Posts tagged "IT skills"

How to Hire the Perfect Junior Developer

May 16, 2019 Comments Off Roxana read

Often time, the manager of a software development team makes the mistake of seeking qualified individual outside the organization body to fit into a sensitive group like support, customer service department, project management department, administrative department and so on.

They do this by investing so much a time that could have been ventured into staff development of individuals within his team who shows a ready mind to learn and passion for career advancement.

The conventional method of recruiting a new member into your team can be a good idea but the time imputed into the process of portfolio check and documents assessment could also be used in training these new recruits within their department into becoming productive junior developers.

This idea of seeking and Recruiting Readymade developers to perfectly fit into your organization can be so frustrating when these new recruits exhibit very poor customer services, full of complaints, a questionable personality and unnecessary concern over members view.

While software developers within your team are already acquitted with so much activity that has kept your organization in good shape. Therefore, appropriate grooming of these onboard developers in other facets could enhance greater performance you need.

Coding languages are easier to learn than customer empathy and product insight.

Another excellent method that the software development manager uses in driving his team to proficiency and growth is looking out for potential individual within his team or organization who shows interest in coding and ready to learn.

Most of the non-technical staff of your organization may have the intellectual substance of becoming a great developer. All they need is training and practice because these set of talented individuals already know about your product, have grounded experience in maintaining a unique customer service relation and also know about customer regular demands and so on.

Resisting the resistance to hiring outside of traditionally trained engineers

There is a general belief that engineers are extremely introverts, not a customer kind of people. This mindset requires that in choosing or selecting a potential developer in other departments, you must be sure to train them to become good developers and/or technicians.

This might be right so that your team could comprise skilled individuals to help drive your organization forward. These traditionally trained engineers are quickly detected due to their excellent customer services and productivity. So hiring from these set of trained individuals will improve the team performance and customer relations.

Onboarding new hires who are already on board

To afford countless benefits as a software development team manager, exhibit or practice internal recruiting system. This is because the level of the connection and understanding between various departments is a very good catalyst for rapid growth.

Therefore, the experienced manager knows from the outset that recruiting from those already onboard is better compared to hiring a new set of developers outside the team. Those who practice external recruitment are faced with personality clash of employees, series of uncontrollable insubordination and lack of proper customer services at the early stage.

To avoid these experiences require you to practice more of internal recruitment of employees than external recruitment.

Another benefit you can derive from onboard hiring is a rapid growth of your organization due to the open-mindedness of your team members, improved customer service relation, empathy, customer concern and honesty among members of your team.

Customized training to make Job-ready junior developers

When you consider and compare the cost of finding and hiring developers outside your organization to training your employees along with a specific language or framework, you will know why it is so important to up-skilling your team.

Many of these potential developers might not even know how to become one but your system of training will help shape them into what will transform your organization for good.

To further save you the stress of reviewing numerous portfolios online in the search of qualified individuals and reduce time wastage in looking out for talented people when career pathed of your team members cost almost nothing than training them, it is best suggested to train your developers along that needed framework to move your team forward.

Employer

Tech Recruiting: Hire for Fit, Train for Skills

May 14, 2019 Comments Off Roxana read

Being a hiring manager in a tech firm can be very challenging. Virtually none of the candidates who applied to fill a certain role has the perfect blend of skills required for that role, to the extreme perplexity and frustration of hiring managers. For example, you can post a vacancy for the post of say, JavaScript Developer, and then not quite long after, you have already received a plethora of applications on your desk. There is nothing bad in this; in fact, you will be excited to go through the ‘interesting applications’ if you are a rookie hiring manager. But then you begin to go through the applications, you look at the CV of the applicants and then your headache begins; it is possible to have a seasoned candidate who has undertaken a lot of projects but is not conversant with the latest technologies. Another candidate is a master of JavaScript but does not have an academic qualification, and so on. Where one candidate is lacking competency, he makes up for it in other areas. As a hiring manager, you are in a dilemma – technical skills are essential, but how would you get the perfect candidates to suit the specific tasks you are hiring them for?

Fortunately, there are a number of methods to vet a candidate and verify their suitability for a job. These methods include:

Asking the candidate to provide their portfolio.
Giving them a programming problem to solve.
Request them to physically come for a programming exercise together with another program.

For what reason do these methods work for several firms who follow them? All things considered, investigate the main reasons employees do not do well in their roles. Obviously, specialized fitness can be a central reason. However, as a rule, chiefs battle with workers that are creating a ruckus due to their poor relational abilities, no longing to team up, or an absence of responsibility. Delicate abilities are hard to prepare for. You either have them or you don’t.

To ensure that a candidate fits your company, you should begin by asking questions that align with your core values. Do ensure to make the interview a conversational one, and not an interrogation. Based on some core values, these are some of the questions you could ask:

Individual Accountability – ask whether there had been a time when the candidate committed an error.

Team Work – try to inquire if the candidate has ever taught a colleague a skill before. Ask the candidate to expatiate on this.

Understudy Focus – Has the candidate at any point failed to adhere to a deadline due to the client not being satisfied with something in their work?

Work-Life Integration – they could describe how an effective day looks like to them.

People-Centered Design – try to see how the candidate would describe a technical concept to a non-specialized client

Fiercely Competitive Nature – What tech aptitudes would they be possibly keen on learning apart from the current skills they possess?

It is just not good for you to ignore potential fit issue just because the candidate has top-notch technical skills. And while it is important that a candidate has the skills required to execute projects, it is equally important, if not more important, to engage the services of a worker who fits into the company.

Employer

Pressing Need for Cybersecurity Specialists on the Market

January 31, 2019 Comments Off Roxana read

Cybersecurity is threatened not only by hackers and outside sources but also by the lack of talents on the market. Skilled professionals are in great demand according to a study conducted by the Capgemini Digital Transformation Institute.

Currently, companies who employ such specialists are in dire straits. 68% of them are looking to recruit talents that are not available since the gap between supply and demand has reached a score of 25%.

The senior executive of Deloitte and a recent graduate of a master’s programme in cybersecurity, has pointed out through her study, that by the year 2022 we will suffer a 1.8 million shortage in this particular area of expertise.

Is there a solution to closing the gap?

The first step consists of stimulating and attracting young talents to pursue a career in cybersecurity. This entails the following:

Coming up with creative and forward-thinking strategies of attracting talent
Build a story around the organization and work environment in the field
Target groups and hotspots of already trained professionals
Creating talent from within the company

The second step consists of efficient retention of current professionals. Ideas on how to improve the process include:

Creating goals and motivation for them to advance in their expertise
Coming up with a career plan system to help specialists grasp a better picture of their professional future
Promote an unbiased acceptance environment for all genders and orientations
Make tasks more challenging and entertaining to maintain enthusiasm by automating the dull ones

Closing the gap is not realistic, but bridging it can be an effective and progressive approach. The Human Capital Agenda for Cyber Security strongly encourage active collaboration among organizations in this sector.

Active involvement and collaboration could take the form of:

Providing controlled training in many sections of cybersecurity. Access to education can open up opportunities for young talents who would otherwise choose differently.
Facilitating access to extensive career plans that would emphasis on long-term benefits, quality of life, income and the sense of belonging in a close community
Promoting cybersecurity as a viable option for future talents and young professionals
Creating support groups and skill sharing communities among professionals to widen their expertise
Attracting students through events, competitions, and challenges like hackathons
Leading conferences and events to provide role models in the field and sharing stories on professional paths
Expanding beyond universities and college degrees to people of diverse backgrounds who may have the abilities to learn and excel in the cybersecurity sector

It would be a shame to leave untapped potential dormant while the market is suffering a major deficit.

Employer

Hiring In Tech: Potential Over Experience

January 17, 2019 Comments Off Roxana read

Every growing and advancing company seeks to recruit additional staff to handle and further their growth. In that light, companies usually seek the best minds and hands in the fields they intend to hire from. One such field is that of Tech; in which likely recruits fall into the categories of either those with experience in the industry or those with little/no experience but with potentials.

During the recruitment process, employers are usually faced with the question of whether to choose someone with experience over one with potentials or to do otherwise. This choice, of course, isn’t a straight forward one, as both categories of likely recruits each have their advantages and their drawbacks, and depends on what the company values most at the point of recruitment. But then, we will look into why tech companies should choose potential over experience.

Companies spend a lot of resources in order to get top talent for hire and have always favored those with experience. The reason for this isn’t far-fetched, as many think it is obvious that those with experience in the field will be able to handle more tasks and challenges and thus, are better suited for the job. But this approach no longer serves the best interest in today’s job market, as experience is not everything.

Potential is the capacity to develop into something great and everyone in the tech space will understand that jobs in this field are very competitive and need to be creative and innovative in order to stand out. These key areas of innovation and creativity are better handled by recruits with little experience but high potential than the experienced folks.

Also in the tech industry is the need for flexibility, adaptability to change, and diversity. These qualities are better found in recruits who have high potentials, as they are more willing to explore new options in the field; which is relatively new to them. This enables them to be able to effectively function and succeed not only in their current roles but also in sideways or upward roles within the company.

As mentioned earlier, hiring for experience definitely has its own benefits, as companies who recruit them can expect fewer errors in jobs, and better character and hindsight. But for a tech company whose main drive is insight and innovation, it is more advisable to go for the ones with potential over those with experience.

Sure enough, recruits with just potentials and little or no experience will have their own drawbacks, but with adequate support and training will be able to continuously improve over time. All the companies need to do is capitalize on the curiosity, motivation, and determination of these recruits to help them learn as much as they can. With this approach, the employers will be able to better understand them over time and give them more appropriate roles where they can function best.

Having said all that we have, we can confidently conclude that for long-term investment and future growth of tech companies, the choice of potential over experience in hiring is the way to go!

Employer

What’s Really Fueling the War for Tech Talent

January 15, 2019 Comments Off Roxana read

Without a doubt, any careful observer in the tech industry will easily notice what can be rightly called a war for top tech talents. The signs are quite obvious and clearly seen from how much companies battle fiercely to win top tech candidates to their sides, not minding the higher salaries they might have to offer them with additional incentives. The basis behind this is not hidden, and the economical law that backs up this observed phenomenon is simply that of demand and supply:

John Reed, a senior executive director of IT staffing firm Robert Half Technology explained that the continued investment of companies in tech has created an increase in the demand for tech professionals, however, the number of people who chose the field of tech is not increasing, leading to a “supply-demand imbalance.”

However, in the midst of this seeming “scarcity” of tech talents, a tech job-listing website, Dice.com claimed that the scarcity of good tech brains might have been over exaggerated by some companies. This is supported by comments from some other tech recruitment executives such as Tony Martin (Vice President, Recruitment Process Outsourcing) who believes that many companies are not doing their best to attract the best talents which are available, and he expressed the view that a smart way to recruit great employees is by looking at the skills available in the market and looking into ways to apply these needs to meet the specific needs of the company rather than matching a set of skills with job requirements.

Another challenge which might have been responsible for this “tech-talent-scarcity” could also be from the part of employers’ branding which could be inappropriate or unenticing to the prospective employees. This is a marketing problem from tech companies and it boils down to their branding. Funny enough, when people think about tech and its employees, they already have in mind a biased mindset that the employee must be within a particular age-range which is not always advantageous as many times, the desired tech talent wanted might not be in that category being specified, hence it could be seen more like a case of looking into the east when the answer lies idle right in the west. What this could translate to for the employer is to brand the company in a much better way and allow prospective employees know that the company stands for and what they stand to gain by working with the company, and also, the goals and objectives which they are going to fit into work with.

Yet, often left undiscovered in the cause of this war in the tech-talent hunt is the fact the company sometimes have workers leave their work easily while the company is looking for new talents. Many times, the talent being sought for outside a workplace might in the real sense be present at the workplace, and only needs to be identified, hence, there is a need to sometimes consider existing workers when tech-job opportunities open up.

Therefore, it is necessary for employers to look in the right directions when looking for their tech talents and not forget to be proactive and act smart. Also, it is essential to ignore biases and sometimes consider already available talents who might only need to be brushed up with training to meet the job requirements.

Developer

List of Java Application Developer Responsibilities and Skills

November 14, 2018 Comments Off Roxana read

Java is a very powerful general-purpose computer programming language that lets application developers “write once, run anywhere” (meaning once they code in Java, they can run the applications on almost any platform). It is a very versatile software and one of the most popular in use, particularly for client-server web applications, with a reported 9 million developers. The wide use of this software has thus, necessitated a high demand in the services of Java Application Developers.

Java application developers are programmers who design, develop and integrate Java into business applications, websites, and softwares. These are the people who make Java Programming Services possible. Mentioned below are a few of these Programming Services:

Custom Applications
Mobile Applications
Interactive Websites
Android Applications
Software Tools
E-commerce Applications
Enterprise Applications
Cloud Applications

Responsibilities of Java Application Developers

The roles and responsibilities of Java Application Developers are very crucial in the companies and organizations where they work and therefore it is essential that they are made specific and clear. Among these responsibilities are;

Writing well designed, testable and efficient Java applications.
Ensuring designs are in compliance with specifications.
Developing a technical layout and design for the software applications.
Preparing and producing releases of Software components.
Identifying the application issues both in production and non-production ecosystems.
Participating in Software and Architectural development activities.
Recommending changes to improve established Java application processes.
Conducting software analysis, programming, testing and debugging.
Managing Java application development framework and environments.
Investigating alternatives and technologies.

Essential Skills needed by Java Application Developers

In order to successfully and efficiently perform their required roles and duties, it is necessary that Java App developers be very knowledgeable about the use of the following software development tools:

Oracle database SQL and JDBC

They should have adequate knowledge of Oracle SQL, relational, and ORM.

Java XML Parsing, Coding

They should be strong at Java XML parsing and coding.

Enterprise Java Bean (EJB)

They should have a strong knowledge of the Enterprise Java Bean environment.

J2EE Framework

They should have a strong command over Java J2EE framework.

I Text for RTF Generation

They should have a comprehensive understanding of the use of I Text for RTF generation.

Java-based web services

They should be well knowledgeable about web services based on Java technology.

Java Servlet Technology

They should have deep knowledge of Java Servlet and Applets.

Object Oriented Analysis and Design

They should have adequate knowledge of object-oriented programming (OOP).

Perl and Python

They should properly understand the use of Python, Perl, JavaScript and other platforms as an added advantage.

Linux/Unix Windows Platform and Solaris

They should have essential knowledge of Linux, Sun Solar System, Windows, and other operating systems.

In addition to all these skills, it is necessary that a Java developer possess certain qualities that will enable him/her to tackle the challenges of this job, which include learning new programming languages and effective problem-solving.

Employer

Soft Skills Your Software Developers Need to Survive in e-Commerce

November 1, 2018 Comments Off Roxana read

Ability to efficiently structure codes using programming languages understand algorithms and data structures, master a development platform, source control or debug are all technical skills that will make a software developer relevant enough to be hired. But what will keep the developer in the company and help advance his career is the soft skills he possesses.

Soft skills are a combination of people, social and communication skills, character traits, attitudes and emotional intelligence quotients among others that enable people to navigate their environment, effectively work with others and achieve their goals with complementing technical skills. They are must-haves for any developer who intends to remain and continuously advance in his field for a long time.

Contained in this article are some helpful suggestions on the essential soft skills that a software developer needs in order to not only survive but as well thrive in the e-commerce industry.

Excellent and Effective Communication skills

Communication involves listening, clarifying, empathy and conflict-resolution in order for information to be well exchanged between people. It is a vital people skill that will enable software developers to work effectively and be able to easily collaborate with others in the organization. Along with the need for verbal skills is also the need for a software developer to be able to write well because this is needed right from the inception of a project to its completion.

Flexibility and Adaptability

Software developers will definitely encounter a lot of new challenges requiring solutions. Solving these problems will largely depend on their ability to think creatively, innovatively and improvise. When they are able to adapt and incorporate new ideas, then they’ll be able to solve almost all challenges pertaining to their job.

Life-long learning

The IT industry is a fast-evolving one with new ideas becoming quickly obsolete. Thus, developers must be open to continuous learning and updating of their skills in order to remain relevant and valuable to your company.

Integrity and Promptness

These are exceptional virtues required of every worker in any field. When software developers finish up your jobs before deadlines and do they say, they become more trustworthy and reliable in the company.

Taking Initiative

Learning to make sound decisions in the company and to function as a project manager, team leader and team member will help fast-track the progress of any software developer. Also, developers should learn to offer help, support, and mentorship to their co-workers when they have the ability and skills to do so.

Humility

The ability of a software developer to set aside ego, take criticism and learn from mistakes is very essential in enabling them to work in teams and continuously improve at their job.

Hard Work, Persistence and Meticulousness

Hard work and persistence are the basis for achieving anything worthwhile in life. Jobs in an IT company will come with their various challenges, but by applying focus, dedication, and intensity to them, developers can be assured of success in the long run. Also, by being meticulous and paying intent attention to detail, developers will stand out for excellence.

Employer

How Your Business Can Assess IT Candidate Skills

October 23, 2018 Comments Off Roxana read

In seeking jobs, many potential employees put out information about their qualifications that can be quite exaggerated. This act is likewise performed by those seeking jobs in IT companies. It is therefore imperative that IT companies master the art of hiring people and adequately assessing their skills in order to get the very best of candidates.

For any new recruit to fit into your IT corporation and be productive, they need to possess soft skills. While resumes may sound impressive, assessing a job seeker for soft skills plays a key role in promoting effectiveness in an IT company’s hiring process. This fact is well captured in a statement made by John Reed, executive director of Robert Half Technology, Menlo Park, California; “Companies want computer programmers who can go to meetings, gather information and talk about what clients want to accomplish. Written and verbal skills are at a premium.”

The challenges of hiring the best suitable candidates grow exponentially for small and medium-size companies that don’t have on-staff IT experts to help assess candidates’ skill sets. Fortunately, workarounds exist to help even the most IT challenged companies to find the right hybrid professionals. Below are some helpful suggestions on how to assess the skills of potential employees in your IT company.

Decide what is most important in your Resume search

When looking for hybrid professionals (i.e. those conversant in both business and technology) to hire, you’re likely going to have to focus in one direction or another. It is therefore very important that you decide which is more important in your open position – the MBA or the tech knowledge – and then pick carefully as you search resumes to attract top talent. This helps you to be clear enough on choosing the perfect candidate to fit in the position.

Be very specific during the interview process

Once you’ve narrowed your list of potential employees, your next aim is to get as much detailed information about their experience as you can. Ask detailed interview questions about prior positions, focusing on how they split their time between technical and business tasks.

Check for presentation, communication, and social skills

It is important that you look out for the ability of your job candidates to effectively make presentations, communicate and properly interact with other members of staff in the company.

Trust, but Verify IT skills

Be sure to have a tech person on your staff to do a technical evaluation of the IT skills of your potential employees. If you don’t have the staff to vet job candidates, you can employ the services of Testing companies like Brainbench, ReviewNet Services, and eSkill Corporation.

Hire someone who is experienced

Choose a candidate who has a proven performance record of accomplishing the task you need done and be careful enough not to be too hasty in order not to hire incompetent candidates.

By taking note of the above-given suggestions and putting them to practice, IT companies can be certain of being able to rightly and effectively assess the skills of candidates seeking employment from them and getting the very best of those candidates.