So, your manager or client has given you the brief for the newly open role. As a recruiter, you’re tasked with finding the best candidates. But where should you start?
That is completely understandable. In the beginning, I was often confused about what should be included in the search and which steps were significant.
Through my experience with both successfully filled and unfilled positions, I have found the answers. I'd like to share my experience and hope it will be useful for your job! :)
To sum up: I believe that the key lies in quality preparation!
Take 2 or 3 days just for research and recruitment strategy, because that is at least 50% of the job. You know how they say: “Knowing what you seek makes it easier to find! 🔎”
However, you can also "seek" and go through our platform of available and work-proven remote developers and find the one who matches your needs.
My name is Milica Rikić and I am an IT Recruiter who had the opportunity to recruit for more than 40 technical and non-technical internal and external positions for various software and outsourcing companies.
In this blog, you can find more about the steps that you need to go through and tips that can make it easier to search via LinkedIn.
Therefore, you can expect to learn more about:
What is a recruitment strategy and how to briefly define it?
How to define tech stack for your sourcing efforts?
How to “search by skill”s and how to “search by company” on LinkedIn?
How to check if your candidate is a great “culutre fit”?
What are the other sourcing methods?
Enhance your LinkedIn recruiting with these first-hand tips, or speed up the process by selecting one of our available, vetted developers or our recruitment services.
Define Recruitment Strategy
It is not just another unnecessary document that your managers bother you about. It is a plan for defining ideal profiles that are the best fit for your company, including technical skills, education, personality, and soft skills. The plan also includes a list of companies to start your search from and sourcing channels.
In this article, you will find the basics for the necessary recruitment strategy and more. Starting with tech stack and how to approach defining it if you are not a technical person.
How to Determine Tech Stack?
You should deepen your knowledge of the technologies mentioned in the job ad and conduct further research on the job requirements and tasks. This research will provide the recruiter and the rest of the recruitment team with a clearer understanding of which candidates may be suitable for the position.
Feel free to use tools such as ChatGPT and YouTube, because you can get quick answers to your questions or doubts. I also recommend consulting with your colleagues from the technical team who are looking for a new member.
For example: With ChatGPT, you can gain knowledge about similar technologies, synonyms for certain tools, synonyms for position titles, etc. YouTube is useful for tutorials and courses about various program languages and frameworks.
This will help you expand your candidate pool and prevent losing a potential match! Also, with this knowledge, you will be able to find appropriate candidates faster. Or simply just check our vetted developers who are skillful in these technologies. :)
Channels such as The Net Ninja have a lot of tutorials for beginners, and they are quite sufficient for recruiters to understand technologies.
How To Adapt This Knowledge to Headhunting?
Let's take an example of hiring a React Developer with main technologies from job ads such as React, JavaScript, TypeScript, GraphQL, Redux, Jest, HTML, and CSS.
To create a comprehensive search strategy for recruiting a React Developer, it's crucial to identify not only the core technologies mentioned in the job ad but also related and similar tools, libraries, or frameworks that a candidate might be familiar with.
Through further research, you might discover similar technologies or tools that could enhance your search, such as:
GraphQL → Apollo Client, REST API
Redux → MobX, Recoil
Jest → Mocha
Apply the Boolean!
The next step is to make this applicable in a form of Boolean search, which is suitable for LinkedIn.
With this approach, users can combine keywords with operators such as AND, OR, and NOT to find more relevant results.
You can use Boolean on regular LinkedIn under section search or on Recruiter Lite on section keywords.
Use AND between must-have technologies
Use OR between similar technologies
Use NOT if you want to exclude certain technologies from your search
The first search should include all mentioned core technologies from job ad:
React AND JavaScript AND TypeScript AND GraphQL AND Redux AND Jest
In the second search, include similar technologies: React AND JavaScript AND TypeScript AND Apollo Client OR REST API AND Redux OR MobX OR Recoil AND Mocha
After conducting a detailed search, shift your focus to a broader one.
The detailed search may cause you to miss some potential candidates, as many do not list all their skills on their profiles. When you find developers like this, ask if they have experience with the missing technologies.
This is how you may gradually broaden each search step by step:
React AND TypeScript AND GraphQL AND Redux AND Jest
React AND TypeScript AND GraphQL
React AND TypeScript
* We can assume that a React developer is proficient in JavaScript, HTML and CSS, so you may leave out these technologies from search.
Should You Search by Job Titles on LinkedIn?
Research equivalent or related job titles for both non-tech and developer positions. This will help you find candidates with similar responsibilities, even if their job titles differ.
Just make sure the duties match or are similar! :)
Enter these positions in the Job Titles section on Recruiter Lite.
Here is an example of how you should approach this for both supporting and technical roles:
Developer position: React Developer
Similar job titles: Frontend Developer, Frontend Engineer, JavaScript Developer, Web Developer, React Software Engineer, Software Engineer, etc.
Supporting position: Finance Specialist
Similar job titles: Finance Analyst, Financial Controller, Accounting and Reporting Specialist, etc.
What About Education?
In general, the job ads specify the appropriate qualifications for the position.
Additionally, you should know which educational background most of your employees have, as candidates with similar education are likely to be a better fit.
Consult with technical colleagues, research the market, and learn from your previous experience. Track the success of candidates (who participate in the process) from different universities and record which education is most important to your company.
Also, don't forget to consult the Head of Development to identify which courses or certifications are relevant. These will be considered an added bonus.
Is Your Candidate The Right “Culture Fit”?
If you know your team well, it becomes easier to identify a candidate with the right personality and soft skills.
Having a candidate who fits the team is crucial. It leads to faster adaptation, more effective distribution of responsibilities, increased motivation, and greater potential for innovation and creativity.
With the right fit, you enhance team satisfaction and productivity while reducing turnover and hiring costs.
Organize a brief call with the team to discuss their dynamics, organization, adaptability, and the personality traits they’re looking for in a new member.
Although you’ll verify this information during the screening process, some traits or insights can be recognized earlier.
Pay attention to their style and tone of writing, as you can draw conclusions about their communication skills and motivation!
You can also check their profiles to see what they post and how they comment on other posts.
To optimize the screening process, be sure to check out the detailed blog: How to Screen Remote Developers [Free Template], which includes a downloadable screening template with valuable information about the entire process.
How to Search By Company?
If you are uncertain about which companies to consider, use the following criteria for filtering companies: technology stack, reputation, type of company (product/outsourcing), industry and domain, and the previous employers of your current employees.
Let’s go through each of them! :) But if you want remote staff who is vetted in different industries, nichees and projects – contact us!
From my experience, the reputation of companies is one of the most important criteria and should be prioritized above the others. By reputation, I mean that the company has quality candidates with strong technical skills.
You can also consider their ratings on popular platforms such as Trustpilot, Clutch, and local job platforms (e.g., Joberty). However, you should take all the collected data carefully into consideration.
The second criterion should be the type of company—industry and domain. Industry and domain refer to the same or a similar niche as your company.
For example, if a company is in the SaaS (Software as a Service) industry, related niches would include companies that work on cloud-based CRM systems, project management platforms, collaboration tools, and HR management software.
Last but not least, consider the type of company: product or outsourcing. A product company develops and sells its own products or services, while an outsourcing company provides services to other businesses by taking on specific tasks or entire projects.
Developers from product companies who are looking for a change often prefer to continue developing in another company with its own product.
Conversely, developers from outsourcing companies may prefer product-based roles, so you have an advantage if you work in a product company. However, there is also an exception to the rule and you might find candidates who prefer looking for interesting projects regardless of company type.
You can find this information from your previous experience with candidates. Track the success of candidates from various companies and note which ones have the best developers.
Nevertheless, FatCat Coders has developers who are vetted in both outsourcing teams and full product development—check them out. :)
Another way to check is to ask your technical colleagues, and connections from the IT world, and, of course, conduct market research. Be cautious with market research, as negative comments don’t necessarily mean the employees aren’t of high quality.
Ensure that your search on Recruiter Lite includes the criteria for both "Current" and "Past" employers. This refers to the companies where the candidate is currently employed and where they have previously worked.
If you enter "XY Company" and the result shows it as the candidate's previous employer, be sure to check their current company as well. There is a high likelihood that the new employer might also be on our list, allowing us to expand our talent pool.
What About Other Sourcing Channels?
After searching your database and referrals, focus for the source that gives you the most information.
From my experience, LinkedIn - Recruiter Lite is the fastest search tool and provides quality profiles at the top of search results. It also offers advanced search filters like job titles, skills, locations, industry, and years of experience. This tool gives you access to a larger talent pool and allows you to save and customize your searches.
When you need a break from LinkedIn, you can explore other platforms like Xing, GitHub, Facebook groups, Stack Overflow, Upwork, Google X-Ray search methods, Slack, and Reddit communities. :))
If you would like to speed up and go for much faster solution without these tools, be sure to check out our platform and start a 30-day risk-free trial. :)
When you find suitable candidates, check who gave them endorsements or recommendations. There’s a good chance that those developers worked with the candidate and could also be a match.
Even if a candidate declines an offer, ask them for referrals for others who worked with them on the same projects.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you can streamline your recruitment process, expand your candidate pool, and increase your chances of finding the ideal candidate for your company. Remember, the key to successful recruitment lies in detailed preparation and strategic searching! :)
Once again, here is the summary:
Define Your Tech Stack and Education Requirements: Understand the job requirements and the technologies involved. Utilize tools like ChatGPT and YouTube for quick learning and consult with technical team members for deeper insights.
Know Your Team: Understanding the team dynamics and desired personality will help you find a candidate who fits well, improving team cohesion and productivity.
Target Matching Companies: Start your search with companies that match your industry and technology stack. Prioritize companies with a good reputation and known for quality employees.
Leverage Advanced Sourcing Channels: Use Recruiter Lite for its advanced search filters and large talent pool. Additionally, explore other platforms like Xing, GitHub, Facebook groups, and StackOverflow, UpWork, Google X-Ray search methods for potential candidates.
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