also implemented more technical assessments, such as 30-minute coding challenges and deep-dive technical inquiries.
Judging a seasoned pro is more complicated than hiring a rookie because there’s no luxury of “trial and error” time. We need “Rambos” who can jump in and deliver immediate value. It’s a challenging but fascinating process. Hopefully, we’ll find our Rambo soon.
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