At CodersLink, we’re working towards improving recruiting processes to improve hiring outcomes.
How do we do it? By building partnerships.
As companies clamor towards digital transformation, technology continues apace— changing the way we live and work. The need for the implementation of technology continues to drive demand for tech talent capable of applying the latest technologies in new and innovative ways.
Recruiting companies have a great opportunity to be part of this changing work landscape by applying new approaches to tech recruiting and placement. In the last 20 years, hiring new talent has evolved in various stages. Today, recruitment is an industry all of its own that—in some cases— is fully adopting AI, machine learning, and other advanced technologies to its processes.
Those are great tools, but hiring in tech presents unique challenges; tech roles can be highly specialized, all-encompassing, and complex. They often require managerial experience coupled with unique technical experience. Placing candidates in the right role and identifying adequate opportunities for their skills demands a personal approach.
Transactional recruiting is not viable in today’s work landscape.
At CodersLink, we approach recruitment through a different lens. Staffing agencies and recruitment agencies have gotten a bad reputation for less-than-ethical recruitment practices that often focus on quick placement with a lack of regard for the long-term outcomes.
That tends to be a less-than-adequate way to do things. So, what does the new type of recruiting look like?
The Historical Evolution of Recruitment and Staffing Agencies
The birth of staffing agencies is often credited to the World War II era when the labor market was depleted due to thousands of men sent overseas to fight in the front. Companies at the time were in a scramble to hire people as production ramped up in factories, plants, and government offices. When the soldiers returned from overseas, these same recruitment agencies would help place the returning veterans into open vacancies.
Within the next few years, the resume was born. This document was made to show an applicant’s skills and profiles. Staffing agencies would use this structured document as a starting point, but keeping track of dozens of resumes being sent via mail was a cumbersome process.
Fast forward to the 1990s. The options for hiring at this time were still limited. Companies utilized radio ads, newspaper ads, staffing agencies, or personal networks. Staffing agencies were still hard at work, but they had limited tools at their disposal.
Newspapers were the first recourse for job seekers and employers for a long time. Then, came the internet. Once the internet emerged, there were a couple of waves that would make up the next stage of the recruitment evolution.
Wave 1:
- Online job boards would be the beginning of this shift. This is often considered the first wave of this new stage. Sites like Craigslist , Monster, and Career Builder.
Wave 2:
- Active sourcing would add another dimension to this. Companies like Indeed began job aggregating. According to TechCrunch, in 2012, Indeed drove 58 percent of external hires in the U.S.
Wave 3:
- These job boards were soon to see another transformation as elements such as company reviews came onto the scene. Sites like Glassdoor would implement aggregators and include reviews and employer branding and sourcing tools.
Of course, all these platforms focused on expediting the process using technological tools, platforms, and automation, and— perhaps— led to an over-dependence on these systems of profile sorting that left out what was once a foundation of successful recruiting: making connections.
That’s where CodersLink sees the difference lies. For us, a talent solutions partner works by building relationships over time and focusing on the long-term.
A New Approach to Technical and Talent Recruitment
As technology advances and industries evolve with the help of technology, technical professionals find themselves in a vital position. For us, proper candidate placement is more than just a number; it is an opportunity to build meaningful connections across borders.
When a tech company seeks to fill a position, they require:
- Specific technical skills,
- Backgrounds
- Adaptability
- Soft skills.
How Can the Right Recruitment Tactics Improve Your Company Culture and Attrition Rate?
Let’s face it, tech has a high attrition rate. In fact, the tech industry is somewhat notorious for being unable to retain talent for longer than about 2 years. By most metrics, 2-3 years is about the amount of time most tech talent stays in one place.
Here’s how the right sourcing and recruiting strategies can help alleviate that.
#1 By Cultivating Relationships and Networks Organically
The central mechanism that makes this type of recruiting functional and effective is a focus on a team that cultivates relationships and partnerships with people in the ecosystem. For companies like CodersLink, this involves fostering relationships with their talent network and with employers in various industries.
- On the talent side: What is the talent pool like? What is the individual candidate looking for and what is their long-term view?
- On the employer side: What does the company’s tech roadmap look like? What is their company culture and what types of employees are they looking for beyond just the technical skills?
#2 By Taking the Long-Term Approach
Building partnerships is about understanding the talent network and the employers. Recruiters that take a long-term view of the process, see the candidate and the job vacancy as more than just a number but an opportunity.
#3 By Employing Experts and Recruiters that Know the Industry
If there is one complaint that tech talent often has about the recruiters they work with is that they don’t often understand the roles or the needs of the company. Software developers and engineers are in high demand and they don’t want to subject themselves to drawn-out interview processes, assessments, multiple interviews, and waiting periods if in the end the position is not well suited for them.
Relationship-based recruiting considers the candidate’s experience in a very tangible way.
As the World of Work Changes, the Hiring Process Must Change With It
There is no indication that remote work and remote hiring will cease anytime soon. More and more companies employ technologies like AI to enhance their process. And while CodersLink also harnesses technological tools for the recruiting process, we don’t forgo the human touch.
CodersLink is breaking the mold on traditional recruiting and outsourcing. This requires a focus on partnerships and mutual communication.
