A report from tech PR agency Wildfire, in partnership with Dome Recruitment has found 51 per cent of software developers would rather have coaching than ‘naff perks’ when choosing their next job. The company notes hiring the best software development talent is increasingly critical to many businesses, but just creating the stereotypical tech start up environment and offering a stack of money isn’t enough to attract and retain the best tech talent. The findings are based on a qualitative and quantitative survey of 150 UK software developers.
Currently devs are spoilt for choice when it comes to finding jobs, but brands are struggling to tailor their recruitment efforts. The clichés of free pizza, foosball and hammocks are well-established – but 35 per cent of the devs surveyed said these sorts of quirky breakout areas are ‘naff’ and 37 per cent agreed that having a ping pong table in the office doesn’t make you ‘cool’.
Debunking some of the myths around developers, Wildfire’s research highlighted that they are much more interested in the professional development opportunities employers can offer. Rather than superficial perks, 51 per cent of developers said they’d rather have coaching sessions. Other key factors include working on challenging projects (56 per cent), working with skilled colleagues (48 per cent) and a vibrant and supportive culture (46 per cent), with the vision of the CEO being important to nearly a third of job seekers.
“Many traditional businesses and tech companies alike are reliant on building software to support their business and stay competitive, but they’re struggling to appeal to software developers and need to work a lot harder to stand out in the candidate-driven market,” commented Debby Penton, MD of Wildfire. “Our research definitively shows that developers aren’t satisfied in their comfort zone. They want to ‘buy into’ organisations. But for brands to do this authentically takes effort and that is too often forgotten in the race to attract talent. If brands want to be taken seriously by developers, they need help to tell their innovation stories and promote environments that are highly attractive.”
Tom Craven, founder & business development director at Dome Recruitment said: “Recruiting tech talent is a huge strategic headache for almost every business, and so many companies are repeatedly making expensive mistakes that can be avoided. This research supports our belief that when a company and their recruiters build an inclusive recruitment process, which aligns the company strategy with their people and their work environment, it will always result in more successful hiring and retention.”
