9 Killer Strategies for Finding Great Designers and Developers

9 Killer Strategies for Finding
Great Designers and
Developers
Photo Credit: www.topdesignmag.com

Introduction:
Are you having a hard time finding a great
designer or developer for your digital agency or
startup?
In our industry that is currently booming and
with talent in high demand, how can you get
the best of the best?
I have outlined here some tips to help you get
your next developer on board your happy ship!
See here for the full blog post: http://www.smartdigitalbusiness.com/work-smarter/9-killer-strategies-finding-great-designers-developers/

1. Consider getting freelancers first.
“For entrepreneurs with so much on their plate at any given time—and not
necessarily all things they’re good at—bringing on a project-based
employee is a great way to knock tasks off one at a time.” Rich Pearson,
CMO – Elance
Best places to find freelancers:
● Go local and look at sites like Wired Sussex or LinkedIn
● Ask fellow digital startups for any recommendation.
● Get social and attend local networking events, it’s a great way to get
introduced to people who freelance in design or web development
● Spread the word that you’re looking to hire freelancers via social media
platforms like Facebook or Twitter
● Use websites such as Odesk, Elance, Guru, or Freelancer.com

2. ‘ABR’ – Always Be Recruiting
This doesn’t mean getting full time staff in anticipation
that you might need their skills in some future time. It
means being on the lookout always for great people,
and keeping in touch with them until the right job
becomes available.
How about creating a ‘People I Would Hire’ list? With
people you’ve met before, start building a list by adding
2 people to it every month. Just imagine, by the end of
12 months, you’ll have 24 people to choose from when
a need comes up making looking for your next hire
MUCH easier.

3. Get creative with your Job ads
Most job ads look the same, boring and uninspiring. If you want
to attract the best, think like the best.
Get inspiration from these 3:
1. Ribot, (note their awesome recent re-branding) had an
unbelievably creative job ad for one of their past vacancies.
(Okay, I’m biased – I’m a board advisor at ribot.)
2. Grouper, a startup, puts the character of their business into
their jobs page.
3. AirBnb also posted inspiring jobs page with tons of info on
what’s in it for you should you decide to work there.

4. Partner with Universities
Joel Spolsky, CEO of Fog Creek Software, has this very
interesting advice: it’s a must to hire people fresh from college or
university. Why? Because great talent is never on the
market.
A highly motivated graduate will never need to apply for a job.
He will enter into an internship with a company the university
recommended and then get hired by said company. He would
normally work doubly hard because he still has that great
passion to achieve great things.
Internships are a great way of finding and testing graduates, and
lots of universities and colleges have programs to help you find
that one right person.

5. Use recruitment agencies
Mention the words “Recruitment Agencies” and I see some eyes
rolling. But they’re really worth a try.
The great thing about them is that you only need to pay them if
they find someone that’s a perfect fit for the tasks you have in
mind.
Create a shortlist of three agencies to work with that specialize
in your industry. If any other agencies call up, just firmly and
politely say no. Give your 3 selected agencies clear job
description for the type of role you are trying to fill so that
proper expectations are set.

6. Have a great interview process
Mark Suster, General Partner at GRP Partners, when
interviewing applicants for example likes to flip things on their
head. Meaning: he asks questions in reverse.
“If we did get aligned to offer you this role, do you plan on
accepting? What other offers do you have? What do we need to
do to win? What steps do you still need before you decide to go
with us?”
These are questions that’ll definitely surprise interviewees. But
here’s the thing – remember that you are selling your digital
agency or startup as much as each candidate is selling
themselves. And you’ll also get an idea how they’d react to
unexpected questions.

7. Speak at Industry Conferences
This is a great way to meet designers and developers. People
who attend conferences already show some skills worth taking
note of:
● initiative
● passion for their job
● a willingness to learn.
Not only that, this is also a better way of giving your business
more exposure. Chances are, not a lot of people have heard
about your company yet. You not only give your company some
needed air time, but you also give your business’s credibility a
big boost.

8. For developers – Sponsor a Hackathon
There’s a great chance that the best talents already have a job.
The thing is that you can still gain access to them. How? Have a
hackathon!
The types of developers who attend this event have 3 great
characteristics:
● amazingly driven
● exceedingly curious
● have a passion for experimentation
You get to see them in action & know how they thrive in a very
competitive environment. Thus, you’ve just created a hot bed for
awesome developers.

9. Offer a finder’s fee
In case you haven’t heard yet, there’s a worldwide war
for great developers. Take Hubspot for example. They
are offering $30,000 (yes, the numbers are correct!)
to anyone who can refer an ‘awesome’ developer that
they go on to hire.
This is not saying you offer the same amount, this is
simply to emphasize further that good developers are
really high in demand.
Why not create a similar scheme for you digital
business to encourage more referrals?

Want the nitty-gritty details
for each step?
Click here for the full blog post

9 Killer Strategies for Finding Great Designers and Developers

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9 Killer Strategies for Finding Great Designers and Developers