6 Reasons Why You Need More Entry Level Employees
Over the past six months, I’ve had the pleasure of mentoring brand new iOS developers. My position has given me insight into the value that entry level developers bring to a workplace.
This day and age, the market for senior developers is hot. The demand is high and the supply is low: a recipe for sky high wages. This creates a public image that developers are expensive and hard to come by (and even harder to retain), but the situation may not be as extreme as it appears. Companies need to open their eyes (and hearts) to the great benefits of entry level hires.
They remind the senior level employees how far they’ve come. When surrounded by those that are as talented as you, one quickly loses sight of reality. It can be frustrating when you have to wait two seconds for a webpage to load, but think back to the days of dialup and two minute load times. The presence of entry level employees serves as a reminder to the seniors of their great skills and achievements.
They are the future of the company. Like it or not, as time goes on, the most experienced and knowledgable employees will leave. They retire, move up, or move out; this is the nature of the beast. In order to plan for the long term, companies need to find talent that will stick around for decades. By growing and molding entry level talent, a company builds long lasting relationships with their employees. It also provides a unique opportunity to create custom employees tailored to your specific needs. Why bother looking for the perfect candidate, when you have the opportunity to turn an employee into exactly what you need?
They’re cheaper. While entry level employees lack the skill set and experience of a senior, their price makes up for it. By hiring a entry level employee, you are investing in the person just as much as they are in you. It takes some time for the entry level employees to gain the skill set of their more experienced counter parts, but that happens faster than their pay increases. This allows you to have great talent at a lower price.
They provide senior level employees with a sense of purpose. As someone who works closely with entry level developers every day, I can attest to the emotions that they invoke in their mentors. Humans like being asked questions that they know the answer to. Why don’t you mind giving directions to someone who is lost? Because someone is looking up to you, trusting you, and you are right. It is rewarding and productive to help, and entry level employees provide your workplace with that opportunity.
They challenge the norm. Face it, your company does some things solely because that’s the way its always been done. Entry level employees ask a lot of questions, and some of those questions are overdue. I often am asked seemingly silly questions by students that end up challenging the way that I think. They disrupt previously glossed over inefficiencies and out right errors.
They work hard. There is benefit to being new. Do you remember when you first started out in your career, you showed up early, stayed late, and were at your sharpest. Entry level employees appreciate their careers and work hard to make them worth the hire. And more importantly, hard work is contagious.
So next time you see the empty desk fill up with new stuff, get excited for what they are about to bring to the office.
