The majority of 21st century businesses rely heavily on technology, and therefore those who know it inside out. But how do you make sure your business attracts the top tech talent?
There is a plethora of platforms and coding languages needed to simply keep businesses running at an optimal level these days, as well as provide 24-hour support and customer service, which means constant research and innovation is crucial to staying ahead of the competition.
Whether your organisation is fully tech-led or you’re a long-established business working on a large digital transformation project, you need the right people working with you to ensure risk is managed effectively and opportunities are maximised.
Demand for top tech talent is increasing rapidly, here’s how to attract the best and avoid making obvious recruitment mistakes.
Put a solid recruiting strategy in place
According to a study by Bersin by Deloitte the average recruitment process takes about 52 days. But, top candidates stay on the market for, on average, just 10 days. If you don’t have a good strategy in place that will attract and impress potential candidates, you’ll probably lose out to those who do.
In addition to attracting talent initially, developing a smooth and consistent hiring process improves your experience of hiring and creates an overall positive candidate experience. If your process is seamless it is also less likely to have holes that great candidates could slip through without you noticing.
Whether this process is solely set up in house or requires an external tech recruitment agency, it’s important that each step is carefully considered to avoid missed opportunity.
Don’t just hire skills, hire people
Whilst skills are important there are other things to think about besides qualifications and technical ability. In the ever-changing digital landscape adaptability is key. Hiring someone for specific skills may help you in the short-term but hiring someone who is adaptable and can help you solve a variety of problems as they occur is likely to be more valuable to your business in the long-term. They say culture eats strategy for breakfast, so think less about what you need and more about who you need.
Additionally, emotional intelligence and the ability to work within a team might be a fundamental part of the role you’re hiring for. If you overlook these abilities and solely focus on hard skill sets you could end up hiring someone who isn’t the right fit for the team they will be working in.
This leads us on to our next point…
Fully understand the role you are hiring for
While that may seem obvious, it’s common for organisations to rush the recruitment process and hire for the wrong role. Organisations realise they need extra support and put ads out without really assessing the situation and where the skill gaps are.
It’s important to understand the technical skills associated with the positon you’re hiring for so that you can be certain a candidate will be able to solve the problems you’re facing.
Having an ‘always looking’ approach to your recruitment can be extremely beneficial here. If you are constantly on the lookout for great people, chances are you’ll have options when you need to hire.
One way of being ‘always on’ without it draining your company resources is to work with an external partner, this means you have access to a wide pool of talent as soon as you need it as well as a partner who understands your company and what you’re looking for.
Be clear about who you are as a company and what your goals are
As demand increases, those at the top of their game have a lot of choice about where they work. It’s not just about the role or the financial reward, it’s about whether your values and aspirations as a business align with theirs. Being clear about who you are and what you’re working towards will help candidates visualise their future within your organisation.
“Autonomous people working towards mastery perform at very high levels. But those who do so in service of some greater objective can achieve more. Those most deeply motivated people – not to mention those who are most productive and satisfied – hitch their desires to a cause larger than themselves.” – Daniel H. Pink, Drive
It’s vital to understand that human nature and personal interest are key in driving behaviour and productivity.
Offer incentives but make it personal
Offering incentives such as extra holiday days, beers on Friday or team lunches isn’t what’s going to set you apart. Understanding that people are individuals and therefore have individual needs will.
If you are going to offer incentives such as flexible working, twenty percent time, or paid-for training you need to make sure you do it in a way that works for everyone involved.
Research by HSBC found that 89% of employees believe flexible working is key to boosting their productivity levels. But, flexible working doesn’t mean a lunch break at 2 pm instead of 1 pm it means being flexible around your employee’s lives and trusting them to get the job done that they were hired to do.
Don’t be afraid to talk about money
Realistically, money can be a deal breaker in many situations. Be clear and upfront about the salary you are willing to offer and ask candidates what they are expecting. It can save a lot of time and effort for both parties if you get this conversation going early on.
Use tech recruiters who understand the technologies/software you’re hiring for
If you decide that using an external tech recruitment company is the best way forward for your business, make sure they understand what you’re looking for and have experience in the appropriate fields.
As an example, we specialise in recruitment for:
This means we have a large network of professionals within these core areas that we can call on when necessary. This allows us to find candidates that fit both the technical and human aspect of the role you’re hiring for. Attracting tech talent isn’t easy and finding those who will help you grow and improve can be tough, but having a solid strategy in place for doing so makes all the difference.
