4 Tricks Tech Companies Use To Poach Software Programmers
"Software is eating the world," as venture capitalist Marc Andreessen famously said.
He means everything from your automobile to your thermostat is now being run by software. And that means the people that write software are in high demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts there will be nearly 140,000 new software development jobs created before 2022, reports US News, which named "software developer" as the best job in 2014.
Consequently, companies looking to hire software developers often have to think outside the box to lure them away from their existing jobs, find a new survey of 1,400 full-time employed software engineers conducted by job hunting site Glassdoor.
Here's what developers say it takes to hire them away:
1. They don't want to be contacted through LinkedIn.
Programmers are getting bombarded by recruiters on LinkedIn. The smartest companies are searching for programmers via sites where programmers share their work and work histories like GitHub and StackOverflow.
One told Glassdoor:
"I canceled my LinkedIn account because I was getting bombarded by recruiters. Now they have to find me through my blog, GitHub or StackOverflow accounts. Those recruiters that reach me now are more worth my time."
2. They want a lot of money.
Obviously, this is a job. So a great salary, bonus and benefits are still major carrots. 78% of respondents said they would leave their current employer if they were offered more compensation or better benefits.
In 2013, salaries for software programmers reached record levels. The average salary nationwide for a software engineer is $90,000, according to recruiting site Indeed.
But in the hottest fields, especially in Silicon Valley, it is way higher, base salaries of $140,000 - $160,000 with bonuses and stock options are common.
3. They want to have fun.
When enough money is being offered, programmers say they will take a new job based on a company's culture. Is it a fun place to work with great perks?
Some 52% of software engineers would even accept less money to work at a company with great culture.
4. They want to work on cool and interesting products and services.
Almost as many programmers, 51%, said they would accept less money to work at a company if it was building a particularly interesting product or service.
One told Glassdoor:
"If your company isn't attractive on its own because of its technology and engineering culture, I probably won't be interested in working there. Hearing about you from a recruiter -- rather than because of something amazing you've built -- simply cements that disinterest."
This infographic offers more details:
