Technical jobs are specialized and often come with requirements for a unique skillset. Getting the right candidate for these kind of jobs is not an easy task which can be fulfilled by a general recruitment process. Technology staffing companies like Randstad India Private Limited rely on recruiters who can cut down on this hiring time by getting the candidates who would be the right fit for the job.

A research by Hackerrank 1 states that about 79.9% of recruiters note that finding qualified candidates is the hardest task. Here are a few other things that recruiters can keep in mind while hiring:

Aligning the expectations: Hackerrank’s survey 2 states that about 30.3% of hiring managers list alignment on expectations as a major challenge faced while recruiting for technical positions. It is imperative that the managers and recruiters are aligned on the qualifications and skillset requirements. Recruiters can bridge this gap by getting timely feedback from the managers.

Understanding the techies’ mind: According to Stack Overflow’s Global Survey 3 , 75% of developers are interested in hearing about new opportunities. This means that recruiters have a good chance at attracting quality passive talent if they understand and match their expectations.

Assessment tools: For tech hiring, you might not need to be a subject matter expert, but you do need to know the basics of coding and other skillsets you are looking for in a candidate. Recruiters can even partner with other tech firms when looking for specific tech skills.

Sourcing: Hackerrank states that about 58.5% of candidates are hired through internal referrals. This creates a lack of diversity within the company. At the same time, about 75% of recruiters said that they have hired great candidates who didn’t have a strong resume 4 . Thus, recruiters should reconsider self-taught candidates and ensure that applicants coming through referrals undergo the same thorough evaluation as any other candidate.

Drop-offs pre-interview and post-interview: Most tech candidates are faced with a plethora of choices when it comes to job offers. Its no wonder that figures for pre-interview drop-offs 1 Verma, Gaurav. “[Research] 2018 Tech Recruiting Report by HackerRank.” HackerRank, 12 Dec. 2018, research.hackerrank.com/tech-recruiting/2018.

Verma, Gaurav. “[Research] 2018 Tech Recruiting Report by HackerRank.” HackerRank, 12 Dec. 2018, research.hackerrank.com/tech-recruiting/2018.

Inc., Stack Exchange. “2018 Global Developer Hiring Landscape | Stack Overflow.” 2018 Global Developer Hiring Landscape | Stack Overflow, 2018, www.stackoverflowbusiness.com/talent/resources/global-developer-hiring-landscape- 2018#download.

Ibid 2 is 40% and post-interview dropoffs is 25% 5 . Recruiters must work to ensure retention of applicants. Apart from monetary benefits, things like team, cultural fit and the growth that they can expect in a company are also key considerations that recruiters must keep in mind.

Technology staffing companies need to develop the requisite skills when looking to hire tech candidates. Understand your techies and their mindset, speak their language- this in itself is enough to give you an edge above the rest in the recruitment process.