Putting Your Best Foot Forward: A How-to for Navigating the Recruiting Process

Sarah LeNguyen

Web developers with skills in Drupal, WordPress and modern JavaScript have long been in high demand, leading to tough competition for top talent. For hiring managers at all types of organizations, the prospect of recruiting a new team member can seem daunting at best and downright frustrating at worst. The recruiting process can also be very challenging for developers. How can they best assess culture and fit of an organization through just a job description and a few interviews? What should they keep in mind when searching for a new position to keep up their career progression? The recruiting process -- while relatively brief -- is a chance for both employer and candidate to make strong first impressions, which will pave the way for a (hopefully!) long, mutually beneficial relationship.

In this session, we will cover how hiring managers can determine their “ideal” employee and target recruiting efforts to find him or her. That process includes everything from a well-written position description to initial skills assessments from applicants to an interview process that allows both sides to determine a potential fit. We will also cover negotiating the offer process so that both sides are happy with the outcome.

This session will also appeal to developers who are actively looking for a new role or who plan to start a search soon. They will get an insider’s look at the recruiting process from an experienced hiring manager’s point of view. They also get tips for navigating the skills assessment and interview process, and how to tailor their job search to the positions where they can grow professionally.

Making a great hire is just the first step to building a strong development team. The harder part is retaining talent. In the second part of the session, we’ll cover how managers can keep their team members motivated, challenged and performing their best. We’ll also encourage an open discussion amongst attendees about their own experiences on both sides of the equation, and what developers are looking for from employers -- in the interview process and once they’re onboarded -- to keep their job satisfaction high.

Topics to be covered:
What the recruiting process looks like from one employer’s point of view.

Identifying your “ideal” employee and writing a job ad that gets their attention.

Defining appropriate and fair skills assessments.

Conducting interviews so that both parties can assess fit.

Retaining talent by removing de-motivators in the workplace.

Who should attend:
Hiring managers of technical talent at their organizations.

Developers who are looking for a new position or who might start a search soon.

Those who participate in the recruiting process at their organizations.

Those who are curious what the job market looks like currently in open-source web application development.

Attendees will leave with:
Shared experiences from a hiring manager who has been recruiting Drupal talent for more than 10 years.

Hints and tips on how to implement a recruiting process that benefits both recruiter and candidate.

Best practices for both parties in the recruiting process.

This session made possible by Forum One.

https://2019.badcamp.org/session/putting-your-best-foot-forward-how-navigating-recruiting-process

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