Building an Agile Hiring Strategy in an Ambiguous World
In today’s dynamic marketplace, companies are finding they need to offer software engineering jobs more flexibly. Your business is likely to have evolving needs for staff, simultaneously needing to maintain a tight grip on costs. Your hiring strategy will need to be more agile now than ever, as we adapt during these uncertain times.
Workforce Agility – The Four Considerations
The workforce agility your company needs can be provided by thinking about your hiring needs under four headers:
I. Time of work
What type of software engineer jobs need to be filled? For example, are your requirements for a set period or for part-time hours? You might require shift work, varied working hours, or regular working patterns. You might also consider working arrangements such as job-sharing.
II. Location of employment
Where will your employees work? It may be that you need them to work at one location, across multiple sites, or to work remotely. You should think about whether your staff will be mobile, in an office, or at home.
III. The employee’s role
You’ll need to consider the experience and expertise that the role requires, and if there is any specific knowledge needed to solve issues with your software or hardware. Do you need multiskilled employees? Will your employees be self-selecting tasks based upon their own skillsets? Perhaps you will cycle staff through different roles within a team.
IV. Employment source
What type of employment will best suit your objectives – for example, direct hire, contract, or from a staffing agency? You might employ using fixed-term contracts, outsource your needs, or partner with a third party.
Who Is Your Ideal Employee?
Whether you hire for a permanent position or otherwise depends upon where you are within the business cycle. If you have an ongoing business need, then a permanent hire will be the best option.
On the other hand, if you have a short-term or medium-term need to cover for a period of increased need, a contract hire may be more suitable. You’ll benefit from reliability and predictability, without the costs of hiring a permanent employee who may not be needed in a few months.
If you require specific expertise to supplement your in-house expertise, you might opt for consultancy services that can be hired for a day, week, or a couple of months as needed.
Only by considering your specific needs fully can you make a fully informed and cost-efficient hiring decision.
Flexible Hiring Examples
So, what situations demand which type of hire? Here are a few hiring scenarios to help you decide.
Scenario #1: A Growing Business
Your business is growing, and you need extra software engineering capacity. However, your growth doesn’t yet warrant the cost of a full-time employee.
A part-time hire will allow you to cover your business needs without the expense of a full-time employee. The money you save can be invested to grow your business further, and you can add hours to your part-time employee’s contract over time, or until it then becomes viable to hire an employee on full-time hours.
Scenario #2: You Need Specific Expertise
You have upgraded your software or hardware, and you have a short-term need for specific experience and expertise as this technology is embedded across your organization.
You’ll need to assess your exact requirements. Could you outsource your needs, or would it be more appropriate to employ expertise in-house? Will you be training existing staff, and, if so, how long will it take them to become familiar with the new technology? Hiring a professional for a contracted period may provide the expertise you need in the short term, while also helping to speed up the training of your in-house team.
Scenario #3: You Need Someone to Manage a Change Project
You don’t have the expertise to help manage a digital project. Your operations will change, and the calls on your software engineers will shift, too.
You may need to hire a consultant or project manager on a fixed-term contract, either full-time or part-time hours, to fill the gap between your in-house expertise and that required to ensure project success.
Scenario #4: A Key Employee Has Resigned
Your department head has resigned or gone on maternity leave, and you don’t have a natural replacement for them within the team. You know that it could take you months to hire a suitable replacement, but you cannot afford to have a rudderless ship.
An interim replacement, on a long, fixed-term contract will bring the expertise and experience your team needs. You’ll be able to onboard them quickly in a caretaker role while you take your time to find the correct permanent replacement.
Scenario #5: A Solution for Multiple Locations
Your company is located across several locations, and your software engineers develop for multiple functions.
Could remote employees, operating from their homes, provide a cost-effective and productive solution? Or perhaps you could fill your roles via an outsourced third-party provider? You’ll save costs on office space, and could attract a wider pool of talent.
Hiring for Flexibility
When hiring today, it is critical that you maintain flexibility and agility for your business. Hiring the wrong type of employee at the wrong time can be as damaging as hiring an underqualified candidate. To make the right hire you should:
- Consider your business needs – the time, location, role, and source of candidate
- Incorporate your business goals into your hiring needs
- Compose a job description that is clear and detailed, and not liable to misinterpretation
- Adapt your hiring process to be flexible to your needs
- Screen your candidates
- Review your business needs and the needs of your hire regularly, to ensure they converge
We understand that businesses have different hiring needs throughout their business cycles and that COVID-19 has polarized hiring objectives in a way that no-one considered before.
Your growth depends upon being more agile in the employment market and hiring for more fluid needs. Our consultative approach will help you navigate the current economic climate and hire with confidence. To learn more and benefit from an unmatched pipeline of candidates, contact Loyal Source.