hireEZ's In-House Recruiter Series: Technical Recruiting Tips and Strategies

It’s no surprise that the recruiting for tech talent is at an all-time high. Organizations across all industries are eager to push the boundaries of innovation and they need capable talent to make that happen – and here at hireEZ, so do we. 

Technical recruiting has its challenges, and we’re well aware of them. Here are some of their tips on identifying and overcoming technical recruiting barriers, from our in-house recruiters, Beixi and Helene. 

What was the most difficult technical role that you had to source for at hireEZ? 

Helene: Looking for front-end engineers proved to be the most difficult for me. Most candidates wanted back-end roles because it was perceived to be less challenging. It was additionally important for me to really talk to these candidates and show them how facing these challenges with our company will help them learn even more

Beixi: The hardest roles that I’ve sourced for are Machine Learning engineers. The position requires some specific technical skills and it can be challenging to find those few candidates that have the necessary qualifications to deliver and meet the demands of the position.

From your experience, what are the biggest challenges that recruiters and

sourcers face when searching for candidates to fill technical roles?

Helene: It’s always a challenge to be completely aware of what you’re looking for. When you’re envisioning an ideal candidate profile for a technical role, you need to be 100% clear on the requirements needed for the role, the demands of the position and how it contributes to the company. You need to understand the value that a candidates’ past projects and experiences bring to a role, and it’s always necessary to voice that discussion with the hiring manager and your company’s engineering team for a clearer picture. 

Beixi: I think the biggest challenge for a lot of recruiters and sourcers in terms of technical recruiting, is that not all of the recruiters actually have enough technical background for all positions and sometimes it’s just hard to understand a specific technical role or task they’re sourcing for. My suggestion for this challenge is to always keep asking your hiring team or in-house engineering team about the position you’re looking to hire. For example, every time I get a resume, I’ll always ask our hiring team members and get their feedback – why this works, why this doesn’t work. And after working with them for about 20 resumes to 30, I’ll have a better understanding of what the ideal profile of the candidate is.

Do you think there’s a difference in your sourcing workflow when you’re looking for

a candidate in a technical role versus a candidate in a non-technical role?

Helene: When sourcing for technical candidates, there’s a stronger emphasis on their hard skills. I’ll need to be more specific on qualifications and experiences. On the other hand, I’m more attentive to soft skills for non-technical roles. 

Beixi: I think the biggest difference for sourcing technical roles and non-technical roles is that I would prefer to search for a skill set first for technical roles, versus a search for titles first for non-technical roles. And the reason behind this is that a lot of different titles of candidates actually share the same skill sets that are required for a similar position. For example, a back-end engineer who has a Java background can also work as a Java engineer. A Machine Learning engineer who has a neural network background can also work as a Deep Learning engineer or an Artificial Intelligence engineer. 

Is it difficult to find technical candidates who meet job requirements and fit in the

work culture of this organization? If yes, how do you overcome this difficulty with

your sourcing methods?

Helene: Yes, it’s difficult. It’s challenging to find a candidate that is perfectly capable skill-wise while also showing the drive and determination to reach your company’s mission and vision. By using hireEZ to source candidates, I get to deal with organizing and filtering technical requirements in an easier and more organized way. Because of that, I get to focus more of my time on communicating clearly with candidates. This helps me gauge their work ethic, their enthusiasm for the company and their determination to excel.

Beixi: I feel the same way. I also overcome this difficulty by sourcing candidates from companies that share a very similar working culture, which again, can be done quickly using hireEZ. Another way is to be very transparent and honest with candidates during the initial phone screening process. Share with them everything about the company culture and expectations, hear what they have to say. It’ll give you a much clearer picture envisioning how the candidate would fit in the team. 

What are the most important points about a job description to run over with a

hiring manager before you begin sourcing for a technical role? 

Helene: It’s crucial to get a comprehensive job description from your hiring manager before you start building an ideal candidate profile. If there are gaps to be filled, ask the hiring manager right away. A job description goes beyond just the skill sets required, your hiring manager should also let you know about the general persona that they have in mind for the position and for the team. Clear communication is vital. 

Beixi: The most important thing I always run through with hiring managers is the business need for the technical role that is being sourced. Why do they need this role for the team? What do they want the candidate to bring to the team? What are some specific projects, tasks, and outcomes they need to deliver? Once I understand that I can dive more into the three following parts: their educational background, skill sets, and certifications and their past experiences. Ask your hiring manager as many questions as possible to identify the best components needed for the role.

How has hireEZ improved your experience sourcing technical candidates? 

Helene: The information on hireEZ updated more than other platforms. It pieces up together fragments of information found on different channels on the open web and it builds a complete ‘picture’ of a candidate. It makes it easier to hit exactly all the right points that the hiring manager talks about, and it makes it easy to present that information. 

Beixi:  It is one of the best sourcing tools I’ve used. hireEZ allows me to access a much larger candidate pool, and it helps me check on specific projects that candidates have worked on via platforms like Stack Overflow, GitHub and more. It also helps me search for talents by generating and suggesting many similar job titles. I can uncover the most relevant contact information for almost all the candidates I contact, and just having a user-friendly interface on top of that makes the whole workflow run smoothly especially when I’m sharing the hiring process for open projects with the rest of my hiring team.