There’s no question that the competition for experienced tech talent is fierce in today’s remote-first world.
Marc Andreessen famously said:” Software is eating the world.”
More and more industries get transformed by technology.
As a result, daily operations are changing, and so is the need for technical talent for companies. But, on the other hand, talents have many options when choosing what to work on and where to do it.
This article aims to give tech leaders and founders practical advice to adapt to new market conditions and successfully attract and retain high-quality people.
Let’s dive in and explore how to hire tech talent in a remote-first world!
Why is finding tech talent so hard?
So what’s the main reason?
To quickly sum it up: The deficit of technical talent on our globe vs. the enormous growth of tech first companies.
The shortage exists not only in Europe but also in the US.
Researchers have predicted that by 2020 in the US, there will be more than a million open tech positions with no qualified college graduates to fill them all.
Some Stats
The US’s current tech unemployment rate is under 3.7%. In addition to it, it is known that software engineers’ roles are at the top of the most troublesome to fill positions.
Only 10% of UK tech companies don’t expect to face a shortage of highly-skilled technology professionals during the following year. Germany, Finland, Sweden, and the Netherlands share the same problem.
It seems daunting.
But there might be hope. 😉
Stack Overflow conducted the world’s most extensive and most complete developer survey. They surveyed close to 90,000 developers worldwide on their job-seeking state.
This survey states that only 16% of developers are actively searching for employment.
Good News:
75% of surveyed tech talent said they are open to hearing about new proposals.
So get ready to perfect your pitch!
5 tips on how to attract top talent
Since we now know there’s a chance, where do we find top tech talent?
Go to places your candidates spend time on
Meaning: Interact and build content for platforms like Reddit, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, and niche Facebook groups. Look at the 2019 Stack Overflow survey on where developers spent the most time.
Craft relationships with talents on these platforms and push engaging content to boost your brand recognition and relevance on these platforms.
Reach Out Proactively To Top Candidates
Like we talked about earlier – the tech talents you want to hire are not looking for jobs but are up to speak. Therefore, you need to reach out to top candidates proactively. Stop waiting for the perfect inbound application. Tools like LinkedIn Recruiter offer a wide range of solutions to help with this.
Pro Tip: Everybody likes to feel special. Think about reaching out directly with the profiles of your Leadership Team to higher the chances of starting a conversation with your ideal candidate. You can also think about automating this process using tools like Waalaxy.
Build Partnerships with Universities
Strategically invest into hiring straight from campus. You will reach highly qualified candidates before they enter the job market. Think about partnering up with universities where your desired talent is studying.
Before harvesting talent, you need to invest in offering value for the students during their studies. For example, offer free courses or events that your company can host to attract tech talent.
Solve challenging problems and Hire Talented People To Find More Talented People
The best programmers we know at UPPER like to work with respected peers and on technically challenging tasks.
So what should you do? First, have a high bar on the talent that you hire. Then, when pitching, focus on showing them what exciting things they can work on when joining you.
Build a robust technical community inside your company by attending niche conferences, hackathons, or contributing to open-source projects.
Location independence and new talent hubs
Due to corona, our work-life changed. The future of work will be remote — so adapt to it. A vast majority of tech talent is expecting to have the ability to work on a flexible schedule and remotely.
Companies that offer remote-friendly working conditions will have an edge.
You as a leader need to strategically think about how you can adjust your company culture to stay competitive in this new normal.
How to Retain Top Talent
Implement a culture of coaching and development
The road to building a winning culture may appear hazy, but high-quality coaching and development of people is an enabler. Of course, millennial and Gen Z workers value this type of investment, but it’s also necessary for “developing” bright people who have the relevant skills but not the experience. This also promotes diversity by offering genuine sponsorship to employees from all backgrounds.
HubSpot, for example, has transitioned away from annual performance assessments and toward social performance management.
It enables employees to receive constant and immediate feedback, promoting continual skill improvement. However, establishing a reputation for excellence in all areas will take time.
Even though it takes time, it is worth it. The payoff is a high-caliber varied team eager to assist the company.
Focus on employer engagement
Is your team motivated? Do you have a strong culture? Do people like to work for you?
Employee engagement can be challenging to measure.
In its 2021 Employee Experience survey, Willis Towers Watson found that 40% of firms believe the pandemic harmed employee engagement. However, the same study said those focusing on creating a strong employee experience are 90% more likely to report lower annual turnover than their peers.
Here are ideas on what you can be working on:
- Openly share Goals and Company objectives to build trust;
- Increase Employee Engagement by upgrading employee benefits – especially remote ones;
- Ask Your Employees for genuine feedback. Make them feel heard and act on it!
- Build up thoughtful ways to appreciate your employees.
Next Steps
We provided you with valuable nuggets on how to hire top-notch tech talent. Now it is up to you to act.
If you need help with hiring top tech freelancers, talk to us!
We help fast-growing startups like Gorillas and Flink to ease their hiring pains by enabling them to hire senior developers in a matter of days.
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