Before you tuck into the leftover turkey, sate your appetite for education with our latest blog from our Open Talent Series. So far we’ve learned that open candidates are comfortably employed but receptive to new opportunities and that they make up over two thirds of the workforce. We’ve also looked at specific ways to attract them to the hospitality industry. Now we turn our attention to the tech industry and examine how to recruit open tech Talent to your team!
Although head hunting has always been common in industries such as law and finance, open candidates have become more prevalent in recent years. There are a few possible reasons for this:
Networking: The increase of networking sites and events have enhanced the culture of shared information and legitimised building contacts outside the interests of your current job. As younger generations become more intolerant of phony advertising, more companies are opting to invest in events over traditional ads in an attempt to reach these audiences more organically. This builds on the networking culture which is a great tool for reaching open candidates. London Tech Week and The Web Summit are great examples of this.
Tech: Improved technological advances mean more transparency on the jobs market. We can search for people, see their profiles on social media and get an idea of their experience and personality before we even meet them.
Global reach: The world is becoming a smaller place. More companies than ever have a displaced workforce with employees working virtually from every corner of the globe. The ability to work remotely combined with people’s readiness to travel within the job means that distance is becoming less of an obstacle in business. Therefore, more opportunities overseas can become a factor in wooing open Talent.
Here’s our top 5 tips for recruiting open Talent to your tech roles:
Resist the hard sell:
Building relationships with open candidates requires an investment of time. Bear in mind that tech Talent such as developers are in high demand so they’ll need wooing. Avoid trying to close them straight away and instead educate them on your company. Why will they be a good fit for your team?
Promote transparency:
The value of having open and honest communication cannot be overstated. Be as transparent as possible. Tech employees are innovative by nature, use that to the benefit of the team. Invite questions and feedback. Candidates want to know where they (and their role) will fit within the organisation. Use the create your own job tool so candidates can showcase their full potential.
Our research shows that over 66% of 18-24 year olds believe open and honest communication is the most important determinant of an employer’s success.
Be flexible:
As technology continues to evolve, employees are moving away from the 9-5 desk mindset and want the option to dictate their own hours and work remotely.
Our research also shows that 40% of people say flexibility around working hours would convince them to stay in their jobs.
With younger generations this is even more prevalent. We can already see Gen Z, the generation following Millennials, looking to pursue a number of projects and roles at the same time. As such we’ll see a rise in a more task oriented working day. Getting ahead of the curve with such procedures will prove a draw for innovative open Talent.
Feeling undervalued:
Studies show that after money, feeling undervalued is the second biggest reason people would leave their job. Does your company offer regular feedback and appraisal or a strong incentive and reward scheme?
Watch your culture:
A cultural fit is a huge factor in determining the suitability of a role or workplace. Our studies show that the kind of culture best for retaining employees is ‘Team-First Culture,’ where the company prioritises employee’s happiness by methods such as frequent team outings and providing meaningful feedback and flexibility to accommodate employees’ family lives. The more top-down, ‘Elite Culture’, one where companies encourage innovation by competition among candidates, was the least likely to retain employees, according to our survey.
