In 2017, one study reported the turnover rate of software jobs to be 13.2%. To give you some perspective, that’s higher than all other sectors studied, including retail.
What’s going on in the software industry that is motivating developers to leave their jobs?
Although there are numerous factors at play, one of them has to do with poor fit between the developer and the job. Unfortunately, most companies do a lackluster job of measuring goodness-of-fit for a new hire in the role they will fill.
There are many different roles that software developers fit into:
- programmers—who do the bulk of coding on a project
- engineers—who create, implement, and maintain software systems within the specs provided them
- architects—who design software at the highest level to meet user needs and budget constraints
Each role is different and accommodates a different type of person. And as a person, each developer has a personality. Because personality traits vary, impact on work and other people also varies.
For example, a web developer job may require a lot of interaction with the UI/UX team, marketing, and even with customers. A web developer who feels overwhelmed, stressed, bored, or frustrated in their job may have a personality more suitable for something else. Perhaps they have a facility for systems more than people. Back-end development could be the perfect role for such a person.
At Paladin & Archer, we have developed a series of tools that allow us to optimally position developers with remarkable accuracy. The initial tool we use is called the Trait Spectrum.
The Trait Spectrum measures Jungian traits based on Carl Jung’s psychological types. Results are then funneled into the SPHERE, which graphs the respondent’s area of greatest natural aptitude. This can then be compared with profiles of various developer roles to see which one has a set of activities that would best fit the developer.
On the left is the profile of a programmer, which involves more activities focusing on the Execution and the Analysis and Design areas of development.
Any developer whose results allow them to tap into the activities on the lower-left (the teal region of the SPHERE) will be a person who is a good fit for the programmer role.
If you are interested in taking the Trait Spectrum and finding your own placement on the SPHERE, please contact us at support@developerlevel.com.