Waikato Business News September/October 2018

50 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS September/October 2018
There’s gold in software developers
As an executive director of a software
specialist I have always known that great
software engineers and developers are
rarer than gold. But now there’s a survey
proving it.
Access to software engineers
and developers is
a bigger constraint to
companies than access to capital,
the survey by economic
internet infrastructure company
Stripe found.
Stripe asked Harris Poll to
study thousands of company
executives and software developers
in more than 30 indus-
tries to see how businesses are
leveraging software developer
talent, and what they could be
doing differently. The results
were recently published on
Stripe’s website.
“Companies no longer face
challenges with scarcity of
capital. Instead, as technology
fracks into every aspect of the
world economy, high-quality
software engineers [and
developers] are becoming
the world’s most precious
resource,” Stripe’s survey
found.
“Developers act as
force-multipliers, and if used
effectively, have the collective
potential to raise global GDP
by $3 trillion over the next 10
years.”
There’s an estimated 18
million software developers
in the world contributing
NZD$77,000 each to global
GDP.
None of the findings of this
report were news to us at Company-X.
Nor, I suspect, the
good folk at Stripe. The reason
TECH TALK
> BY DAVID HALLETT
David Hallett is a director of Hamilton software specialist Company-X
and chief nerd at Waikato Need a Nerd.
they embarked on an expensive
survey was to prove to
the world just how worthwhile
great software developers are
and how hard it is to find them.
Such is our reality at Company-X.
We don’t bother
advertising most of our software
development opportunities
externally because that
would invite a plethora of
applications from anyone who
thought they could write code.
Senior executives surveyed
said the lack of quality software
developer talent was one
of the biggest potential threats
to their businesses.
Instead we inform the Company-X
team about the opportunities
and encourage them to
recommend the great software
engineers and developers that
they know. That way we can
tap the best talent on the shoulder
and chat with them about
the possibilities of joining us.
Enthusiasm or
experience?
How do I get experience
when fewer and fewer
employers are willing to
train me?
How can I learn new skills
when employers won’t give me
a chance?
These are questions I’m
frequently asked by candidates
looking for new opportunities.
In reverse, many clients
have become quite specific
about their talent needs as they
are operating in lean environments
and don’t have surplus
resources to help train new
people. It’s a real catch 22 that
could leave the business sector
very exposed in the future.
When we think of new
employees, we often think
about graduates or school leavers
looking for their first role.
Generally, these employees
may not have a lot of specific
work experience but are very
enthusiastic to learn.
Similarly, there is another
workforce being left out by
employers - conversations I’ve
had with new New Zealanders
show they are also facing the
same dilemma.
Employers narrowing down
their employment choices are
missing out on future talent –
enthusiastic individuals who
just need some great training
and nurturing.
Is there an easy answer to
this situation? Not really, but
when I ask clients what is the
standout trait that impresses
them at interview – what
would make them pick one
candidate over another – the
majority tell me (by a huge
margin) that enthusiasm takes
PEOPLE AND CULTURE
> BY SENGA ALLEN
Managing Director, Everest – All about people TM
www.everestpeople.co.nz
the cake every time.
It’s easy to get hung up on
qualifications, experience and
achievements but don’t forget
that when employers are looking
for new team members they
are also asking themselves:
“Will I enjoy working with this
person?”
In reality enthusiasm can
also be a great risk-reducer. We
all know that you can teach people
skills and give them experience
but enthusiasm can’t be
nurtured.
Recruiting managers tell us
they’d pick a less experienced
person with enthusiasm for the
role over a more qualified person
who appears dry.
Some of this boils down to
the opinions of whether the new
employee will be fun to work
with – potentially raise the
energy of the team - but most
importantly an enthusiastic person
will be very motivated to
learn from their mistakes and
fix them. Enthusiasm is tangible
isn’t it? We also call this trait
drive, energy, passion, focus
and a host of other terms.
Hiring an inexperienced
candidate will be an investment
at first. He or she may require
a bit of extra training, and will
have a slightly steeper learning
curve, but it will pay off if the
candidate is a right fit for your
company. Why? Well here’s a
few good reasons:
- You can shape the candidate
from the start – an
inexperienced employee
means you can mould them
from the start and they generally
don’t come to your
workplace with too many
bad habits.
- Inexperience breeds motivation
for good performance
– inexperienced
candidates are often the ones
with the highest work ethic
(now I know there are some
exceptions). They are new
and very thankful that someone
gave them the opportunity
to get their foot in the
door.
- Enthusiasm drives work
– if you hire someone who
is hungry for the job rather
than just there for the pay
check, it will pay off. The
most eager employees aren’t
always the ones with the
most experience.
- It’s worth the investment
– inexperienced candidates
cost less than experienced
ones initially but the cost
in training dollars will be
returned to you three-fold.
Yes, there are some candidates
who job hop after
they have been trained, but
overall it’s my view that
when you invest in a candidate,
give them a real shot,
their loyalty is priceless and
enduring.
Ultimately the need for
skills over enthusiasm and
vice versa will always be situational
(even the most enthusiastic
person can’t perform heart
surgery). Yet it could be very
beneficial to consider the split
between experience, knowledge
and enthusiasm. Do you
really want a robot who can hit
the ground running, or someone
who may need more support
gaining experience but wants
to learn because they care and
they’re potentially capable?