Now, many companies are laying off workers and downsizing. Some sectors are collapsing. It seems an unprecedented number of people, around the world, from new graduates to seasoned veterans, will be looking for employment. The factors around being able to hire tech talent is suddenly both changing and expanding, and visionary leaders can make the most of it, preparing the ground for post-crisis recovery and growth. There isn’t just a bigger pool of candidates available, there’s a better pool available.
You can hire better tech talent cheaper, as the world is operating under COVID salaries. Tech giants are hunting for talent less (they need to survive too) therefore giving SMBs greater opportunities to make a hire. Employers can now negotiate up to 30% salary less, promising to make a salary review in a 6 month period.
Find out what the recruitment unit economics for a startup are and how you can save more money and time.
The digital sector is on the rise and candidates from more traditional sectors (consulting, banking, media agencies) are more likely to accept an offer from SMBs that are on the rise.
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Nail your job description
Your job description also has to make your startup process transparent to the candidate. Explain where you are now, but also where you want to be in six or 12 months, and how that new job position will help you get there. Give a brief overview of your product roadmap, and mention your fundraising plan if you have one. Candidates need to know that you are economically sound for the foreseeable future, especially if you’re not offering equity. At the same time, the description of your desired candidate has to appeal to people’s personalities as well as their skills.
It’s surprising how many early-stage founders struggle with writing a job description correctly. This task is very different for startups than it is for established companies. Bigger businesses have consolidated their product, reputation and prestige (i.e. people know what they’re getting when they join). But as a young company, you’re not selling your business — you’re selling your vision, work culture and career and personal development opportunities.
That’s what you need to transmit in those few lines of each job ad. People need to know how they would be treated if they joined you, as well as the values and mission that drive you and your staff. Remember that people who join startups are more driven by this added value, than money.
Search via right channels
Traditional job boards aren’t the only platforms available to you. To hone in on the industry niches and type of talent that fits you, experiment with several options.
Industry-specific platforms
A relatively new trend is industry-specific hiring platforms that only feature applicants with certain experience or qualifications in a sector. Platforms like GitHub, StackOverflow and Kaggle are great for viewing, assessing and hiring developers from different expertise and job seniority levels.
Your hiring platforms don’t have to be exclusively online, and branching out may help bring on more diverse talent.
Slack
For people in tech, different channels are being set up to discuss changes in the industry, job opportunities, and company recommendations. List of Slack Communities shows all the most popular groups (you can search by keywords to suit your needs), and there are plenty of blog posts and online listicles for more niche tech communities. It’s worthwhile noting that some of the groups have open access while others require an invitation.
When posting your job ad on different groups, also take opportunities to ask for feedback on your advert.
Remember, while now is the optimal time to hire developers and tech talent, people are more conscious than ever about how companies deal with a crisis. Expect potential candidates to ask about how your business has responded to current events and what social impact you aim to achieve. Be sensitive and conscious. Give your staff the freedom to express their creativity, and you’ll be ready to bring on board some of the brightest tech talent in the industry.
If you’d like to save time and money hiring for your next positions, we can help you. On average our employers fill their positions 4x faster and save 50% of their recruitment budget. Find out for yourself. You can sign up and post a position for free in minutes.