Ask HN: What factors influence your hiring decisions? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What factors influence your hiring decisions?

4 pointssc68cal5 comments

Hackers,

I am a solitary programmer at my current job and have been given the chance to hire a second programmer to assist me.

I want a second programmer, because I need an extra set of hands with the codebase and because it will significantly improve the work environment overall. Currently I have to wear all the hats (Development, QA, Operations) and have been edging closer to my burnout point. I believe a second coder will help relieve some of the pressure and also help re-engage me in the work at hand.

Now, to the dilemma. I have a friend that is being under utilized (working helpdesk, with a degree in CS) at his current job and wants to make the jump into programming. His skills are not as sharp as mine are, but he's a known quantity, I know that I'd enjoy working with him, and I believe he will have a strong drive to learn, given a chance. The other alternative is to do a job search or a recruiter and see what we get. Would you prefer someone that you know you will be able to work with, even if their skills are not as advanced? Or would you seek an applicant and hire solely on programming skills?

Thanks!

Your friend has institutional knowledge, education and potential drive to get out of his career slump. A CS degree in a helpdesk job is a misalignment of resources and a risk to the overall motivation of the team. Help him realize his goals and give him a chance. Go grab coffee. Have a heart to heart discussion with him. Ask him what he wants. Tell him what you have. Be very clear on your expectations of him and that you are laying your career on the line by choosing to hire him. Make it clear that there needs to be a period of 60 days to make sure this is the right fit for everyone. Ask him for an updated resume. Use these points to justify your decision to hire and make a decision. Utilize your new hire to the max to offload some of your work and give him a trial by fire to catch up. If anyone second guesses your decision, back it up with the points here.

>Utilize your new hire to the max to offload some of your work and give him a trial by fire to catch up

This is an excellent suggestion. Thank you!

You definitely MUST have that heart to heart conversation with him. You should also spell out what is expected over that 60 day time frame. Make sure that the goals are well defined and can be checked off. You both need to agree on what is reasonable.

I'm hesitant to agree with throwing him in to the fire, because if you put him in a position to fail, that's going to hurt him and your friendship.

I believe that 60 (or 90) day checklist is where you can come to an agreement on what a reasonable "trial by fire" is.

You'll probably be pleasantly surprised at how quickly he catches up once he's on the job, if he really wants it as bad as you say. I say give it a try for a few months, and then make a more permanent decision based on that.

You make a great point.

Being selfish for a moment, I also hope that his enthusiasm re-energizes me as well. Thanks for the insight, it is appreciated!

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