Are you hiring software developers in 2021 and finding it challenging? You’re not alone. With the economy starting to bounce back, and demand fast outstripping supply (plus the lack of immigration to fill the gap) we are asking ourselves the same question. ‘How do we fill our open roles for Software Engineers?’. So, we’ve put together this handy guide to help you hire the best talent, with simple insider tricks being used by some of the best in the business.
Internally, are you set up to hire these skills?
Why Your Role, over another?
What is your value proposition, from the candidate’s perspective? Are you clear on WHY a developer should consider working for you, instead of another employer? Are you working on the latest technologies, is the project interesting? In other words, why should they choose you? Are you paying a market-leading salary?
Have you thought about this, do you have a ‘pitch’ articulated, and does everyone in the hiring process know how to communicate this effectively? If the answer is no to any of this, you should work on it. This is key if you want to attract the right talent to your business.
Speed
How quickly are you geared up to hire? In a highly competitive market, if your recruitment process takes weeks you WILL miss out. We are seeing organisations committing to a 48-hour hiring process, from the first interview to offer. The old expression ‘You snooze, you lose’ is certainly applicable in this market. Candidates are getting snapped up quickly by small and nimble organisations with a fast and efficient process, long before other employers have even reviewed the resumes. Does your team take days to review CVs, to only start interviewing a week later? If so, you have likely already missed out on the best candidates!
Technical Testing
Some organisations are still asking applicants to complete lengthy coding tests, some even before the first interviews. Candidates are not interested in this. It puts them off. Is it essential for your organisation? If not, drop it. If it is, you should think differently. You could offer to pay candidates for the time spent doing these tests in a form of gift cards or sign-on bonuses if people are hired. You could also give them bonuses after a verbal offer first, and then make the formal offer subject to them passing. Think outside the box!
Salaries & Rates
If you’re not the latest cool start-up or a global technology giant whose brand attracts talent simply by reputation, then you should constantly be reviewing what you are paying people. Salaries and contracting rates are increasing. The simple law of demand supply shows there aren’t enough experienced developers available. There is a war for talent, and this means increasing costs. Make sure you are offering a package that’s on-par with what others are paying, or you won’t be able to attract the people you need. Worse, you could run the risk of losing your current team.
Recruitment Partners
Do you have the right recruitment supplier?
If you are paying a fee to hire developers from a recruitment agency, are you getting value for money? Does your recruitment partner have a specialist team that focuses purely on software engineering? Do they actually interview applicants on your behalf, or do they have a ‘5-minute phone screen’ and send over resumes leaving the work to you? Are they really SELLING YOUR ROLE and brand? Do they have multiple roles available, and send all clients the same resume to fight it out for the candidate? If you’re not sure, you should ask, and if in any doubt consider a change.
Is your role ‘top of their list’?
Whether deliberately or subconsciously, recruiters do prioritise certain roles. In most cases, it’s a ‘success only fee’ industry, no placement = no fee, and the work is done is for nothing. If you are still working with a ‘recruitment panel’ process, for a fee that your procurement department has aggressively negotiated, and sending requirements to multiple suppliers to fight it out, your role likely isn’t their top priority. This model also encourages ‘speed’ over ‘quality’ and rewards suppliers that send you resumes first, rather than those that take the time to interview and qualify on your behalf.
How to get the best outcome from a recruitment partner
Find a recruitment partner that you can trust. One that’s a specialist, not a generalist, one that has a network of suitable applicants and will do a great job in representing your brand. See them as a partner, not a supplier, set expectations around interviewing the candidates, and agree on a reasonable amount of time for this process to occur. Pay them a fair fee for the work involved and give them the role to fill exclusively (for a period of time), so when they find the right candidate they will get paid for their efforts.
How we can help
Technology People is a specialist technology recruitment company, and we pride ourselves on our dedication to fill every role we agree to work on. Our statistics speak for themselves: 1 in every 4 resumes we send gets hired into the role. We do a full interview process with every applicant we submit, and consistently get great feedback from our clients and candidates about the quality of our service.
Technology People is a partner with small and large organisations. We take our time to deliver high-quality shortlists and take pride in being given the ‘tough roles’ to fill. We are filling dozens of software engineering roles every month. The candidates are certainly out there but you need time and expertise to secure the right candidates.
Want to know more? Email us at digital@technologypeople.com.au and we can make a time to chat.