Think Like A Developer To Be A Better Tech Recruiter – Alison Daley

Alison Daley is the Founder & CEO of Recruiting Innovation, the online certification platform for technical recruiters. 

In her talk entitled Think Like A Developer To Be A Better Tech Recruiter, Alison introduced us to the five-step process that all software engineers follow when developing software.

Alison’s unique views on recruiting were inspired by her time spent as a UX Researcher. After re-entering recruiting, Alison found value in bringing the methodologies and principles applied to user experience to the candidate experience.

By taking her cues from product design, Alison describes how tech recruiters can apply design tools like contextual interviews, journey maps, and talent personas into a storytelling framework they can follow. 

With visuals depicting both waterfall and agile methodologies, Alison explained how recruiters could rely on the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) to attract and assess the right people.

The five steps used by developers in the SDLC are research, design, build, test, and deploy. Applying this approach to sourcing and recruiting for technical professionals can help you become a more savvy and educated interviewer. 

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Alison provides an anchor question for technical interviews – “Walk me through a project you are most proud of, or that was particularly challenging.”

She also recommends asking additional probing questions that can add insight to the anchor question. These supporting questions include:

  1. What was the biggest motivator throughout this project?
  2. What stage of the process was most frustrating for you?
  3. What is something that you learned about yourself from this experience?
  4. What was a key takeaway from this project for you or the team?

Applying the SDLC framework when interviewing tech professionals can help build your confidence as you evaluate how their skills can meet the needs of your hiring teams.

Curious to learn more? Why not try Alison’s approach to become the ultimate tech recruiting partner. You can learn more at https://recruitinginnovation.com/. 

It takes savvy and passion to excel in the recruiting journey.  As a Sourcing Leader who thrives from learning and sharing, Maisha continues to balance creativity and precision.  

Years of recruiting for companies like Google, LinkedIn and GitHub fuel her unique approach to identifying, engaging and assessing talent. 

Beyond her experience with globally-recognized brands, it’s her ability to strategically connect people and ideas that earns international accolades.

In 2015, the World’s Greatest Sourcer competition recognized Maisha as one of the top three sourcing professionals globally. Most recently, she ranked one of the top 10 finalists in the 2018 SourceCon Grandmaster Challenge.

The Los Angeles native holds a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola Marymount University and a Master of Arts from the University of Southern California. She is an active contributor to the recruiting community and a lover of productivity tools. 

Follow her on Twitter @talentgenie.

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