5 Recruiting Trends That’ll Impact Your Tech Recruiting Effectiveness
Everywhere you look, new technology is changing the way we live, work, and play. The booming tech sector in all its guises has made the market for talent a fiercely competitive one. In a recent MRI Network survey, 86% of recruiters felt the labour market is candidate driven. With the power seemingly in the hands of candidates, recruiters and employers need to do more to attract, recruit, and retain top talent.
To help organisations find the tech talent they so desperately need, business leaders and recruiters need to understand the changing face of the candidate market. With that in mind, we wanted to look at some of the key recruiting trends that are having a real impact on tech recruiting.
Flexibility is a talent winner
Today’s tech talent is a different beast than that of previous generations. Whereas previous generations wanted stability and security, today’s talent desires flexibility. In the words of Bill gates, “The competition to hire the best will increase in the years ahead. Companies that give extra flexibility to their employees will have the edge in this area.” Employers that are able to build flexible working practices into their organisational strategy will be able to attract talent more readily – and retain talent more easily.
The battle for diversity is on the rise
According to a LinkedIn Report, 37% of HR leaders believe that hiring for more diversity will shape the recruiting industry in the next few years and the tech world is no different. Companies in the tech space rely on innovation, and there is seemingly nothing better for innovation than diversity. Decades of research have shown that socially diverse groups are more innovative than homogenous groups. In the battle to drive innovation, tech recruiters will need to actively target diversity recruiting in new ways and on an increasingly global scale.
Candidate experience
It’s a candidate market out there. Tech talent is in hot demand, and candidates have ample opportunities to choose from. Recruiters and employers operating in the tech sector need to spend time mapping their applicant process, and eliminating any barriers to a positive candidate experience. Woe betide the employer with a slow or annoying application process – candidates will simply apply elsewhere. With this in mind, tech recruiters will need to streamline and refine their application process, making it both engaging and simple as well as smartphone-friendly.
Employer branding
In a job market where skills are in short supply, the importance of employer branding will become magnified. Tech candidates are savvy. Born in the digital age, online research has become second nature. Employers that fail to build a positive employer brand will undoubtedly struggle to attract the talent they need. Organisations will increasingly be judged on their actions. The way in which your company does business, how you treat your staff, and how you communicate this to the wider world should be key components of your hiring strategy. Your company website should also be considered a key resource when it comes to employer branding and is often the first place that candidates turn to learn more about you as an employer. What does your employer brand and your careers website say about you?
Recruiters and employers will need to think mobile first
The growth of smartphone use has changed the way we interact with the world forever. If you want to attract tech talent, you need to think mobile. Today’s tech talent are invariably digital natives, and they expect to be able to apply for jobs direct from their mobile. Recruiters and employers in any tight candidate markets need to up their mobile game, ensuring their application process is optimised for mobile. Nowhere is this more true than in the tech sector. Moreover, adopting a mobile first strategy will help employers to engage candidates through bite-sized chunks of content that will help with staying front-of-mind with prospective future hires. Ease of communication is key to this, and mobile is simply the most efficient platform for reaching and engaging with today’s candidates.
If your company needs help with attracting and engaging more quality candidates, do get in touch with our team and we’d be delighted to help.