Struggling to hire software engineers in 2021? 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 having the same question again & again ‘How do we fill our open roles for Software Engineers?’ 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 setup to hire these skills?
Why Your Role, over another?
What is your value proposition, from the candidate’s perspective? Are you clear why a developer should consider working for you instead of another employer? Are you working on the latest technology, is the project interesting & why should they choose you? If not, are you paying a market leading salary instead? Have you thought about this, do you have this ‘pitch’ articulated and does everyone in the hiring process know how to articulate this effectively? If the answer is no to any of this, you should work on this, it’s important if you want to attract the right talent to your business.
Speed
How quickly are you geared up to hire? Its highly competitive so if your recruitment process takes weeks you WILL miss out. We are seeing organisations committing to a 48-hour hiring process, from first interview to offer. The old expression ‘You snooze, you lose’ is certainly applicable in this market. Candidates are getting snapped up fast by smaller & more nimble organisations with a fast and efficient process before other employers have even reviewed the resumes. Does your team take days to review resumes & then start interviewing a week later? You have likely already missed out on the best candidates.
Technical Testing
Some organisations are still asking applicants to complete a (often lengthy) technical coding tests, some even before they organise first interviews. Candidates are not interested in this. It puts them off. Is this essential for your organisation? If not drop it. If it is then, maybe think differently, maybe offer to pay them for the time they spend doing them (gift cards have been offered by other employers or sign on bonuses if people are hired) or give it to them after a verbal offer first & 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 who’s brand attracts talent simply by reputation, then you should constantly be reviewing what you are paying people. Salaries & contracting rates are increasing. Simple laws of supply and demand means there are not enough experienced developers available to go round so there’s 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, and worse you run the risk of losing your current team.
Recruitment Partners
Do you have the right recruitment supplier?
You are typically paying a large fee to hire developers from a recruitment agency so 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 flick you resumes to do the work yourself? Are they really selling your role and your brand or do they have 30 roles available and sending everyone the same resume to fight it out for the candidate? If you’re not sure, you should ask them & if in any doubt consider a change.
Is your role ‘top of their list’
Whether deliberately or subconsciously recruiters prioritise roles. In most cases it’s a ‘success only fee’ industry, no placement = no fee and the work done is for nothing. If you are still working via a ‘recruitment panel’ process, for a fee your procurement department has aggressively negotiated and sending your requirements out to multiple suppliers who all then 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 & qualify on your behalf.
How to get the best outcome from a recruitment partner
Find a recruitment partner that you trust. One that’s a specialist not a generalist, one that has a network of suitable applicants & will do a great job of representing your brand. See them as a partner not a supplier, set expectations around interviewing the candidates & agree a reasonable amount of time for this process to occur. Pay them a fair fee for the work involved and give them the role exclusively to fill (for a period of time) so they know that when they find you the right candidate they will get paid for their efforts.
How we can help
Technology People is a specialist technology recruitment company & we pride ourselves on our dedication to filling every role we agree to work on. Our statistics speak for themselves: one in every four resumes we send get’s hired into the role. We do a full interview process with every applicant we submit & consistently get great feedback from our clients & candidates about the quality of our service.
We work as a partner with organisations large and small. 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 & 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.
The post Hiring Software Developers in 2021 appeared first on Technology People Group.