The swift development of technology combined with a shortage of qualified candidates is defining a highly competitive tech recruitment market. Knowing how to hire the tech talent and adopting the right strategies is vital.
A thorough understanding of the market, effective screening processes, access to valuable resources, and promoting your employer brand will be fundamental to your success. This comprehensive guide outlines actionable insights to help hiring companies secure the best tech professionals.
Understand the current tech talent landscape
Knowing how to recruit tech talent begins with forming a solid understanding of the current tech talent landscape. Standing as one of the leading tech bases worldwide, the combined market valuation of the UK tech sector in the first quarter of 2024 was $1.1 trillion (source) and it continues to grow.
Cyber security specialists, cloud computing professionals, data analysts, and AI and machine learning engineers are some of the most sought after professionals. Soft skills such as analytical and creative thinking, resilience, and life-long learning are also in demand.
Consider economic factors
Wider economic developments have also made their mark. Geopolitical events, the cost of living crisis, and changes in unemployment rates have led to continued economic uncertainty. Despite currently low unemployment rates, the ongoing race to implement technology across all industries is driving a scarcity of digital skills.
Decide on permanent or contract hire
Contract hiring in tech is becoming increasingly prevalent, helping companies speed up recruitment and swiftly address IT operational needs with specialist technical expertise. With competition high, deciding whether to hire on a contract or permanent basis should be factored in.
While the benefits of contract workers may work for some, consider carefully if they can fulfil your role requirements. If you’re looking for someone to train and develop to become a central part of your team, permanent employees are usually a better option. However, unlike contractors who work for themselves, permanent hires lend themselves to a longer-term financial commitment.
Whatever basis you hire on, noting when hiring is in full swing helps determine when to advertise your role. Openings for tech roles occur all year round but typically increase in January and February, creating a rise in competition for tech professionals. In September and October, there is another surge in recruitment, while the months leading up to Christmas are much slower. Spring can be varied, often marking the start of a new fiscal year and fresh hiring budgets for some companies.
How to source top tech talent
Knowing how to hire tech talent isn’t just about appreciating the market you are operating in; it’s also knowing how to source candidates effectively.
Decide on the level of your hire
Firstly, consider the impact you want your new hire to have and whether a junior or senior position would be closely aligned with your business objectives. Bring your budget into the equation too. C-Suite positions with greater responsibilities command higher compensation packages. Resources such as the La Fosse Salary Benchmark Report 2024 can help you to benchmark salaries according to market rate and demand.
Your decision on seniority will impact the hiring process, helping you determine the kind of candidates you want to screen and how they will be interviewed. For senior roles with key decision-making responsibilities, a robust panel interview with in-depth questions evaluating areas such as attitude to risk and leadership style will naturally be a longer process than for an entry-level position.
Where to find tech talent
Knowing where to find tech talent is a crucial aspect of effective hiring. The decision you make on where to source new candidates will influence the process, so it’s important to consider the time and resources you have available.
Partnering with a recruitment specialist
Considering the fierce competition for IT professionals and a continually shifting tech landscape, working with talent acquisition specialists offers numerous benefits that streamline the hiring process:
- Industry expertise
Experienced tech recruiters not only have in-depth knowledge of the industry you are operating in, but also expertise on the technical role you are hiring for. By sharing these insights, a recruiter can provide you with a deeper understanding of areas such as current salary expectations, competitor activity, and skills shortages, helping you make more informed hiring decisions. - An expedited hiring process
With access to a diverse range of active and passive candidates, partnering with a specialist recruiter can help you place the right candidate more swiftly. Plus, admin tasks such as drafting contracts, negotiating salaries, and advertising vacancies will all be undertaken by a tech recruitment specialist, handing you time back to focus on other aspects of your business. - Effective screening methods
Strict screening processes adopted by experienced talent acquisition teams help clarify early on who is (and who isn’t) suitable for a role. Tailored interviews and assessments quickly determine the most qualified candidates, and can ultimately increase the chances of a successful placement. - Securing a cultural fit
Specialist tech recruiters understand that not only does your new hire need to have the right technical skills, but they must be a cultural fit too. Their close proximity with candidates means they have a firm idea of who would be a good match and help you present an offer that meets their expectations. - Strategic collaboration
An experienced tech recruiter will also work with you more broadly on your transformation goals, whether that’s delivering change, building new capabilities, or scaling at pace. A long-term partnership with a recruitment specialist allows them to connect you with the talent you need and identify areas where talent solutions will have the most tangible impact.
Sources for finding tech talent by yourself
While working with IT hiring specialists is one avenue, there are other platforms and resources available, including:
- Tech community platforms where a variety of tech professionals come together to create and share projects, allowing hiring managers to gain a close insight on their abilities.
- Hackathon events and open-source projects are also spaces widely used by developers to showcase their work, and where hiring companies can gain a strong sense of an individual’s specific skills.
- Social media and tech job boards can be useful for starting conversations with potential candidates, and professional networks like LinkedIn can help you connect with members who have particular interests and technical skill sets.
- Niche job boards for technology professionals can also help you narrow down your candidate shortlist while also helping you promote your employer brand.
Create compelling job descriptions and promote your employer brand
As well as sourcing, your strategy should also be focussed on how to attract top tech talent. A job posting from your company will be one of the first things your potential candidate sees. It’s therefore important to ensure accuracy as well as positive promotion of your company’s brand.
- Be clear
Clarity is key in tech job descriptions. Include an accurate job title and detail the specific skills required, for example, programming languages and knowledge of different frameworks and approaches. You will also need to outline key responsibilities of the role and salary range, as well as the qualifications and experience needed. - Don’t forget the benefits
Include the benefits of working for your company in your job description. What reward and recognition programmes do you offer? In a competitive market, benefits can make all the difference, so don’t shy away from sharing the advantages of joining your team. This is the time to shout about flexible or hybrid working, social activities, and memberships you offer. - Showcase culture
Highlight the nature of your company culture too. Achieving a cultural match is important for both companies and candidates. Team members thrive in a culture where they feel happy, valued, and respected, which also helps improve engagement, productivity, and performance. Before applying for roles, candidates often research a company’s vision, missions, and values, so make sure you showcase yours on your website. - Use inclusive language
Ensure you adopt inclusive language in job postings. By demonstrating that you are an inclusive company, you will increase the opportunity to attract a wider pool of talent, while communicating that you are an organisation where all backgrounds and views are respected and valued.
Participate in tech industry events
Attending and participating in tech industry events such as job fairs and tech conferences will not only help you stay up to speed on the latest developments in technology but will also give you the chance to further extend your brand’s reputation.
In a networking environment, you will have greater opportunity to mix with tech candidates and explain your career opportunities, team culture, and benefits of working with your organisation. Building and maintaining these relationships will also support you in forming a healthy talent pipeline for future hiring needs.
Implement effective screening and interview processes
Hiring for tech has the potential to become a lengthy process, but you can improve the time it takes by introducing effective screening and interview methods.
Develop technical assessments and structure technical interviews
Conducting technical assessments is an excellent way to ascertain abilities and streamline your list of candidates. Define the specific skills you need and ensure your assessment tasks run in parallel with them, for example, coding and debugging challenges for software developers and situational questions on network security, protocols, and architecture for network engineers. Ultimately, your test should keenly evaluate a candidate’s ability to perform tasks and help you create a solid interview shortlist.
Leverage AI and automation
Used as part of your screening approach, AI and automation tools can be a valuable addition. They can save time whittling down a large list of candidates and help remove unconscious bias. Some AI software can utilise generative AI chatbots to conduct initial candidate conversations, providing information about the application process and responding to specific questions.
Bring in stakeholders and strike a balance with cultural fit
Inviting the right stakeholders to be part of the interview process is a key consideration. The panel should be able to discuss both the technical and cultural aspects of the role, confidently address questions from candidates, and help to foster an inclusive and accessible environment.
A collaborative hiring process can bring to light areas you may not have considered, provide helpful insight, and create efficiencies. To be successful, ensure all interviewers are briefed with specific responsibilities, trained if necessary, and have a firm understanding of the role.
Throughout the screening and interview process, remember the importance of achieving a culture fit. Keep in mind that a successful candidate possesses not only the right professional skills, but the mindset and values that complement those of your organisation.
Offer competitive packages and growth opportunities
How to attract top tech talent is also defined by offering a competitive salary package and ongoing development opportunities.
- Understand current salary benchmarks
A salary benchmarking process will provide useful insights on the salary range you should be offering. Analyse the duties and responsibilities of the role and compare the salary to similar roles in the market. Collect as much data as you can from external sources such as HR surveys and salary research reports, and make sure what you are offering aligns with your business strategy. - Design an attractive benefits package
While company benefits such as health insurance, gym memberships, and discount schemes aren’t the whole picture, they can be a deciding factor for candidates. Focus on offering the type of benefits that will appeal to your ideal candidate and align this with your company culture too. - Offer flexible working
Today, flexible working hours have become an expectation. Many companies offering greater flexibility report an increase in workplace satisfaction, productivity, and performance. Consider if remote or hybrid working patterns, paid time off policies, staggered hours, or job sharing would appeal to your target tech candidate, while ensuring the specific requirements of the role will still be met. - Focus on the professional and career development opportunities
In the continually shifting field of technology, it’s important to work with professionals who have a desire for continual learning. For candidates, one of the most important aspects of a new role is the potential to grow and develop. This is often a huge factor for professionals who are dedicated to keeping their knowledge fresh and can provide hiring companies with a valuable competitive edge.
Build long-term talent acquisition strategies
Adopting a long-term approach will become increasingly central to hiring tech talent successfully. One of the most effective strategies is to develop a lasting partnership with an experienced tech recruitment team. By working closely with you, recruiters will form a firm understanding of the challenges you face, enabling them to leverage their market knowledge, screening processes, pools of talent, and industry connections to further support your strategic goals.
Here’s what else you can do to build on your long-term talent acquisition plan:
Create talent pipelines for future hiring needs
Recruiting for tech professionals should be a long-term strategy. Starting from the ground up for each new hire requires a lot of valuable time resource. Working continually on building your network of tech professionals will deliver long-term reward.
Introduce referral programmes
Employee referral programmes are another means of securing future recruitment success. By referring a former colleague, existing team members can support the hiring process whilst also receiving a reward for their contribution.
Referral schemes offer many benefits, including more cost-effective hiring and improved potential for employee retention. Referred candidates will already have a degree of connection with your company and may be more familiar with your culture, mission, and values.
Foster relationships with educational institutions
If you do not already have links with wider educational institutions, it’s worthwhile building a connection. Universities and colleges are often home to budding young tech talent. If you’re looking to fill an entry-level position, you can share these opportunities directly with the organisation and promote any tech internships you have too.
Stay adaptive to ever-changing tech developments
As tech continues to develop at a high speed, ensure ongoing alignment between your hiring strategies and new tech developments. During the recruitment process, communicate how your organisation fosters continued learning. In such an innovative industry, access to online training platforms and mentorship programmes is key to staying ahead of the curve.
In summary
Knowing how to hire tech talent is not based on a single solution. To effectively hire for your next IT professional, it’s critical to recognise the competitive nature of the market. This will form the foundation of the long-term acquisition and employer branding strategies you build, the focussed screening and interviewing processes you adopt, and the decisions you make on compensation packages and role requirements.
If you would like to learn more about hiring for tech talent, please contact: specialist tech & IT talent solutions agency, La Fosse.