How to Hire an Engineer – 7 Steps to Building Your Engineering

A software engineer is one of the most crucial roles at any company. They assist you in taking your business to the next level, ensuring you are at the forefront of the competition. It results in high demand for these professionals. Hiring excellent software engineers is demanding & taxing due to increasing demand. Consequently, it presents recruiters with the challenge of persuading top talents to join the company. 

However, successful hire is contingent on robust and tactical hiring strategies. So, if you want to learn how to hire an engineer with excellent technical knowledge and experience, this article is for you. Here are seven steps to ensure you hire the right talent without wasting time screening and interviewing the wrong developers.

Why is hiring great tech talent challenging?

According to a survey by ManpowerGroup, 69% of US employers find hiring candidates with adequate experience and skills difficult. This data suggest talent shortage has tripled over the decade, as in 2010, only 14% of employers struggled to fill positions. In fact, IT outdoes and puts itself among the top 3 most challenging roles to fill. 

The job market has become highly competitive with rapid evolution and innovation in the tech industry. Even if you find a candidate who matches your business requirements, chances are other companies making an offer that outshines yours. 

Engineers look beyond monetary benefits today, and companies must think beyond salary and perks. From the company’s vision, values, and culture to brand image, growth opportunities, and development, job seekers go way beyond job descriptions when deciding their potential employers. With power shifting from organizations to people, companies need to harness unique and new ways to hire and offer benefits concurrent with engineers’ priorities.

7 Steps to hire great engineers

To ensure you find and hire the right developers to be a part of your engineering team, here are seven steps that you must incorporate into your strategies:

1. Research and identify your needs.

The first step in “how to hire an engineer” is research. You must do your due diligence and outline your business requirements to determine your needs. It will help you identify the following:

• Engineer’s day-to-day responsibilities
• The type of engineer you might need (part-time, full-time, or contract basis)
• If you require an advanced engineer with a specialization
• If you should hire in-house developers or remote engineers or outsource the entire project

Basically, you will get a better idea of what should be expected of the hiring process and the hired candidate.

2. Work on your brand image and work culture.

According to the Robert Walters Group, 98% of employers and 97% of professionals believe there should be a cultural fit between the employer and the employees. The number demonstrates the importance and need of becoming a company where engineers want to work. For instance, some engineers want to work for companies or projects that positively impact society, and some might look for better growth and learning opportunities. 

That’s why it’s necessary to ensure you follow values and ethics that advocate positive impact and offer ample learning and development opportunities to convince top-tier engineers to join your forces.

3. Define the right budget and set up a timeline.

Setting up a timeline is a common yet crucial recruiting measure. Outlining the timeframe for hiring and project completion ensures you are on track. It can also help in optimizing the hiring process and securing optimal efficiency. 

A comprehensive estimation of hiring costs can help you avoid unnecessary monetary expenses. The estimate includes expenses concerning compliance, administration, training & development, engineer’s salary & benefits, recruitment or sourcing, and hiring manager costs. Although, it’s necessary to keep in mind that an engineer’s annual salary would vary depending upon their expertise, experience, and job role. 

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4. Create engaging yet up-front job descriptions.

Job descriptions often are the first point of contact with prospective candidates, and it’s imperative to ensure you post a copy that strikes an exceptional balance between information and persuasion. Here are some points you must be aware of when creating job description copies:

• Set clear and detailed expectations by including tasks, duties, functions, and responsibilities of the position.
• Include a short company description that makes you stand out from the crowd.
• Make sure to create a copy that promotes diversity and inclusion.
• Cover growth and development opportunities as they might entice candidates into applying.

5. Post your job ads.

The job ad aims to attract potential candidates while enhancing your branding, killing two birds with one stone. Once you have the job description handy, the next step is advertising it over multiple platforms to reach a wider audience. You can share it with your internal network, utilize job boards, and share it on social media handles, among others.

6. Screen candidates and set up interviews.

Screening is a vital hiring step and the first hurdle any candidate needs to pass. That’s why it’s necessary not to rush into it but take your time and consider all aspects. Screening also balances and limits your pool enough for it to be manageable and organized. 

Once a candidate has passed their screening tests, the next step is to set up an interview for further verification and insights into their skills and experience. It’s always a good idea to prepare a list of questions beforehand that can give you a sense of their work style, communication skills, technical skills, and personality.

7. Select the right engineer and make an offer.

If you are confident that you have the right candidate in hand, now is the time to make them an offer. Make sure to spell out each detail of the job position clearly; here are some to keep in mind:

• The job role and description
• Address all critical dates, including orientation, start, performance, and evaluation periods. 
• Distinctly mention the compensation, benefits, and other perks liable to the candidate.
• Depict company policies and culture to give the candidates a window into the type of environment they will be joining.
• Last but not least, a confidentiality agreement. Keep a section in the offer letter and carefully craft the agreement that binds employees from disclosing confidential information.

Wrapping up

Now that you clearly understand how to hire an engineer, you can make an offer to a competent developer without hesitation. Make sure to incorporate the above steps into your hiring process, and you can find the right engineer to be a part of your dream engineering team. After all, you cannot compromise when hiring engineers, as one wrong hire can negatively impact your business.

Author bio:

Anupriya Singh

Anupriya is a content writer well-versed in researching and writing on an array of topics. She works closely with businesses and helps them get rapid and organic growth through compelling digital marketing content. When not working, you can find her reading or sketching.