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This, exactly. I keep reading about this huge shortage of qualified developers, but I've now met enough talented developers looking for work -- who are reliabl
by jnbiche 15y ago
This, exactly. I keep reading about this huge shortage of qualified developers, but I've now met enough talented developers looking for work -- who are reliable and talented, and not assholes, that I know that the standard line about a talent shortage can't be true. Perhaps it's an issue in and around the Valley, but it's not in most of the rest of the country. If you're having trouble hiring in the US outside of SF, then you probably either:
1) Fail to realize that good programmers know about programming in general, and that this knowledge easily transfers from one language or technology to another. If you're looking for an X programmer with Y years experience in Z technology, then good luck with that!
2) Conduct your actual hiring process wrong, as described in this blog post. All these companies ask for "rock star" developers, yet when they actually get one to an interview, they spend all their time running them through one whiteboard exercise after another, instead of asking about all their amazing projects.
Unfortunately, I know I'm preaching the the choir here. I wish this kind of blog post could reach the eyes of HR people and/or hiring managers. Perhaps it could change some minds.
- wyclif 15y ago"There's no shortage of smart, hardworking engineers. There's a shortage of smart, hardworking engineers willing to work for very little money." ~ David "Pardo" Keppel If you're having trouble hiring, it's probably because you're not paying enough. It turns out that talented people are worth paying a lot for.
- RandallBrown 15y agoIt's not that people are having trouble with people accepting offers. They're never getting to that point because they don't think anyone is qualified.
- wyclif 15y agoI'm simply pointing out that the oft-heard complaint from the other side of the table is flawed. I very often hear startups complaining of talent shortages. This is false.
- droithomme 15y agoThat assumes that people smart enough to meet their standards aren't smart enough to look up salary surveys that show whether the company pays market rate before bothering to apply.
- jnbiche 15y agoYes, absolutely. I forgot to list the very important third reason, which you mention here.
- rurounijones 15y ago"There's no shortage of smart, hardworking engineers. There's a shortage of smart, hardworking engineers willing to work for the kind of money we would pay if we just outsourced it to a cheap country" ~ Company CEO