MetaSource is a business management consulting business in Draper, UT. I had the privilege of working with two colleagues of mine on this project, as MetaSource approached our group offering their time to let us analyze some of the HR practices and offer solutions. Our main contact at MetaSource was Scott Allen, MetaSource’s VP of HR.
After a few meetings, we determined three areas we were going to focus on for our consulting project: recruitment, selection, and retention. It was in these three areas that we found practices that could be changed or added to help MetaSource keep up with a hot job market that kept stealing away their most prized job roles: software developers.
Unfortunately with the time allowance our group had with the project and the fact that we were conducting this consulting project completely remotely, we were only able to make recommendations rather than see them through.
Here are our observations, and what we recommended!
Recruitment
It’s no secret that software developers are in high demand, and the time we did this project was no exception. MetaSource was doing a lot of things right, but there were a few practices they told us about that we knew could use some facelifts in order to bring in all the talent they needed for their tech business.
Firstly, MetaSource was relying on expensive third-party recruiters on an as-needed basis. Recruiters like this come at great costs, and MetaSource found that these costs were eating into their budget more than they would have liked. We suggested that they consider bringing recruiting in-house by hiring a full-time recruiter. This would not only save them money but also provide greater control over the hiring process and enable them to build their own talent pipeline.
By hiring a full-time recruiter, MetaSource could take a more proactive approach to recruitment, which would be particularly valuable from a cost perspective if they expected to hire more than 10 employees a year (which they did). An in-house recruiter could develop a deep understanding of the company’s culture and values, and create a hiring process that reflects them. They could also tap into their network and leverage social media to find candidates who are a great fit for the company.
We also learned that Scott sought out most of his hires from tech hubs like Utah, San Francisco, Austin, Portland, Denver, Atlanta, and Washington DC. Since they were still having trouble we conducted some more research and found equally-advantageous locations were Minneapolis, Dallas, Raleigh, San Jose, and Charlotte. We recommended they focus on universities and technical training institutes (assuming younger, less-experienced hires with blank slates and ambition were aligned with their recruitment strategy).
Selection
Selecting the best job candidates is critical for any organization, something MetaSource understood very clearly. To ensure that they were selecting candidates who were a good fit for the company, we identified two competencies that they should focus on during the selection process.
The first competency we identified was “a fundamental knowledge of programming and computer science.” This is an important requirement for their technical roles, and it was essential that MetaSource could assess this competency accurately. We recommended that they use a technical job simulation to evaluate a candidate’s knowledge of programming and computer science. This would enable MetaSource to see how a candidate performs in a simulated work environment, and get a better sense of their abilities. We found several online aptitude tests that would probably work for this.
The second competency we identified was “a willingness to always look for ways to improve.” To measure this competency, we suggested situational and behavioral interview questions with a 1-5 scoring system. These questions would give candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to identify areas for improvement and take action to address them.
Here are some examples competency scoring tables we created. Each competency gets degree “anchors” or descriptions. One table assists in measuring initiative, and the other for innovation.
By focusing on these two competencies, MetaSource could improve its candidate selection process and ensure that they were selecting candidates who were a good fit for the company. The technical job simulation and situational and behavioral interview questions would provide a more accurate assessment of a candidate’s abilities and potential for growth, enabling MetaSource to build a stronger and more effective team.
Retention
During our consulting project with MetaSource, we ran a job diagnostic survey with their employees to identify areas for improvement. The survey revealed that two areas employees wanted improvement in were “task identity” and “feedback from job.” We recommended two specific actions that could help MetaSource improve in these areas.
The first action we suggested was to increase employees’ scope of responsibility and vision. By doing this, employees would be able to see projects through from end to end, which would increase their sense of task identity. This would help them to understand how their work fits into the bigger picture and increase their motivation and engagement. Additionally, by taking ownership of a project from start to finish, employees would be better equipped to make decisions and take initiative, which would ultimately benefit the company.
The second action we recommended was to train managers on the importance of providing feedback to their employees. Feedback is essential for employee growth and development, and it can be a powerful motivator. By providing regular feedback, managers can help their employees understand how they are performing and identify areas for improvement. This will increase their sense of feedback from the job and help them to improve their performance.
Retaining software developers was a top priority for MetaSource, and they felt that their onboarding and offboarding processes could use some help. These processes were not standardized, and they lacked supervisor buy-in.
We recommended that they implement a standardized onboarding checklist to ensure that new employees receive a consistent and comprehensive orientation to the company. This would help to ensure that new employees have a positive experience and feel supported in their new roles. We also suggested that MetaSource train managers on the importance of effective onboarding and offboarding, as managers play a critical role in ensuring that new employees feel welcome and supported. There is a lot of research that shows how effective onboarding improves retention rates.
The second area was employee exits. We recommended that MetaSource conduct exit interviews with employees before they leave, rather than after. This would give the company an opportunity to understand why employees are leaving and identify areas for improvement. We also suggested that MetaSource use a standardized exit interview form to make the process more efficient and help with HR analytics.
Conclusion
The goals were to build a stronger and more effective team, improve employee retention, and stay competitive in the job market. MetaSource was doing a lot of things right, but they were smart enough to recognize that some areas could still use improvement. Sometimes getting to the next level of competitive advantage is improving lots of areas by 1-2%.
We’re happy with how our overall proposal turned out. We summarized our suggestions into three formal documents and made the delivery to a satisfied Mr. Allen. Thank you Scott and MetaSource for giving us this project, and good luck winning over more software developers!
