Top 3 mistakes to avoid when hiring an IT professional

Sourcing competent IT professionals is a real struggle now. Employers’ expectations and employees’ demands are growing, while there are too few candidates to fill the vacancies.

However, finding an employee who would meet your requirements is only half the battle. The most difficult part is to convince them to think about changing jobs. So, if you struggle to hire software developers Colombia, or elsewhere in the world, stay away from the following top three mistakes of IT recruiters.

1. Passive recruitment

If your IT recruitment practice begins and ends with the placement of a vacancy on a job portal, it is not surprising that you do not see the effect. This method stopped working several years ago. At most, only junior IT candidates and those without experience may push the “apply” button.

To achieve your goal and hire a talented developer, you need to focus on methods that require more time and effort than just traditional advertising:

• social media search – vacancy placement on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook;
• utilizing the power of online hiring platforms for IT recruiters, such as Huntly;
• direct outreach – contact potential candidates via direct messages;
• networking events – attend webinars and seminars to meet potential candidates;
• use SEO for your job listings to attract more candidates;
• use blogging and content marketing to reach out to an even wider audience.

The most important thing is to approach candidates directly to interest them and to properly help and take care of the entire selection and onboarding process.

2. Underestimating financial incentives

In some regions, discussing salaries upfront remains taboo. This complicates hiring in the IT industry, where competitive pay is a primary job-change motivator, especially with salaries sometimes reaching five digits.

Candidates often have clear financial expectations. From their perspective, going through multiple hiring stages only to find out they can earn half their current salary, is a waste of time.

That’s why financial incentives should always come first, or at least second, in your communication with IT professionals. Such an open approach will save your time and the candidate’s.

3. Hiring in a rush

Good developers are typically already employed and not actively seeking new jobs. They require time to consider offers, as they weren’t previously thinking about changing positions. That’s why, in IT, waiting until a vacancy arises to start hiring often falls short. A recruiter in a hurry creates a dissonance – they need fast solutions, but that’s not how hiring IT talents works.

Being proactive and establishing a hiring system bring far better results. Here, you should consider all the best practices mentioned in the first chapter: online hiring platforms for IT recruiters, social media search, direct outreach, attending networking events, using the best SEO practices, etc.

There must be a hiring system in place, a steady stream, or a pipeline of talents with enough candidates at any stage and at any time.

Solution: Rely on modern platforms

These are the most common mistakes that hinder effective IT recruitment. While fixing them won’t guarantee an influx of resumes or candidates calling for offers, avoiding these mistakes will significantly improve your chances.

Don’t forget to rely on modern recruitment platform, such as Huntly. It is a versatile hiring platform, able to bring you candidates tailored to your specific vacancy requirements. Good luck with your search for IT talents.

Featured image: Freepik