Finding and retaining employees who are the right fit for the job is never easy, and it’s especially true in tech recruitment. Because of how popular IT is among top talents, it’s extremely difficult to stand out as a recruiter and, most importantly, keep providing value to the employees so they keep working with the company.
In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about attracting top talents to your company and what challenges you might stumble across along the way (and how to combat them).
Technology recruitment today
Today, candidates are expecting more and more from their potential employers, and they know well that if they’re talented, they have all the rights in the world to do it. It poses many challenges to tech recruiters - they must be able to correctly identify their candidate’s requirements, address them in a way that casts no doubts, and position the organization way above the competition.
Unfortunately, many companies don’t follow this step and instead choose to blindly post job vacancies on various job-seeking platforms without giving it much thought. The problem is that tech is very competitive, and many companies treat it like any other field.
How is tech recruitment different from other types of hiring?
A recruiter's job is to help an organization fill a job opening - this essentially means bringing a unique skill into the company. At most companies, especially the small- and medium-sized ones, it’ll be the same person or team sourcing talents for different departments within the company. And while it sounds like an optimal solution, it’s far from one. Those who have had a chance to deal with specialized recruiters know how massive the gap can get.
Specialized recruiters, who can either work as in-house employees or be a part of a hiring agency that companies subcontract work to, focus on a specific niche and often have worked in this niche themselves. This gives them a solid understanding of what the job entails. This is beneficial not only for the company which allows them to look for people who are a better fit for the job, but also for the candidates, who will find it much easier to talk with a peer and therefore will be more likely to stay at the company.
The problems of tech recruitment
Because tech recruitment is so different from other types of hiring, it comes with a different set of challenges recruiters should be aware of if they want to hire the best talents for their company. Notice that most of them stem from the fact that tech recruitment is different from non-technical recruitment.
1. Area of search
One of the most difficult problems IT recruiters face is determining where to seek qualified candidates. Popular social media channels and professional networks are not necessarily the best options for high-demand employment.
Tech recruitment processes shouldn’t end with determining the most useful channels and starting to connect with potential applicants. There are a variety of approaches that can be used to tackle tech talent acquisition, and the key is to understand the area of search, skills and dominant channels/forums, and begin there.
2. Understanding the position
The lack of knowledge is one of the difficulties that keep cropping up and extending the recruiting process. Many recruiters and HR professionals have trouble comprehending the technical role they’re working on.
This problem is frequently caused by a lack of information and appropriate clarifications.
Given that many recruiters lack a technical background, businesses must be as explicit and transparent as possible so that recruiting specialists fully understand the job for which they should source applicants. Technical abilities and experience must be presented to recruiters in a clear and concise manner.
3. Recognizing talent
Finding, attracting, and employing the best and most dependable tech talent requires a grasp of their goals, perspectives, and objectives. The hiring process must begin at the top; first and foremost, recruiting managers should have a clear picture of their ideal prospects.
How can those problems be solved?
Now that you know what problems you might encounter as a tech recruiter, it’s time to explore the possible solutions. Let’s see what you can do to become better, show potential candidates that you know what you’re talking about, and that your company is the right place for them.
1. Describe the position
When looking for IT applicants, recruiters should be able to rely on the job description. Job seekers and other tech professionals can benefit from the description by gaining a comprehensive understanding of the open role. Preparing a compelling job description is critical for firms to attract qualified candidates.
A job description accurately identifies the tasks and skills required of an applicant, allowing businesses to make a great first impression. Job title, job overview, mission, key job functions and responsibilities, needed and preferred credentials, and benefits should all be included in a well-written job description.
When developing a job description, keep in mind that each section has a specific function to complete.
2. Use the right tools
Recruitment tools are a significant asset that helps recruiters avoid mistakes and misunderstandings with prospects by making the hiring process easier. Every recruiter nowadays understands the importance of these tools.
Some recruitment tools are used to track the progress of applicants. And then there are those used for various other functions, such as internal collaboration and administration, and finding candidates. Companies should begin their investigation of these technologies by selecting a suitable Applicant Tracking System (ATS), which has long been a core technology for HR professionals.
3. Interview efficiently
The interviewing procedure should be as straightforward as possible. Most technical professionals despise this portion of the hiring process. Both the recruiters - either in-house or in agency - and the candidates benefit from making interviews more efficient and less time-consuming. A positive candidate experience is enhanced by a smooth interviewing process.
The recruitment and hiring processes should be designed to only the most qualified individuals who are interviewed. Pen and paper chores, whiteboard interviews, and irrelevant inquiries during the hiring process will make tech talent flee for the hills in the middle of the process. Companies should abandon outmoded and ineffective processes that waste everyone's time and simply generate negative feedback.
Developers are frequently willing to devote time to a pre-employment assessment. Technical interviews are unavoidable, but companies and their hiring teams must ensure that they are smooth and worthwhile.
Technology recruitment – Best practices
Simply solving problems isn’t enough to become the best tech recruiter. You also have to be proactive and show candidates that you’re willing to go one step further than the other recruiters. Here are some of the best practices to follow.
1. Know the specifics of the job
It might sound obvious, but it isn’t. Just visit some job-seeking websites, and you’ll clearly see that the people who wrote them have little clarity about IT in general or the specific role they’re hiring for.
It's easy to get the essential skill requirements and duties for various tech roles mixed up if you don't have a tech background. To write a strong job description, define the most crucial abilities necessary for each position.
2. Include job-specific information
When you reveal information about the position you want to hire a tech worker for during the sourcing stage, you're more likely to pique their interest. Share information about the company, why you think they'd be a good fit, and the wage range you're offering in an email to your prospective IT workers.
Another key information to provide in your job advertisement is the technologies that the prospective tech employee will be working with.
3. Create a recommendation scheme for your employees
Often, you won’t have to look for the best talents - they’ll come right to you. Your staff is likely to have a techie friend group. Create an employee referral program to encourage eligible tech talent suggestions from your current team. To encourage your staff to produce referrals, set up a systematic program and consider compensating them with bonuses.
4. Dig deeper with interviews and reference checks
Ask extensive interview questions regarding the candidates' previous work experience and technical skills to verify the information on their resumes. Check the prospects' references and inquire about their daily responsibilities, technical acumen, and role in previous projects from their previous employers.
To identify the candidates' strengths and flaws, listen carefully and ask follow-up questions.
5. Verify IT skills via skills assessment tests.
It might be difficult to assess a candidate's IT skills in an interview if you are a non-technical person who does not have a grasp of technical words. Using a coding skills assessment test to check a candidate's abilities is a great, modern approach to do it. Make sure the test you choose is based on real-world examples and is relevant to the task you'll be doing, as well as being objective, brief, and scored.
6. Be willing to haggle over salary and provide benefits
Due to the strong demand for tech skills, people may be pickier about the employment they choose to take. An employer must be willing to bargain for a salary that is both fair and consistent with industry standards.
Offer employees training and certification opportunities, because you will not just benefit from having better qualified employees - you would also have tech employees who are constantly raising the bar.
How can you stand out as a technology recruiter?
You won’t be the only tech recruiter on the market following the industry’s best practices. If you truly want to excel, you’ll have to go a step further and differentiate yourself from the rest - and here’s how.
1. Invest time in learning technical jargon
The most effective approach to recruiting tech talent, designing compelling job descriptions, and correctly interviewing tech prospects is to be comfortable with technical jargon and truly comprehend the nuances between terminology.
2. Create a career site
One of the first things people do when they want to learn more about a company is to Google it. The most popular way of learning about a firm is to visit its careers page, so you should design your page to appeal to tech talent. Consider creating a landing page specifically for tech talent. You may also use your company blog to glimpse your company culture to potential recruits.
3. Make a name for yourself in the tech community
Send a recruiter to social events where many computer professionals congregate. You can even form a local network of tech firms and ask for help in hiring tech personnel. Don’t forget to also join tech community websites, forums, and marketplaces to generate leads.
Additionally, publicize your business locally to develop your brand as a successful tech firm in the minds of the public. People are more likely to remember your organization when seeking work if they view your adverts regularly.
The future of technology recruitment
The best tech recruiters on the market don’t just follow the trends but also work hard to predict the future so they can be the first ones to address the candidates’ expectations, even before they arise.
Here are 3 things we believe will become more prevalent in the world of tech recruitment.
1. International hiring
Location-based recruiting constraints began to make less sense in many firms that went remote in the past two years. It doesn't matter where you are if we simply meet via Zoom. As a result, hiring outside of typical U.S. tech hubs, for example, grew dramatically in 2021.
There are plenty of highly qualified workers worldwide, even in synchronized time zones if necessary. Recruiters will begin to take advantage of this fact next year. They'll find exceptional prospects in places they hadn't considered before by removing international borders from their talent search.
2. Soft skills
IT professionals need technical skills, sometimes known as hard skills. Soft abilities, in addition to these, are critical. Those personal qualities allow you to address complex situations without flinching. Soft skills are the only talents that will preserve the human touch as technology and AI progressively replace human intervention. You never know when the tech wizards will come up with a machine with a heart and feelings!
3. Diversity
The finest IT talent prefers to work for companies that clearly understand the importance of a commitment to equity and diversity through deliberate policies, open practices, and demonstrable results. There's no better approach to educating job seekers than to include educational content in your recruitment marketing efforts.
Both technology and storytelling are essential for attaining diversity and recruiting objectives. In your recruiting marketing campaigns, creating a narrative around diversity goes far beyond storytelling. Through internal affinity groups, principles, and hard numbers, inclusion should be an intrinsic component of your company culture.
How Manatal can help you with tech recruitment
If you’re looking for how to recruit the best tech talents, you need the right tools. Manatal is here to make your job easier as a tech recruiter and move your organization one step closer to becoming an industry leader with a team that will help you excel.
1. Marketing channel integration
Share your job vacancies on hundreds of free and premium channels worldwide in only a few clicks. All major job boards, such as Indeed, Monster, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google for Jobs, and many more local and specialized job boards, are included. Manatal's preferential pricing allows you to save money while also handling all of your job ad ads in one place.
2. Candidate scoring
With AI powering our platform, Manatal’s candidate scoring feature pre-screens candidates according to the requirements set by recruiters. This feature ranks the best tech candidates based on what you’re looking for, particularly when tech requirements are niche.
3. Resume management
You can effortlessly handle resumes and candidate information by quickly uploading them to the system. This includes resumes from employee referrals, should you have a program already established in your company.
Your information will be available immediately on the Manatal system, where you can track all of your profiles throughout time. Use the quick and advanced search options to quickly access your developing database and browse your data.
4. Job reports and analytics
Use everything connected to candidate acquisition to optimize your current recruitment strategy, analyze and benchmark your various sourcing and application channels, such as employee referrals, job boards, social media, your career page, and others.
Examine your jobs collectively or individually. Job reports give you and your team the most useful metrics for the positions you're working on. The reports go a long way in providing helpful information like the number of candidates in the pipeline for each job, the number of candidates hired, and the performance of each team, department, customer, or third party.
Start recruiting with Manatal today
Manatal is an advanced applicant tracking system software that assists HR departments and recruitment agencies in finding and hiring the top candidates. We offer a comprehensive collection of tools to help your business grow and get control over how much time and money it saves.
Click HERE to start your 14-day free trial and discover the features of Manatal today.
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