photo credit: donakeannadoanek3n4an

The following is the fruits of seven years or so of having been involved in interviewing and hiring techies, and over ten years of working amongst my own kind and observing. And to clarify, by techies I mean people with specialised computer skills, whether it’s administering servers, developing code for your website, or possibly even doing the visual design and layout for your site. Now, you might find that the majority of jobs you need a techie for are short, clearly defined pieces of work that are well-specified. In which case, the personality and peccadilloes of the techie is less important than their resume or previous work.

All the same, the info here might be useful in determining whether to use someone again and again. So here’s some traits to keep an eye out for, and some possible ways to check for them.

Also, I’ve thrown in some quotes from Hagakure, my favourite book. It’s relevant in a way, given that the book is primarily about the relationship between a retainer and their lord (albeit in feudal Japan) Because fundamentally techies are retainers – well-trained retainers, but retainers all the same. We’re here to serve some fundamental need that is larger than just our work. At any rate, here’s hoping you find the quotes interesting.

Once there was a certain man who was very clever, but it was his character
to always see the negative points of his jobs. In such a way, one will be useless.
If one does not get it into his head from the very beginning that the world is full
of unseemly situations, for the most part his demeanor will be poor and he will not
be believed by others. And if one is not believed by others, no matter how good a
person he may be, he will not have the essence of a good person. This can also
be considered as a blemish.
Yamamoto Tsunetomo

Arrogance: What’s Their Attitude to Mere Mortals?

If I had a nickel for every time someone I’d worked with on a contract had said “They just don’t get it, man” then… I’d have a very heavy pile of nickels that wouldn’t do me much good in Australia. But it would still be a potent visual reminder that this sure happens a LOT.

A common byproduct of such specialised knowledge, and a genuine love for the field that they work in, which are both laudable traits on their own, is the unfortunate tendency to look down their nose at people who don’t understand and appreciate the inner workings of their field themselves. Which is a shame when it happens.

What To Do: When talking with your potential techie, pick a particular term or technology you’re unfamiliar with, and profess your ignorance. Ask the techie to explain further, and see what happens. Hopefully, they’ll accommodate your request happily, rather than sighing in exasperation. The key thing you’re looking for here is how they react to a lack of understanding from you – what happens to how they interact with you.
When something is said to you by the master, whether it is for your good or bad
fortune, to withdraw in silence shows perplexity. You should have some appropriate
response. It is important to have resolution beforehand.
Moreover, if at the time that you are asked to perform some function you have deep
happiness or great pride, it will show exactly as that on your face. This has been
seen in many people and is rather unbecoming. But another type of person knows his
own defects and thinks, “I’m a clumsy person but I’ve been asked to do this thing
anyway. Now how am I going to go about it? I can see that this is going to be much
trouble and cause for concern.” Though these words are never said, they will appear
on the surface. This shows modesty.
Yamamoto Tsunetomo

Over-promising: Do They Know How To Say No?

On the other side of the fence, one character trait that a lot of techies seem to have is an almost pathological need to please. We like to solve difficult problems for people, and make them happy.

One of the problems that can come with this is a tendency to over-promise – to be rather optimistic about underlying challenges and deadlines, and not want to say no. To be fair as well, deadlines for technical tasks can also end up being unrealistic because of unexpected complexity – kind of like that follow-up phone call from the mechanic where they explain that things are actually going to cost a LOT more, and you really should think about canceling that trip around Europe by the way. Or paying for food for the next month.

Ideally, you want your techie to have the battle scars that give them the instincts to push back on unrealistic deadlines and say no. Because you can’t plan with deadlines that won’t be met. Whatever crucial part of your site they’re putting together for you won’t be ready in time for key tasks, and everything will fall apart.

What To Do: When discussing estimates for a particular task, see what happens if you suggest compressing the time taken by 30%. This is a guesstimate figure because it’s small enough to seem reasonable, but still a big enough chunk of time that it’s unlikely to not have an effect on the work. Ideally, your techie should gently but firmly explain that the task will take a fixed amount of time. Or, they might be willing to compress timelines a little in exchange for other considerations (eg. more money for more stress, or extending other deadlines)

What you don’t want to see is them nodding and saying ‘sure’ with a daredevil adrenaline-junkie glint in their eye, or sighing, slumping in resignation and agreeing to the new timeframe. If you’re given timeframes that match with reality, you can plan around that even if they’re longer than you’d really like.

What you can’t plan around is a constant state of “Just a few more days”.

(Note: tread lightly with this one, as pushing too hard on timelines will give the impression that you either don’t understand the reality of the situation, or you’re unreasonable)

I’ll be back Monday with Part Two. In the meantime, let me know what you think.

Tips on managing troublesome techies, or books/articles you’ve read that have given you great advice? Hit us up in the comments!