How to Strategize Hiring Tech Talent in 2023

Most recruiters will tell you this - finding and employing stellar tech talent often surpasses the meaning of challenging. Even though many people have taken the path of becoming, for example, software developers, those with undisputable knowledge and skills are rare.

Since the global technology market reached US$5 trillion in 2021 and continues to grow, an increasing number of individuals dream about stepping into this sector. But not everyone is cut for this field and the intricacies it implies.

Yet, people still try and hope to enjoy the benefits of one of the most profitable careers. And even though everyone deserves to pursue the profession they want, that means recruiters in the tech industry will struggle to find compatible candidates who meet more than a few job requirements.

More tech professionals also decide to try their luck and start a software development business, requiring reliable and skilled talents. As a result, many recruiters and headhunters have the challenging task of finding experienced and passionate tech candidates.

They must develop recruitment strategies tailored to hiring tech talent and unique roadblocks they encounter on the way. Otherwise, these recruiters risk not filling open positions or recruiting under-qualified applicants.

But where do you start, and how do you identify top-notch IT technologies talents? - Like with all other sectors, it starts with understanding your industry's specific needs and gaps.

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What Makes Recruitment in the Tech Industry Difficult and Exciting?

Recruiters often can't find candidates with the exact skills and knowledge for a specific job role. Moreover, even when they do, these job applicants often turn down the offer for another, better-paid, or more senior position.

Today, nearly every company must use advanced technology and harness its power to drive its daily operations and hit its targets. As a result, an increasing number of employers are hiring tech talent, aiming to stay competitive.

According to McKinsey, the demand for IT tech-related skills grows exponentially. Numerous companies seek professionals with cybersecurity, customer experience design, platform design, data management, and analytics-based automation abilities and knowledge.

Yet, 87 percent were unprepared to address the gap in digital skills, but since that data is from before the pandemic, the situation might be slightly better now. After the COVID-19 crisis, the world shifted dramatically toward remote and hybrid work and eCommerce.

Because of that, even companies that didn't have a significant need and weren’t planning on hiring tech talent must do it. Moreover, even those beyond the IT technologies sector struggle with this issue and must recruit candidates with tech-related skills.

Tech is also consistently singled out as one of the most profitable, innovative, and worthwhile careers. After all, COVID-19 accelerated digital transformation and technologies by several years, creating new needs and job roles.

Future students and graduates are aware of this change, and many decide to enter the tech industry, even though they're not passionate about it. Some end up loving it; others do it solely because it provides security and safety.

That simultaneously creates a challenge and opportunity for recruiters. They can establish a large talent pool and expect new candidates to emerge on the market continuously.

However, that's tricky because only some job applicants will be highly qualified, skilled, and motivated to work in the tech industry long-term. On the other hand, the best talents will be hard to get due to their rarity, as most expect higher salaries, top-notch professional development, and personalized employee perks and benefits.

But that doesn't inherently mean that only the most experienced and versed tech talents can do the job. It only means you should be more careful and focused on skill assessments when recruiting those new to the field or transitioning from another industry.

So, the good news is that you don't have to be rigid and only hire professionals who are 100 percent fit for the job. In the end, it all comes down to your willingness to take the risk.

Keep in mind that many companies employ job applicants with unconventional backgrounds due to the tech talent shortage. That might make you feel uncomfortable and skittish, as you likely must hire people for mission-critical job roles.

Yet, there's a silver lining - successful professionals with non-tech backgrounds might be more common than you think.

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Can You Train and Teach Non-tech Talents to Become What You Need?

Humans are flexible and innately curious beings. Many switch careers after working for 20 years in their field and discover a new passion when people in their surroundings think that's impossible.

Hence, always be willing to give people the benefit of the doubt and trust their willingness to succeed, even if they might not look like your ideal candidate at first glance.

Even though having experience consistently improves the human capital value over the years, the research above shows that people routinely step into tech from other fields. These professionals make drastic changes in specializations and skills when they decide to do so.

That confirms we should never doubt people's potential and motivation to learn new things and transform their careers. They can master entirely different abilities from those they adopted before and break into contrasting industries.

Moreover, that's not a rarity in the tech industry at all, and many professionals have what many recruiters would consider an unconventional background. But they need significant help once they transition into a new career.

That's where flexible and solution-oriented recruiters enter the picture. - If you're willing to hire these candidates and commit to helping them augment and improve their capabilities, you can get stellar employees.

However, that move requires a drastic change in thinking. Reassuring data can help you feel more confident about that.

But what's even more intriguing is people who started in other occupations. Hence, we're talking about professionals who didn't acquire computer science degrees but something entirely different, yet they added new capabilities along the way (e.g., learning to code).

Nevertheless, that is a more common phenomenon in tech than recruiters assume. Even though they had to master abilities utterly different from the ones they had initially, they were rewarded with upward mobility. Hence, people willing to step outside their comfort zone and adopt and apply novel digital skills are more capable of working in tech than most recruiters give them credit for.

And where do most of these talents come from? According to McKinsey's research mentioned above, these people mostly start in marketing, human resources, business operations, customer service, healthcare, and other STEM fields. They typically transition into web development, app software development, and IT support but continue evolving their careers.

But it's not only that tech is more profitable and often provides a better lifestyle than other occupations. Learning and practicing tech skills is also more accessible, and people can start independently.

Numerous free courses and certificates are available online, and the industry is quite hands-on compared to other, more exclusive sectors. Thanks to that, you can still win or trick the tech talent war by developing your own talent. But no matter if they come from a tech background or not, these candidates might have higher expectations than those from other industries.

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What do Tech Talents Want?

Stellar tech candidates appreciate the time they put into developing their skills and knowledge and expect the same from companies. They typically invest significant effort into adopting industry-related abilities and learning how to apply them, especially those who start in different fields.

These professionals made a substantial shift in their careers, took the risk, and did what many consider hard to achieve. That deserves all respect and corresponding compensation.

Although that doesn't mean you should offer a higher salary to someone only because they fought to transition into this industry, you also shouldn't pay them less. If talents from non-tech backgrounds pass the selection process and prove their knowledge and capabilities, they deserve the same benefits and salaries as those with an IT degree.

Treat everyone the same and offer the same opportunities to every qualified tech employee, regardless of their professional background. Most candidates in this industry want top-notch career advancement programs and options.

They want to continue progressing, learning new things, and adopting relevant skills. But qualified tech talents also know they're a rarity, despite many people opting to work in this field.

Because of that, you must consistently nurture their growth, provide stellar work conditions, and ensure they work with the latest technologies. Otherwise, you might lose them to companies who offer more than you.

If you’re hiring tech talent in 2023, here’s what you should do.

Top 5 Strategies for Hiring Tech Talent

1. Foster Internal Mobility and Reskilling

Many companies still pigeonhole their workers based on their current job roles, failing to see the potential of what they could be. But people will often leave their employers for someone willing to upskill them or offer a job that fits their interests and skills better.

Professionals who aim to reinvent themselves and transition into different careers must often step into an entirely novel environment to achieve that. That is a reminder of how important it is to focus on the talent you already have, consistently evaluate their skills, and consider them first for new roles and positions.

Foster internal mobility and seek employees who could wear a different hat and become the tech talent you need. That will make your company more fluid and ensure you don't spend resources on external candidates when you already have them in the workplace.

After all, recruiters often overlook an already available potential, even though their employees know the company culture and code well. Thus, internal mobility can be about something other than promotion.

Prioritize lateral moves and allow enhanced tech specialization. Ensure your employees acquire varied skills and experiences.

2. Make Bold Recruitment Decisions

Data confirms that top tech talent comes from all walks of life and not necessarily from the same industry. Despite that, many recruiters are still hesitant about hiring non-tech candidates and don't feel confident these professionals could be the best match.

But today's workforce has greater mobility than 20 years ago. Therefore, recruiters should adjust their approach and assess one's potential, not only their skills.

Instead of only evaluating people's current duties and tasks, recruiters should analyze their intrinsic capacities, transferable abilities, and capability to succeed in new job roles. Tech skills can be taught, so it's better to focus on the soft skills and mindset the job requires.

Look for candidates who are stellar problem solvers, adaptable, and multitaskers—leverage predictors of success and their ability to be high performers. Eliminate strict expectations, especially in regard to education, and consider job applicants willing to make a career shift.

3. Provide Regular Training to Retain Employees

Tech workers want to learn and expand their abilities. Because of that, you must provide the necessary platforms and opportunities for them to do that.

Although you might feel skittish about offering training to an employee who might quit, you risk more by not providing the necessary growth options. Expand and deepen your workforce's digital skills to help retention, productivity, and innovation.

But it also ensures you develop a stable, internal talent pool of tech candidates. Consider introducing structured in-person opportunities customized to fit a specific employee.

You can also offer digital content modules people can access online on their terms. If your company doesn't possess the necessary tech infrastructure, consider investing in external courses and workshops for your employees.

4. Reinforce Your Employer Branding

When hiring tech talent, you need top-notch employer branding. Qualified job seekers should know what makes you the ideal place to develop and expand their IT skills and knowledge.

That includes possessing the latest technology, tools, and resources. However, you should also provide relevant L&D programs and emphasize continuous growth.

Tech talents should know how they can advance in your company and what strategies you foster to develop new skills in employees. These efforts will contribute to a more attractive employer branding and encourage people to share positive reviews.

5. Leverage Top-Notch Technologies

Strategies that make hiring tech talent smoother always include the latest technology. Use an ATS to source and screen candidates and keep their data in a single dashboard.

That will streamline your activities, help you hire faster, and increase efficiency. You can also use it to search multiple criteria simultaneously and keep your candidates in the loop about the latest updates and changes.

But you can also leverage integrations tailored to hiring tech talent. For instance, Codility is a technical recruitment platform that tests developers' coding skills and helps you make data-driven decisions.

Finally, you can standardize interview reviews with Candidate Scorecards integration. Use it to share interview insights with the team, compare rankings, and identify the most compatible job applicant.

Hiring tech talent is becoming increasingly complex and demanding, but it's far from impossible, especially with the proper tech support. Try Manatal's 14-day Free Trial to discover how our AI Recruitment Software can help you streamline this challenge and improve your decision-making.