Are you tired of not having enough input from your developers and engineers when it comes to new hires for their team? You aren’t alone. But a problem shared is a problem halved, so it’s important to make sure you’re on the same page. Once you’ve cracked that, they’ll be first in line to help – like any good friend.
There’s a good chance you’ve shouldered the pressure of finding tech talent to keep up with your CTO’s roadmap. The lead developer or engineer gets halfway into a project, finds out they need more people, and then looks to you to help get hands on deck. But you shouldn’t shoulder that pressure alone. It takes more than one team to work together and hit business goals.
In The Trenches
Given the ‘war for talent’, there are real pressures that HR managers face when tackling the ever-present task of hiring developers. You’ve got your own targets to hit, wider business goals to achieve, and likely your own pride in your work to contend with. Unfortunately, sometimes, you have to battle against your own teams first, if you want to be victorious.
When your lead dev realizes they don’t have enough resources to get a project finished on time, they’ll start asking you to recruit. This, for many HR managers, is a dreaded moment, because they worry about what might come next. Namely, not enough information on the type of candidate that is needed, difficulty finding room in the lead dev’s calendar for interviews, and no dedicated time to train and onboard new starters from the dev team at large.
But, as an HR manager, you need to remember that to make this stuff work, you have to recognize the pressure the devs are under, and help them to help you. Don’t fight fire with fire. It is, after all, about expectation management. That’s the way to break the recruitment deadlock.
The Way Out
While each business is going to be different, setting out your stall at the beginning of a recruitment drive is the only way to recruit effectively. You need technical input from your lead developer or engineer, and you need their time in assessing culture fit and candidate aptitude. Without these things, you’re likely to hire the wrong person. In fact, it’s quite possible that this has actually happened to you before. As much of a shame as that is, use it to fuel better hires in the future.
Make friends with your developers, and remind them about the last time you made a hire without enough input. It’s not about highlighting the failure of any particular candidate, but making light of previous mistakes is a great way to bond. Bring up things you can do better – make the whole process collaborative.
At the end of the day, your business wants you and other teams to do what you’re paid to and achieve the goals they set out. You’ll never get anywhere fighting with your colleagues. Get them on side, and become their favorite person by showing them you understand the pressure they’re under, and that if you work together, you can help deliver change, making each other better in the process.
Need a friend in recruitment? Reach out to HirePort, we’re always here for a chat.
