Finding Hidden Talent: Hiring Software Engineers

Meghan Maher Katy Smigowski Diana Martz

Featuring

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Agenda What software engineers value most in job

opportunities

How to target and engage with top technical talent through events and online

Best practices on interviewing and delivering competitive offers to top candidates

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The “Battle for Talent” Report Features data from surveyed software engineers and

recruiters across the country

We asked questions regarding: Factors considered when changing jobs What is the best channel to reach software engineers What is most important to software engineers to stay with a

company long-term

Throughout this webinar we will share key findings and statistics from the report

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What are the main factors candidates consider when

changing jobs?

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What Recruiters Think Matters Most to Software Engineers

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What Actually Matters Most to Software Engineers

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What Factors Retain Software Engineers Long-Term

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Motivation for Making a Move

What Recruiters Think

1. Opportunity to work with cutting edge technology (42%)

2. Competitive compensation (35%)

3. Opportunity for career growth (10%)

4. Desirable company culture (8%)

1. Competitive compensation (29%)

2. Desirable company culture (23%)

3. Opportunity for career growth (19%)

4. Opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology (9%)

What Software Engineers Think

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What Tools Recruiters Believe Are Most Effective for Recruiting Software

Engineers

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Where to Engage with Engineers Online

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It’s A Fact…• LinkedIn is oversaturated. Supplement your efforts with other

online resources for recruiting such as:• Twitter, which counts over 90,000 software engineers

as active users, or • Meetup, which has over 2,300 software engineering

groups nationwide

• 42% of software engineers are contacted by recruiters 3 times/month; 10% are contacted 10 times/month

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• Of the software engineers OpenView surveyed,• 89% indicated they have applied for two or fewer jobs in

the past five years, while • 74% have applied for either just one job or none at all.

• Software engineers prefer to be contacted by personal email

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Outbound Recruiting: Initial Engagement

Send targeted, personalized messages through LinkedIn or email

• Get to the point

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• Leverage multiple channels:

• LinkedIn• Email• Twitter• Meetup.com

• “Three Strike Rule”

Outbound Recruiting: Initial Engagement

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Referral Programs

• Referrals are often great hires

• Offer incentives for current employees to tap their network

– Consider opening up your referral program so non-employees can make referrals

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Recruiting at Events Open Houses Career Fairs

Encourage your engineering team to attend!

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Best Practices for Events • Think long term: Build your brand• When hosting: make events low pressure, have a draw,

teach your guests something• Show excitement for your team and your company

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Interviewing Best Practices

Define and streamline the interview process Maintain consistency Garner a sense of urgency

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Sell Your Company

• How does your company differentiate itself in the market?

• What are the short- and long-term opportunities available for someone joining your company in this role?

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Ideal Interview Process

• Recruiter phone screen• Gather motivations, compensation expectations, and an

overview of experience• Hiring manager phone screen

• Deeper discussion into the candidate’s experience, skills, and the role

• Full interview loop• The candidate will meet with all stakeholders and complete a

technical test (white boarding, code test, etc.)• Interviewers debrief and make a decision• Conduct reference checks• Extend offer

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Compiling a Competitive Job Offer

Refer to discussions you’ve had with the candidate about compensation and their motivations in looking for a new role

Keep other offers and counteroffers top of mind

Be creative if you need to be: Sign-on bonuses, incentivized bonuses, title, etc

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How to Successfully Extend the Offer

Be prepared

Vocalize your excitement

Give a deadline

Keep communication open

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Key Takeaways

• Engage in a proactive, outbound recruiting effort.

• Tailor your messaging to what software engineers are looking for in a new position.

• Maintain a sense of urgency with interviews and offers.

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Contact Us

We’re happy to answer any questions you may have or connect to talk strategy.

Diana MartzDirector of Talentdmartz@openviewlabs.com

Meghan MaherSenior Talent Specialistmmaher@openviewlabs.com

Katy SmigowskiTalent Specialistksmigowski@openviewlabs.com

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Additional Resources

War on Talent Report: The Keys to Recruiting Software Engineers Successfully: http://labs.openviewpartners.com/tag/report/

Talent eBook: How to Build the Talent Factory Your Company Needs to Scale: http://labs.openviewpartners.com/ebook/get-more-talent/

The Recruiter Honeypot:http://www.ewherry.com/2012/06/the-recruiter-honeypot/

OpenView’s Recruiting Blog: http://blog.openviewpartners.com/recruitment-hiring/

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Thank you!

Thank you for joining us today and stay tuned for more Talent Webinars!