Recruiting a senior engineer. The ABC checklist.

Dan Koblicska
Aug 9, 2017 · 3 min read

This is a very simple process and should be part of the beginner’s guide to hire senior engineers. (Focus here is on software, but may be extended.)

Courtesy of Pexels

The must haves.

A. Has the candidate been a member of more than one team (= minimum two!) which has completed a project from design until delivery? Being part of the complete process more than once is mandatory in order to understand the challenges of building, adjusting, testing, improving and using a technology product or service.

B. Did the candidate extensively use more than one technology or platform in his previous jobs? Being able to make a transition from one technology to another enhances the understanding of core technology principles (for instance OOP), increases focus on learning and usage of best practices, and not less important, keeps the professional focused on continuous learning in an ever-dynamic environment.

C. Did the candidate deliver work in more than one business domain? It makes a huge difference if you are able to understand the problems of your end customer, and they are fully different if it is medical industry, automotive or e-commerce. Just because volume, stress, standards, quality have all different impact in different domains.

If the answer is “YES” to questions A, B and C then you’ve got yourself a senior.

If A is a “NO” and you like the candidate, he/she is maybe a good professional but needs to be evaluated outside the current team. Best scenario he/she is a key person in the previous team and could be in yours.

If B is a “NO” you may have an expert, and an “expert” should not be mistaken as a “senior”.

If C is a “NO” then you could have a technology geek and it will be interesting to develop this person into either a “senior” or an “expert”, while today he is none.

Myths.

“A senior needs to hold a specific college degree.”

I have met geniuses and exceptional colleagues who have not graduated the required college, and they were doing just fine. Today learning on the job is most of the times faster and more relevant than traditional school. All you can get from the degree is that a candidate has attended some classes. There is no guarantee he/she can use that information properly.

“A senior needs to have X (where X = many + 1) years of experience”.

It means just that the candidate is old. :) Pardon me, but technology and access to projects give young candidates many chances to burn stages in their personal development and in their career. Young engineers also compensate with passion and drive, sometimes lacking in their elderly peers.

Nice to have. Priceless.

An “exceptional” senior is the one who (while complying with the ABC list above) is able to share the knowledge he/she possesses to the peers, helping them grow, work independently, finally becoming more valuable to the team. This trait is enhancing not only his value, but also the team’s, too. And it would make me write a blank job proposal to such a candidate.

While missing this trait could seem harmless, in many cases engineers who are better by themselves and not in teams are not a senior, but a freelancer. Check again if your candidate is suitable for the project you are staffing.

Also nice.

Being able to keep the helicopter view (aka the big picture) of the project will also turn your senior into a leader. This skill will help your team and your organization improve. Continuously.

While adding value to your team some seniors can also affect your presence in the relationship with the customer. Listening to the problems in the market and identifying the needs of your customer brings priceless commercial value. Therefore, if you decide to put a price (aka benefit package) on the table maybe you should factor in this long-term investment.

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