Essential Mental Functions: the new senior developers are expected to reveal fair behavior towards their colleagues, subalterns, supervisors and clients. Among the most important mental functions that need to be possessed are: the ability to discern between what is right and what is wrong and what is ethical and what is unethical; empathy and kindness; the ability to make and enforce decisions; a good and reliable memory; originality, creativity and a sense for innovation (extremely important within the it community); the ability and desire to engage in cognitive efforts; the ability to be reasonable and communicative; the ability to rely on his/her own power and skills to resolve a task or a problem (such as a conflict in the workplace); the function of being temperate
Essential Physical Functions: considering that the candidate possesses the necessary mental functions, the necessities regarding physical functions are less comprehensive. Given the rather sedentary nature of the programming business, the sole physical requirement is for the candidate to be able to reveal palm and finger mobility. For the future, we consider the introduction of software that will allow writing code through dictation, rather than typing. Until we achieve this however, it is necessary that our developers show the ability to type.
Working Conditions: improving the working conditions has represented a primary target in the activity of Atea's Human Resource Department and we succeeded in this endeavor by increasing the operational space, upgrading the equipments used by our employees, implementing flexible working schedules (an employee is required to put in 40 hours per week and to complete his tasks; the organization of his schedule is however entirely up to him, with the exception of the situations when meetings are organized or when the senior is on delegation at the customers' firm and needs to adjust to their schedule); we offer a working environment which values individuality and diversity and where employees are encouraged to socialize, learn one from the other and collaborate. Telecommuting is currently being considered.
Equipment Used: the senior developer will be assigned to his own desk, which will host his own personal computer, equipped with a 21-inch display, wireless mouse and keyboard, and headsets, so as not to disturb his colleagues; internet access will be restricted in order to avoid procrastination and viruses from the world wide web; upon delegation and when an impending necessity to telecommute exists, the senior developer is entitled to laptop, which will be returned to the organization at the completion of the chore; for work-related purposes, the seniors also have access to the fax machines, scanners and printers within Atea.
Minimum Education and Experience: the future senior developers are expected to be graduates of a nationally accredited university, with a specialty in computers science; a master's degree is not compulsory but may offer a plus; in terms of previous experience, it is required of the candidate to have worked at least five years in a similar position.
Additional Comments: due to the fact that we serve the software needs of customers in various global regions, it is possible that the seniors be asked to make delegations to the headquarters of the customers. Whilst this attribution falls under the category of compulsory duties for the employees without any motion impediments, people with handicaps (generally related to movement) will only be selected for delegation upon their individual consent.
5. Assessment and Selection Criteria
Directly linked to the analysis and description of the senior developer position are the criteria which have to be possessed by a candidate who wants to occupy this position. Otherwise put, the assessment and selection criteria are directly pegged to the functions which have to be completed by the senior programmer. The table below reveals the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA) required in completing the five functions described throughout the previous sections.
KSA
Functions
IMP
DIFF
CRIT
ENTRY
1.
High degree education
2, 3, 4
5
5
25
5
2.
Previous expertise (at least 5 years in a similar position)
1, 2, 5
4
5
20
4
3.
Analytical approach to completing tasks
1, 2, 3, 4
5
4
20
4
4.
Good communication skills
4, 5
4
4
16
5
5.
Team spirit and focus on team accomplishments
2, 3, 4
5
4
20
5
6.
Focus on customer needs and satisfaction
3, 5
5
3
15
5
7.
Strategic planning capabilities
3, 4
4
4
16
4
8.
Instrumental coping
2, 3, 4, 5
5
The rest KSAs of expertise, analytical approach, strategic planning, instrumental coping and control of the team are also important, but less so as they can be developed throughout the employment period.
6. The Selection Process
The selection process at Atea is organized onto six consecutive steps, as follows:
(1) Resume review - once the curriculum vitae-s have been received, the specialists within the Human Resource Department commence to analyze them and select those of them which forward the desired qualifications necessary for the job (the selection criteria). Particularly, they look for the candidates who have a high education degree in computers science, previous expertise in a senior position and describe themselves as having good communication skills, team spirit and an inclination towards management and control. The candidates which do not reveal these capabilities are no longer considered part of the selection process.
(2) Background check -- once the HR specialists have selected those candidates which meet the technical requirements to occupying the senior developer position, we run a background check on them in order to ensure that the information in the CV is accurate; we for instance contact the university, to ensure that they have in fact graduated, or their former employees; also, we conduct verifications to see if the candidate has a criminal record. The candidates which are proven to have forwarded false accusations are removed from the selection process.
(3) Interview with a HR specialist -- the next step sees that a member of the Human Resource Department meets face-to-face with the so far selected candidates in order to present the employment opportunity as well as test the characteristics of the individual in terms of sincerity, communication skills or personality. We will also strive to identify if the candidate would be able to become integrated within the Atea culture and working environment and whether or not he/she has the potential to increase organizational value. Since most of our team members possess degrees in higher education psychology, we are able to identify the nature and potential of a candidate, but in order to give everybody a fair chance and rule out the possibility of judging someone based on a first impression, the interview with the HR specialist does not make for a decision point in the meaning that most employees move forward to the next stage of the selection process -- the technical interview
(4) Technical testing -- this part of the selection process is handled by senior developers with a long employment period within Atea and whose word is not only important, but also who possess a vast technological education and expertise. This process has two primary targets, of varying importance. The first and stated aim of technical testing is that of identifying whether the candidate possesses the required technical knowledge to complete the organizational tasks. The second and more salient goal is that of observing the candidate and striving to identify whether he/she would be able to become integrated within the team and whether he/she would be able to sustain and even improve company performances. If the candidate fails the technical test, he/she is ruled out of the selection process.
(5) Psychological evaluation -- throughout this process, the candidate is engaged in one-on-one conversations with the psychology specialist within our Human Resource department team, after which he/she is asked to participate to a series of personality and IQ tests. The aim of this process is that of ensuring that the candidates possess the essential mental functions. If they do not, they will generally be excluded from the selection process.
(6) Interview with the top manager -- considering that the candidate has come this far in the selection process, only one more step stands in his way of being hired at Atea. The interview with the top executive is generally perceived as a means of closing a deal -- the top executive thanks the candidate for being interested in the organization, and vice versa, and then…
