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Hiring Process: Computer Gurus vs Social Skills

Having a business unit that focus on outsourcing, one of our main needs is to hire qualified people to meet our clients requirements.

At RUPEAL we want our software business unit to specialize in one area: Java. We’re aiming to have the best team on Java development that we can have on the market.

Now the funny part is that as deep as we get on this market (of outsourcing to other companies), we’re finding out that the more versatile the consultant is, the more “marketable” he is!

Different clients, have different recruitment philosophies. For instance, one of our major clients, doesn’t give much value to experts on a given matter, like Java or .NET. The company cares more to know that the person has an attitude of “if I don’t know about the subject, I’ll go and find out as possible as I can”, to having a profile of a computer guru on a given matter! The computer skills aren’t irrelevant, but they tend to go to second place.

The fact is: The final client wants to “buy” a team to whom he expects to trust, and communicate their IT needs. If you buy a team of a bunch of geeks who doesn’t know how to do team work, communicate and ultimately make the client smile… it’s already a lost battle!

I’m learning that “computer gurus” most of the times, don’t have the social skills that are required for a consulting job! I’m talking about selling skills, presentation skills, persuasion skills and emotional intelligence! A lesson to learn here: Computer skills doesn’t bring the bacon home.

This has made me think about a lot of the kind of people that I want to hire for the Consulting business unit of RUPEAL. Do I really want to have a team of (only) geeks?

What would you do on this subject? What do you think about it?

Rui Alves on March 26th, 2007

Business

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3 comentários

  • Marco Pedro

    26 March 2007

    What i think ?

    If you want a developer, ask about spring and ruby, things that only geeks will learn.

    If you want a consultant, you have to make many interviews to know the social skills of each candidate.

    When a candidate sends the cv , you know that the candidate wil have certain skills, but what you don’t know , is if the candidate is sociable, communicative and have the ability to work in a team.

    These skills are what a company that does consulting needs.

    Don’t fill the cv only with technical skills, that isn´t the only thing that matter…

    Are the HR prepared to choose the best human resources for their company??

     

  • Renato Silva

    29 June 2007

    Hi Rui

    That’s a realy good question…

    In my point of view, employers that are not interest in the “social skills” of the employees they hire, have no interest in building a team or making the employee feel good in his work. They just want some “guru meat” that resolves their problem at one precise moment of the company life.

    If you want to build a team that you think capable of respond to market changes (and we know that in TI’s market changes of tecnologies are always hapening) I think you have to look to the “social skills” of the guy you’re interviewing. My knowledge of clients made me feel that they want a employee that can fit well in the existing team they already have and that in the same time can be usefull to the team (of course he has to know IT stuff). But more important, a guy that don’t interfere negatively with the team fuctioning. Many “gurus” are dificult to work with and don’t often know how to work in a team.

    The best scenario is to find a “guru with social skills”, but that’s like…. asking to Benfica to be 2007 Champions League winner, HARD TO GET :)

    Well… I think you understand my opinion.

    Good look for your company

     

  • Nuno

    6 September 2007

    I won’t give you the name of the person I’m thinking about but I’ll tell you this: you have a very mediatic example of a team leader that successfully brings out the best in his men. That’s a leader’s job, a team leader’s job. Your consultants don’t have to be geeks, in fact, it might help if they’re not. It will surely be easier for their leader (team manager) to make a great team if they have good social skills.

    If you want a team to workout well communication is very important. Which is easier to communicate: a geek or a regular guy? Well, geeks are often hard to talk to since they’re so sure about the stuff they know…

     

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