In today’s world, digital communication is a foundation skill for many careers. Companies use websites, apps, system networks, and software to offer services and perform business tasks. Naturally, there is a growing requirement for candidates who are skilled in IT -- and consequently, also for recruiters who know how to find them.
How can you be more successful as an IT recruiter and find candidates for jobs that are often hard to fill? You will need certain skills and practices which will help you when searching for the best IT specialists. We’ll take a look at these in this article.
Learn About Technology
To be an IT recruiter, an inside-out knowledge of computers and technology is not necessary, but a solid understanding of these areas will certainly help you find a common language with the candidates. If you’re starting out with no knowledge whatsoever, it would be wise to read up on some of the latest developments online or follow a course. To make the best use of your time, watch technology-specific tutorials, like this YouTube tutorial on Software Development Lifecycle. As technology is changing so rapidly, you need to keep up with the main changes so you can speak to candidates and clients with authority, even if you still need to ask some questions about more specific points.
Grow Your Tech Network
The key to success for a recruiter is to have a rich network of candidates with a variety of skills. However, as an IT recruiter, you may find that your network is smaller as it is industry-specific. But don’t worry: use the contacts you have built up already to find candidates. Ask your contacts if they have anyone in their network who is looking for a job or freelance mission. Look out for events and conferences near you. A good place to start is the Meetup website, where you can find small, informal events organised by and for developers. Try to blend in, so leave your suit at home and dress casually. Developers appreciate your interest, but don't start presenting the jobs you have on offer right away. Instead, take time to get to know them and contact them for specific positions later.
Find Talent Online
Unsurprisingly, lots of candidates with IT skills use the internet extensively. So, why not start by going online and looking for candidates there? You can monitor field-specific websites, or look through the list of invitees for events such as the meetups mentioned earlier. Check who's attending and reach out to them via LinkedIn or other social media platforms. Also, why not consider taking out a sponsored ad to increase your visibility and attract maximum attention? Take full advantage of all the possibilities the internet offers!
Research Your Industries
As we mentioned, it’s crucial for IT recruiters to have a good knowledge of technology, but it’s equally important for you to be very familiar with the different sectors in which you are looking for candidates, the specific job roles available and what they involve. Try to understand the job titles, pay structures and management structures that exist in the various IT-related sectors so you can speak to clients about them with authority. And remember, things change quickly, so keep up-to-date!
Learn to Work with Freelancers
The world of freelance work is growing, so you should expect to work with freelancers at some point as an IT recruiter. Of course, the timescale for hiring is very different for freelance positions compared to permanent jobs, so the communication techniques involved also differ. Generally, when working to fill a freelance position you need to take immediate actions, so that you can expect to get a reply within a day. So, for example, you might choose to send a text-based message from your company’s CRM system to contact the candidates rather than create an HTML email, which will depend on the availability of your colleagues from the communications department. Use your judgement to decide which is the best approach for the role you are looking to fill each time.
The number of IT jobs is growing constantly, so IT recruiters will continue to be in high demand. IT recruitment is also a good starting point to get into other career paths such as HR Officer, or even jobs like Business Analyst, which bring together business and technical profiles. Concentrate on enhancing all your skills and qualities to build up a successful record and a good reputation to stand out from others in your field and secure a job more easily.
Did we spark your interest? If you want to talk more about the job of an IT recruiter and how it might be relevant for your career, sign up to speak to one of our career coaches entirely free of charge.
