Hiring in a tight market

Right now is a great time to be a tester looking for a new job. The job market is really tight and it seems like one could take their pick of positions. The flip-side is that it is an awful time to be looking to hire testers because they have the freedom to be selective. The pool of developers seems to be much, much larger than the pool of testers out there. Probably no surprise, but if you are looking for job security, development might not be the obvious choice.

Seems like there are three major ways to source candidates:

Recruiting firms
Craigslist
Networking

I think you just might need all three.

Networking is probably the best, but also the hardest. It's great if you know solid people who know other quality testers. However, these people don't necessarily move around much, so they aren't the asset they might appear to be. But don't get me wrong, if someone in your network is looking for a new job and you are hiring this could be the ideal situation. Just don't hold your breath that your hiring window and their availability will overlap.

Some people don't network professionally, and don't use recruiting firms, so you'll find them from Craigslist. You'll also find the musicians whose gigs have dried up and are looking to make the move into software testing. But occasionally a great candidate will contact you and it makes it worth it. I just wouldn't put too much time into it. Also, I suspect there is a killer job description that attracts just the candidates you want. Unfortunately, at least for my open position, I'm unaware of what it is.

Recruiting firms seem like a good deal. They do all the legwork and send you perfectly matching resumes for your openings. You put your feet up on your desk, maybe grab a nice cup of coffee or a lemonade depending on the season, and spend a lazy morning deciding between candidates just so perfect you wish you could hire them all. That's the dream anyway.

These firms can send you people but they tend to specialize in the high end. If you need mid-level or junior people, they probably aren't going to be as helpful. Working with a good firm can be nice, but it isn't a guarantee of quick hiring.

When they say you should expect to spend three months filling a position, believe them. In a tight market with a small pool of specific talent, I might add some to that estimate. How much? I'll let you know when I get my hire. I'm going on two months...