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> Joel’s model assumes that “great” developers are sticky – that they stay at each job for a long time. The author is missing a fundamental piece here. It's NO
by caseysoftware 10y ago
> Joel’s model assumes that “great” developers are sticky – that they stay at each job for a long time.
The author is missing a fundamental piece here. It's NOT that the "great" developers will stay at the same job for a long time or that the company is great at recognizing them. It's that their friends, colleagues, etc will recognize them and bring them along.
When you take a new job (at any level) at a company you like doing what you like, you will want to work with great people. Some will already be there but most likely you'll have the opportunity to refer people in.. and you'll go back to the people who you already know are "great" by whatever understanding you have.
If you make a compelling offer hitting the right points - money, flexibility, opportunity, etc, etc - then you'll get the person even though they were never "on the market" in the traditional sense and almost definitely didn't have to send a resume and "apply" in the normal sense of the word.
- tptacek 10y agoThis is also bad for teams. The premise of network hiring is that when one member of a strong team leaves, they'll bring the best of the team with them. Hiring managers seem to appreciate the aspect of this that means they can bring multiple good people on at once, without appreciating the obvious implication staring them in the face: when one of those people leaves THEIR team, they're going to strip a big chunk of the team out with them. Network hiring creates brittle cultures. It's probably the most popular "alternative" to conventional hiring pipelines, and it's just as bad!
- AtheistOfFail 10y agoNetworking hiring works great if your company is good and you treat your people well. On the flip side, if your culture is to burn people until they exit, you'll find one person quitting and taking six along with them... and it won't be the worst performers.
- ambicapter 10y agoYou don't have to be bad for a networking hire to leave. They just need to find another, better opportunity.
- user5994461 10y agoCorrection: They need to find a significantly better opportunity. People don't change jobs for slightly better. It's too much risk and hassle. Funfact: We're literally in a thread talking about how terrible are job interviews.
- tptacek 10y agoFunfact: we're talking about people who get to switch jobs without taking interviews, because most companies have fast tracks for elite candidates.
- user5994461 10y agoFunfact: We're in a thread talking about how terrible companies are at assessing candidates... and you say that companies have special tracks for elites candidates, even though they are not able to identify elites candidates in the first place. :D
- tptacek 10y agoYep.
- Noseshine 10y agoIt may also create micro-groups of people who already know each other (old boys' club). Whether that's a problem depends, but it can be a problem.