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What is technical talent?
Technical talent describes the talent pool that is made up of those candidates and employees with the skills to drive innovation and growth at technology companies. It includes roles such as software developer, IT professional, computer science professional, data scientist, engineer, and many more.
The Difficulty with Tech Recruiting:
Technical recruiting is difficult because the tech industry is experiencing rapid growth in demand for specialized labor. There are simply not enough skilled tech workers to meet this growing demand and companies end up having to compete for talent by offering higher salaries and more perks.
Tips for Attracting and Hiring Tech Talent:
1. Take the time to learn tech jargon.
Being familiar with technical jargon and really understanding the differences between terms is the most effective way to source tech talent, write enticing job descriptions, and properly interview tech candidates. A good starting point is this glossary of tech terms from DevSkiller.
2. Create a tech-savvy career site.
One of the first things people tend to do is Google a company to learn more about them. Generally, visiting a careers page is the most popular way of learning about a company, so you should structure your page to be attractive to tech talent. Consider designing a specialized landing page for tech talent. You can also use your company blog to give potential candidates a sneak peak into your company culture.
3. Understand the details of the position you're advertising.
If you don't have a tech background, it's easy to confuse the essential skill requirements and responsibilities required by the various tech positions. Define the most important skills required for each position so that you can write a great job description. You can also use our database of Information Technology Job Descriptions to save time.
4. Hire a technical recruiter.
The fastest way to lose a tech candidate's interest is by writing a job advertisement that does not make sense to them. However, in order to write an enticing tech job advertisement, nontechnical recruiters would have to spend time learning about the company's technology and systems, as well as becoming familiar with certain tech jargon and roles. This makes the hiring process longer and more difficult than it needs to be.
A technical recruiter, on the other hand, already knows the industry and the languages. They will be more effective at screening candidates and will also have contacts in the tech industry that may give you access to a wider pool of tech talent. Hiring a technical recruiter will give you peace of mind that you're hiring the best candidate and will also give candidates a good first impression of your company.
5. Share job-specific information when contacting tech talent.
You are more likely to hold a tech worker's interest if you share details of the job you want to hire them for at the sourcing stage. Email your prospective tech workers and share details on the company, why you think they'd be a good fit, and the salary range you are offering.
Another important detail is to share the technologies the prospective tech employee will be working with, particularly in your job advertisement.
6. Establish your company's presence in the local tech community.
Look for social events where a high number of tech workers gather and send in a recruiter. You can also build a local network of tech companies and ask for assistance in recruiting tech workers. You should also join tech community websites, forums, and marketplaces to generate leads.
In addition, advertise your company locally to establish your brand as a successful tech company in people's minds. If people are continually seeing your ads, they are more likely to remember your company when looking for a job.
7. Organize local events for tech talent.
Put on your own recruiting event and invite tech talent networks. These are popular opportunities as they allow tech talent to meet, connect, and learn from each other. Holding tech events will also benefit your company as you can meet tech talent and showcase your company's existing talent.
8. Set up an employee referral program.
Your employees will most likely have a network of tech friends. You could encourage recommendations of qualified tech talent from your existing employees by creating an employee referral program. Set up a structured program and consider rewarding your employees with bonuses to encourage them to make referrals.
9. Don't only focus on local networks.
Look for tech workers in the global market who can work remotely or who can relocate. This will give you a wider talent pool to source from.
10. Offer challenges to tech talent to build contacts.
Use your website and social media platforms to offer challenges to tech talent and give them an opportunity to showcase their skills. Make your challenges fun by adding Easter eggs on your website that invite candidates to search through your site and products. Then, invite them to submit their answers via email. You'll find that this form of lead generation creates a great talent pool.
As an example, Stripe features a Capture the Flag security wargame on their blog. This game is designed to allow tech talent to practice identifying and exploiting security problems and improve their understanding of how hackers can break their code.
11. Use interviews and reference checks to dig deeper.
Verify the information that candidates put on their resumes by asking detailed interview questions about their previous work experience and their technical skills. Our database of Information Technology Interview Questions can help you to build a strong interview process with well-rounded questions.
Check the candidates' references and ask previous employers about the candidates' daily duties, technical aptitude, and their role in past projects. Listen actively and ask follow-up questions to determine the candidates' strengths and weaknesses.
12. Use skills assessment tests to verify IT skills.
If you are a nontechnical person and don't understand technical terms, it can be difficult to assess a candidate's IT skills in an interview. Using a coding skills assessment test is a great, modern way to verify the candidate's skills. Make sure whatever test you choose is based on actual work samples and relevant to the work to be done, as well as being objective, short, and graded with scores.
13. Be prepared to negotiate salary and offer great benefits.
Because the demand for tech talent is so high, they can be more selective about the jobs they choose. An employer must be willing to negotiate pay that is fair and in accordance with industry standards.
To retain your tech talent, offer employees training and certification opportunities. Not only will you benefit from better-qualified employees, but your tech employees will benefit by challenging themselves and improving their skills.