Finding exceptional talent is becoming more and more difficult. Companies compete aggressively for the best candidates, and everyone is improving their recruiting game in a variety of ways, from offering great incentives to completely changing corporate cultures.

Software development, one of the fastest growing industries in the world, illustrates this competition. It’s also very meritocratic, which presents a fascinating question for recruiters: how do you get the best engineers ahead of your competition?

Here are some suggestions to help you resolve the issue:

1) Understand the fundamentals

No one expects a recruiter to be an expert at code, but getting to know the company can be very beneficial. You will be better informed about the qualities you are looking for in candidates and you will find it easier to follow the interviews of the candidate and the hiring manager.

There are a few things you should know:

What technologies do programmers use? Your development team can use a variety of programming languages, each with their own set of features. C #, for example, is an object-oriented programming language that is frequently used in games, but PHP is used for server-side scripting and content-rich applications. You don’t have to be an expert, but the least you can do is learn about the most essential technology your team uses from your hiring manager.

What is the average cost of this service? Compensation for developers is influenced not only by their years of experience, but also by the technology in which they specialize. Once you know what you are looking for, you will have a better idea of ​​how easy it is to find developers and how much compensation you will need to spend to get them.

What are the candidate’s obligations? Will this new recruit bring a skill set that the rest of the team lacks? Will they work on your main project or a variety of others? Familiarize yourself with the team’s specific expectations for this new developer.

2) Give priority to practical knowledge

When it comes to recruiting developers, real experience should always take precedence over what is mentioned on a resume. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t evaluate someone’s education; this should be the case, but only as part of the whole, and not as a break-up.

Giving code reviews a higher priority in your recruiting approach is the most obvious way to highlight practical expertise. If the candidate is hired, a well-designed coding test should reflect the issues that will be part of their job. During the one-on-one interview, be sure to give your hiring managers the opportunity to deepen the review with the candidate.

Another method of focusing on the practical abilities of your prospects is to request a portfolio of their past work. This will allow you to see real samples of their work. You can spend as much time as needed during the interview discussing how they carried out these projects, their biggest obstacles, how they solved problems, etc. If you are looking to employ a front-end developer, you may want to consider asking some respond to interview questions.

3) Take account of the self-employed

If your team needs a dedicated employee with certain skills for a specific project, a freelance developer may be a better option. You can ask for recommendations from your existing developers; they will almost certainly have someone in mind.

References are crucial when evaluating independent developers. Pay close attention to freelance profiles: most freelance platforms are fairly open and customer reviews, whether positive or negative, are generally public.

4) Develop a talent pool

If you’re having trouble finding the people you need, you may be dealing with too small a talent pool. You can expand your reach in several ways:

Make the job description a bit more flexible. An overly detailed job description can discourage potential candidates who are worried that they will not meet all of your overly stringent requirements. Include only the technologies and capabilities that are actually required; you can learn more about a candidate during the interview.

5) Pay particular attention to soft skills.

When it comes to recruiting engineers, never neglect soft skills. If you are only looking for technical expertise, you might end up choosing a candidate who lacks a strong work ethic and weak organizational skills. Additionally, according to a study, soft skills training can deliver a 256% ROI, indicating that soft skills are more valuable than you might think.

Because working effectively from home requires high levels of responsibility, work ethic, and task management, soft skills are especially crucial for candidates who will be working remotely.

Don’t worry if finding the best developers takes a lot of time and effort. Recruiting talent can take time.

However, there are some things you can do to put yourself in a better position for success. Work closely with the leaders of your development team, expand your talent pool, and be patient. It will become easier once you have made your first exceptional hires: the right developers are always ready to be part of a winning team!