Following our incredibly informative Go Breakfast for HR Professionals, I wanted to share with you some Key Recruitment Advice from our speakers who are themselves experienced and respected Go developers and, in some cases, hiring managers.
How to Hire A Golang Developer in Summary:
Work Collaboratively
Interview responsibility goes both ways
Analyze why a developer is not made an offer in detail
Keep tech interviews for actual analysis
Strive for Golang innovation opportunities
Work Collaboratively
One of the first things we were told by our speakers is that interviewers and their potential candidates should approach interviews as a collaborative discussion rather than an adversarial one. Both sides should Maintain total transparency and present any questions openly while providing clear reasoning. If the candidate appears unsuitable from the start, raise this sooner rather than later. Candidates should also discuss their needs plainly in order to assess their placement and growth.
Both Parties Carry Interview Responsibility
Personally, I could not agree more. Interviews are a two-way street. They are as much an opportunity for employers to interview the candidate as they are for candidates to interview their potential employers. Too often do we see this balance forgotten.
Analyze Refusals Using Sound Reasoning
Secondly, failing to provide an answer should never be pinned down as the prime reason for not being hired. Everyone will face questions in their career to which they have no answer or experience - this doesn't mean that they're not qualified to figure it out, learn and grow. It is important to remember that being refused is an assessment of a candidates total suitability and should be based on an overall assessment and not on one single factor, question, or failed technical assessment.
Keep Technical Interviews for Actual Analysis
This being said, technical interviews must be used for actual technical analysis rather than using it as an excuse to refuse a candidate based on an inability to deliver on-the-spot answers. Recruitment within technology often presents interview questions that candidates have no experience with whatsoever. This is a fair assessment when used objectively to determine a candidate's ability to handle the unknown, but under no means should technical questions be used as a front for a pretense to refuse the hire.
Strive for Innovation
It is important to keep in mind that you hire engineers to come up with solutions and not just regurgitate what is already out there. With Golang you are hiring for innovation, and so you should be assessing candidates on their ability to tackle the unknown rather than their ability to repeat textbook answers to the obscure.
Share Your Recruitment Insight
Are you a Go developer? Do you have any advice for hiring Go engineers? Please share. We would love to know more about your perspective.
