Dear Mr. Padam Singh,
I need to firstly acknowledge the fact that you are expereinced, and however, epericenced I may be, I do not think I can advise you, but I can certainly share my thoughts, from what I have learnt being in circumstances and situations like you've been into and stated.
Let me open this with a word of appreciation especially to you for taking the bold step of putting up a company and that too with a strength of 80 personnel (though you call it mid-size, I'll be happy to call it an SME). You know and everyone in the industry knows software people are the most pampered lot in the world.
Next let me give you another fact that can encourage you, and that is - most companies that have grown big, or growing big have all started just like you did, but the difference is in those days these jobs into a new area were exicitng, interesting and challenging. Not that hese aren't any more interesting or challenging, but the fact is you are in the same arena of Big Players - etc. You swim in the same pool as IBM, Microsoft, HP, Google, Facebook, TCS, Infosys, HCL, Wipro Apple, and the so many other cool startups (Ex.IIT'ians, Ex-IISc's etc.) on the other side of town. Where are you in coparison to that? Remember all the companies that have been there for a while now are ever-expanding. Technology companies, from Boston to Bengaluru, Silicon Valley to Indus Valeey, California to Kolkata, Dallas to Delhi, don’t just sit on the talent they have. They create positions to scoop up whomever they deem valuable. Don’t get tricked into thinking geography will help you, or that monolithic companies don’t share the same market with you. You’re wrong. Believe in yourself that you directly compete with the most exciting technology companies in the world. Technology’s accelerating evolution creates increasing demand for these engineers every year, by companies who didn’t even know they needed software engineers a year ago.
Try creating value for your product and sell the story that it was a creation of those invloved with you. But make sure it is a belieable and a convincing story. The value of quality software engineers can’t be ignored. If you deal with technology, you owe them everything. They build your product, your work processes, or both in most cases.If you need to find one, first understand their environment.
So my first submission : Believe that you are one among the best, sell them a future, show them the big picture, try and mkae them a part of the big plan for the future.
Clear your mind. Understand exactly what you want to hire before you start looking. Start with the title.
I'm sure that you’re looking for a software engineers, not a web designers and not just a “computer guys.” At the risk of sounding obvious, you need to understand these different terms send different messages out to the job market. They may sound similar, but their differences appear quickly once you understand them. Popular opinion, at least amongst those taking the time to think about it, is that ‘engineers’ have some sort of computer science degree from accredited institutions. Programmers write code. So according to the pervasive opinion, all engineers are programmers, but not all programmers are engineers. An accredited degree doesn’t guarantee anything though, so don’t get too comfortable. Remember that plenty of mediocre graduates hold degrees, and plenty of self-taught whiz kids write brilliant code. Some software engineers design systems and come up with specs, while others implement those specs in code. Unfortunately, you can only determine these definitions and differences later in the hiring process through skill tests and interviews.
Don’t feel intimidated. It’ll be tough, but the reward will vastly outweigh the effort. A truly great engineer can contribute in ways you literally can’t imagine.
Now, how to get them... means - you must have a compelling story to tell and sell to lead to something tanglible, then comes the process - Sourcing, Screening, Interviewing and then Hiring.
You need to first decide what this position does for the company. Then, craft a job profile around it. Settle on the skills and requirements of the position, and then write an exciting (but truthful, damn it) job description. No clothes cutter description will do. If you want the real-deal software engineer, then you better have a fitting job description. You’re not aiming for accountants here. Create a pitch to make someone actually want the job.
Your job description should describe the things software engineers crave:
Autonomy —
Real and tangible perks —
Real challenges —
They want their work to matter. Nobody wants to test all day. In fact, they probably never want to test. Make their job matter. Not just on a small scale either. They want to do something significant and important to people. To the world. To anything.
Their work needs real challenges. Drop the superficial deadlines that don’t mean anything. Tell them how crazy their work could get and the deadlines they’ll face. You’ll get the people who want those challenges in return.
Learning environment — Most engineers want to improve their skills and learn new ones, whether those be new languages or new ways to design. Encourage a learning environment, and you’ll attract the engineers who appreciate improvement.
Pay them — Obvious, but these folks will demand a pretty penny. Paychecks aren’t the end-all though. If the job is stimulating, many super-talented engineers will happily take market rates for their work. But be warned: if you make the position out to be more than it is, the issue of compensation will become noticeably more apparent.
Once you finish the description, get it out of your hands and into those who will fill the position.
Screening
Do the first step well, and you’ll have adeep talent pool to screen (you’ll need it).
Let’s settle something right now. First, don’t fear open source. Second, and for all that is holy, don’t write off engineers without classic degrees. Don’t lose the ridiculous talent that lies in open source coding because you think they’re all evil hackers, too lazy to get ‘real’ jobs.
You can set up pre-screeners that will narrow your talent pool, but know exactly what to screen. Look for talent, work ethic and accomplishments. In other words, someone who has done impressive work, wants to continue doing impressive work and will do it for you.
Dig for accomplishments and then check them out. An effective interview will paint a decent picture of the applicant, but you need to come prepared. Use a set of preselected questions that reveal the applicant’s history and behaviors. You want to see if the candidate will fit YOUR culture and perform at your level.
Use your time together to showcase:
• the great open office space
• fun perks that employees get to use, like game systems
• relaxing areas
• exciting company culture
• friendly coworkers and nice people
(You should probably have these things. If you don’t, great software engineers will see right through you.)
Gather a team
Reach out to co-workers around your company before you start your search. Seek those who have an interest or knowledge base in hiring or software engineering. Have everyone settle on consistent questions that answer each interviewer’s questions.
Assign Roles
Try splitting the hiring duties among your team into categories that mirror the recruiting stages: Sourcing, Screening, Interviewing, and Hiring. Nobody should be afraid to share responsibilities.
hiring
Hopefully, you have a clear picture of an interested candidate by the end of your process.
The candidate should:
• match your job profile
• fulfill your job description and its duties
• fit in with your company culture
Extend an offer:
1. At least commensurate with the market salary
2. With benefits matching other top companies
3. Noticeably great percks that differentiate your company from others
You know what to do when the time comes for the final deal. Make them an offer that will make them feel valuable so they accept and happily look back years down the line.
Follow the Leader, Just Not the Same Path
The rub?
You need to attract great talent in unusual ways. Huge companies do a great job of expressing why engineers should want to work for them. You need to do the same, just differently.
Everyone needs talented software engineers, so offer something not at other companies. Make your company a place someone would actually choose over other places.
I elaborated on things that are the practices of some of the best known companies in the world, and this has evolved over the years.
Now coming to the aspects of bonds, cheques of two months etc. as someone right pointed out they are negative means, and one's which will cause more harm than now.
This comes to you from sheer experience of my being in the software industry since 1987 seeing changes in technology - systems programming (clippers, device to applications development), products that address domain specific demands. Evolution of new technologies such as Microsoft, with windows, and the emergence of Oracle as the Data Management experts replacing D-base etc., and then the arrival of Java opening up the Open Source technology realm, giving a run for its money to subscribed liscenced software, and finally the advent of Internet changing the face of the industry, are all things that seem like a dream wow! it's a journey by itself.
Conclusion: How do you go from where you are to where you want to be?
Focused, hard work is the real key. You go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us. And that's the price we will have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal. If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. Keep your eyes on the goal, and just keep taking the next step towards completing it. If you aren't sure which way to do something, do it both ways and see which works better. Remember that we work to make a worthwhile contribution and to become something in life, to achieve something, and for all this work is a meand to get there, and that's life. I do not know anyone who has made it to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. Even if it will not always get people to the top, but it will get most pretty near to the top.
Passion therefore should be your driving force as an individual or a leader. You must be passionate about what you are doing and where you are heading to. A passionate person translates energy down to his peers as well, setting oneself to run an extra mile, stay an hour longer, fight a little harder for the cause.
You have to be progressive in all aspects of your life. No matter how slow you progress forward, remember never to live a day standing still or even walking backward. Progress can come in the form of renewing your thinking, developing of your communication skills, or even the rediscovering/refining of yourself. I say this because none of us are perfect, and what ever we may do we will never be perfect in most areas, but we must never stop striving to become better in them everyday because they will make us better as people.
And real change can be slow, as Lincoln states, ‘I walk slowly.’
Change happens a little by little each day; we will never see change in our lives, in our skills in the matter of days, but as we focus on just progressing and moving forward, in span of months to years, we’ll see ourselves nearer to our goals, more mature as a person.
So remember that progressiveness is important in your life; no matter how slow change may take, don’t lose heart and stop altogether.
And I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal. And you have to be willing to work for it.
Finally success is the result of passion, commitment, dedication, hard work, learning from failure, being a team player, and persistence. Once you start a working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest. When you fail you learn from the mistakes you made and it motivates you to work even harder.
Just remember all things are difficult before they become easy.
Best wishes and warmest regards,
TSK. Raman
08374111185