What’s the Latest Emerging Code Your New Hire Better Know?

By Meredith Dean, Executive Recruiter, IT Division

Is Java the top code to know? C, C++, C# – ho hum. Python and Ruby are hot. What about R? Assembly, Scala or Shell? Picking a particular new “emerging” technology stack like Ruby on Rails, any of the MVC Javascript frameworks, Scala, or Solr, etc. means working with some cutting edge new coding.

But requiring the latest, emerging new code in terms of a hiring requirement definitely means that the talent pool available is going to be extremely small. And with quasi-fulltime employment, tech talent is already highly in-demand before you even start ‘stacking’ the technology deck against yourself.

Here’s the thing. Software developers are at just 2.3% unemployment rate in Q2 2014. What might make your company’s new technology most competitive is having a talented, motivated professional working on it and learning the newest code you want simultaneously. After all, if you are waiting for the perfect person with all the right bleeding-edge coding skills under his or her belt, you may be waiting a while. You will have to locate, woo, and then negotiate them out of another position. How far is your project advancing during this time?

Hiring managers need to think about intelligence, ambition, and experience globally.  If you can find a talented candidate with a track record of learning, problem-solving, and experience with successful coding, and whatever else that makes up the right core abilities, then that person can learn the technology skill set desired. Internal training, external training, or self-instruction are available to get that person’s know-how where you want it.

Not only can building the desired skills with your new hires (and current staff for that matter) provide you with the skill set your company needs, it can avoid the pitfalls of hiring someone who may have the skills checked in a box on paper but who lacks other skills and abilities that are critical for success within a team. A bad cultural fit, a terrible communicator, someone who lacks attention to detail are all going to stymie your success regardless of the coding that person may possess.

There’s a lot to be gained by grooming a successful software developer for current and future roles internally. This is a fantastic way to ensure the talent you are looking for has the skill set you want and generally this creates a greater degree of loyalty from that person. In a very competitive market with near-full employment, anything that builds loyalty helps win the war for talent.

Additional Reading:

Transferable Skills Guide: Mobile Developer

July 2014: Help Wanted Signs = Dollar Signs for $oftware Developers

Forget LinkedIn: Companies turn to GitHub to find tech talent

Top 10 Programming Languages, Spectrum’s 2014 Ranking

About the author:

Meredith Dean, Executive Recruiter, IT Division

Meredith has a degree in business from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, and enjoyed a successful sales career in the pharmaceutical and health care industry prior to taking up recruiting in the Sun Valley area.