With demand far outstripping supply, finding and attracting the UK’s top tech talent to your company is becoming ever-harder. Here’s our short, but hopefully useful, four-point plan to getting the basics right:
1. Ditch the long drawn out interviews
Few candidates will appreciate a lengthy interview process; however, this is especially true in the tech sector. A study carried out by Robert Half found that two-thirds of developers will lose interest in opportunities if they hear nothing in the first two weeks.
The fact that we operate in a candidate driven market, coupled with the severe industry skills shortage, has, in turn, given tech talent more power. Therefore, it’s imperative that you streamline your interview process if you want to attract the top-tier.
2. Advertise the salary
Historically, many job ads would hide salary, only to be brought up during pay negotiations, which, let’s be honest, are always awkward. However, companies are becoming less shy about advertising salary in job ads. Stack Overflow’s recent report backs this point, showing that ads which included salary got 60-75% more clicks.
This clarity around salary is becoming a more common way of working, especially in the world of tech, and so employers will have to adapt or suffer the consequences. Yes, you’ll have less wiggle room for salary negotiations, but you’re more likely to attract the right talent.
3. Promote the perks
It’s no secret that the skills shortage had given tech talent good leverage to demand higher pay rates. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t fall victim to the same financial anxiety the rest of us have.
Companies are now more commonly using additional financial incentives such as bonuses, healthcare, retail discounts and even reduced gym memberships to entice the top talent. Although they may seem menial, they can mean all the difference in attracting the best talent on the market. (That said, if this is a deal breaker for someone don’t hire them!)
4. Remote working
We’ve all looked on in envy when we’ve seen a picture of a blogger sat on a beach in Bali, laptop in hand. Yes, remote working had become incredibly popular in recent years, especially in the tech sector where now a good degree of flexibility is becoming the norm.
A changing millennial workforce now expect to have the option to work remotely, and with video conferencing and tools like Trello and Jira, it’s even easier for teams of remote workers to join forces when working on projects. Offering this added benefit is a sure-fire way to attract the top tech talent for your business.
Want to talk tech talent? Speak to Hiring Hub’s resident tech sector expert, Caroline here.
Want to discover how the firms like Virgin, Travelex, The Hut Group, Box, and EE determine candidate fit? Get your FREE copy of our ‘Ultimate Guide to Interviews’ here to find out more.
