Software development companies seem to be facing a shortage of skilled software development candidates for the growing number of jobs. A quick google search shows multiple sources stating and claiming this to be a trend. , An estimated over 1 million technology jobs will go unfilled by 2020, according to a report put forth by Microsoft in 2012, but does this really mean we truly have a shortage of talent?

Based on my past experience and mere observation there’s a vast number of non-traditional programmers who are self-taught, who do not hold a traditional computer science degree, but can very well get the job done. Most of the programmers I work with never came from such a background, but where either self-taught or branched into the field through certification. Some of these programmers are an untapped talent that can be trained as they may be receptive to learning and usually never get the opportunity to showcase their talents just cause they don't fit the filtering criteria based on education. One of the key things that has worked in the past for me is to drop some of these untapped candidates a quick screening call. Sometimes you never know what you might get, hidden gems lurking in the background such as my ex-tech lead that worked off a fishing boat and now makes 6 figures annually, a truly inspiring leader and mentor.

A typical JD may go as follows

Companies want a — DevOps, technical architect, public speaker wizard, sales, marketing professional data scientist system admin, TechOps, requirements manager, excel expert, leader, SAAS expert, cloud certified expert all rolled into one. Is it really a shortage issue or an expectation problem?

If you were to ask most hiring managers if they care about somebody that has every skill listed on the job description that the HR crafted, versus somebody that has five relevant skills with a good mental attitude and a good work history, they’re all going to say they care about the latter person that has exactly what they need and the rest is all just nice to have

Example of.Job Ad on LinkedIn

Perhaps employers need to be doing a better job at crafting more specific JD’s that are really laser-focused on what's important, learning to retain talent and grooming developers to be more effective by adhering to good software habits and fostering good culture and keeping transparency and a well-incentivized workforce. As programmers, we are subjected to situations where they have to give crammed answers for most things that in real life we never have to apply in the work due to unrealistic Job descriptions. I am all for giving algorithm exercises that are related to the job at hand, and fizz buzz questions to weed out bad actors, but I am also for keeping it real and relevant to the task at hand.

Some employers ask for gold when they really need silver; if they can get it on a tin salary, so much the better. What they should really be looking for are steel tools to make gold, and that is what you have to convince them.

Robert Harvey, stackoverflow

There’s one thing though at the other spectrum some resumes are overly exaggerated with unrealistic achievements while from the JD side employers want everything anticipating needs of the future that have not transpired yet. It’s a complex cycle. Looking at it from a mangers and tech leads perspective, we need to compromise on a few things or perhaps and get the right people writing the Job descriptions to break this vicious cycle, while as developers we need to tone down unrealistic never been done before work experience.

You do not always need star programmers, but you need developers with a good mental attitude willing to evangelize the company’s vision, willing to admit when they don’t know how to do something, proactive developers that embark on a continuous learning journey. They might not know everything that's on an employer's shopping list, but they have these qualities which allow them to go the extra mile.

The reality that we all need to accept, a job posting doesn’t describe a real person. It describes a fictional and often unrealistic ideal that most companies won't find. The hiring process still is a very human one we shouldn’t forget that. They are other factors we need to consider when looking for talent and crafting out Job descriptions, such as empathy, receptiveness confidence, and passion. Below are some dos and don’ts that you can start adhering to when crafting job descriptions for programmers.

Things to consider when crafting out Job Ads and descriptions

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