Locating and securing a knowledgeable and reputable software developer is no easy task. It can take weeks, months or even years to locate the perfect candidate, and there are very few companies who can afford to wait an extended amount of time to fill their roster.
However, software companies must always be cautious when hiring software developers to supplement their team. A misinformed, misguided or otherwise bad hire could actually end up costing your company in the long run.
Wasted Capital on Your Part
There’s no denying the costs associated with the typical recruitment process. Locating and retaining talent, as well as interviewing, onboarding and training new employees all consumes company resources and capital that could be better invested in other areas of your enterprise.
As such, you’ll want to make sure that your money is being spent on candidates with a high amount of potential.
Decreased Productivity
Decreased productivity is another side effect of hiring bad developers or programmers. As Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg once said, “Someone who is exceptional in their role is not just a little better than someone who is pretty good. They are 100 times better.”
When you take this statement to heart, it becomes painfully clear how a bad software developer can affect the productivity of your entire team. At the very least, a poor developer will make it harder to achieve any milestones, deadlines or goals that your organization may have.
Increased Software Maintenance and Troubleshooting Costs
A developer who consistently writes bad or erroneous code can end up wreaking havoc on an otherwise well-organized and efficient software package.
If this happens, you’ll have no other choice but to assign other employees the task of analyzing and troubleshooting the code in question. Such an endeavor could wind up accumulating even more expenses by the time everything has been fixed.
Harm Your Reputation
Companies that regularly hire bad programmers, whether intentionally or unintentionally, will certainly see their reputation suffer. As soon as your industry peers and competitors begin to take note of these trends, your longevity as a software company may become threatened.
In order to avoid such a situation, it’s important that you maintain diligence when securing new talent for your team.
How to Avoid Bad Hires
Finally, there are a few tips and tricks one can use in order to minimize their chances of running into a bad software developer to begin with.
An efficient pre-employment screening process, including the interview and orientation, can serve as great tools when trying to assess the capabilities of new recruits.
Skill-specific testing can also be used in order to narrow the field even further.
You can even hire new talent based on the recommendations of others. Some of your current staff members are bound to know other software programmers and developers, and you never know where you might run across that diamond in the rough.
These kind of referrals, which inherently include some amount of credibility, are great when trying to fill your roster for both temporary assignments and long-term opportunities.