So you’ve crafted a job description, and you’re receiving a flood of software developer resumes. Nearly all seem to have great qualifications in a range of different areas. You’re just not sure which qualifications are essential for your exact tech project. All you know is that you absolutely cannot hire the wrong developer because you know that this carries a tremendous cost, both in money and morale. Zappos CEO once said that bad hires had cost the business an estimated $100 million, while a prominent recruiter estimates the average cost of onboarding alone at $240,000 per person.
Hiring managers and company leaders are faced with this dilemma on a regular basis. Reviewing a developer applicant’s suitability is about so much more than just matching up key phrases from your job description to the applicant’s resume. A comprehensive resume review is critical, and it requires a fair amount of technical knowledge on the part of the reviewer.
The hiring process is complicated further because companies must consider more than just the individual’s tech skills and experience. Let’s take a look at what else you should look at, and these factors affect the resume review process.
How Do You Review a Software Developer Resume?
There are many different issues to keep in mind as you review a developer’s resume. Consider the following:
- Is the candidate proficient in the programming languages that are required to complete your project?
- Has the candidate worked on projects that are similar both in terms of nature and scale?
- What development methodology does the candidate utilize?
- How do the applicant’s past development projects compare to your software development needs? Does the individual have experience developing the functions and features that you require?
- Has the developer worked on apps or software programs in your unique business niche? (i.e. if you’re in the healthcare sector, you want developers with experience in healthcare).
These key points must be evaluated whether you’re hiring for a full-time or part-time position, a temporary or permanent position.
Going Beyond the Developer’s Resume
While it can be useful to evaluate the talent’s experience and proficiencies relative to your unique requirements, a good fit requires more than just the right skill set. This is particularly true for temporary staff or short-term staffers, who are expected to achieve maximum productivity right out of the gate.
Cultural fit is critical to the hiring process. Cultural fit refers to the alignment between your company’s personality and environment and the talent. For example, you might have a candidate who is accustomed to a very relaxed environment where staff work flexible hours, bring their pets to the office, wear casual attire and often work remotely. If you seek to hire that individual to work in an office that’s more formal, with precise office hours, a ban on pets, more formal dress code and an all-around more rigid environment, then you may see a failure to thrive. For this reason, an increasing number of companies are turning to tech and IT staffing firms for help finding the right person for the job.
Another essential element relates to the talent’s team player capabilities, or lack thereof. Some developers thrive in a small, highly collaborative group, where the team members work very closely throughout the project. That same individual may feel lost if he or she is plopped in the middle of a large team. Although the situation would still be collaborative, but would also requires a high degree of independence and a good understanding of the big picture. An experienced IT staffing services provider will appreciate the need for alignment between your current staff and the candidate whom you’re considering. This is one of our many areas of expertise at iTech.
iTech specializes in consulting and insourcing as we search worldwide for the best talent and then dispatch those experts to work onsite for clients on a temporary basis. So you’re not getting the best local talent; you’re getting the best talent anywhere. Not every client needs temporary staffing, but many companies can see a significant benefit from this strategy. If you’re among them and are ready to hire IT staff, then we invite you to contact iTech to learn more.