The majority of tech companies are in ruins. From the ashes of the former giants arise murderous automatons and a bunch of survivors to oppose them. The year 2019 is now referred to as the year of judgment, which was decisive in the fate of the sector. The ex-managers of yesterday’s top organizations realize in hindsight that not listening to the trends of recruitment that year was a serious mistake. But it’s too little too late...

Okay, we might have gone a bit too far with dystopian fiction there. However, hear us out!

The current need for developers might indeed create a make-or-break situation for the market, even if the consequences won’t be quite as terrifying as we portrayed.

Hiring talent is the second biggest challenge engineering managers are facing, according to the latest State of Software Development Survey.

According to a 2018 study by the App Association, the number of job openings for software developers was over 220,000 last year. If we compare that to the statistics provided by Data USA, the annual number of computer science-related degrees awarded was slightly above 35,000 in 2016. We’re talking about a 1 to 7 ratio, which means that if some unlikely events occurred and the need for developers suddenly stopped growing, it would still take 7 years to fill the gaps.

This leads to quite obvious statistics: the unemployment rate for this field of work is below 2%. It is fair to say there’s a growing shortage of software engineers, which constantly strengthens their bargaining position.

The demand for developers is extremely high, and they aren’t available in the required numbers. Getting the right people is difficult, and most of them are taken at the moment, forcing employers to make more and more efforts to seduce them.

So, the question arises: what are the most effective ways to win tech talent?

Strong employer branding

First of all, it’s vital to make sure everything is perfectly okay at the company. It sounds easier than it actually is, but working hard on the employer brand pays off.

What’s employer branding?

It is basically step #0 of the recruitment process. Consider it the lovechild of marketing and human resources. It is a joint operation of making a workplace ideal and letting the world know about it. By providing satisfying surroundings and keeping employees happy, the company is already doing a lot.

The next step is looking for the right channels to share the stories on. If the workers arrive and leave with a smile on their faces, things are done right, and the world needs to know about it to attract developers.
All in all, employer branding requires lots of planning and patience. It won’t be bringing dozens of decent applicants to the yard in a single week, but long-term effects will certainly be felt.

Recruitment marketing is trending

Simple ways of hiring are outdated.

Sure, uploading information about a job on the right platforms will reach the audience. The question is, what makes it reach more people?
The answer is recruitment marketing!

Employer branding isn’t the only hybrid that’s trending these days. Recruitment marketing uses marketing tools to engage with the employees of the future, laying the groundwork for a future application. The goal is to promote the values of working for the company to attract developers. What makes it different than employer branding is the way it’s tracked.

The KPIs of employer branding are the impressions coming from the current employees, while the results of recruitment marketing can be defined by the engagement with applicants. The illustration shows the steps of recruitment marketing in comparison to the traditional procedure of recruiting.

Share feedback from your current employees

Those happy customers should be encouraged to share their thoughts with people from the outside too. Nothing’s more trustworthy than hearing from a directly involved person who has no reason to lie.

Employee referrals will beat cold calls and random LinkedIn messages from unknown headhunters any day. These referrals can answer questions that talent sources and HR specialists might not necessarily be able to answer, as they can provide detailed information about what it’s like to be part of the everyday life of the company.

Be specific, but not too specific

It’s finally time to discuss the actual recruitment process and to see job offers.

Remember, balance is very important.

Being too specific or not going into enough detail can make things harder than they should be.

Looking for a Russian-speaking TypeScript specialist with management experience might be what’s currently needed for a project, but the number of possible applicants will be terribly low.

At the same time, not describing the requirements and the characteristics of a job properly can also lead to confusion.

Make it easy to apply

It’s also recommended to keep things simple by making it easy to apply. This can be achieved by only writing down the most important details of the job itself and allowing the readers to apply as quickly as possible.
Not having to log in and go through several different phases before actually sending the application is a smart thing to do.

It can be improved even more by integrating video interviews into the procedure. Being able to actually talk from a comfortable environment will increase the sense of comfort, while using automated systems can also save time and energy for the decision makers. By implementing modern and extraordinary tools, the entire candidate experience with the recruitment process will improve. And by looking professional during selection, the impact on the applicant will be positive.

Summary

Generally speaking, hiring developers may have never been as challenging as it is now. Extra dedication is required from the employer’s side to stand out and appear as an attractive company to win tech talent. The key to success is being open to the latest trends and experimenting. Innovative methods are needed to increase efficiency, and combining this with great values will surely yield results.

Want to read more? We have collected more tips and tricks on our blog based on the State of Software Development Survey.