Asked or Ignored?

Esther Derby enumerates helpful considerations when Hiring for a Collaborative Team.

I particularly like Esther’s advice to

Involve the team in the hiring process.

Many hiring managers in organizations of all sizes and shapes don't conceive of people working in teams, so it simply doesn't occur to them to ask for input from the team when hiring.

As someone working day-to-day on software teams, I appreciate inclusion in team hiring rituals. A team lunch with a potential hire often smokes out valuable intrapersonal impressions.

Most people would rather be asked than ignored.

Sadly, I've also worked on teams where the morale is so low that team members have a "whatever" attitude vis-à-vis adding new members to the team.

Still, I suspect most would rather be solicited for input.

I value behavior over technology.

A teammate's sense of humor, and professional modesty, is more an indicator of collaborative success than outstanding programming chops.