DevOps Hiring

DevOps Hiring

DevOps Hiring Versus Hiring DevOps

In early 2013, I gave a short talk at devopsdays in New York about hiring in a DevOps world.^[1] The main point of the talk was that organizations that have embraced DevOps needed people who would naturally resist organizational silos. One way to identify these rare individuals (a.k.a. polymaths, generalists, or comb-shaped people) was by their non-linear career paths and wide-ranging interests. I also shared some practical suggestions for finding such people (e.g., not on LinkedIn).

When I revisited the subject for this report, I realized that the approach I used for recruiting DevOps people was fundamentally different from traditional recruiting. In this paper, I describe a more effective model for finding, hiring, and retaining non-commodity talent in ultra-competitive markets—DevOps hiring. This holistic approach to recruiting is based on core DevOps principles and can be used to hire for in-demand positions in any part of an organization. It’s based on my personal experience with implementing DevOps hiring at a quickly growing software company in New York City.

Before delving into DevOps hiring and its benefits, let’s briefly review current recruiting practices.

Hello, <name>

My name is [REDACTED NAME], I’m a recruiter for [REDACTED COMPANY]. I came across your profile and I’d like to speak with you regarding an exciting opportunity with [REDACTED COMPANY]! They currently have a need for a DevOps Engineer and based on your profile, ...