They're arguably one of the most sought-after professions today: developers. Entrepreneurs often face the question of how best to attract these talents to their company. We asked someone who knows a thing or two about this: Stefan Schwarzgruber, DACH Country Manager at Stack Overflow.
1. Many startups struggle with finding good developers. What advice can you give young companies when it comes to attracting developers and potentially becoming more attractive than corporates?
At Stack Overflow, we spend a lot of time thinking about what makes a job attractive to developers. That's why we conduct large-scale surveys and studies among developers around the world—such as our 2017 global study. Startups don't have it easy compared to large corporations.
However, there are a few tips that have proven effective. First, you need to find the type of developer who is willing to work in a fast-paced and sometimes stressful environment like a startup. Therefore, it's worth taking a closer look at a programmer's resume: Has they ever worked for a startup before, and what their interests are? Professional social networks or Stack Overflow's "Developer Story" are excellent sources for this.
It's not just the money that counts
Good developers can choose where they work, reversing the traditional roles of candidate and company. Therefore, the startup must take the initiative and approach the developer. The most important points should be addressed: role, salary, vacation days, home office arrangements, and team are crucial. It's also worthwhile for startups to offer other benefits. Depending on the company culture or employee preferences, this could include providing appropriate budgets for continuing education measures in the form of conference attendance and the like, or benefits such as team outings or investments in equipment—all depending on the team's needs.
Basically, we found that while money plays a role, for developers the environment, development opportunities and colleagues are usually just as important.
2. What makes the typical developer tick? What do they want from a company?
Most of the more than 800,000 IT professionals in Germany are web developers and work as full-stack developers. They prefer to program in Java and Python. Those are the hard facts about German developers. It's still difficult to say what makes a typical developer tick. Fundamentally, however, developers are curious people who must possess many talents: They create something with code; they are artists, architects, language whizzes, and formula geeks all rolled into one. The image of the nerd who sits in front of a computer for hours and never sees the sun has long since vanished.
Further training opportunities are of great value
Our latest global developer report shows that—when asked about the most important evaluation criteria for a job—continuing education opportunities are the most important thing for developers. Of course, because technology is constantly changing and employers have to ensure their employees are always up to date. Therefore, the ideal company is one that offers courses and continuing education in new technologies and also allocates working time for this. In Germany, the second place among the must-haves for an employer is the technologies used in the job, which IT experts work with every day. Third place on the wish list is a great environment with a great office and even better colleagues. Salary only comes fourth in the evaluation of the job.
About Munich: “The city is a metropolitan area for IT experts”
3. Why did Stack Overflow choose Munich? What are the advantages of the location, and what are your expectations?
At Stack Overflow, we've been eyeing a location in Germany for some time. Germany needs an incredible number of developers in research, industry, and business. We chose Munich because the city offers the best potential for us: Large companies that conduct research and drive innovation and therefore need great developers to help shape the future. BMW, Infineon, Microsoft, and IBM are represented here and are working on the products of tomorrow—including in their newly established innovation centers.
With 380,000 people working in 20,000 ICT companies, the city is a hub for IT experts in southern Germany. Every year, around 4,400 ICT graduates graduate from universities in Munich and enter the job market. This ensures a steady supply of young talent and technological expertise. Secondly, the Bavarian capital is not called the "Isar Valley" for nothing: A thriving startup scene and outstanding investors lay the foundation for outstanding collaborations and technological innovations. And, of course, Munich also offers beautiful nature and a great quality of life.
Networking top — housing market flop
4. After your first impressions, is there anything you miss about Munich, and if so, what?
Our first impressions of Munich are very positive. We arrived in time for Oktoberfest and immediately got to know the ecosystem surrounding the festival and the local tech event Bits&Pretzels. We received a very friendly welcome, and institutions like "Invest in Bavaria" were very helpful and gave us practical tips and tricks for our first time in Munich.
We're currently working in a coworking space, where we quickly made friends—so networking with Bavaria works pretty well. People here get things done, and the universities are also well-positioned to implement ideas. Munich is a quintessentially German city, and it's not as hectic and international as London—but that can be nice for a change. One downside: finding an apartment in Munich is even more difficult than in London. In London, you usually get an apartment in the price range you've chosen. Here, you're one of hundreds applying for good apartments. That was sobering.
Introducing children and young people to programming
5. Do you think programming should be introduced as a school subject? And what would that mean for the developer profession in the future?
Our founder and CEO Joel Spolsky always says, "Software is eating the world." This means that everything today is determined by code, and this will naturally only increase in the future. He himself started playing around with technical devices and programming when he was around ten years old. This is precisely what is important: showing children what programming means at a young age and perhaps even getting them excited about it. In Germany, this hasn't really caught on yet. That's why I think every student needs to be introduced to the topic, and schools need to recognize its urgency.
Even if it might sound boring or overly mathematical at first, you should understand what codes and algorithms do and how they work. The automobile was also invented by inventors in the 19th century, and only very few understood how it worked. Today, not everyone can explain the functions of an engine or the gearshift in detail, but they can understand how the car drives and how each component works. I would like to see that for software too: understanding how the big picture is put together behind the interface.
6. What is Stack Overflow's vision for the future? Is there a concrete plan for the next 10 years?
First and foremost, we want to build a great team and office in the heart of Munich, and I think we're already well on our way. We're currently looking for sales professionals who are passionate about contributing to Germany's digital future. You can find the job postings on our website.
On the product side, we're staying true to our core mission with some exciting new projects: Stack Overflow has always connected not only developers with each other, but also employers with IT talent. An important part of this is enabling companies and developers to communicate on an equal footing. Whether recruiting, marketing, market research, or even systems for internal knowledge management – all of our solutions aim to make the lives of developers better and easier. We're currently working on our new product, "Stack Overflow Channels." It will give teams of all sizes the opportunity to share internal knowledge in their own, secure space. Just like on Stack Overflow—only within the company.
Thank you for the interview!
