stack overflow careers - uk webinar: why are developers not attracted to job listings

Why are developersnot attracted to your

job listings?@StackCareersUK #SOtips

https://twitter.com/StackCareersUK






Content

• Who is Stack Overflow

• The developer hiring landscape

• Developers speak a different language

• Communication is the main barrier

• Analysing a job description

Who is Stack Overflow?


• Stack Overflow is the world’s most renowned Q&A website for software developers.

• We know exactly what developers want because they tell us. They trust us because our number one priority is serving them.

• We connect employers with the largest online community of developers.


31m visitors

per month

50thmost visited

website in the world

10m questions

asked

Stack Overflow Goes Down, Programmers Around The World Panic

The developer

hiring landscape

The developer hiring landscape

Developers say that the most challenging aspect of the job search is finding a role that seems interesting and suits their lifestyle preferences.

Developers speak

a different language

Developers speak a different language

• Human resources quite often struggle to communicate the right information to developers.

• The information that they do communicate is structured in a way that doesn’t appeal to developers.

• To encourage developers to apply for a job companies must highlight what aspects of the business are important to them in a format that is easy to digest.

Who do developers want to hear from?

My potential manager

A developer who would be on my team

In-house recruiter who knows tech

In-house generalist recruiter

Headhunter (contingency recruiter)

Great Tolerate Hate

Job listings aren’t attracting developers

• They lack relevance because they’re telling developers what is required of them instead of what exciting projects they have to offer.

• There is minimum information about the company culture and existing development team.

• They’re text heavy making it difficult to seek out the important information.

Communication

is the main barrier

Top 10 things developers care about

26,086 people from157 countries participated

in our annual survey.*Developers told us that the following points are what they care about the most when looking for a new job.

*Stack Overflow, Developer Hiring Landscape Report 2015


1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Opportunities to develop their skill sets

High calibre team mates

Good management

Level of independence

A genuine excitementaround company products


6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Good technical equipment

Company’s goals

Creativity

Attractive location

Pleasant working environment

Analysing a

job description

Don’t state the obvious

.Net Software DeveloperAre you looking for an opportunity to use the latest technology? Are you excited by innovative solutions? If that’s the case then we have an amazing opportunity especially for you! We are currently seeking a .NET Software Developer to join our engineering team. Using agile methodologies and a large technology stack, this role is responsible for taking design specifications and coding a functional program meeting client needs. You will also have the ability to design, modify, develop, write, and implement software programming expectations. As a seasoned Developer, you will leverage your technical expertise to tackle difficult projects. This will include a complete product conversion using cutting edge technologies and ongoing development of our fully integrated ERP suite of applications that tackle mission-critical business functions. These industry leading solutions provide our clients total visibility of their business. Furthermore, you’ll be able to share your success with other developers in the team. This is done through mentorship programs and knowledge sharing training sessions that are geared toward new technology and industry best practices. We are proud to say that we stay on top of the latest technologies in order to create the best software solutions for our clients. We will need a developer who can support the installation of software and relational databases. Joining our Development team you will have opportunities to work closely with our Product Development team and QCD to assure a the quality of our product stay top notch. Skills & RequirementsEssential Job Duties:• Take design specification and code a functional program meeting client needs • Consult with customers and other team members about software system design and maintenance • Coordinate software system installation • Utilise knowledge of object oriented design principles and logic • Stay abreast the latest industry trends and technical advancements • Performs other duties as assigned. Important Requirements• Bachelors Degree in Computer Science, required • 3-5+ years of experience, required • Proficient in C#, required • Working knowledge of ASP.NET, Web API, Entity Framework, Reactive Extensions and Asynchronous code, preferred • Familiar with standard concepts and practices in programming field with an ability to apply general rules to specific

problems • Ability to work in a team as well as independently • Innovative problem solving ability with exceptional attention to detail • Great time management and prioritisation skills • Ability to adapt to change as directed and an understanding the change is important for company growth • Demonstrated aptitude for learning new technologies Benefits• Paid time off • Competitive compensation • Income security • Social events • Pleasant working environment • Nice teammates

Yes they’re looking for an opportunity to use the latest technology and are energised by creating innovative solutions. They’re developers after all…

50% of developers say searching for a job that sounded interesting was their biggest challenge

Are you looking for an opportunity to use the latest technology? Are you excited by innovative solutions? If that’s the case then we have an amazing opportunity especially for you!



Be careful using acronyms

What does QCD mean? Not everybody will know.

I don't get any flavour for what the company does, what its culture is like, or what the work actually is. All they've done is say some really vague things, the majority of which would apply to any developer role.

“

We will need a developer who can support the installation of software and relational databases. Joining our Development team you will have opportunities to work closely with our Product Development team and QCD to assure a the quality of our product stay top notch.



Don’t be vague

What solutions doyou actually provide?What visibility willclients have?

Companies need to stop telling developers what a developer is, and start telling developers much more about what makes their role different from all the others on our site.

“

Furthermore, you’ll be able to share your success with other developers in the team. This is done through mentorship programs and knowledge sharing training sessions that are geared toward new technology and industry best practices. We are proud to say that we stay on top of the latest technologies in order to create the best software solutions for our clients.



Don’t hide important information

If you need a developer that does a bit of support then say it up front.

This job will never appeal to the ‘passionate and bright’ developers, but surely it has something going for it for other kinds of people: is it pay? Job security? This ad needs to be centered on whatever that is, to appeal to the right people.

“

We will need a developer who can support the installation of software and relational databases.

.Net Software DeveloperAre you looking for an opportunity to use the latest technology? Are you excited by innovative solutions? If that’s the case then we have an amazing opportunity especially for you! We are currently seeking a .NET Software Developer to join our engineering team. Using agile methodologies and a large technology stack, this role is responsible for taking design specifications and coding a functional program meeting client needs. You will also have the ability to design, modify, develop, write, and implement software programming expectations. As a seasoned Developer, you will leverage your technical expertise to tackle difficult projects. This will include a complete product conversion using cutting edge technologies and ongoing development of our fully integrated ERP suite of applications that tackle mission-critical business functions. These industry leading solutions provide our clients total visibility of their business. Furthermore, you’ll be able to share your success with other developers in the team. This is done through mentorship programs and knowledge sharing training sessions that are geared toward new technology and industry best practices. We are proud to say that we stay on top of the latest technologies in order to create the best software solutions for our clients. We will need a developer who can support the installation of software and relational databases. Joining our Development team you will have opportunities to work closely with our Product Development team and Quality Control department to assure a the quality of our product stay top notch. Skills & RequirementsEssential Job Duties:• Take design specification and code a functional program meeting client needs • Consult with customers and other team members about software system design and maintenance • Coordinate software system installation • Utilise knowledge of object oriented design principles and logic • Stay abreast the latest industry trends and technical advancements • Performs other duties as assigned. Important Requirements• Bachelors Degree in Computer Science, required • 3-5+ years of experience, required • Proficient in C#, required • Working knowledge of ASP.NET, Web API, Entity Framework, Reactive Extensions and Asynchronous code, preferred • Familiar with standard concepts and practices in programming field with an ability to apply general rules to specific


Don’t share irrelevant information

Don’t share irrelevant information! It’s obvious that they’ll be working with other colleagues

I presume the office has toilet facilities, but they didn't feel the need to mention that, did they? That's because there are lots of things you don't need to mention in a job listing!

“

51% of developers say companies can improve the interview process by introducing them to the team

We will need a developer who can support the installation of software and relational databases. Joining our Development team you will have opportunities to work closely with our Product Development team and QCD to assure a the quality of our product stay top notch.



Don’t overdo bullet points

Don’t share use too many bullet points as it can come across as a list of demands

Skills & RequirementsEssential Job Duties:• Take design specification and code a functional program meeting

client needs• Consult with customers and other team members about software

system design and maintenance• Coordinate software system installation• Utilise knowledge of object oriented design principles and logic• Stay abreast the latest industry trends and technical advancements• Performs other duties as assigned.Important Requirements• Bachelors Degree in Computer Science, required• 3-5+ years of experience, required• Proficient in C#, required• Working knowledge of ASP.NET, Web API, Entity Framework,

Reactive Extensions and Asynchronous code, preferred• Familiar with standard concepts and practices in programming

field with an ability to apply general rules to specific problems• Ability to work in a team as well as independently • Innovative problem solving ability with exceptional attention to

detail• Great time management and prioritisation skills• Ability to adapt to change as directed and an understanding the

change is important for company growth• Demonstrated aptitude for learning new technologiesBenefits• Paid time off• Competitive compensation• Income security• Social events• Pleasant working environment



Don’t list generic perks

Don’t offer “perks” that every company provides! Everyone expects some paid holiday and nice teammates...

• Paid time off• Competitive compensation• Income security• Social events• Pleasant working environment• Nice teammates

How you can write a good job listing

Don’t use a generic or uninformative job title

Use a relevant job title • Choose a specific job title so that the

developers you’re trying to attract click through to your advertisement.

• Think about a unique job title that will seek the ideal candidate.

ExampleThe title "iOS developers", "Senior iOS developer"or " iOS developers for banking app" promisesmore success than just "Mobile developers".

Don’t overdo it with marketing language

Be clear and honest • Speak the same language and write

the job listing in the same way that a developer would communicate it to a colleague.

• Contact your development team for advice if you are unsure how to approach the job listing from the mindset of a technical person.

How to format description

Optimise your job description format • Formulate your job description in full complete sentences

so it doesn’t come across as a list of demands

• Break down any requirements in the form of bullet points in “essential” and “desirable”.

• Avoid requirements that are implicit such as telling the team to be punctual or that they need to be a team player.

Example"Must have a love of technology/ coding”well… Of course they do, they are a developer!

Don’t use repetition

Break down your job description into different sections • Don’t repeat yourself, nobody wants to read the same

sentence multiple times throughout a job listing

• Divide your job listing into three different parts: Job description, requirements and company information etc

• Only write about things that a developer is really thinking about such as the top 10 things they care about.

Don’t focus on a single niche technology

Encourage qualified candidates to apply for the job • Research the role you’re trying to fill and understand how the

programming languages you’re looking for in a candidate relate to other skills.

• Don’t focus on a single niche technology as you’re likely to discourage qualified candidates from applying for the role.

ExampleIf you’re looking for developers using the Javascript framework - don't just specify Angular JS or Node JS as it's likely a good Javascript developer will either know those technologies or be able to learn them quickly

Don’t focus on benefits that everyone provides

Tell them what’s unique to you • Explain what perks or benefits you offer that go above

what other companies provide.

• This could include things such as remote work/attractive location, good technical equipment, pleasant working environment or monthly Hackathons.

44% of developers value the opportunity to work remotely

Don’t tell developers what they already know

Focus on your companyand share specific details • Explain the specific challenges that your company faces

include a brief “day in the life of” or “what we worked on last quarter” - it shows that you know what you’re talking about and developers find it interesting.

• Tell them what opportunities they’ll have to develop their skill sets, who they’ll work with and the level of independence they’ll have in the company.

Summary

v

Communication is key • Communicate relevant information to developers.

Tell them what they want to know rather than what you require from them.

• Showcase the company’s benefits. Tell them what perks and benefits are on offer as well as the projects that they’ll be working on.

• Place your focus on company goals and on generating excitement around products.

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stack overflow careers - uk webinar: why are developers not attracted to job listings

Recruiting & HR