A few events recently uncovered a very interesting observation on how developers are hired: the business world often focuses developers toward the exact behavior it claims it doesn’t want. How many times have you heard recently that developers need to have ‘business skills’ and ‘understand the business problem’ and ‘talk to the business side of the house’. I agree that these are important skills for a modern professional developer. However, let’s look at the recruiting process for developers. How much of the developer recruiting process is focused on specific developer tool skills: years of Java, years of ASP.NET, C# and SQL experience, years working with Oracle, or whatever tool is needed in the job description. Really smart developers without those skills will lose out on an opportunity early in the screening process. That’s because they have the relevant business knowledge, and the relevant software construction knowledge, but not the latest buzzwords in the resumes. Immediately, the law of unintended consequences starts to rear its ugly head because of this phenomena. Developers know this is how the recruiting project works. Their next job relies on their ability to gain relevant tooling experience with modern software construction tools. With that kind of motivation, it should not surprise any manager that her developers crave knowledge and experience with modern tools above any other relevant business experience. In fact, I think that the business world gets the very developers they deserve. Companies that recruit based on buzzwords will get developers that intend to advance their careers by padding their resumes with buzzwords. Companies that look for developers that can think, analyze problems, and deliver software that solves real problems will find those developers. Aligning your skills to your goals What kind of developer do you want to be? And, equally important, what do you view as your contribution to your company? Is it a set of buzzwords or is it something greater? One resource to help you find your way is Thrive, Microsoft’s new site for developers dedicated to advancing their career. This is a site with content from folks inside and outside Microsoft that have important advice and resources that can help you advance your career, even in the current economy. There’s information on learning specific tech skills, growing your non-tech skills and helping to highlight them, and how to connect with your community. It’s certainly worth frequent visits. And, remember to highlight the skills that make you most valuable.  | 
