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Building a world class engineering team - Part II - Attract and Hire the Best
Thursday Jun 17, 2010 by Jeff Moore - Engineering Recruiter, Google
The other week we put some meat behind the idea of hiring the "best and brightest".......that's all well and good, but now that you know who they are you have to hire them. Hiring these folks is hard, REALLY hard and isn't something you just "do" it takes a strategy and a concerted effort to convince top talent that your team is the one for them. Don't just post an opening on your job site and expect the best candidates in the world to apply....it rarely works that way.
These people don't look for jobs, jobs look for them - The best people I've hired in my career weren't actively looking when I called. They had a good job and were happy with their situation. PERFECT! My challenge was to convince them that my opportunity was a better fit for them and then do whatever I could to help them come to the same conclusion. You'll find that these people don't just show up for an interview and accept your offer. They want to meet the team, understand the goals and vision and make sure they have a chance to make an impact. The "best and brightest" don't look for jobs...you need to find them and lure them to the team by any means possible (job postings, internal/external recruiters, press releases, industry events, etc etc)
Money doesn't matter - What?? Of course money matters but not as much as you might think. Sure, no one likes to take a pay cut but people do if the opportunity is right. Why you ask? Because working with great people on a great project is more important than making a few extra bucks. Paul McCartney once said "I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love" and you know what? HE'S RIGHT! Great salary but a bad job? No thanks. The very best people care about the entire opportunity and although money is a factor its' only one factor. You'll lure the best talent you can by explaining the project, detailing the opportunity and showing off your culture.....and then figure out how to make the compensation work.
Technology DOES matter - No one wants to work on a team or project that has lame technology. People like flashy cool technology (iPad anyone?), especially the "best and brightest" If you really want to hire the best people you need to either be developing the coolest technology (think Facebook, Google, Twitter...people WANT to work on that kind of technology!) OR you need to have access to cool technology for your team. Buying good computers, allowing people the ability to work from home, company sponsored mobile phones, excellent internal tools.......these things matter. Top talent want and NEED the best tools possible to get their job done.
Sweat the small stuff - When trying to hire the best people on the planet it's all about details, details, details. Say you'll call on Tuesday...do it! Parking in Cambridge expensive? Let candidates expense it! Offer people a chance to use the restroom or have a drink before starting their interview. Really, it's these small little details that collectively send a message to the candidate. By nailing these little things, you'll be sending a message to the "best and brightest" that you're a world class organization and they'll fit in just fine.
That's it.....find them, treat them like gold and sell your opportunity. Do that my friends and success will follow.
Up next, now that we HAVE a great team....how do we keep them?
**The views expressed on this blog post are mine along and not those of my employer.**
Jeff
Jeff Moore is an Engineering Recruiter for Google and is based in their Cambridge, MA office. You can find this blog post, as well as additional content on his blog called Rethinking Recruiting.
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