It's Not You, It's Me (pt.2): The Internal Challenges of Hiring Tech Talent

Millenilink's in your corner to alleviate your Tech Talent Gap. In this multi-part series, we’ll be addressing the leading challenges afflicting companies on the hunt for tech talent and some ways to remedy them. Read Part 1

There's a proverb that goes, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink." But what you can do is set up a comfortable environment. This is very similar to addressing your technology job vacancies.

Like we talked about in part one of It’s Not You, It’s Me: The Internal Challenges of Hiring Tech Talent, there are a number of variables that can create hurdles to overcome when it comes to hiring tech talent. Left to chance or unaddressed, they often create ongoing issues for your company; i.e. the longer a job vacancy stays open, the less you can pursue new business and/or current employees will experience burnout and resign.

So come along with us as we discuss even more of the common challenges companies face when hiring tech talent and how to bring intention and strategy back to your recruitment process.

Challenge #3: Poor Applicant Quality to your Job Postings 

Where most organizations get it wrong is operating under the assumption that the better the job description; post it and they will come. Unfortunately this could not be farther from reality. Tech Talent, especially intermediate/senior experienced hires have some of the highest employment rates in the world. Unemployment in the sector is typically 50% of regular unemployment as the demand for similar skills is prevalent cross-sector and growing. 

So how do you convince future applicants that you're the right company for them and improving the quality of applications to your postings? With bomb-proof employer branding 12 months of the year.

Most hiring managers are subject experts in their field, but rarely experts when it comes to hiring or branding. This creates an important opportunity for marketing to collaborate with HR and the technology teams to share your company ethos, what makes you different, what your teams like about the work environment and some of your upcoming plans to attract the passive job seeker as the individual(s) you are looking for are likely not searching through postings, even though from time to time you may get lucky with good timing. 

Did you know that prospects prioritize more than just salary? Top tech talent place opportunities for learning and growth, flexibility and recognition for their work high on their list.

By including your core values and brand fundamentals (like mission and vision) in your employer branding and marketing, you will attract those who are attracted to your WHY, and if they are employed but have an open ear to a new opportunity, you have a higher likelihood of attracting them to your organization.

Like any other aspect in marketing, it's important to sell the idea of your organization to receive the best quality response. It qualifies would-be applicants before they even fire up Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

Lastly, due to the highly employed nature of most technical professionals, your organization will need to incorporate an outbound strategy to engage with prospective employees as relying on inbound applications is not a strategy that will reap success, especially at scale. 

Challenge #4: I Don't Know Where to Find Talent!

You wouldn't wear bowling shoes on a hike. So why would you post a job on a website that doesn't have eyes on it – especially the eyes that you want to apply for your company?

Look to trade shows, conferences, recruiters and feedback from your employer branding to understand where qualified talent that you would be interested in hiring is working, what schools are developing this talent etc. In all interactions you need to be constantly highlighting what your organization brings to the table to benefit employee wellbeing, growth and tie it to the organizations mission and vision.

When you do get to creating your job description, prioritize the technical skill sets it takes to succeed at the job you're hiring for. You will never find a candidate with every little "nice to have'' skill. A successful hire is adaptable, has the EQ to interact with other team members and clients, and have core values-aligned with your company's purpose. Skills are coachable, these other areas are typically not. 

Note that when it comes to exceptional talent, exceptions may need to be made. In this day and age of remote work, look outside your city, province/state, and country.

Also, as employers move more towards skills-based hiring, ask whether a specific educational background is truly required to excel in the job? Don’t limit your search just because of "business as usual" practices – real-life experience and interpersonal skills hold value that can help your company complete projects more efficiently!

Conclusion: Hiring Starts Way before you create a posting

It's not just up to the applicant to make sure their CV top notch, it's your job to make sure that you're putting out the right message on the right channels. It's a reciprocal relationship – and like any good relationship, all parties need to put in effort. For many in specialized areas of the technology industry, it is an employee driven market. 

Make sure you have the tools needed to recruit successfully. If you need help coaching your Technical hiring managers, HR or Executives, check out Millenilink's Tech Talent Advisory. We'll guide your team on hiring best practices, where to find ideal candidates, stakeholder alignment, and the current state of the technology labor market so your strategy optimizes resources and lands you the right talent, repeatedly.