Posts tagged "recruit"

The Recruiters Guide to Front-End Developers

Today, we live in a world where technology is being incorporated into almost every aspect of living. With the increase in the use of technology is also a corresponding increase in the demand for talents in the field. Among these well-sought IT talents are front-end developers.

Front-End developers are those software developers who work mainly on the Graphical User Interface (GUI) of an application or website. Their job is to ensure that the website or app has a readable layout that anyone can see and easily interact with at any time.

Understanding how important the role of the front-end developers is, to the overall success of the app or website, it is vital that only those with the adequate skills are brought-in for hire. How then are recruiters to know and be certain of the quality of front-end developers they are hiring? Contained in this article are helpful tips to provide adequate answers to this question.

  • Check for their Technical Skills

A front-end developer should be well conversant with programming languages and frameworks including; HTML/HTML 5, CSS/CSS3, JavaScript, AJAX, XML and have Responsive design. Also, you should look out for certain terms such as;

  • UX (User Experience) and UI (User Interface) which both play an increasingly vital role in the development of any application
  • Visual (including; Visual Studio, Visual C++, and Visual C#)
  • API (Application Programming Interface) which indicates the specific purpose of an application as well as the platform on which it will operate (e.g. mobile phone, desktop computer or tablet)

Ability to effectively work with these tools will increase his/her chances of doing excellent jobs.

  • Creativity

As the one responsible for the graphical interface through which users of an app or website can explore its content, the front-end developer should be creative enough to plan the visual and aesthetic side of web/app development. He/she must be able to make the interface interesting and attractive and at the same time, keep it simple enough for easy understanding and navigation.

  • Be aware of the Challenges they face

After understanding the responsibilities of front-end developers which include; ensuring the website is well accessible on all devices and browsers, looks good on all devices, loads quickly and works well, it is equally important to know the challenges they encounter. These challenges may include; Relearning CSS the right way, what to test, how to test and how to use Bootstrap. Understanding these will help you to be able to better gauge your expectations from them and know the assistance they need per time.

  • Know what makes them Enthusiastic about Work

Front-End developers want to work for someone who values the aesthetics of a website or application as much as they do and gives them opportunities to dive deeper into web 2.0 concepts which include carousels, fly-outs, overlays, and drop-downs. By understanding this and providing the necessary opportunities, you increase your chances of getting them for hire.

By considering and putting the given suggestions to practice, recruiters can be better assured of hiring the appropriate and well-qualified front-end developers needed for their IT jobs.

 

Tactics for Recruiting IT Talent in a Tight Job Market

One cannot deny the fact that the IT talent market today, is under great strain. Demand is increasing while supply is static at best. This fact is well captured in a statement made by Michael Kohlman, infrastructure Systems manager for a global life sciences company, Cook Group Inc.; “The talent market is tightening up. It’s getting back to the point where IT professionals with good backgrounds can more easily find a job.” The demand for IT talent is strong because shifting economic cycles often generate strategy changes inside companies that can lead to the creation of new jobs.

If your company is racing to uncover hard to find IT talent, you’ll need to possess the right recruiting tools – tools that leave no stone unturned. Your first sourcing priority is to find candidates conversant in both business and technology. Below are some important and helpful suggestions on how to possess and use the right tools and tactics for getting and recruiting your desired number of IT workers.

Promote your IT Organization

It is important that you put in much effort in promoting the reputation of your company. This will make recruiting easier, as the potential employees and candidates will become already aware of the culture of your company and more readily open to your job offers.

Recruit from Colleges

Participating in career day activities at career day activities at colleges to drum up interest in IT jobs helps increase the number of potential employees in the field, hence more candidates for hire. Likewise, building relationships with computer science professors who can recommend students for internships and entry-level positions.

Use networks and your employees’ networks

Referrals are ranked as the leading source for new hires. They produce candidates who have already been vetted to some degree and who tend to be a more desired match for organizations than unknown candidates.

Use Contractors

Many IT organizations maintain large pools of contractors that allow them to scale up their resources when business demand for IT is high.  Making use of the services of contractors is one way to get tested people into your organization. However, you have to be careful because self-employed contractors tend to have a different mindset from individuals who prefer to be tied to a company.

Optimize Social Media

This age of social media is one that provides companies with a very wide range of reach, with very limited cost. It is more efficient than other online job boards and enhances good response and quality candidates.

Act promptly

Time is of great essence in getting IT talents (who are limited in number in the job market). It is very essential that you guard against slow and disorganized recruiting functions in order to quickly get the attention of the IT candidates.

So, are you a CIO constantly faced with the challenge of getting and recruiting IT talents in the job market? Consider the above-mentioned tactics, put them to effective use and this challenge will become a thing of the past.

 

 

How Your Business Can Assess IT Candidate Skills

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.