Software development is a complex process – you need a strong team of technical professionals, each with expertise in their field.
DevOps engineers are essential members of such teams. Think of them as part-developer, part-operations master, working to smoothen the software development process.
The search to hire DevOps engineers is fierce now. But here’s the catch – a study found that DevOps engineers are among the top three professionals hiring managers struggle to recruit!
Relatable? If you are looking for top talent, this blog will guide you to hire DevOps engineers successfully.
Why Should You Hire A DevOps Engineer?
DevOps combines software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to deliver services at speed and scale – that is basically what a DevOps engineer focuses on. Continuous development and testing, automation, digital transformation and faster development lifecycles is all a part of their role. More on that later.
Why your team needs a highly skilled DevOps team is because they can collaborate with the operations unit, breaking down the silos for better workflows. DevOps engineers test the software quality ensuring the product is secure, powerful, and performs well.
With their expertise and skills to handle advanced tools, they can automate repetitive tasks, reduce human error, and spare more time for strategic work. They also design and construct CI/CD pipelines to ensure actual code moves seamlessly from development to production.
Exactly what your business needs right now? No wonder, the race to hire DevOps engineers is constant!
Top Responsibilities of DevOps Developers
Now that you know why you need one, it’s time to find out what exactly a DevOps engineer does? Where will they fit in your team, and more importantly, what do you need to look for when hiring one?
DevOps engineers understand the software development lifecycle and handle automation tools to develop digital CI/CD pipelines. Note that these are different from DevSecOps engineers, who bring in the aspect of security in addition to developmental and operations.
Here are the top responsibilities they undertake and the skills they bring to the table:
- Technical skills and expertise in development, IT operations, and DevOps tools and technologies.
- Proper knowledge of cloud platforms and services with hands-on experience in handling the cloud infrastructure.
- Solid understanding of agile technologies like Lean software development, Kaban, etc.
- Ability to develop secure software and know about the best security practices.
- Practical knowledge to troubleshoot and resolve issues while managing application development, deployment, and operations.
- Expertise to help improve processes and tools to result in better efficiency and productivity.
Cost of Hiring a DevOps Engineer
When considering hiring a DevOps engineer, it’s important to factor in the costs associated with the desired person. The average salary for a DevOps engineer ranges from $103k to $149k. However, this totally depends on experience, geographic location, and the complexity of the ongoing or future project.
5 Tips and Best Practices to Hire DevOps Engineers
You know already that hiring DevOps engineers has become quite a challenge for businesses. Below are the 5 tips and best practices to hire technically proficient engineers who are also a great fit for your organization.
Identify and Define Your Requirements
You’re looking to hire DevOps engineer. But what a waste it would be if you did not spell out your business requirements first. Understand and verify your specific DevOps engineer requirements to find the best match.
Here are some tips to outline your requirements to avoid hiring the wrong DevOps candidates:
- DevOps engineers work on various projects, so list the skills and experience needed for the job
- Think about what you need help with – is it design, implementation, or maybe software testing?
- Define your communication, problem-solving skills, and work culture requirements to find if the candidate could fit in
Pick the Right DevOps Source for the Hiring Process
Still limiting your sources to traditional job boards or websites? That’s a big no-no in today’s era. Use professional social platforms like LinkedIn, DevOps forums, job fairs, and conferences.
Have multiple options to source talent, which expands your reach and ensures you find the most competent DevOps engineers. The best talent may come from places you might otherwise not look for. This also helps search beyond borders, allowing you to hire global talent.
Create a Recruitment Pipeline
Don’t rush into sourcing candidates just yet! Creating a recruitment pipeline allows you to develop a ready pool of potential candidates. This helps reduce the time and effort of starting from the beginning to hire DevOps developers.
For this, you can:
- Partner with universities, colleges, and technical schools that offer DevOps-related courses.
- Regularly participate in career fairs and sponsor DevOps projects or hackathons – you’ll get some otherwise underutilized talent from here!
- Offer internship and co-op programs for students to gain hands-on experience.
- Mentor them through practical projects that align with your company’s requirements.
- Create a clear path from internship to full-time employment to help students grow in the role – for all you know, these could be the best fit for your requirements.
Perform Interviews and Technical Assessments
Knowledge and degrees can definitely give you some idea, but the real deal comes with properly understanding their skills and personality. Conduct interviews and ask open-ended questions to allow candidates to discuss their skills and experience.
Then, check their technical abilities using coding and practical skills tests. This is an important step you cannot miss out on!
Theoretical knowledge is only half of it. Make sure to evaluate their performance based on their ability and skills, such as automation, coding, scripting, and more.
Work with a Tech Talent Partner
Partnering with a tech talent service provider can ease the process and help find suitable DevOps engineers quickly.
These hiring firms often have access to a global talent pool of skilled professionals. They also bring expertise in running successful screening processes, evaluating skills, and negotiating salaries for the best outcomes.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, it’s about finding the right, talented professionals who can empower organizations and optimize development processes.
Use the above guide on how to hire a DevOps engineer to find the best candidates. Define your goals for hiring a DevOps engineer before creating a job post—partner with a tech partner to access a talented and global pool of professionals.
Hiring the right DevOps engineer isn’t just about filling a position. So, ensure that your chosen candidate aligns with your technical and organizational needs.
