So you've decided that you want to become a tech recruiter. Maybe it's because you have an interest in tech but not such a strong interest that you want to work directly in a tech field. Maybe it's because you think it will offer an interesting challenge. Whatever your reasoning may be, if a tech recruiting job is what you're seeking, you've come to the right place. Keep reading to learn how to become a technical recruiter.
Everyone in a specific or technical field has dealt with a recruiter who has no idea what their job is. No one wants to answer interview questions for half an hour only to have the recruiter turn to them and ask, “So what exactly is a UX designer? What does that mean?” It's frustrating because it feels like you have to explain the job description to them and that this interview was a pointless step in the process—if the interviewer doesn't know what the job is, they can't exactly recommend you one way or the other. Obviously, someone else is actually in charge of determining if you're a good candidate for the job.
Don't be that recruiter. Learn the basics of coding languages, web design, etc., so you can converse with the candidate rather than being a glorified notetaker. Furthermore, you'll be able to pass recommendations up the chain, thus making you a more valuable team member.
Whether you want to source candidates or verify the expertise of an applicant, it's a good idea to know where to look and how to do so. Here are expert recommendations from veteran recruiters for finding tech talent with established portfolios.
Developer communities are great places to see the portfolios of technical job candidates. The two biggest ones out there are Github and Stack Overflow. This article on how to source candidates on Github is a great resource for finding talent on Github and features advice from seasoned recruiter Jer Langhans.
There are a number of tools that could help you with tech recruiting. Here are two recommended by expert sourcers.
Even with a basic understanding of the industry, you can't be expected to have every tech term memorized. That's why Johnathan Kidder of wizardsourcer.com recommends using GlossaryTech's extension for tech keyword searching. “Highlight any keyword, and within seconds it gives you a full definition. It's great for finding additional keywords for searches and it's absolutely free.”
Erin Mathew, Senior Tech Sourcer at Paypal, has an amazing video about using followerwonk. “As a sourcer, I often have to look to a few more unconventional places to find candidates,” such as X (the site formerly known as Twitter). “What [followerwonk] does is it lets you search for keywords in Twitter profiles.” She's successfully used this tool to find technical candidates during her extensive recruiting career.
There are several recruiting automation tools out there. And yes, we at hireEZ are going to recommend our own product. But bear with us while we explain why we believe hireEZ is the best option for technical recruiting.
First, hireEZ offers AI sourcing and automated applicant review in one place. Not a lot of options consolidate both into one tech stack. And anyone who's been a tech recruiter for long enough can tell you that sometimes, only using one or the other doesn't bear fruit.
Secondly, a lot of recruiting automation tools rely solely on boolean search. Why is this a problem? Two reasons:
So how does hireEZ get around these issues? By utilizing natural language processing (NLP) and having a dedicated product team that is constantly working to make the system's search functionality better.
There are several technical recruiting certifications available, some with a price tag and some for free. Here are a few that might be worth checking out.
Recruiting innovation has a course path developed by a combined team of tech experts and recruiters. The price is $595 and gives you access for a year, so you can go at your own pace. They have some good testimonials and certified experts to teach their courses, but it's hard to find external reviews, so do your research to determine if it's worth the price.
DevSkiller offers a technical recruiting certification that's completely free. Because their main product is designed to test the technical skills of job candidates, it's likely that the course is comprehensive. Since it's FREE and they give you a nice, shiny badge to put on your LinkedIn profile, it's worth checking out.
AIRS offers an online Certified Technical Recruiter course, which is a bit more expensive than the Recruiting Innovation certification, but it is backed by ADP, adding an extra layer of credibility. AIRS training has been around for a long time and has established a strong reputation in the recruiting industry. Many recruiters have gone through its certification programs, making it one of the most recognized and respected certifications in the field. Its longevity and widespread use by recruiters further solidify its standing as a trusted source for enhancing recruiting skills.
The hireEZ academy offers multiple certifications for recruiters, and they're all completely free. There are also multiple other courses to expand your recruiting knowledge, so go check it out.
The tech industry is constantly evolving. Even if you have your foundational knowledge and certification, it's a good idea to see what's going on now and continue to keep your knowledge up-to-date. These are the resources recommended by tech recruiting experts:
Talk Python To Me has interviews with software developers coding in Python and overcoming challenges. It's a very helpful resource if you are new to Python. Clockwise covers a variety of different tech-related topics. Exponent highlights the latest technology news. It's a quick way to stay updated on the tech sector.
There are endless educational materials, blogs, and books to read in the IT space. These are some resources Johnathan Kidder has used and can recommend:
Dr. Dobb's blog gathers together some of the biggest thinkers in the development community. Jeff Atwood's Coding Horror blog is an easy-to-understand resource covering the latest software development updates.
The Non-Technical Guide to Web Technologies is a quick and simple read to understand basic tech-related skills. The book highlights different job titles and is tailored for recruiters. How to Speak Tech: The Non-Techie's Guide to Technology is a book for someone just starting out in the IT field. It discusses different programming languages—front-end, back-end, and database—as well as debugging processes and much more. It's a great starting point to learn about a variety of technologies.
TED Talks and other videos on the evolving tech industry are great ways to stay current with technology changes. There are also fantastic videos out there specifically about current developments in the tech recruiting industry. Shweta Arora Madaan has a great video about recruiting global tech talent. This video discusses recruiting for software roles, and we've already recommended Erin Mathew's expert tech recruiting advice.
Networking is important for all recruiters, but it can be especially vital for tech recruiters. Even with all this knowledge we've recommended you gather, you still may encounter a tech role to recruit for that you're completely unfamiliar with. If you build a strong network with other tech recruiters, you can ask if others are familiar with the role and exchange advice. This will help strengthen your standing as a tech recruiter and make you virtually indispensable wherever you work.
If you follow all these steps, you'll be a shoo-in for any technical recruiter vacancy. Once there, hopefully, your company isn't using outdated recruiting automation tools. If they are, keep hireEZ in mind to recommend bringing them out of the dark ages. Use our book demo link when that time comes.
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