It’s here. The crash course to tech recruiting that you’ve been scouring the internet for. Well you’ve found it, and as a boutique IT recruitment agency, we feel that we are well apt to be teaching on the subject of tech recruiting . Today, we are going to teach you the basics of what an IT recruiter does and how you can use similar methods to recruiting star IT talent into your organization.
Though, it’s important to remember that working with a tech recruitment agency will always be the best course of action if you want to staff your IT department with great employees who will make sure your technology stack, systems, and processes are always running smoothly. But knowing how tech recruiting works is a helpful skill for anyone in a position to hire (and fire) IT professionals. We think understanding all that goes into tech recruiting will ensure that you are conscious of who you hire and what the processes will entail if you choose to part ways with an IT employee.
But before we get into the 5 steps to effective tech recruiting , we first need to address why it’s getting harder and harder to find high quality IT talent in today’s job market.
Where Is All the Tech Talent?
Corporations are at a loss today when it comes to hiring quality IT professionals. This is not caused by a lack of information or ignorance, though these two traits play into what we will get to later. No, the fact is there is a high demand for IT professionals, and just not enough actual programmers, developers, and IT managers to fill this demand. This problem will likely persist for at least another generation or until the younger generations who have grown up with technology turn IT education into the biggest area of study. This is sure to happen, but it hasn’t happened yet and until it does, it will be hard to find high quality tech talent in a quick and easy way.
That means that you will have to get really clear on who you need to hire, what you need them to do, and who you need them to be within your organization. This last criteria is more than just their job role and function. It’s more about defining the ideal person that you would like to work with beyond their job duties. It’s no use spending the time and effort to hire someone, and then the money to train and employ them if they aren’t going to fit into your company culture.
You will also have to learn how to network both with IT professionals and with a tech recruitment agency who can grant you exclusive access to their deep talent pool of tech talent.
Let’s look at some of this a little closer.
Know Who You Need to Hire and Where to Find Them
You’ll need to define the job role you would like to hire (or create if necessary). But you should be more specific than simply saying that you are looking for an IT manager, or a developer. You will also want to know what industry knowledge they should have or skill sets they should possess.
For example, if you need an IT manager to help you maintain and monitor your cloud architecture at a particular level, then it’s less likely that an entry-level junior developer will be able to step in and handle this alone. Even if an entry level developer would be much cheaper.
But if you want to hire young talent who can eventually grow into an experienced IT manager, then you could create a job opening for an intern or junior level developer who will have the chance to grow into that role.
Knowing who you need to hire is the first step in solving the equation of where to find them. If you need an experienced IT manager, you might have some luck with online postings on sites like Indeed, Monster, and LinkedIn, but those sites can be a real bust. That’s why it’s so beneficial to partner with an IT recruitment agency.
If you are looking for green, newly minted IT talent – check out some university hiring fairs. We’ll mention this recruiting ground later on as well.
Define What Your New Hire Looks Like Within Your Organization
As we mentioned earlier, the hiring process is more than just defining what job you need to fill and then posting that opening on a job site. You will also want to define what your ideal new hire looks like beyond their resume and cover letter. This goes far deeper than ticking off a list of requirements for your position or those found in typical resumes or cover letters. You need to find out who your ideal IT hire is going to be post-hire.
Please note, this is not about looking for people who are exactly like you in every way. That’s the kind of thinking that leads to groupthink and group paralysis. Neither are good for growing a business. Rather, it’s about laying out what your company and team is like and looking for IT professionals who can fit into and add to your culture.
Some skill sets that you should consider beyond technology IQ include:
- Aptitude for learning new technologies
- Willingness to work hard and adapt quickly when necessary
- Team player mentality with the ability to manage themselves as well as projects they are involved in
It should also include qualities like work ethic, enthusiasm, general positivity, etc.
Learn How You Can Help Your Ideal New Hire Succeed
IT professionals have plenty of options for where to work these days, especially if they are experienced. This is part of the high demand and low supply problem we mentioned earlier. So, in order to be successful as a quasi IT recruiter, you need to look at your hiring process as a two-way street.
Once you have identified your ideal candidate, who you need them to be, and what you need them to do for you, it’s your turn to learn what you can do for them. This is more than just a salary and benefits. It could mean being flexible with working hours, offering a flexible work environment between home and the office, or even agreeing to hire them on a fully remote basis. This last one is a hot topic in today’s tech recruiting world, and it’s likely not going away. But hey, if you can hire remotely then your applicant and candidate pool will skyrocket since you can hire just about anyone, anywhere in the world.
Another interesting benefit you can offer a potential new hire is the choice to pursue an advanced degree or certification within IT on your dime. It won’t be cheap but it will further improve your IT department’s skills and ability, and you can likely retain them that much longer.
Go Network
IT roles may take longer and more effort to fill, but high quality IT professionals are out there. You just have to know where to look. Building a robust network of IT professionals through live events with local organizations, at trade shows, and good ole fashioned networking events can prove to be a goldmine for meeting highly qualified tech talent. And who knows, maybe you’ll meet your future CTO waiting for your drink at the bar.
Job fairs and career fairs can also prove highly beneficial for finding young tech talent. If they are fresh in their career, you have a real opportunity to mold them into an IT rockstar that can benefit your organization for years to come.
LinkedIn is also a great place to meet IT professionals and grow your network. It’s also the easiest and quickest way to find talent to recruit. Seriously, you have the entire world of IT professionals at your fingertips. Use it.
Work With an IT Recruitment Agency
We’ve saved this for last, but it’s one of the most critical steps in finding the IT professionals you need. An experienced tech recruitment agency will prove to be invaluable to your organization. Not only will they provide access to a large candidate pipeline with high quality talent in various stages of their career, but they can also help you strategize, execute, and scale your tech recruiting initiatives.
It’s also important to note that by outsourcing this function to an IT recruitment agency, it frees up your internal HR resources who can now focus their efforts on the continuing success of your not-so-new hire.
Bottom line – an experienced tech recruitment agency will improve your tech Recruiting efforts dramatically and help you find the IT professionals you need for your organization.
Talentfoot – Your Guide to Tech Recruiting
If you’re looking for an experienced IT recruitment agency, look no further than this very website. We are a team of dedicated IT recruiters inside a boutique IT recruitment agency. Our boutique size allows us to offer a deeper level of personalized attention without sacrificing a deep talent pool of highly qualified IT professionals. Contact us today to start your search for your next great hire.
