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Ask HN: Having trouble getting senior applicants, wondering what to do about it

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Ask HN: Having trouble getting senior applicants, wondering what to do about it

#1
We're a fairly typical run-of-the-mill mid-size enterprise software vendor trying to hire for fully-remote SWEs in the "DevOps" software space (Linux, containers, k8s, yadda yadda). We post in the usual places including Who's Hiring but we haven't even managed to backfill a retirement from six months ago, and we're junior-heavy already. Benefits and salary are good (though salary isn't posted in the ad), and the people are great, though the work requires a reasonably deep understanding of the underlying platforms which a lot of people seem to dislike.

I'm wondering if the work being a higher percentage non-code is what's causing us trouble, if we're just rubbish at hiring in general, or if it's something else.

What's everyone else's experience attracting applications from senior talent in this market, and what is everyone doing to increase their attractiveness?

Current hiring process:

  - Resume screened by in-house recruiter
  - 30m call with them
  - Resume passed up to engineering
  - Hour-long call with hiring manager (typically the engineering manager of the team the candidate would join)
  - Take-home technical assignment (~4h) or similar at candidate's choosing
  - Presentation of technical assignment to the team
  - Offer

Re: Ask HN: Having trouble getting senior applicants, wondering what to do about it

#2
What are the vertices and edges of your hiring graph?

What are the conversions like for each edge? Candidate finds out about you ---> Candidate Contacts you ---> Step 0 ---> Step 1...

If there are not many viewing your offers, you may want to consider your channels.

If you have views but not applications, you may want to consider your copywriting.

If you're getting applications but they're not following through, contact them and ask why.

If you sent offers they did not accept, ask for more info on why they didn't accept.

Make a graph for transitions from each step to the other. Look at the percentages and numbers. Look for dropouts, etc.

View it like a conversion funnel, or more accurately a graph.

Re: Ask HN: Having trouble getting senior applicants, wondering what to do about it

#3
Are you hiring a DevOps engineer, or a software engineer? While there's overlap, these are fundamentally different things.

Focus your job description on either: 1. A software engineer who can (and is willing) to do some DevOps work. 2. A DevOps engineer who can (and is willing ) do some software development.

Re: Ask HN: Having trouble getting senior applicants, wondering what to do about it

#4
“Benefits and salary are good” is subjective. Can you provide examples so we can verify?

What’s your hiring process like? What’s your company rep like? How are the interviews ram? Any steps taken to help interviewees feel comfortable? Etc etc

Re: Ask HN: Having trouble getting senior applicants, wondering what to do about it

#8
post #3

Are you hiring a DevOps engineer, or a software engineer? While there's overlap, these are fundamentally different things. Focus your job description on either: 1. A software engineer who can (and is willing) to do some DevOps work. 2. A DevOps engineer who can (and is willing ) do some software development.

Definitely #1, and the ad is fairly up-front with that.

Re: Ask HN: Having trouble getting senior applicants, wondering what to do about it

#9
we need to have better diagnostics here

- what is your candidate acquisition strategy?

- what is your assessment strategy?

- what are the conversion ratio's in the assessment stages?

- what do the candidates themselves say if / when they say no?

I don't mean my comment as admonishment, so if you can reply with above, I will try to help

Re: Ask HN: Having trouble getting senior applicants, wondering what to do about it

#10

Is the comp enough to make on call tolerable? If one can make $150k-$250k without being on call, why would they take a DevOps position as a SWE?

There is no on-call. Like I say, it's not a DevOps position, but an SWE position requiring more significant knowledge (not administration) of the underlying platform than is typical.
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