N. Nagaraj, January 5, 2009
The Hindu Business Line
I was in an unfamiliar position some time ago: on an interview panel to hire software developers. Yes, you got that right, hiring software developers. My insights might be of help to this space's readership.
1. Software developers are increasingly over-specialised. Some guys don't even know how to deploy their own projects. When asked, their typical response is that they hand over the project to a "deployment team". That is only one example and in one dimension, but this kept happening through many interviews. This should worry developers and IT companies about their employability and usefulness in a long stretch of lean times.
2. Quite a few bright programmers "from the districts" do very well in the technical test and interview but quite poorly in the general aptitude test because of poor understanding of English. Some of these people were red hot in their choice of technology and I heard clear explanations of concepts from them when quizzed in Tamil. They show some of the best attitude and spirit. This is a great opportunity for companies to hire good people who can be trained in business communication and put in client-facing projects.
3. There is an increasing trend of people looking for a change because they are tired of working in the same platform/language/domain combination. Unfortunately, they will almost always be placed only in their area of experience. Which, of course, leads me to suppose that they are looking for money or have been asked to go because of the bad times. It's possible but seemed quite improbable in some cases, at least. This goes in hand with point one above.
4. More people were forthcoming about having been told by their current employers to leave. Some wouldn't say so, but made it clear by saying they are available asap; some make a pretence of having quit only recently for personal reasons. This is heralding a new era of transparency from candidates and if it carries through, will make IT recruitment a productive affair.
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