In addition to the process being pretty tedious, recruiters in the information technology sphere are also often faced with the questions of \u201cHow do I find experts within this tech stack?\u201d, \u201cWhat do I need to look for in a profile?\u201d, \u201cHave I made the right call here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s break down the process into something that\u2019s easier to digest, and jump right into unveiling the bricks that make up a holistic recruitment process.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There\u2019s an adage in our organization that we treat as gospel truth; \u201cThe best tech talent is not always on the job market.\u201d Whilst marketing and employer branding are crucial elements of the recruitment process, you cannot hope to fill in all your positions through vacancy advertisements. Here are a few reasons why:<\/p>\n This is especially true within the information technology industry, due to the fact that pay scales are high across the board and there is a great deal of flexibility that comes with the job. In addition to this, many candidates also receive a number of benefits from their employers and therefore stick around for a number of years, and begin to mature in their own careers at one given company. Expecting these candidates to apply to your job postings is almost ludicrous.<\/p>\n With that being said, you will need to have multiple channels through which you can expect a decent CV flow. You will first need to identify what an ideal candidate would look like, and set this as your benchmark. Considering that you\u2019re unlikely to be lucky enough to be able to hire them all through job postings, actively go out into the market and look for them. These candidates are passive, but it holds the most reward to get this calibre on to your team. Having a good personal database of tech experts within the industry will make your job a whole lot easier \u2014 so building connections is a good percentage of the task, and one that will develop decently over your time within the industry.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You\u2019ve got to account for the fact that a big chunk of your candidates is not going to make it past the initial screening. Before we jump straight to technical, we filter our candidates out based on dialect and culture fit, and according to Toptal, only 26.4% of candidates make it through this stage. (Source<\/em><\/a>).<\/p>\n So you\u2019re looking at the top 26% of your candidate pool making it to the next stage; which may not sound particularly great at first glance. However, the key is making sure that this 26% that you\u2019ve got in hand are at the top of the class.<\/p>\n So how would you be so sure of that?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The answer lies in the technical portion of your interview process. The actual structure of the technical evaluation needs to be in line with your company\u2019s needs and the technologies that you are hiring for. For example, if you\u2019re hiring mainly for Javascript positions, your technical tests should be tailored accordingly, and the software engineers evaluating these should be particularly strong in that area.<\/p>\n Ideally, you would have an engineering team to take care of this for you, and if not, you would need to create a de facto group of software engineers to create and evaluate technical assessments and carry out the ensuing interviews; to make sure you\u2019ve got it right from a technical standpoint.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have these resources on hand, then there are plenty of platforms that can do this for you, such as\u00a0Codility<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0TestDome<\/a>. It may come as a bit of a shock that only 3.6% of candidates make it past the technical interview, but on the flip side, you know that these guys are the \u2018best of the best\u2019 that you\u2019re looking for. (Source<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n Once a position has been filled, it\u2019s usually punctuated by a collective sigh of relief since a hurdle has been passed; but the process is not done and dusted just yet. In order for your recruitment function to be both scalable and future-proof, you need to be constantly learning from the data produced from your efforts.<\/p>\n This data can include:<\/p>\n From a team management perspective, your recruitment data may also look like this:<\/p>\n Your sources may look something like this:<\/p>\n This overview is just the tip of the iceberg \u2014 there are countless other metrics that have to be considered. Whilst you may think this doesn\u2019t directly impact the recruitment process, it does in the long run. Creating dashboards and monitoring KPIs will make your recruitment more effective, and will also help you identify lapses or areas where you can improve. Measuring data helps you to take corrective action fast, rather than wait for ineffective practices to fester.<\/p>\n With tech recruitment, there\u2019s no \u2018one size fits all\u2019 model. There is always room for improvement and there are always going to be strategies that don\u2019t work. You\u2019re in the danger zone if you remain stagnant, and if you believe that your recruitment process is perfect and doesn\u2019t need any alterations.<\/p>\n One big issue that is common with recruiting software engineers is the lead time to close a position. This can sometimes have a ripple effect on business processes and can further exacerbate bottlenecks. As a recruiter in the information technology industry, don\u2019t shy away from innovation. Constantly stay on the ball in terms of how you can reduce lead time or how you can source for better talent. Implement what you think might work, measure the results, and if it doesn\u2019t work, there\u2019s no harm done. You can just as easily revert to your original process and jump right back to the drawing board for new ideas.<\/p>\n One aspect of your brand is the way that potential candidates will perceive you, and this is reflected by how streamlined your recruitment process is. If your recruitment process is shoddy and not transparent enough to candidates, they\u2019re not going to have a great impression of your organization. Additionally, if you\u2019re not communicating with them frequently, especially to candidates whom you have excluded from the process, you\u2019re likely to lose professionalism, and these candidates are likely to spread negative reviews about you in the talent market. Not to mention, even candidates who may fail your technical assessments now, maybe brilliant assets in the future, and may even be able to refer their colleagues to you. So don\u2019t write them off completely \u2014 be humane, yet strategic, and give them constructive feedback.<\/p>\n The other aspect of your brand image is the amount of effort you pour into employer branding and marketing. Now, this may seem completely unrelated to recruitment, but there\u2019s more of an alignment than you may think. You need to ensure that the message that is going out to the market is one that is branding you as \u2018An Employer of Choice\u2019. Whilst your organization may focus on strategic B2B and B2C marketing and brand building, talent marketing is also extremely important.<\/p>\n<\/picture><\/div>\n
1. Optimize Your Sourcing Strategies<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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2. Including a Technical Element in Your Interview Process<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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3. Get Your Formula Right!<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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4. Failing is OK But FAIL FAST!<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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5. Your Brand is Your Bible<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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