Finding IT Developers: 5 of the Best Strategies to Implement

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photo by Creative Art

When trying to find good IT developers, recruiters are generally employed within a company, work as an individual recruiter, or as part of an agency that specializes in recruiting. Regardless of how and where a recruiter works, the following five strategies can be applied across the board:

  1. Utilize all avenues—particularly social media.

The most popular social media sites recruiters turn to are LinkedIn, Indeed, and sometimes even Facebook. Other lesser known places include Twitter and, recently, TikTok as well. Recruiters can find hidden talent in smaller communities just as much as larger ones. LinkedIn is still one of the top places to look. Indeed is also useful and the occasional Facebook group might contain some good candidates too.

  • Collect referrals when possible.

Referrals add a level of credibility and decrease uncertainty about hiring candidates. From a recruiter’s perspective, referrals are a demonstration of certain skills that should be relevant to the open position. This way, they don’t have to completely rely on a resume or what a candidate says—there is someone else backing up their skills. These referrals can come from the candidate’s previous employers, other candidates, friends and even family (though the last two are less credible).

  • Build a candidate community.

By using connections and candidates, recruiters can formulate a group of engaging individuals that may want to continue building a professional relationship with the recruiter. This can even be the case with candidates who weren’t chosen for a certain job but who have an impressive skillset and may be a good fit for future positions. Recruiters should often seek out other recruiters to develop relationships with for a similar purpose. Both parties may benefit from candidates who don’t fit one recruiter’s criteria but meet the other’s requirements.

  • Network everywhere.

In-person conferences and university career events were a helpful form of searching for developers prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. They allowed recruiters and potential employees to have conversations in a face-to-face environment, which has a higher rate of creating solid professional relationships. However, setting up conferences and events at universities were very financially and time-consuming. A shift into virtual conferencing and video call interviews have become more popular instead.

  • Use the current reputation as a recruiter and/or business to reach out.

Businesses and recruiters who have experience in their field are likely to have a good reputation with other members of that field. Using the name they have built for themselves can be another strategy to bring in valuable candidates. In other words, letting the candidates make the approach instead of the recruiter, simply by spreading the word of open positions, for example. This strategy is best used for companies and recruiters who have a large standing in the field’s community.

Summary

Recruiting and job hunting, in general, have been significantly transformed over the years, particularly in the past year or so due to the pandemic. The process for finding and hiring quality candidates has also changed drastically regarding things like desired skills, experience or enthusiasm, achievements, soft versus technical skills, and so on. As long as job seekers, recruiters, and businesses continue to adapt to their changing environments, recruiting strategies will also change.