Much has been written about rising developer salaries in the IT market, which has led to the prevailing notion among employers that the more you pay, the better your chances of attracting and retaining talent. However, a recent survey of developers conducted by Netguru has revealed just what it is that software developers are looking for in a job. The reality may surprise some hiring managers.
Just How Important is Salary?
Salary is important to developers, to be sure. They work hard to develop their skills and their jobs are extremely demanding. It should be no surprise that money was one of the top three factors taken into consideration when choosing a job offer. However, salary is not the number one factor or overall deciding factor for accepting an offer.
A staggering 85 percent of developers said that working on interesting projects is far more important than salary when considering a job offer. This is good news for companies that aren’t necessarily leading the pack in salary packages, but does present a challenge when staffing for less “sexy” development projects. It is also important to note that these two factors, though important, are not the only criteria developers use when weighing their options.
Work-Life Balance and Working from Home
The ability to telecommute was cited as a deciding factor by nearly 40 percent of developers. This doesn’t necessarily mean they are looking for a job where they can work from home 100 percent of the time. What they are really seeking is flexibility and the opportunity to telecommute even a few times a month.
Developers know there are plenty of strong apps in the market that allow them to work from home that also allow their supervisors to monitor their progress. They want to work for progressive organizations that take advantage of these applications to allow for strong work-life balance.
The Right Perks and Benefits
Perks and benefits were also cited by 40 percent as being extremely important. Things like strong health benefits, gym memberships, equity shares, profit sharing, retirement accounts and career development allowances are very attractive to today’s software developers.
Surprisingly enough, the perks that developers aren’t looking for are the “Googleplex” perks that became so famous a decade ago. Nap pods, high-end cafeterias and on-site childcare and recreation are no longer viewed as perks. Developers know that companies offer these “benefits” as a way to keep employees working longer and longer hours every day, and they have become wary of employers that use these types of perks as recruiting tools.
Are You Struggling to Attract Developers?
If your organization is searching for top development talent with in-demand skills and a drive to stay ahead of market trends, effective recruiting, hiring, development and retention strategies are a must. The market is extremely competitive and hiring managers must know how to work with the resources they have to attract the best and brightest in the market.
If you are looking for development talent and you want to improve your strategies, the IT experts at CSS can help. Contact us today to learn how we can help you achieve your development and technology hiring goals.