Posts tagged "staffing agency"

All You Need to Know About Recruiting Machine Learning Talent

In recent years, AI technology has become a necessary part of many businesses and in the years to come, it’s only going to become more popular. Regardless of the size of the company, more and more are now in need of an AI specialist.

Recruiting such a specialist is difficult when you have to compete with top brand tech giants such as Google and Microsoft. It’s impossible for smaller or even medium-sized companies to offer the same salaries and opportunities as AI specialists working for Amazon, for example. Amazon invests the most in AI and machine learning hiring, an average of $227.8 million per year.  Google spends considerably less, however, the average is still $130.1 million.

There is no need to despair. Even if your budget is a fraction of Amazon’s there are still some things you can do to increase your chances of finding the perfect AI specialist.

Emphasis On Experience When Recruiting

AI and ML (machine learning) specialists will have various levels of experience. You need your hiring strategy to include a specialist with the level of experience that meets your project’s needs. On top of that, you need to look in the right place for this type of experience.

If you are looking for a junior AI candidate, you should focus your search on universities, training programs, hackathons, and meetups. Those with more experience ready to fill a senior role can be found by networking and researching academic papers.

Understand What You Need

As with any position you need to fill, you need to have a clear understanding of what you are looking for. Machine learning roles will require a strong background in math and statistics. If you are recruiting for a senior role, you may want someone with a Ph.D. in these fields. These skills are fundamental in problem-solving and identifying the best algorithms for a certain problem.

Another good skill your candidate should have is curiosity, a need to investigate things. This will go a long way when it comes to facing unclear problems. A strong candidate will be able to understand data and quickly catch on to the new concepts of AI and ML, as this field advances very quickly. Many also find it’s beneficial to have someone who s genuinely enthusiastic about their job and the company.

Show That You Have Opportunities Their Current Job Doesn’t Have

Nowadays, people’s priorities are changing and it’s not always about the highest salary. If you want to attract a high-end ML candidate, you are going to have to provide intellectual challenges, a range of problems, expertise in the team, the quality of your brand, and a competitive salary.

If you can’t match the salary of your competitors, try offering other incentives. Flexibility and the ability to work remotely are very attractive to a lot of people.

Offering things that people don’t have but want is an ideal way to attract people who are currently employed and therefore not actively searching for a new job.

Team Up With Universities

This is a case of going straight to the source of machine learning talent. Keeping close contact with local universities allows you to make contact with new recruits before they start looking elsewhere. You could even consider funding school projects.

This method has become very popular and you may find other companies doing the same thing to recruit AI and ML talent. For you to stand out from the rest, make sure your projects, or even competitions, are interesting and engaging.

Contact A Staffing Agency

Recruiting in the IT industry is cut-throat, more so for high-end, experienced AI and ML specialists. Recruiting takes time and money, two things nobody wants to waste.

Recruitment agencies have access to a large talent pool with candidates ready to start straight away. They save you a lot of time by doing much of the paperwork themselves and there is often more flexibility than when you high a candidate.

While recruiting AI and machine learning specialist is certainly a challenge, it’s not impossible. These strategies are some ideas to put into place in order to increase your chances of finding the right candidate for your needs.

Temporary Staffing Solutions: Productivity with Affordability

It is normal for certain job vacancies to remain available for weeks as the hiring manager goes through resumes, conducts interviews and accesses the strengths and weakness of every applicant. However, unless you have employees who can add more workload and maintain maximum efficiency, those empty seats can result in productivity loss. Partnering with a staffing agency can sustain you and likely produce stable staffing solutions while you are searching for a permanent professional to employ during this period of time.

Here are some different situations where provisionary employees can be a crucial component of your firm’s overall recruiting techniques:

A permanent replacement is not needed

In a situation where a staff resigns at a crucial period and cannot be permanently replaced immediately, great firms turn to staffing agencies to hire a temporary worker who is suitable for that vacancy to pick up from where the previous employee left off. The replacement skills and experience are thoroughly accessed to ensure perfect work continuation. The temporary worker works efficiently but can effortlessly be terminated when their services are not further required.

You need help, but you are not ready for a full-time employee

Let us imagine another scenario where, after conducting a series of evaluation of your firm, results show staff shortage that needs to be solved immediately. Permanent staff recruitment seems paramount; however, you are a little apprehensive about permanent recruitment. You can engage temporary professionals on a temp-to-hire basis in order to reinforce the workforce while taking the time to evaluate their abilities as interim workers before committing totally.

Likewise, a good staffing agency will aver to the performance satisfactory of every worker sent ensuring a money-back guarantee that protects the firm in case the professional is not a right fit and also protect the firm from the potential cost of hiring, training and dismissing a permanent worker.

You need a specialist for a short-term project

Another scenario could come in which you are presented with a very vital opportunity that you cannot allow passing. However, it is possible that you do not a worker who has the requisite skill set to efficiently execute the task. What then do you do in this case?

The dynamic employment system of today has ensured that temporary staffing is more probable instead of employing a full-time professional just for completion of a certain project. Bringing in a project specialist with a target experience required will shield the firm from potential expenses of employing, training and dismissing a permanent employee. From relatively brief interludes as vacancies are being filled to long-term projects that require professionals with special skills, a highly rated staffing agency can help meet all your needs.

Conclusion

Obviously, the most important things to consider when hiring to fill a vacancy on a temporary basis are the productivity and affordability of the staff being hired. The advantages of getting in touch with a partnering agency are numerous and it is very certain that you stand to benefit a great deal from doing so.

How Much Does It Really Cost When You Hire the Wrong Developer

Some will be looking at this figure through squinted eyes, but it costs an average of $22,750 to complete the whole hiring process of a developer. Costs include advertising, as well as the time it takes to review curriculums, carry out phone/tech screening and hold interviews. Before you start panicking, think about the return on investment. An excellent developer will increase your production, provide the team with innovating ideas and become a key part of the overall achievement of goals. We are going to take a very realistic look at the costs incurred when a new developer doesn’t turn out the way you had hoped, not just financially, but on the team morale.

Calculating the mistake

In can take anywhere from 6 months to a whole year for a new hire to reach their full productivity. We will e optimistic and use 6 months in our example. A good hire will show an output multiplier (the number used to calculate employee profit) of between 1.875 and 2.5. This works out to mean a new developer earning $80,000/year will make a return of between $150K to $200K in profit.

A bad hire will have an output multiplier of 1 (or less if they are terrible!). This implies that in the 6 months that you have had them on your team they will have cost you $40,000 in salary, in addition, you have to consider the half a year of profits you have missed out on., $75,000 and the $22,750 it cost you in the first place to recruit them. The total figure is around $138,750. But it gets worse.

The Butterfly Effect

When it is time to get rid of a bad hire, it has a negative effect on each and every department. HR needs to start the lengthy recruitment process again, which may involve everyone from engineers to managers. Accountants have to rework budgets to include potential legal fees and severance packages.

Leave the financial cost to one side, and think about what it does to the overall atmosphere in the office. Starting over adds work to various departments which means people aren’t spending time on their tasks, productivity falls and it becomes somewhat difficult to achieve company objectives. Now stakeholders are shifting their opinions of your company. The bad butterfly that flapped its wings may have an effect on the business plan for up to 5 years.

Thinking on the positive

It’s harsh, it really is. But you are the drive behind your business and people will follow your example. The bad hire is gone and it is time to focus on not just a good hire, but now an outstanding developer. The trick is to make sure the whole team ais feeling as positive as you are. You really don’t want your excellent potential developer picking up on negative vibes because your recruitment team is bored with the thought of starting again. Follow hiring advice to the T, that way your new hire may be able to recuperate some of the money previously lost.

Recruitment agencies can help you find and shortlist high-quality candidates. Using a staffing agency will improve the quality of candidates in your recruitment process. As we already mentioned, recruitment agencies keep a pool of experienced candidates who are ready for a career move at a moment’s notice. It means that you will only deal with candidates who are carefully assessed and vetted.

How to Get Better at the Difficult Task of Hiring Programmers

Software developers are now a crucial part of most businesses. To maximize your productivity, you must hire an amazing programmer. A weak programmer won’t only prevent productivity, but it can also slow it down. Other staff members, such as engineers, will need to spend their valuable time training and pick up the slack of the weak developer.

Making sure your programming hire is fantastic will enable your team to continue moving forward and the necessary pace. A programmer needs to be able to learn the ropes quickly, pushing the momentum forward. Since the hiring process will inevitably delay your productivity, there is no time for others, Here are some of the ways the hiring process can have a negative effect on your productivity:

  • A massive number of applicants creates a massive number of candidate reviews
  • A continuous flow of interviews can distract your team
  • Interviews that are not up to scratch will take up valuable time from your engineers
  • If different people are performing the interviews there will be a level of inconsistency, creating unreliable outcomes
  • No doubt you will have to reschedule various other things in order to hire new people. To line up one’s diaries, you may also need to delay interviews

Code assessment, while nothing new, is a practical way to filter out inappropriate candidates and therefore improving the efficiency of your hiring process. Companies like Google use code screening as part of their technical screening. It gives employers the chance to see real-world programming skills or the opportunity to witness a candidate’s thought process. Another option is assessment software, using automated code assessments and pair-programming tools. Assessment software is one of the best ways to spot talented hires, and quickly.

Consider these areas for implementing code assessments:

Pre-Screens

Before your candidates sit down to talk with the engineers, give them a quick coding test. If a candidate can’t handle a fundamental coding task, there is no point in wasting your time, or theirs. You also don’t need your technical team’s input for this, so they can remain focused on their work. It is better for them to be involved once you filtered the potential.

The most important thing is that automated coding assessments allow for consistent pre-screening. It provides standard coding tasks to assess candidates’ skills by automated scores. They can be performed under the supervision f your recruitment team rather than needing your engineers.

In-Depth Assignments

Once your candidate has passed the pre-screening stage, you can raise the bar and give out an in-depth assignment. This assignment can be completed in their own time but it will give them a chance to demonstrate a wider variety of skills and at a higher level. Again, it will be a standard assignment for each candidate, so your results will be consistent.

One option for this type of review is a home-based project. You provide the candidate with a list of requirements for them to finish a project. It is a great method to see how a person handles a real-world code sample. There are some potential downsides. A good candidate might be put off by the time investment they have to make at the interview stage. Also, your development team is going to spend a significant amount of time reviewing the project. This type of project should be used selectively as not to exhaust the interviewer, or scare away good candidates. Those conducting the interview should know the solution. It is also wise to set up a system for everybody involved to track the results.

Alternatively, you can give candidates another automated assessment. It wouldn’t be an entire project, rather, various more in-depth coding assessments. At this stage, you can set targeted challenges to test certain areas that are necessary for your business. From your point of view, this is a way to filter candidates with little effort or time from you.

A comfortable environment is necessary so that your candidates are able to produce the best results they can. From the results, you should be able to see potential talent from just a glance.

Pair-Programming Interviews

By now, you will have used pre-screening and in-depth assessments to narrow your talent pool to the very best. But you probably still need to narrow it down further. It is also probably the stage where your development role needs to step in and add their input.

It is so tempting to try and cut corners in the hiring process in order to save time but each phase is crucial. Some companies even carry out phone screens before interviewees come into the office. This type of screening won’t provide as much information but they are cost-effective. Pair programming while phone screening is an ideal way to examine coding skills without increasing costs. In some cases, they can work so well, you use it instead of an on-site interview.

Pair-programming interviews are real-time live interviews. It is a chance for an engineer to code together with the candidate, working through coding assessments or whiteboarding problems. It is the ideal way for developers to see exactly how a candidate tackles problems.

The Summary

Pre-screening is a great way for companies to filter large numbers of applicants down to quality candidates. From there, in-depth assessments can provide real-world coding assessments and the chance to get a more detailed view of the candidate’s skills. If you want to save time and money, you can try working with a staffing agency. Staffing agencies are an extension of your current HR department. Contracting a staffing agency allows your HR team to focus on the current needs of the department and not have to worry about sifting through hundreds of resumes, updating listings, and scheduling interviews.

 

A Review Of The Staffing Industry

Research Report: Predicting the Future

Forward planning is a major part of any business. If management has the skill to foresee the future of the business, there is a significantly higher chance of success in the long-term. In addition, as staffing agencies expand into other countries, the estimates for the market size of staffing markets will be more important. You need to have a precise figure for the scale of your potential market, this is such an important part of effective management. Staffing Industry Analysts published a report that will help managers and owners understand more.

SIA produces a ‘Global Staffing Industry Market Estimates and Forecast’ twice a year. The report includes estimates and forecasts for the staffing industries based on revenue. The data refers to regional and historical data. There is also a list of the 17 biggest countries per staffing industry revenue.

This report can be used by staffing agencies to rank their performance against others. Investors might also find the report useful in their decision-making process. SIA Corporate and CWS Council members can gain access to the complete report.

The staffing agency industry generated worldwide revenue of 409€ billion, $461 billion, in 2017. This was a 7% increase from the previous year. In order to calculate the statistics, staffing was divided into two categories; the temporary staffing service and the place and search service (direct hire). Out of the 409€ billion, 81% was generated from temporary staffing services. Regarding countries, the US, Japan, and the UK were the three countries that generated the most revenue. Germany, France, and the Netherlands were also countries that contributed significantly to the revenue but not nearly as much as the leading three.

How does this help our understanding of the future? 2018 continued on a similar path as 2017. There was an increase in the staffing agency services of 7%. Unless we witness a huge global economic downturn, we can safely assume that the figures will continue to rise. This will be helped along by a set of programs that will expand the workforce into more countries.

Europe has seen an increase in the staffing markets overall.  Unfortunately, the Brexit has created a cloud of doubt over the UK and the same growth hasn’t been seen. Only a 2% increase is expected for the UK staffing market in 2019.

This strong growth in the staffing market can be put down to a healthy economic backdrop. IMF estimates a 3.9% increase in GDP. Working conditions have to be mentioned. Germany has tightened labor regulations while Italy has seen a labor reform. There are also a number of countries that have a low penetration rate. They have the space to grow and are ready to do so as soon as there is an increase in the staffing market.

One problem we are facing generally in the staffing agency market is the lack of talent. This is not to say that hires from a staffing agency are not capable of doing the job, quite the opposite. But the imbalance in demand and supply can cause a bigger problem. When the labor market is tight, companies turn to staffing agencies to fill their vacancies. The more we use staffing agencies, the quicker the highly skilled agency workers are being snapped up. New talent is hard to find.

The world is getting more complicated and things will become more difficult to predict. The Brexit and trade wars between China and the US are going to have major knock-on effects on the world’s economy. It will be a case of watch this space closely! As for now, remain focused on the high growth in the staffing market, add this into your management strategy so allow company growth in the future.

How Flexible Staffing Solutions Will Boost Your Bottom Line

What is flexible staffing? Do you need it?

Since time immemorial, employers have been hiring on a temporary or permanent basis. However, due to the dynamics of today’s global market and conditions, businesses need to be much more flexible to survive and thrive.

With flexible staffing, businesses can scale their workforce up or down as necessary to meet changing demands. Each company must adopt it to operate and compete favorably in today’s market and boost the bottom line.

Hiring is an intense process which takes time, money and effort.  In cases where there is a sudden expansion of production and a need for quickly hiring trained personnel, the traditional hiring methods may not be successful. This is because there is a high chance that you will hire people who need some form of training before they can be fully functional.

Flexible staffing enables you to hire trained, skilled personnel for as long as you need them. You can keep them for a season or the project duration then hire them permanently. It is also possible to let them go then hire some of them back as demand picks up. Quite a convenient option, right? Listed below are more advantages of flexible staffing

Increased productivity

Whenever you are hiring, you always go to the best people. But hiring is a lengthy process, especially when you are not sure where to find the best talents for the job. The more the people you need and the more specialized the skills required, the longer it will take to hire. In the meantime, productivity drops.

By choosing a flexible staffing solution, you will team up with a staffing agency that will save you all the effort. They have access to skilled labor of all trades and niches, and they know where to find them.  Liberty Staffing is a great agency to work with.

You will get people to fill these roles faster and avoid stalling in the production process. Your business bottom lines will improve.

Low labor costs

Having the people you need when you need them is one of the huddles that flexible staffing helps you over. Rather than hiring then training staff, you get a trained and skilled team that is ready to get in and start working, thus saving you training costs.

The one fear that most companies have is letting go of their staff. Usually, you can’t predict if you’ll need them and if they will be willing to come back when you need them. But with flexible staffing, you hire as is necessary and let them go with the guarantee of having them again as needs dictate.

The convenience of flexible staffing need not be overlooked. With the current trend in the global market, it is a resort to be considered and adopted by businesses for active and competitive operation.

Signs That You Might Be in Need of a Staffing Agency

Employers from all types of industries can benefit from a Staffing Agency, regardless of the size of the business. Perhaps you are looking for just one employee, a team of employees or a specific set of skills that you are currently missing. Staffing Agencies are experts in finding the right employee for you.

In your mind, you might not need a staffing agency or that there are alternative ways to hire new staff. It could even be that you aren’t used to hiring temporary staff.

If you think any of the following sounds familiar to you, it might be time to start using a staffing agency.

  1. You have high staff turnover

Hire staff turnover is a time-consuming issue that may occur because of several reasons:

  • You hire on a short-term basis
  • Your company has large highs and lows in production
  • The people you hire don’t fit your office culture

A staffing agency will be able to solve these issues by finding employees with the ideal skill set and who will suit the working environment in your office. Many staffing agencies have the ability to help you calculate the correct number of employees you need, even for when you hit the highs and lows.

  1. You feel the need to start hiring temporary employees

When you think about how long it takes to find, hire and train new employees, it seems like an inefficient way to spend your time for short-term hires.

A staffing agency has a number of qualified and talented workers waiting to start straight away. They are the experts in temporary hiring. Let them do what they do best so that you can focus on other areas of your business.

  1. If you need more than one position filled

When your business is growing it is a wonderful feeling. But you are also hit with that panic of trying to fill various positions- and quickly. You may also need long-term or permanent workers. Their main area is filling short-term positions but some agencies will negotiate with you if you really like a certain employee and want to work with them on a permanent basis.

It is the job of the staffing agency to have a large talent pool of skilled workers ready and waiting. There might be admins, IT specialists or even managers among a staffing agency’s list of employees.

  1. It is your first hire

If you have never had experience with placing an ad, interviewing and contracting a person, you may prefer to use a staffing agency. They know how to find what you are looking for and they can do so with a lot less stress.

  1. The hiring process is taking too long

The average length of time to complete the hiring process is between 2 and 4 weeks. This is a long time in the world of running a business. It is time that your productivity is not running at its highest.

Modern technology plays an important role in staffing agencies. Recruitment software allows them to screen candidates far quicker than we can. This narrows down the potential talent. Making it faster for you to find the most suitable employee.

To sum it all up, whether you have a large or small firm, staffing agencies could be beneficial for you. They can find you suitable, qualified employees and much quicker than you can do it yourself. Not only does a staffing agency make your life easier, but it also frees up your time to focus on other tasks.

Niche Staffing Firms Finding the Ideal Hires for You

After years of high unemployment, many countries worldwide have got a handle on the issue and unemployment has fallen or even hit all-time lows. This is obviously a positive thing for the workforce, but it does make like harder for employers who are in search of the most qualified candidates.

As unemployment falls, so does the talent pool, which is why you have probably noticed it getting harder to find the candidate who ticks all of your boxes. Not only this but you might notice that the process is taking longer.

If you are nodding your head in agreement, it might be time to look at using a staffing agency to find the perfect hire (or hires) for you.

Niche staffing agencies know your business.

Large staffing agencies are a little bit like a ‘Jack of all trades’. They know about a lot of different industries but they don’t have expert knowledge in any of them. They might not be confident with the particular details of your industry.

The theory behind a niche staffing firm is similar to that of the ‘Jack of all trades’. They are smaller and are able to pay closer attention to your specific industry and business needs. When looking for hire, you need information about the candidates in your field, not the general market. The service a niche staffing agency provides is considered more personal.

Looking in the right place

Large staffing agencies will place rather general recruiting adverts because they aren’t just looking for candidates for you. They look for numbers instead of specific skill sets. This is not a bad thing, it is what they need to do to bring in large numbers of potential employees.

Because the niche staffing firm has more knowledge of what you need, they will search for particular candidates to more suitably fit your requirements. Rather than looking on sites that produce high numbers of applications, they will look for a lower number of applicants in your field.

Large or small- it’s the same technique

Both large agencies and niche agencies use the same methods to recruit candidates. There is a range of tools, techniques and computer software that can streamline the process. The results are different but the process is the same.

Both large and small staffing agencies will be able to assist you when you need to write job descriptions, pre-screen candidates and even interview them. And both agencies have a larger network of candidates, active and passive.

As we have mentioned before the difference comes down to the ability of a niche staffing agency to look for the more appropriate candidates for your needs. And this goes for networking too.

A better result

Not only is a niche staffing agency more able to find the candidates that are more qualified for your particular needs, but you might find they are more willing to do it for a better price.

Large staffing agencies (in general) are looking to work with large companies. Perhaps they aren’t as interested in working with smaller companies because you might only be looking for one or two hires. Their prices might reflect their size!

Before using the most popular staffing agency, have a look around for one that has knowledge in your industry. They will be able to find better candidates for you and probably for a better price.

 

 

How to Speed up Your Mobile App Development Process

The development of mobile apps is through the roof and is only expected to grow. It is estimated that by 2021 350 billion mobile apps will have been downloaded, generating around $200 billion in revenues. Today, you will find 2.8 million apps ready to be downloaded through the Google Play Store and an additional 2.2 million on Apple’s App Store.

The use of mobiles is becoming more and more preferred over a desktop so apps are not about to disappear from our lives, particularly in business and technology industries.

Those who are keen on start-ups will have one burning questions, how long will it take to create an app and how much work will I need to put in?

Existing Data: App Development Takes 3-5 Months

There isn’t actually a lot of proven information to back the websites that claim it only takes around 3-4 months. There are two studies that we found to be reliable.

In 2013, Kinvey performed a survey on 100 mobile app designers to find out the time they thought it would take to build an Android or iOS app. The average response from the 100 designers was 4.5 months, broken down into approximately 10 weeks for backend and 8 weeks for frontend.

The second study was published by GoodFirms in 2017.  GoodFirms not only asked about the time it would take but also the potential costs to create an app like Instagram or Tinder. They split their findings into the following:

  • Instagram is a ‘feature-rich highly complex app’ and would take between 4.5 and 5.5 months to develop.
  • WhatsApp is a ‘medium complexity-compelling app’ and would take approximately 4.6 months to create.
  • Tinder is a ‘user-friendly app with lesser functionality’ and would take between 3.8 to 4.1 months.

The cost of developing these apps varies from $44,830.20 for an app like Tinder to $64,333.30 for an app like WhatsApp.

We will continue by looking at the principal stages of developing an app. While it might seem like a repetitious process, there are actually distinct stages involved and none of the stages are unconnected.

Stage 1: Research and Planning

As with any type of market research, you will need to focus on two main areas. First, why should this app exist? Do you think it will be useful to people and how? What types of people are going to choose to download the app? Second, is your idea already on the market? If so, how is your app going to be better and more successful than the existing one?

Research must be thorough in order for your app to be successful. You need to think about how your app is going to help or solve a problem that people have, are you going to be able to save people money. Your research must also include the market size and extensive investigations of apps that are considered your competition.

Stage 2: Functions and Features

So, you have completed your research and collected your data into meaningful information. Now it is time to determine the precise functions and features. Here are some questions you might want to be able to answer.

  • What should your app be able to do?
  • What operations or tasks will it be able to perform? Are you hoping to integrate it with other apps or use peer-to-peer chat?
  • How is it going to manage data? Is it going to join existing data frameworks or collect new data?

Once you have this information you get to create your storyboard. A storyboard is a visual portrayal of your app, showing individual screens and how they are going to connect. A storyboard should reveal and issues the user might face and improve their experience.

At this stage, you will also want to create ‘use cases’, which will operate as a template for user interaction. It is a logical assumption that the more features your app has, the longer it will take to develop.

It is also the time to decide on the operating system. Basically, you will have to decide whether your app will run on iOS, Android, Windows or a combination, supporting multiple operating systems. Your choice will have an effect on your timeline. Multiple operating systems will almost always take longer to develop and might also double your budget. Although this is not as significant now, developing an Android app normally takes 20-30% longer due to the fact that there are over 12,000 devices and it is almost impossible to develop an app perfect for each model.

There are two common platforms to develop your app. If you are working on an Android app it is normally done through Java and iOS written in Swift or Objective-C. If you are looking at an app for multiple systems you can either develop two separate programming languages or use a cross-platform development tool such as React Native or Ionic.

Expect to take approximately 3 to 5 weeks on this stage.

Stage 3: Technical Feasibility, Design and Development

It is now time to start working with your technical team to determine what you want your users to see while they interact with your app and what goes on behind the scenes. This means that the frontend and backend have to be compatible.

Frontend systems are the visual aspect of the app, it is what can be seen by the user and it is related to the design. The backend is the technical, software aspect. The central focus it how the site works, it is about the server, application, and database.

Another decision you will need to make is whether you will use a public Application Programming Interface (API) or if you prefer a personal abstraction layer. APIs are what is needed in order for apps to communicate with each other or with other developers. The major global apps like Facebook and Skype use APIs that are publicly available. An example of this is when Tinder uses Facebook profiles to allow users to log in.

Part of the technical stage is to design a wireframe. A wireframe is a 2D image of the app’s interface and its main task is to allow you to see the space allocated to the contents. They are normally black and white and assist in linking the information to the actual design. A wireframe can also shed light on the consistency of how the information is shown, confirm the intentional functions and decide which content can take up the most space and where it should go.

When you choose to create your wireframe is up to you, some developers will create them along with the storyboard as they will help with the visualization of the app while other developers like to complete wireframes in the design stage.

After finishing the wireframe you can begin to work on the GUI (Graphical User Interface) where you choose the theme of your app, colors, fonts, and icons, etc. And now you should have the final look of your app.

We are not going to discuss the technical information related to developing an app. If you are somewhat familiar with coding you might be able to use software programs or you may want to use a professional service. Keep in mind it will be the most complex part of developing your app.

Stage 4: Testing and Refinement

In reality, your testing will be a continuous process, as programmers will be fixing errors along the way. This is known as internal testing or alpha testing because it is your own team who is doing it. Once the team has completed the internal testing, your app is ready to be tested by a limited public, known as beta testing.

You know your app inside out, you know how it should be used, but beta testing gives everyday users the chance to use it as they see fit. You should only begin with beta testing once alpha testing is 100% complete.

To beta test your app, you can use any number of websites that have been specifically designed for this purpose. Here are a few suggestions:

  • BetaFamily
  • NetaList
  • ErliBird
  • PreApps
  • TestElf

Websites such as Reddit and UserTesting are sites that will beta test and provide feedback through options like screenshots and recordings of interactions with the apps.

Assuming your alpha testing was completed to the highest levels, the beta testing stage should last just 3 to 4 weeks.

In Conclusion

By looking at our breakdown and the two studies, we can conclude that you will be looking at a couple of months to complete all of the four stages involved in app development. It is not something that can be thought up and created over a weekend and it is going to take a lot of dedication.

Using a staffing agency can be greatly advantageous. Staffing agencies are specialized in the industries they serve. That means they can find suitable candidates quickly, and they know exactly what to look for according to the position you need to fill.

Because staffing agency recruiters keep a pool of readily available talent for a variety of jobs, a job opening can easily be filled within a matter of days.

3 IT Employment Hiring Styles and When to Use Them

 It is necessary for a business to hire the most suitable candidates to match the objectives and to do this you need to offer positions that attract the right candidate.

The IT industry is one of the most variable in terms of arrangements available for both employees and employers. Arrangements from full-time to freelancing will attract particular types of candidates and provide employers with specific results.

In order to find skills that are ideal for your needs, you will need to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the most typical arrangements that are available. If you keep reading you will discover what encourages job seekers to continue with certain job offers.

Full-time Employment

A full-time hire is someone who is directly contracted by the company and is probably the most standard type of hire across the majority of industries. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of a full-time hire.

Pros:

  • The job offers security and stability while particular perks attract candidates for all positions.
  • Candidates who are more experienced are drawn to the upward mobility and the possibilities of long-term commitment in full-time positions.
  • Those who are already employed but tempted by other jobs (passive job seekers) are more attracted to full-time positions because of the better set of circumstances.
  • Employing someone full-time increases the employees feeling of investment within a company. They feel part of something rather than just a job.

Contract Placement:

Here the candidates are employed by a third party such as a staffing agency and work on a contract for a set period of times. The time normally varies between 6 and 12 months although it is possible to extend this period.

Pros:

  • When hiring a contract placement, the employer is able to make the most of skilled labor only for the necessary time required for a project.
  • The agency is responsible for all costs that are incurred such as salaries, benefits, and taxes.
  • Upon completion of the project, the company and the contractor are able to start completely new projects.
  • There are frequently tax benefits for hiring contractors so even though the hourly rate is more it can work out cheaper for the employer.
  • Contractors provide expert support when a company’s permanent staff is unable to work.
  • The idea of working flexible hours is great for some people.

Contract To Hire Placement

These workers begin their employment through an agency, typically for a period of 3 to 6 months and then they are transitioned into becoming a full-time worker.

Pros:

  • It’s a great chance for the employee and the employer to get a feel of the working opportunity. Employees get a sense of the job and the employer is able to see how a candidate works.
  • Both parties are able to move on after the contract time has been completed if they are not happy.
  • During the initial contract period, it is the agency who is responsible for the hiring costs, this reduces the risk of taking on a full-time contract and the new hire leaving.
  • People who have just left university are able to gain valuable work experience in their field without needing 3 to 5 years of experience required for a full-time position.
  • Employers are able to develop their employee during the contract period.

While a company has the possibility to hire using any of the three arrangements, it is still necessary to take into consideration the company’s financial situation and culture as well as the reasons for needing to hire extra staff. The final decision should be based on the company’s expectations and they type of candidate you are looking for. Even when you have made a decision, it might not be straightforward convincing your candidate of the contract terms.