IT Recruitment Process And Why It Is So Special?

With rising turnover rates and skill shortages in the EU, the job market has become more competitive than ever. In 2023, most recruiters stated tight talent pools as their main hiring challenge.

Thus, the recruiting process can take longer to find and hire a perfect candidate: in 2023, it took from 3 to 6-7 months, with not so much difference between EU countries.

Source: Statista

Today, you’ll delve with Brainy Agency into the world of modern headhunting, where we decompose all the specifics of successful and fast IT hiring. Use those tips to maximize your recruiting process and hire the best developers and tech experts on the market!

What Is IT Recruitment Process, and What Does It Involve?

IT Recruitment is the systematic process of identifying, attracting, selecting, and hiring the best-qualified IT candidates for your company. It involves multiple steps, from market analysis and position advertisement to actual sourcing and interviewing potential candidates.

We at Brainy like a strategic approach to search IT recruitments. We also use the latest tech advancements during recruiting, and we highly recommend you to do this during your recruiting, as it benefits the hiring process. 

By combining expertise and technology, we can effectively leverage sourcing channels and save screening, behavioral, and tech interview time. We focus on candidate experience since, in most cases, it's more important than education.

After successful hiring, we measure and analyze every aspect of the headhunting process. It helps us to improve our future recruiting campaigns, so we can become even more effective.

Read more about digital recruiting trends.

Why It’s Better To Divide IT And Non-IT Recruitment Processes?

We highly recommend separating your recruitment team into IT and non-IT subdivisions to ensure that headhunters have industry-specific knowledge. More than 70% of candidates find the job-hunting process stressful, while 83% of all candidates want clear timelines for their hiring. Separating your recruitment team into two optimizes the hiring process and makes it less stressful for candidates.

The IT team can focus on technical skills, while non-IT recruiters can concentrate on soft skills and industry-specific qualifications. Separate teams will also have better data analysis as they understand their specific benchmarks. In-depth analysis of talent pools can help identify recruitment trends and optimize sourcing strategies.

Strength: Processing Lots Of Applications

Efficiently handling a high volume of applications is crucial for a successful IT recruitment process. The job market is overcrowded with people who decide to “go with the flow” and try IT just because it's fancy and trendy, not because it's a person’s passion.

A robust IT recruitment system allows your IT team to process thousands of applications daily and successfully manage the influx of candidates. Here are some tips that help you not get lost in the headhunting process:

• Create a standardized application process: Add pre-screening questions, but don’t overdo it. 2-3 questions with short open answers to it would be enough. According to Gitnux, 60% of candidates quit an application process because it was too long or required too much information.
• Utilize the Applicant Tracking System(ATS): It will automate mundane tasks such as resume parsing, pre-screening, and even initial communication. According to Jobscan, more than 95% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS.
• Simplify screening: Develop custom screening criteria and prioritize applications based on urgency and candidate quality.

Perception And Deep Understanding Of Candidates' Background

A deep understanding of a candidate's background is a key to successful talent acquisition. Once the ATS passes promising candidates into the next step of the IT recruiting process, it’s time to dive into their experiences, skills, motivations, and potential fit within the company culture. Here are key areas where you should concentrate:

1. Technical proficiency: Evaluate the depth and breadth of a candidate's knowledge. Ensure that they can apply theoretical concepts to practical problem-solving.
2. Project experience: Analyze the complexity and scope of previous projects, determine the person’s professional contributions, and evaluate their problem-solving skills.
3. Soft skills and cultural fit: Ensure the candidate shares similar values, career aspirations, and cultural background as their colleagues. 

While educational background and career trajectory are still important, they are not vital. Some great candidates may not have a specific education, but they can brag with vast experience. Some may have a career gap or be not-so-pronounced job hoppers (switching jobs every two years), but they can still benefit your business more than other candidates.

Endurance To Deal With Lots Of Requirements

The IT industry is constantly evolving. You, as the recruiter, should be aware of the trends. That way, your team can spot the best candidates who are fans of their job.

It will also save your company time in the long run, as you can screen candidates even more precisely. It will increase your chances of hiring a perfect employee on the first try. Here are some tips for the tech recruitment process that you should try:

• Develop a systematic approach to managing job requisitions and candidate pipelines.
• Implement a robust filing system for documents and communication.
• Be open to adjusting your priorities and strategies.
• Collaborate with colleagues from other departments to share the workload.

Charisma And Ability To Talk Out The Candidate

Charisma helps you to build rapport, uncover the applicant’s hidden talents, and make the hiring process a positive experience. Use the following six IT search recruitment tips to build your charisma:

• Active listening: Show genuine interest in what the candidate is saying. Maintain eye contact, nod, and ask clarifying questions, but don’t overdo it. Make it natural.
• Positive body language: Your body speaks for itself. Smile, maintain an open posture, and use gestures to enhance communication.
• Building rapport: Find common ground with the candidate. Share personal experiences to create a connection.
• Empathy: Show understanding and compassion for the candidate's situation.
• Storytelling: Use storytelling to engage the candidate and show how the company's needs intersect with the candidate’s demands.
• Humor: Use humor appropriately to lighten the mood and create a relaxed atmosphere.

Encourage candidates to share their honest, unrefined thoughts in detail. Repeat key points to show that you're listening and understanding.

Intelligence: Deep Understanding Of Technology

An IT recruiter should have a deeper understanding of the technologies than the average headhunter. It's not just about knowing the latest buzzwords; it's about comprehending the underlying concepts, how technologies interact, and their practical applications in different business contexts.

The actual areas of technological understanding vary by project, but there are still some core knowledge bases for all IT recruiters:

• Programming languages: Familiarity with popular languages (Python, Java, C++, etc.) and their typical applications.
• Development frameworks: Familiarity with React, Angular, Django, and their usage cases.
• Databases: Knowledge of SQL, NoSQL, and data structures.
• Cloud computing: Familiarity with platforms like AWS, Azure, GCP, and their services.
• Cybersecurity: Understanding common threats, vulnerabilities, and security measures.
• Software development lifecycle (SDLC): Knowledge of different SDLC methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, DevOps).
• Emerging technologies: Awareness of trends like AI, machine learning, blockchain, and IoT.

You don’t need to learn programming, as we all have different strengths. However, you should be aware of the latest software and technological advancements and network with IT professionals who can share their experiences.

IT knowledge allows you to create precise and targeted job descriptions and build trust with applicants at the initial meeting. By using IT recruiting soft skills and your deep tech knowledge, you’ll be able to find the best talents in the shortest amount of time.

Agility: Keeping In Touch With Lots Of Candidates

Agility is not just a buzzword but more like a state of mind that can help you build a strong foundation of your relationships with both a company and a candidate. To keep yourself more flexible, leverage automation tools. It will free your hours daily, so you can spend it on live communication during talent acquisition.

While talking with the applicant, tailor communication to each candidate's specific situation and interests. Reference their specific biographic details from their application or previous conversations to demonstrate your interest in this person.

Provide regular updates, even if there's no news to share. That way, you win the applicant’s trust. One-third (34%) of candidates globally reported that they did not hear back from the recruiter in over 60 days, and only 7% were notified of not getting the job. Meanwhile, they still want feedback, even if it's a negative one.

You can use automated email templates for this task, implementing different sequences for different stages of the recruiting process. You don’t need to send rejection emails or schedule initial interviews manually. Automation tools save you hours of working time every week.

Luck with passive candidates

While some might attribute success in finding passive candidates to luck, it's predominantly a matter of strategy, skill, and persistence. You, as a recruiter, should maintain networking with promising passive candidates.

Sometimes, adding them to your LinkedIn circle is enough, while in other cases, you may need to network with those candidates on the online and offline events.

Identify potential candidates based on specific criteria and reach out proactively. Cultivate relationships with them, even if they do not seek a job. Comment on their posts so they will keep you and your company in mind once they choose to switch.

Attend industry events to network with possible candidates, not for instant hiring but for networking. Leverage your existing employees' networks to identify potential candidates.

Be aware of candidate reluctance. Many passive candidates might be hesitant to leave their current jobs. Ask them what could change this decision. Maybe you can provide them with those benefits.