I'm seeing a lot of negative against their hiring practices, but no one is
answering the question. So here is the question again.
"where have all the good guys gone? is a 9-10 year experienced very
seasoned java guy really demanding salaries north of 90K now or what?"
- All the good guys have jobs!
- Yes. Someone with that much experience and ability is going to want more
than $90k. In fact, they are going to want stock options, bonuses, part
ownership, etc.
I live in Cincinnati Ohio and you get 4 choices. Health care, banking,
insurance, or consulting helping one of those 3. All of them pay the going
salary which has been dropping steadily over the last decade. Where do
really strong developers go for jobs? Either the East Coast with financial
or research companies, or the West Coast to work with technology companies.
My friend, you live in the Midwest which is considered fly-over country. The
cool jobs are on the coasts and if you must live in the Midwest, you will
either be trying to get a telecommute job with someone on the coasts or
move.
Don't get me wrong, there are tons of great developers living in the Midwest
and live here either by choice or need. But the great ones have good jobs
and are not going to leave unless there is a really good reason. People in
the Midwest want more security than that. If all you can offer is a
paycheck, you will have a hard time attracting good candidates. Developers
are not normal employees who sit around and code. They are thinkers, problem
solvers, and very well informed and connected. There are a lot fewer of
these types of people than there is demand.
So what would I suggest?
Hire consultants and get the job done. Stop wasting time looking for someone
who wants a career. You have problems, hire someone that can get you
results. You will have to pay more to get the job done, but you can be
really picky about their skills. They will get in there and work their magic
and be happy about it. If you really like them and they like you, make them
an offer. Just make sure that options is spelled out with the consulting
company at the start.
Another option is to open up the work to telecommuting. There are lots of
people who have skills but don't want to live in Pittsburgh. Pay for their
travel and use conferencing to interact. Break away from the old ways and
focus on what it takes to get the job done.
Yet another option is to outsource the work if you are able. There are too
many things developers have to do today to be an expert in any one of them.
Things change and it takes time to learn new technologies. Someone who is
9-10 years into Java is going to have a lot of old technology baggage with
them. You might find someone who fits your needs today, but can't grow into
the developer you need tomorrow.
Everyone keeps talking about your hiring practices but I think that is just
a symptom of the business culture. The company needs to stop wasting time
trying to find the perfect fit and just concentrate on getting the job done.
Keep options open so if you find someone great you can make them an offer.
In this way you get to try before you buy. And while they are earning and
you are getting work done, both can see if things will be a good fit.
On Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 4:31 AM, Karsten Silz <[email protected]>wrote:
> On Aug 25, 10:03 pm, Cédric Beust ♔ <[email protected]> wrote:
> > On Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 1:00 PM, Steel City Phantom <[email protected]
> >wrote:
> >
> > > have really good programmers gotten so vain that good money isn't
> enough
> > > but the project must also be interesting?
> >
> > Vain? That's harsh.
> >
> > If you are good at what you do, you will have several options to choose
> > from, why not pick the one that is the best fit for you? I don't see
> > anything wrong, much less vain, with this.
>
> I fully agree. All else being equal, I'd always pick the most
> interesting project.
>
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www.robertcasto.com
www.sellerstoolbox.com
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