Good engineers are hard to come by. How can you hire them?

This week in Tech in Asia Jobs shares insights into how successful companies operate, hire, and more.

Photo credit: andreypopov / 123RF Stock Photo

In a world that increasingly runs on code, software engineers are in high demand. With many startups and tech giants to choose from, what would convince them to work for you? We interviewed a pool of talented developers and gained insight on what they look for in a job, and what led them to where they are today.

Through the course of interviewing these engineers, we came across several key points that could potentially help in recruiting top talent.

On how they got into their first development role

Unexpected encounters

Ken, a front-end web developer for 5 years, got his first development role when his coursemate approached him to join his startup. “I readily took up the offer after finding out the company’s desire to make a positive impact!” he shared.

For Rose, a QA engineer who was still unsure about her path at that time was contacted by a recruiter, “Honestly, if she hadn’t contacted me, I don’t think I would’ve applied for this role.”

More often than not, it takes a convincing nudge (and a promising offer) to get engineers, as well as other talent, to work for you. Your company might not be their top of mind choice at the moment, but making that first move really counts.

Online visibility

When trying to recruit the experts in development, it is crucial to have a strong online presence. Melvin, a web engineer, found his job after coming across numerous Facebook posts about an opening. Luckily, it was exactly what he was comfortable with. “They were looking for a (jolly) PHP developer, and I’ve been working on PHP for 10 years,” he shared.

For Hui Jing, a freelance front-end engineer it was quite different. After reading up on the best companies, one name stood out. “I googled them and found that their website had a placeholder page that went something like, ‘We’re sorry our website is not up yet because we’re busy making yours.’ And I found that quite charming.” she said.

Today, your presence online counts more than ever. If you don’t come up after a simple Google search, it is almost equivalent to not existing. Companies today should make it a point to have a compelling story about what you do as a company. It does not only attract potential customers but employees as well.

On the ideal working environment

Opportunity for growth

Salary is often mistaken as the most important factor to motivate employees  but developers like Wei Liang have a different opinion, “Because I see myself as still early on in my career, I am prioritizing personal growth over salary and other benefits.”

The dream boss

On choosing the startup life

Why does it matter to you?