8 Tips Startup Founders Should Follow when Hiring a Software Development Team

No matter what service or product the company is dealing with hiring the best software development agency is very important. Since people are the most crucial assets of any business, you need to be very picky when hiring and ensure that you only hire the best. Finding a team with the right skills, competing with larger brands and meeting salaries and benefits are perhaps some of the hardest challenges that startups face. As a hiring manager, you should look for people who can be able to solve the problems that your company is facing. So you see hiring software development team for your company is not as easy as it may seem. Here are the top eight tips that you should know;

1. Know who you need

Before you embark on the process of hiring it’s very important to understand your requirements. The more specific you are the easier the process will be. By having a defined set of skills, you’ll be able to start looking at the right places. The clarity about what you are looking for will also come through while communicating about your requirements. For instance, do you want a front end developer or database developer?

2. Company testimonials

Since your employees are your best ambassadors, you need to have testimonials and videos of them sharing about their experiences while working at your company. It’s therefore very important for you to showcase your culture so that the new employees are aware. This is very important for Indian software development companies.

3. Know where to look

Once you’ve gathered all the inputs from stakeholders, defined your needs and agreed on the specifications of the candidates, you should now come up with your search strategy. Some of the places that you can check include LinkedIn, Snapchat, Facebook, GitHub, and Instagram. You can also attend events so as to build a pipeline of smart hardworking and passionate programmers.

4. Host or sponsor parties for developers

Getting talented developers for your company is one of the best strategies. By bringing the process of hiring offline you can boost your chances of finding the right candidate. Since developers like to exchange ideas and meet peers, hosting a party for them will allow you to get an exposure that you could not have gotten before. Just think about some of the most creative ways that you can use to relate with them and persuade them to join your company.

5. Screen them

Once you’ve got the kind of software development team that you need, it’s now time to screen them. Recruiting tools such as Applicants Tracking Systems have made recruiters lives much easier by reducing the time and effort and cutting down on the cost they invested in attracting, hiring and managing employees. Traditionally, candidates were screened manually before finally hiring them. Although this process is good it’s not scalable, cost-effective, and accurate. It’s, therefore, important to use some of the best tools. More so, although developer resume can be attractive do not just rely on this. While paper accolades are nice, knowing the skills that the candidate has is very important.

6. Organize Hackathons

If you want to attract a developer then Hackathons is one of the best ways to do this. As compared to traditional tournaments, online Hackathons have high participation rates. However, if you lack the resources to organize one on your own, you should consider sponsoring one. Your senior developers can either be sponsors or mentors of existing Hackathons. Through these tournaments, you’ll be able to display your identity and finally built a good relationship with potential talents and software development companies.

7. Set the right expectations

Before you start the interview it’s very important to set your expectations right. For instance, if you need your employer to be available 24 hours 7 days a week, you should be clear on this before hiring them. By not setting the right expectations, most startups tend to lose their employees on in the initial stages of employment. So, be upfront with them on what you expect. By doing this you’ll be able to build a very strong team instead of looking for a replacement every now and gain. It’s also very important to look for someone who is enthusiastic about what they are doing. Apart from asking them about technical questions, ask them about some of their favourite projects. This will greatly help you to understand their interests. Do not just hire a developer to fit the role but rather employ someone who can fit in your team.

8. Consult others and consider the alternatives

Can you outsource or replace an applicant just like a robot? Well, can you do it yourself? Instead of hiring them fulltime perhaps you need to consider hiring them part-time. Or maybe hire one worker who can wear different hats. Think carefully about all the options that you have. If you are not sure, consider asking for advice. Although your startup company may not be fully developed if you have co-founders consider asking them about what they think about the applicants. Ensure that your co-founders participate in the interview as much as possible. When you have others helping you around making a decision is much easier.

Conclusion

Leave alone running a startup, hiring an offshore software development team for a startup can be one of the most challenging processes. If you utilize their skills well and work hard your small company can become successful within a short time. However, developers who are not the right talent may not only ruin your budget but can also harm your business. You, therefore, need to hire a team who believe in your vision and who will stick with you for a very long time.