It\u2019s no secret that attracting, developing, and retaining top engineering talent is one of the most significant challenges faced by employers in the industry, and whilst it\u2019s historically been a demanding process for acquisition and development teams alike, the effects of Covid have inflated issues even further.<\/p>\n
\u200bWith teams having to take a multi-strand approach to solving this huge issue, we at La Fosse facilitated a roundtable event to explore some of the outside-of-the-box thinking that\u2019s being adopted by businesses across the board. We heard from a diverse range of engineering leaders on the different mindsets and methods they\u2019ve embedded within their businesses, which we\u2019ve summarised and shared here.<\/p>\n
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\u200bSome candidates want to work with the latest technology, and there are a few older languages that simply aren\u2019t as appealing. If you\u2019re not able to offer cutting-edge codebases, then you need to demonstrate more depth; re-frame roles to focus on the complex problems you\u2019re solving, the encouragement of creativity, and innovation within your engineering practices. Alternatively, many junior candidates are just excited to get a foot in the door, so tailoring job postings that reflect those differences is important.<\/p>\n
\u200bThe need to retain tech talent during the pandemic resulted in massive salary inflation for those who could afford to pay it; for those who couldn\u2019t, many employees were rewarded with title changes instead. Unfortunately, this now means that some candidates may not have the skills or experience reflected in those titles, which can result in expensive mis-hires or difficulty in agreeing the level that new starters come in at. Roles are not always aligned from business to business, so it can be challenging for talent to make a sideways or upwards step, which is generally what candidates are looking for in a next role.<\/p>\n
\u200bWhen you\u2019re screening candidates, ability can be a very seductive element, but attitude and approach are much more important in the long run. You can teach new skills, but you can\u2019t teach attitude. Identify the key characteristics you want for your team \u2013 entrepreneurial mindsets, career accelerators, and future leaders\u2013and establish these first before looking at technical competency. Don\u2019t overlook what can be known as \u2018deep generalists\u2019 \u2013 great people who have multiple skills in different areas rather than specific expertise in one language or technology.<\/p>\n
\u200bYour interview panel is a vital part of the process, especially when discussing workplace culture with your candidates. Interviewers hire people who are like themselves (it\u2019s human nature), so you need to ensure diversity, representation, and diversity of thought are considered, and that prospective employees can interact with different people across the business. After the interview stage, get feedback from the most junior panellist first so their opinion isn\u2019t influenced by others.<\/p>\n
\u200bBe open and transparent with your interview feedback, and if you want to bring someone on board then show your enthusiasm. Having the \u201cI want you to work here\u201d conversation with your offered candidates is the starting point to your working relationship and sets the tone for your interactions in the future.<\/p>\n
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\u200bGreat engineers don\u2019t materialise overnight. You need people who will grow and develop with the company, keep up with changes in tech and new skills requirements, and take ownership of their own learning. Guidance here is essential; a young team requires a solid knowledge base to draw from and bringing in seniors who have that depth of technical understanding is key.<\/p>\n
\u200bEngineers who have worked in the company for some time will hold the knowledge base, and if you\u2019re hiring above them then you need to strike a balance between acknowledging the work they do and placing someone who can provide leadership or mentorship. Make it clear as to what skills gap the new hire will be filling, the impact they\u2019ll be making, the responsibilities they\u2019ll have, and how the team can rely on them. If your engineers want to progress, they need to be shown how to do that and be given the opportunity to do so.<\/p>\n
\u200bAre you clear on your employees\u2019 career aspirations? Engineers fundamentally either want to hone their current skills or learn new skills; there are those who want to be experts in a specific language, and those who want knowledge across the board. Remember that vertical growth isn\u2019t everyone\u2019s goal. Your own views from a managerial perspective won\u2019t necessarily reflect their personal ambitions. Take time to have open career conversations with your teams.<\/p>\n
\u200bAn Agile coach can be a great asset \u2013 they sit outside the hierarchy so have an unbiased, unemotional view to see where the gaps are. It\u2019s a different type of nurturing and exploration from an alternative perspective; you\u2019re opening eyes and minds to new opportunities and ways of learning.\u2018Career Scrums\u2019 can also work well, splitting up the wider team into smaller groups of people who can be a sounding board, give support, highlight wins, and embed retrospectives.<\/p>\n
\u200bProgression and performance management are a vital part of your employees\u2019 development journey. Career ladders are one traditional approach that have stood the test of time because people want to grow and be acknowledged, and recognition of this with the ladder system gives people confidence that they\u2019re developing. However, there shouldn\u2019t be levels for levels\u2019 sake \u2013 each step needs to be valuable and reflective of actual progression. It should be a supportive mechanism and not a driving mechanism.<\/p>\n
\u200bReward on the value that someone adds to the people and teams around them. It\u2019s not really about number ratings (which can make people focus on an arbitrary score), it\u2019s about identifying the people who really make an impact and who are an integral part of the team. Collate feedback from their peers to tap into this.<\/p>\n
\u200bAt the beginning of the career journey, 6-month probation can be more successful than 3 months because it gives people the chance to react to feedback and demonstrate they can grow and adapt quickly. Bear in mind that a longer probation period can be demotivating for some people, so ensure open communication with new starters. Be on the lookout for imposter syndrome \u2013 it indicates a sense of humility, but understand where it\u2019s coming from: are they in a toxic environment that makes them feel this way, are they not being recognised properly?<\/p>\n
\u200bCreate an environment where failing isn\u2019t a bad thing – it\u2019s a route to finding a solution. If you enable your engineers to experiment with ideas and try different approaches, the outcome will not only be more creative, but will also materialise quicker because your team won\u2019t be spending large portions of time forecasting and managing failure. Approaches like this demonstrate your trust in your employees, and ultimately create more positive working conditions.<\/p>\n
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\u200bEquating monetary value to the value your employees contribute is hugely important \u2013 you need to keep up with market rates, what each person\u2019s individual worth is to you, and how much your company value has increased because of the work they do. And whilst salaries are the driving factor for some, also recognise that for others, success is about progression, working on exciting projects, or building great working relationships. Establish motivations for the individuals on your team and keep communicating to ensure they\u2019re being met.<\/p>\n
\u200bMental health care and wellbeing are now considered fundamental to the employee experience. The great resignation wasn\u2019t necessarily about specific companies or roles: it was about people being burnt out, wanting recognition of mental ill health, and being more open about improving work\/life balance. Employers need to provide support and facilitate regular, authentic check-ins with their teams.<\/p>\n
\u200bEveryone cannot be a fit for your business, and attrition isn\u2019t always a bad thing. The company, teams, and individual people will change over time: people\u2019s priorities shift, values evolve, they reach different milestones, wants, and needs in their own lives. If something isn\u2019t working, you need to have that open relationship from both sides to be able to say, \u201csomething needs to change\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u200bBe transparent and honest about what the career journey looks like. If you\u2019re starting a period of transition that\u2019s going to be challenging, you need to let people know. Not everyone will want to be part of it (and that\u2019s fine), but if you don\u2019t make it clear that the next stretch is going to be tough, then people will leave, and it won\u2019t be a positive exit.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u2018Retaining\u2019 is not just about people, it\u2019s also about knowledge retention. Code is written and understood by specific people, and if those people leave then that knowledge can be lost too. You need to make sure that knowledge exchange and handover is part of your \u2018people exit strategy\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u200bLearn how to be good at losing employees. You want people to feel that they\u2019ve spent their time well, that they\u2019re leaving with more skills and knowledge than when they joined. Your alumni are an asset if you treat them well \u2013 if they go on to create great companies or teams or products, then what better accolade for your company to have been a part of their success story.<\/p>\n
\u200bTo find out more about attracting, developing, and retaining top software engineering talent<\/a>, or for support with your own candidate search, contact William.Rollings@lafosse.com<\/a>. View our upcoming events<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u200bInterested in reading more? Check out:<\/p>\n It\u2019s no secret that attracting, developing, and retaining top engineering talent is one of the most significant challenges faced by employers in the industry, and whilst it\u2019s historically been a demanding process for acquisition and development teams alike, the effects of Covid have inflated issues even further. \u200bWith teams having to take a multi-strand approach<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54189,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[687,663,684],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attracting-and-retaining-and-developing-talent","category-hiring","category-scaling-and-performance"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n