Hiring the right tech talent can be a challenging task, especially considering the turbulent situation of the tech industry nowadays. If you’re recruiting for an IT position, or for a similar role in the tech industry, you’re at the right place! Keep reading for our comprehensive tech talent recruitment guide, and discover how you can attract the best candidates to your business.
The current state of recruitment in the tech industry
Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies had false pretenses about online growth being a permanent trend. This resulted in them overestimating their future growth, overhiring, and ultimately, led to a large number of tech layoffs in the industry. This seriously affected the tech hiring processes and left many talents worried about what comes next. However, no matter the current situation, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a 15% growth in IT in the next decade, with over 400,000 new job openings annually for “growth and replacement needs”. These recent tech layoffs prove the importance of making smart choices while hiring tech talent. And considering the recent changes in employee demands, companies should be able to stand out among the competition to hire the best and most fitting talents.
Attracting tech talents
Especially with the current work trends and economic state, attracting new talents can be difficult. Which is why before moving onto the IT and tech hiring process, employers should try to maketheir company as inviting to applicants as possible. It’s an industry with a lot of competition, and becoming a standout workplace can matter a lot. Below are some steps employers can take accordingly:
- Creating an intriguing and inclusive company branding
- Using inclusive language in all communications and make anti-discrimination policies clear
- Writing an engaging hiring post that showcases the company’s benefits to potential hires: What incentives and packages that are being offered, the company’s unique points, competitive salary, etc.
- Promoting and advertising job listings in the correct platforms
- Determining a target audience and creating the job listings accordingly
- Similarly, using events to network and promote the company brand
How to hire the best tech talents
Below are our actionable tips to hiring tech talent for IT positions, and building strong connections with talents to guarantee long-term relations:
Train recruiters in what to look for
Sometimes HR professionals or recruiters may not be well versed in tech-related qualifications. This can be disruptive to the IT hiring process, since they won’t truly be in the know about what to look for in the applicants. To solve this, managers or leads of IT/tech departments can provide a short training to recruiters about what technologies the company uses, what qualifications they’ll be looking for, etc. This can help with hiring tech talent within the parameters needed, and also help recruiters–they are probably stressed about the process themselves.Another method is to hire a recruiter dedicated to hiring for tech roles. This is ideally someone who has more experience in the tech industry, and can help onboard a perfect fit for a tech role.
Use inclusive language in job listings
Since the majority of tech professionals now are from a younger generation, sensitivity towards social injustices is very common. So, using inclusive language in job listings can be a game changer with Gen Z talent, and create a trustworthy persona in the eyes of the applicants. In addition to showing sensitivity towards social issues and inclusivity, equal employment opportunities can also invite marginalized groups to apply, which can broaden recruitment prospects even more.
Diversify the search pool
All workspaces should welcome everyone and feel secure for them, no matter their identity. Unfortunately, traditional hiring practices can favor certain groups, and leave disadvantaged people at risk of staying unemployed. As a solution, employers can take measures to broaden their search pool by targeting a more diverse audience.One way to do this is by prioritizing (or at least actively seeking out) underprivileged groups. This is a necessary step to reach a wider range of talents, diversify the work setting, and strengthen inclusion in a company’s culture. There are specific websites targeted to hiring tech talent from underprivileged communities. Recruiters can look into these resources (and more) to post their own targeted job ads, learn more about the issues these marginalized groups face, and witness first-hand how important it is to embrace diversity in business.Here are some websites that can be helpful for recruiters:
Keep the company values in mind
It might not seem like an initial thought, but aside from the technical requirements, evaluating how a candidate aligns with a company’s values is also very important. Employers must remember that hiring a person not just for their skills, but also for how they’ll fit into the workplace culture can make a lot of difference. The way to achieve this is by being upfront about the company values in the listing, and instructing recruiters to measure if applicants align with them.
Embrace the culture of autonomy
Employee autonomy is extremely vital in today’s work culture: Allowing tech talents more autonomous working conditions will provide them the flexibility they might require to create a proper work-life balance. This is also an essential measure to show candidates that their company cares about their well being. Moving away from the traditional office setting can unlock a lot of new potential, increase productivity, and help promote better mental health.
Broaden the talent pool with remote work options
Especially after people saw that it was possible, many started to prefer more flexible working models instead of the 9/5 working hours. Especially considering that it’s what the younger generation is gravitating towards, it can benefit employers a lot to offer alternatives to traditional work arrangements.Integrating remote and hybrid work opportunities means reaching more candidates, independent of location or condition. This includes people who are more comfortable in their home office, digital nomads, and even disabled professionals who usually have difficulties finding accessible offices, for example.
Offer tools for career advancement
Hiring tech talents doesn’t end with just onboarding the employees–they will also need a reason to want to stay.According to a 2021 survey featured on Statista, most of the participants chose remote work support and access to diverse tools as their top priorities. Along with tool and device support, then, it’s important to help them improve through a wide range of offerings.The tech industry is very dynamic, with new developments being made every day. In order to retain these young and eager professionals, offering incentives and tools for them to improve their skills is important. This can include courses, new tools, certificates, and more.
Cross borders in IT with remote work
IT hiring is a tough subject in today’s climate, but we hope our guide could provide you with a good starting point.For additional help, working with self-employed professionals and freelancers can be a great way for a company to reach an even wider, untapped pool of talent. Discover Ruul’s all-in-one platform for businesses to work with freelancers or employees in compliance.Sign up today to discover Ruul’s hiring and payment solutions that can help you manage your workforce across borders, and continue following the Ruul Blog for more posts about modern work trends, workplace culture and hiring best practices.
