Tech has always been one of the fastest-growing industries. And with over half a million new tech jobs predicted by 2026, there’s an increase in quality talent. But how do you attract the right worker to your company? And, equally important, what sustainable practices can you use to keep attracting good talent?
Here are the best tech recruiting tips in 2023.
Understand Tech Recruiting
The tech industry is constantly evolving, and you’ll need workers that evolve with it.
Tech is a broad term for hundreds of specialized jobs. Learning how the tech role you’re hiring supports your company is beneficial. But first, you’ll need to set goals, some of which are included below:
Productivity: Are you hiring a tech worker to help lessen the workload for other employees? If so, then consider hiring a jack-of-all-trades with project management experience.
Analytics: Expert analysis results in more sales, enhanced brand image, and more. If analytics is your focus, you’ll need an information tech expert.
Developers: Is your business working to become a thought leader? Or are you making a new app? Developers help all stages of software created to make your goal a reality.
Improve Security: IT security experts are a must-have for any business interested in tech hiring. If you’re hoping to expand to a new market, fend off fraudsters in the digital space, or gain peace of mind, then prioritize IT security.
Identifying your tech hiring and business goals is more than finding the right candidate. It’s about utilizing technology as a resource to help your business run smoother.
Open Remote Positions
More and more tech jobs are remote or hybrid. That means quality employees expect to be off-site for most of their working hours. Additionally, you won’t be limited to just the talent in your area. So consider offering remote positions to attract quality employees. Plus, remote work helps cut costs for brick-and-mortar companies as less electricity and space are used. Here’s how to leverage open remote positions in the tech hiring process.
Put it in the job listing: Effective job listings cover the pros and cons of the role. That means it’s a great idea to include the estimated on-site hours. Include mandatory in-person events if applicable. Many remote workers live hours away from the office space, and finding out they must drive that distance once or twice a month is discouraging. Remember, the more accurate your job listing, the better candidates you’ll find.
Emphasize Team Building: It’s easy to pretend you’re a one-person department when you’re primarily remote and only interact with co-workers for meetings. Those of us working in tech recruitment should focus on hiring talent requiring little oversight. Ensuring your team has synergy and understands their roles is essential to productivity. Try spending a little time before or after a business meeting to check in on personal lives. A great team-building option would be discussing long-term personal and professional goals or scheduling a team lunch or dinner. Team members should view themselves as part of a whole. Your productivity and employee retention will thank you.
Define: Freelance vs. Full-time Developers
Understanding the mindset of talent, how to attract them to your company, and how to keep them is essential to any business. Here are the pros and cons of freelance vs. full-time developers in tech recruitment.
Freelancer: Unlike temp employees, freelancers may work with your company indefinitely. Quality freelancers may become essential to project management. The most significant difference between freelancers and full-time developers is that freelancers often work in multiple roles for multiple companies. That means a freelancer may also work for a competitor.
Consider using a non-disclosure agreement or NDA to protect your proprietary information. There are many ways to source quality tech talent, including websites like Stack Overflow, GitHub, and more.
Plus, freelancers are often more cost-effective for businesses as they don’t qualify for benefits, can work as needed, and bring a broader knowledge base due to bouncing between various tech companies and systems.
The biggest con to hiring freelancers is that they need an incentive to become loyal to your brand or team. Simply put, they have a higher chance of leaving a project due to pay disputes, high workload, etc. Besides hiring the right talent, one of the best ways to circumvent this con is to ensure the freelancer feels integral to the team.
Full-time developers: The ideal full-time developer is committed to your brand for the long run. That means you can reasonably expect to see a return on the costs and time required to train and integrate them into your business. The biggest pro to a full-time developer over a freelancer is that software projects can take years from ideation to production. Ensuring you have a team member willing to commit to that process is a weight off your shoulders.
Look for Candidates on the Right Platforms
The best tip for tech hiring is to go to the platforms with the talent you seek. We’ve already mentioned websites like GitHub or Stack Overflow, but consider industry conferences, training events, etc., as options. If you’re looking for fish, go to a lake. If you’re looking for a book, go to a library. And if you’re looking for a tech worker, go to the first place you hear a 404 error joke.
Don't Lose Great Candidates
Great candidates and quality hires make or break a company in the long run. Every quality candidate you miss out on might work for your competitor. Attracting quality candidates is only the beginning. Spend time with your interview team to review relevant questions and company goals, and to create a calm interview environment. Bring the best out of potential hires by bringing the best out of your interviewers.
One of the biggest complaints most talent have about the candidate experience is the time it takes to get hired. Tech recruitment is often filled with several interview stages, appointments, etc.
Savvy candidates don’t put all their eggs in one basket and often interview with multiple companies, which turns the hiring process into a race. Don’t miss out on talent because of lengthy hiring times. Thankfully, KarmaCheck can help by providing fast, reliable background checks that help you make an informed choice. Speed up the tech recruitment process with KarmaCheck.
