The IT industry is no stranger to the problem of a lack of talent. Hiring and retaining experienced software engineers is a challenge for everyone.

The only sustainable solution - investing in emerging software developers. In most cases, emerging developers are recent graduates in entry-level positions. Even though they might lack experience, they make it up with passion and curiosity. They want to add value to the company.

What does it mean to be qualified?

Most companies are hunting for 'qualified' candidates. Some may think being qualified is to have the relevant knowledge or training. However, others may argue that to be qualified - you need to have tenure as proof that you meet specific standards, which may often translate into how much experience you need to be eligible for the position. While tenure ensures at least some "experience", it comes at the cost of ignoring high-achieving candidates without the necessary experience.

So is having x amount of experience more valuable than having a particular skill?

Someone who has been working for five years may have the same skill set as someone who has recently graduated, mainly because everyone has their learning process. The person with experience may have taken five years to learn that skill that the person with no experience may have picked up in weeks or months. As technology advances, it has become easier to access information and learn something new by reading blogs, watching videos, and working on open source projects.

Even if an individual has spent years carefully learning everything in their field (making them more than qualified for their job), the chances of those skills being relevant now are smaller. Especially with software engineering being ever-changing, it is essential to have candidates who are quick on their feet and tech-savvy to keep up with the constant change and evolvement. Therefore, we should measure someone's experience in the time since time passes, regardless of an individual's actions.

Why should you hire emerging developers?

They are very adaptable

The only constant in the technology industry is change!

Generally, emerging developers lack the experience of their senior counterparts because they are new to the field. Despite this, they are easier to train since they are less set in their ways and are more open to new ideas. By doing so, the company can tailor emerging developers to meet the needs and requirements of your company. Being adaptable is one of many desirable skills when starting as a developer.

Eager to learn & Passionate

In many cases, emerging developers are avid about their work. Interested in learning new skills and technologies, they strive to up-skill their knowledge. Consequently, they're more likely to be open to experimenting with ideas and willing to try various new ideas to bring fresh perspectives. Therefore, emerging developers can be a great asset to your team.

Only sustainable solution

Software development is a team sport. It takes a cross-functional team working together to achieve specific business outcomes. Building software teams with only experienced senior software engineers is not a sustainable solution for any organization. The cost of talent goes up and down relative to the available pool of people. It is unpredictable.

A better approach is to hire emerging developers and invest in their growth. They are craving to get the experience that their senior counterparts have.

What should you be looking for in emerging developers?

When hiring emerging developers, there are three key traits you should look for - passion, curiosity, and love for building things.

Our goal with Tublian is to make it easy for developers to demonstrate the above traits and standout. This also makes it easy for companies to find and hire passionate emerging developers.