We’ve heard from many founders that developing their workforce has become more challenging post-COVID. What do you think about that?
I'm based in Charleston, South Carolina, which has evolved into a tech hub since 2000. Back then, hiring was challenging due to the limited tech companies here. When we tried to recruit people from places like California, they hesitated because they had limited options if it didn't work out. Over the years, hiring became easier as Charleston's tech scene expanded.
COVID-19 transformed the hiring landscape. While I've always embraced remote hiring, the regional impact was seen in developers' salary expectations. Charleston used to have lower compensation rates, but this changed as local talent could now easily work for companies in New York City, California, or Atlanta, forcing us to compete with higher rates.
What do you think about companies that are pushing employees to get back into the office versus remote?
While big companies may be leaning towards hybrid or in-office approaches, many companies I'm familiar with are not. They're enthusiastic about avoiding the infrastructure costs of housing developers and tapping into remote talent, especially if they're not in a tech-rich city. For larger companies invested in physical office spaces, insisting on in-office work might drive employees to explore other options. COVID-19 has shown that people value the flexibility of remote work, and it's unlikely they'll want to give that up.
What strategies have you found most successful in identifying and attracting high-quality candidates?
That’s an interesting question, and it's one that I'll probably have a different answer to in two or three years, and probably again after that, because it's a constantly evolving process. Currently, my approach centers on cultivating a culture and organization that naturally attracts and retains talent, rather than making an explicit effort to recruit.
By investing in the growth and betterment of the organization and its current members, we become naturally appealing. It's akin to sales tactics – the goal isn't to persuade someone to buy; it's about offering something they genuinely desire.
Creating such a culture varies for different individuals. Some prioritize work-life balance, while others seek opportunities for career advancement and a more intense commitment. As a leader, the key is to figure out your team’s goals and what motivates them, and then provide opportunities that align with their preferences.
Ultimately, you can’t make everyone happy, but you should try to create a consistent and engaging company culture. In my case, I've unintentionally forged a culture that I'd personally enjoy working in and one that a younger version of myself would have appreciated when I started my career two decades ago.
As for the future of talent tracking and recruitment, it's a field that's bound to keep evolving in the coming years.
What methods or tools do you use to assess a candidate's technical skills and cultural fit with your organization during the hiring process?
A successful future in an organization requires both a cultural fit and a technical skillset. It's not about prioritizing one over the other; both are essential.
Determining cultural fit can be challenging during interviews because candidates often present what they think the organization wants. To address this, it's best to involve the team that the individual will be working with during the hiring process, allowing it to be a collective decision. Rather than asking abstract questions like "Would I want to have a beer with this person?", it's more productive to ask the team whether adding this person will help the team work more efficiently and effectively. Team input is usually a reliable indicator of cultural fit.
Regarding technical skill sets, the expectations vary based on the role. When interviewing candidates for junior positions, I don't expect them to have a lot of technical knowledge. Information is readily available online. Instead, I focus on how the candidates approach problem-solving and their ability to understand deeply.
For example, in a software developer interview, I might ask a question like, "If a customer reports a non-functioning button on a web page, how would you troubleshoot it and determine the issue?" These questions don't have a singular right answer; they’re intended to reveal a candidate's problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities. In junior roles, the capacity to learn and adapt is crucial, as this indicates the potential for growth over time.
What initiatives or strategies have you implemented to improve employee retention within the tech teams you've managed?
Frequent one-on-one meetings are a practice that, while not unique, holds significant value when done correctly. Many organizations fall short in this regard. These sessions, whether between an employee and their immediate manager or even someone two or three levels above, offer team members a vital opportunity to be heard.
People often leave teams, not because they dislike their team, but because they feel their opinions go unheard. Providing team members with a platform to express their thoughts and perspectives to someone who genuinely cares is crucial. Regrettably, many organizations view one-on-ones as a mere obligation, failing to recognize their potential.
These sessions should be a regular, smaller-scale alternative to the annual review process, where multiple minor adjustments can be made, as opposed to trying to shift the course of a massive ship with a single abrupt move. Over time, they have proven to lead to positive changes and foster open communication within my teams.
How do you balance 1:1 time as a founder? Depending on the size of your team, it can be a lot, right?
It is a lot, so it better be worth it. And you have to use your time effectively. But if you've made the decision that it is worth it and that it is important, then it's not about balancing your time. It's something that's on your schedule and you work around it.
One major issue I've observed in organizations is the frequent rescheduling of one-on-one meetings by managers. This sends a message that the team member's time is less important than the rescheduled task. It erodes trust and damages the manager-team member relationship. Team members are perceptive and understand when their time is undervalued.
In the bigger picture, an organization's success hinges on the individual success of its team members. Your team should be a top priority, and making time for one-on-ones is critical. What could be more important than ensuring that your team is motivated and productive, and maintains a positive attitude in their interactions with clients or customers? If that falters, it's ultimately the organization's responsibility to address it.
What are trends founders should look ahead to?
The recent shift towards remote work, which is likely here to stay, is a significant development. However, the core desires people have for their jobs have remained fairly consistent over time. What does change is how technology influences job processes.
For instance, remote work wasn't as feasible 20 years ago due to infrastructure and security limitations. Today, it's much more accessible and secure. Looking ahead, AI is a technology that will undoubtedly shape how people work, and its full impact is yet to be realized. Business and technology leaders should stay vigilant and embrace the advantages AI can bring to their workforce.
What about the potential disadvantages of AI? Do you think AI could make it harder to get a job in the tech field?
This may not be a popular opinion, but I think that AI might “thin the herd” to a degree. I don't mean that in a negative way. I don't mean untalented or unskilled individuals.
AI is a technology that allows individuals to be more efficient in what they do. So, I think it's likely to reduce the number of people that an organization needs to have employed. But I don't think that's going to necessarily impact the individuals as much as we think. I believe AI is also going to create new opportunities for organizations that could not have developed a product because they couldn't afford a larger workforce, and even help startups get their business ideas off the ground where before they lacked the skillset needed.
I think the overall impact is going to be very positive for anyone that is interested in using technology to develop a business or just build something.
What other advice do you have for founders learning to manage their workforce?
There's this word that's bouncing around the back of my mind that usually comes up and is the key answer to most of these questions: empathy.
The value of empathy is crucial in both recruitment and retention. It's not confined to leadership positions but applies to all roles, including software development. Empathy enhances the quality of work. For instance, when a developer can put themselves in the user's shoes and identify what might frustrate or annoy them, they can build a better solution.
Even in technical roles where people often work in isolation, like software developers, empathy is vital. If you're leading a team of engineers, remembering your own experiences as a developer and what matters to you is essential. Empathy allows you to understand things from someone else's perspective, making it a valuable tool in any role.
Pull Quote: The value of empathy is crucial in both recruitment and retention. It's not confined to leadership positions but applies to all roles, including software development. Empathy enhances the quality of work.