The battle for the best tech talent won’t be over anytime soon; with swords of coding and shields of firewall protection having left their valiant resumes impenetrable to companies who don’t have what they desire. So what are you to do as a recruiter, to “fight” for this tech talent pool? It all begins with a strong strategy and the right techniques to revamp your talent acquisition so you can get the edge over your talent competitors. These 4 ways to better your tech recruiting process should start you off on the right foot…
Consistency is a Science
If the key to employer branding is consistency, shouldn’t that same idea translate into recruiting where that employer branding has such a heavy hand? You already know what basic standards need to be met in order to work well within your company, and that consistency should play through to the time you offer that perfect candidate the job. Former LinkedIn Talent Executive, Steve Cadigan (@scadigan), explained the importance of branding in the recruitment strategy with a simple example:
“As the team started to think through how they would improve the effectiveness of hiring managers and recruiters, it became clear that they had no consistent answer to a key question candidates were asking… The question is, ‘Why do I want to work here?’… Being clear collectively on why someone would want to work in your organization is a worthwhile time investment that will pay great dividends.”
The point Cadigan is driving at is this: you need to be able to answer, “Why tech candidates would want to work for your company?” What makes you stand out above the rest? What makes your company unique?
Resumes Don’t Tell Everything
Although resumes are a great indicator of employment longevity and a relevant work history, a tech candidate’s resume isn’t the only indicative trait qualifying them for the open position. Just because 73% of HR pros believe candidates poorly tailor their resume, doesn’t mean the best candidate isn’t among that mix. You might look for a top school or a prestigious former employer, but these aren’t the only qualities deserving of a candidate pedestal.
It’s a Tech Position, Right?
Use the technology you’ve purchased, be the applicant tracking system or training software, to determine not only what your ideal candidate looks like, but what programs work best for them. Ideally, the applicant tracking system will hold a lot of data regarding current and former candidates so you already have the information necessary to attract candidates like-minded to your current high-potential employees. These analytics are powerful and underused tools.
It’s Not all in the Outbound
While it’s natural for recruiters to have the natural inclination to the outbound recruiting strategies, it’s not always the best route when you’re looking for the highly competitive talent. If you plan your employer branding and your recruitment strategies just right, you’ll be able to generate enough inbound job inquiries to focus on the people who want to work for you, not just the people who you think should work for you. This ultimately leads to higher retention rates and employee engagement levels, and as a recruiter, what could be better than finding that candidate?
Arm yourself in the battle for tech talent; you need to be able to find the candidates with the right skills and experience, regardless of if that’s on their resume or not. But by searching for the right data your ATS has already gathered, you’ll be able to source the inbound tech candidates who already want to work for you. If you use the tools you already have, your tech recruiting process will be up to date.
