Using a recruiter to hire a WordPress developer

I was recently contacted by a large recruiting service on behalf of a client in my area seeking to hire a WordPress developer.

As a boutique agency owner — the struggle is real.

I’ll attend most opportunities if I think it will progress my business and my portfolio. Once I knew the recruiter was okay with talking to an agency owner and not a solo developer, we scheduled the call.

Here are three critical points that an organization hiring a recruiter for WordPress development should consider:

1. Please understand the project requirements

The recruiter informed me that PHP, never mind WordPress, wasn’t something he was familiar dealing with. Normally, he recruits for Microsoft products and their development standards. With that out of the way, we moved on to the specifics of the project…which he had none of.

He asked for an average project price for “rebuilding a WordPress template.” To which I responded with:

• How much content or pages are we dealing with?
• Any idea on the amount of unique layouts or content structures the site uses?
• Is it a marketing site? An e-commerce site? An intranet portal?
• Are there unique mobile experiences we would have to be aware of? Phone/Table/Otherwise?

Needless to say, he didn’t have any of the details to answer the initial questions above.

So, if you’re heading out to hire a recruiter for your business needs, please provide them with the necessary information to ask and respond to informed questions. Agencies or even freelance consultants cannot (and should not) make estimates without a few breadcrumbs of detail.

Everyone kicks tires, but at least they get to see which car.

2. Your barriers create more barriers

“The problem is, the client hired a junior PHP developer and they didn’t get the site they wanted. It’s in shambles right now according to the client.” ~ The Recruiter

No.

The problem is the client didn’t hire a true WordPress developer and they hired someone that didn’t care about the outcome of the project.

Barrier #1 – The client thought that a junior PHP developer would be an affordable solution for this website, 2 years ago. Rightfully so! After all, it’s just a website! #amiright

Barrier #2 – They are making the same mistakes again. Now they are seeking a better PHP developer, when in fact, they need to hire a firm that has the qualifications to lead a project, create a design that serves the project’s purpose, and develop a scalable & sustainable WordPress solution.

I can understand the need to hire a recruiter, especially if you don’t have the resources or lack the knowledge to interview, but do understand you’re creating a huge barrier — or gap — from the intimate process a great project requires.

Approaching the project as if it’s another line item from your marketing budget is fuel on the fire for both parties to not give a fuck about the outcome. At the very least, a hamster wheel of grinding out tasks — and not a goal-driven outcome oriented creative process.

Believe me, when the grind hits, shortcuts will be made on both sides which ultimately sets you back to square one.

3. No, you can’t have my employee resumes

This one goes out to the recruiters. Ahem…

No, you can’t have my employee resumes. Got it? Why? You’re a recruiter — do the math.

As my friend Chris recently wrote about, sharing your team profiles within a competitive technical landscape is not the best move you can make as an agency owner. I’m certainly not going to provide you with direct contact information and data needed for hiring your next job. Get real.

Your performance and capabilities are measured on the merit of your portfolio, your pitch, and your cohesiveness within the client v. agency interaction:

• Are we a good fit together?
• Are both expectations reasonable?
• Do our values align?
• Will we be good working partners for the next 90 – 120 days?

A single resume isn’t going to determine this — but the team’s collective output will.

Have feedback?

What’s your experience dealing with recruiters or corporate clients that introduce an indirect hiring process? Let us know in the comments below.

By the way, If you’re looking for a more than capable WordPress design and development agency, check us out at Slocum Studio.