Most of this advice can already be seen in the "top" software employers, except this one:
> "Don't buy resume or credentials. Buy competence, track record, character and culture fit."
Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, and other "tier-1" companies are notorious for this. Early-stage Google was even notorious for being a strict Stanford-only shop.
And this is IMO a large part of the talent shortage - the shortage is real, but is not anywhere as acute as we've made it out to be, though I am a beneficiary of this, having gone to a reasonably prestigious school. Software engineering salaries are climbing through the roof while competent programmers get passed over all the time for not having the right credentials. Employers complain constantly about the difficulty of hiring, while giving only cursory glances (if that!) at resumes from non-top schools.
This annoys me to no end - many of the best coders I know never went to MIT, Stanford, CMU, or Berkeley, and many of them never got their "break" until much later. Eventually, after years of treading water, a name brand company will give them a shot, and once they've covered themselves in magical recognized-employer pixie dust, the offers start flying in.
I know this sounds true, but I somewhat doubt that it is. Google, for instance, has a reputation for preferring candidates from top schools. But it is also hiring out of many of the subfields where the talent shortage is most acute. I'm pretty familiar with one of those (appsec), and my perspective is that Google is (a) absolutely not passing on people because of credentials, and (b) having as hard a time as anyone staffing.
Similarly: it is very hard for us to hire (in particular, it's very hard to fill the top of the recruiting funnel) --- and we could obviously give a shit where anyone went to school. Again: same prickly subfield. But I've got reason to believe this is true of mobile development, Rails, customer acquisition/marketing, and high-end UI as well.
I'm sure there are people who know Java and C++ and went to SIU instead of UIUC who are having a hard time, and that they'd have had an easier time if they went to a different school. But they'd also have an easier time if they watched the market and made sure to cultivate aptitude in the subfields with the most demand.
Hire competencies but remember: hire with your heart. Make sure new workers fit into the preexisting culture, while also importing their expertise. Become their sponsor – onboarding is essential. Spend time listening. Give them what they need to succeed.
Absolutely fantastic advice. Too many employers bring in someone new, help them get up to speed and then abandon them to assimilate themselves into the workplace.
The best leaders listen to their employees and give them the tools to help them play to their strengths. It's also frustrating how few people realise that the simplest things can make the world of difference to an employee such as a better chair or fresh fruit deliveries.
> "Don't buy resume or credentials. Buy competence, track record, character and culture fit."
Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, and other "tier-1" companies are notorious for this. Early-stage Google was even notorious for being a strict Stanford-only shop.
And this is IMO a large part of the talent shortage - the shortage is real, but is not anywhere as acute as we've made it out to be, though I am a beneficiary of this, having gone to a reasonably prestigious school. Software engineering salaries are climbing through the roof while competent programmers get passed over all the time for not having the right credentials. Employers complain constantly about the difficulty of hiring, while giving only cursory glances (if that!) at resumes from non-top schools.
This annoys me to no end - many of the best coders I know never went to MIT, Stanford, CMU, or Berkeley, and many of them never got their "break" until much later. Eventually, after years of treading water, a name brand company will give them a shot, and once they've covered themselves in magical recognized-employer pixie dust, the offers start flying in.
It's all incredibly inefficient and awful.