Are you a Developer that wants a Job? Hiring a Developer?
Developers, want a job?
You won’t believe this, but the majority of people who hire developers end up walking away regretting the entire experience. Now, what’s shocking is that often the bar isn’t as high as it is in other professional service industries. Think about it. If you were an airline pilot, could you suddenly stop showing up? Lie about your skills? Arrive constantly late?
Yet in the software world, the average experience people have with developers includes the following:
Their Developer doesn’t answer phone or email
Their Developer just disappears
Their Developer misses agreed-upon deadlines
Their Developer lies about skills and experience
Their Developer hides behind technical terms
Crazy huh?
What this suggests is that if you answer your phone, show up, hit deadlines, manage expectations and speak like a human, you’re already in the top tier of developers out there.
Come on, that’s not a bar you can’t reach.
Are you Hiring a Developer?
My friend Steve Zehngut recently spoke at a conference where he shared his tips on how to hire a developer. Watch it here.
Lessons for us all
I think, if you’ve read the above and/or watched the video, we can all agree to a few things that will help ensure success between developers and clients.
People value transparency. Be honest about your situation.
If you’re a developer who doesn’t have all the skills necessary, invite others to join you on a project. But be honest with your client. If you’re a client and you’re not clear on exactly what you want, be up front. Don’t act like you’re giving a full scope when you know you only have a partial sense of what success will look like.
People value execution. Get things done (done).
Deadlines are deadlines, whether it’s delivering code or cutting a check. Be someone who knows how to execute and you’ll be loved by all. I promise.
People value communication. Don’t hide from each other.
It doesn’t matter how you’re feeling. It doesn’t matter which side of the issue you’re on. I’ve seen developers hide because they’re not making progress, and I’ve seen clients hide because funds are suddenly tight. Either way, set up a time to meet. Face to face is best. Phone is second best. Email comes after that.