I was whittling away at my Feedly feed tonight (which has built up in recent weeks, no small thanks to my colicky new baby boy Bodhi) when I reached an article from the Typesafe blog, Q&A with Kevin Webber. One sentence in particular caught my attention:

The caliber of candidates we interviewed at Nurun shot up significantly after introducing Scala to the organization which goes to show that Scala can be a real boost to hiring top-tier developers.

It’s the second time in as many days I’ve read or watched something with these sentiments — that the tools and technologies you choose, as a business, has a significant impact on the type of developer you’re likely to attract.

The night before last I watched Lessons from using Docker to improve web developer productivity - DockerCon Video (a great example of what can be done with automation and continuous delivery). Towards the end of the talk, a slide was presented with a title ‘Automation Benefits.’ The fourth item listed was:

Automation Benefits

Talent: Willingness to experiment with advanced technology like docker attracts talented contributors to the team.

I love experimenting with new technologies, tools and trends, especially when they’re likely to benefit me and my team. And I’m more likely to choose to work at company that encourages creativity and experimentation than one that sticks with the status quo and legacy technology and processes.

The best companies, the Google’s and the Collingwood‘s — the ones that attract and retain the best talent — aren’t necessarily the ones that pay the highest salaries. They provide an environment in which their employees can get the very best of themselves, develop, and thrive. And these are generally the really successful ones, consistently over sustained periods.

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