How to Hire Software Developers Using Goodreads and GitHub

Start by addressing the two primary problems in tech recruiting.. ??

The most common complaint is that LinkedIn isn't effective for hiring developers, since relevant information is often missing from their profiles.

and wait for it...

Another big issue is that engineers frequently receive outreach for positions they're not interested in or qualified for.

While LinkedIn can be a helpful starting point for researching potential candidates, you shouldn't rely on the platform alone.

Information like location, experience and company size is readily available, making LinkedIn a global searching toolkit.

It's important to cross-reference the data you find on other platforms and LinkedIn interchangeably before reaching out to developers.

Yet majority of recruiters will do a simple LinkedIn search and nothing more.

In this article, we will explore Goodreads and GitHub—two of the most influential tools available to those in recruiting from a candidate research perspective and give you some actionable steps to follow.

Let's focus on a two-prong approach of leveraging two platforms today and add a little LinkedIn sauce when needed.

GOODREADS - goodreads.com

With Goodreads, you can connect with other users who share your love of books, movies and music.

The site also offers powerful research capabilities for recruiters, making it an invaluable tool for anyone wanting to quickly learn more about what the engineers are learning or interested in.

Goodreads is also an excellent way to discover software developers who share your interests in coding, programming languages and computer science.

By following other software developers on Goodreads, you can gain insights into their skills and interests which will help you determine if they are the right fit for your team.

GITHUB - github.com

GitHub is perfect for in-depth recruiter research to find astonishingly skilled software developers who may not be open to job offers but definitely have the talents you desire.

When you take a look at former projects and code samples/links from professional portfolios, it becomes apparent what each developer is able to do or interested in.

This makes the process of finding potential candidates who have both the experience and qualifications much clearer.

Also, if someone has contributed to open source projects or contributed parts of codebases before, that's usually a great signifier of their technical skills.

Providing a 6 Step Guide that anyone can follow.

Step 1: To search for users on Goodreads, first log into your account at www.goodreads.com/login.

• All you need to do is search for books within the category of IT (e.g coding, back-end development, design, etc).

Step 2: Enter any relevant keywords in the search box such as technology or topics relating to the hiring requirements “C++ 20” or “Ruby On Rails 7.0.4” etc.

Step 3: You will then be presented with a list of users who match your criteria along with their profile pages where you can learn more about them and contact them if interested.

In this step you get a ton of hints ??

• Where they are located.
• What books they have read / reading.
• Who they are following.
• What exact interests and tech stack (sometimes).
• Add them as a friend or follow them.
• What their profile photo is likely to look like, and profile name on Git.
• You can send them a DM (deviates away from LI Messenger, and you don′t have to pay for it).

Step 4: Take these lists and now cross-check, generally they will use this for their Github handle, or you can just google image search or google search to find them on Github.

• LinkedIn can be used also to fast-track and reference point at this stage (continue or abandon the profile depending on what you care about).

Step 5: Members will often list their social media networks, email addresses, and personal websites on their Github profiles so take note of this.

• GitHub is a place that Developers use to store their code (hence the term ‘git’). It’s essentially a Dropbox for developers, for those who are new to this.
• All developers that upload their code publicly (or not) to the site and is categorised under a programming language (s).

Step 6: Now circle back onto LinkedIn and you will be able to narrow down if this person suits the global parameters of the search or cross check again.

• This way you will use LinkedIn with a whole lot more confidence.
• Bonus Tip # Also you can compile as reference these research points like the books they are reading and the Git (tech) itself when reaching out specifically, which is something Developers will appreciate and make you distinct from other recruiters.

AS YOU CAN SEE, FINDING QUALIFIED SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS IS NOT A DIFFICULT TASK, ITS A TIME CONSUMING ONE.

Tech recruiters get paid handsomely because they are excellent researchers—a skillset that demands both time and expertise.

It is impossible to beat a recruiter that does this research process well.

The more challenging part of the process is engaging them in meaningful conversation.

I covered some things on constructing the outreach message earlier this week in this blog How To Weaponize Reach Out Messages When Sourcing Talent.

With resources like Goodreads (Free) and GitHub (Free) at your fingertips, it's now easier than ever before to connect with potential candidates quickly and efficiently.

And, hopefully shed some light on those two key complaints you tend to get from recruiters and developers.

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