Everyone looking for tech talent is searching in the same small pools, and, if it’s not already apparent, demand is much greater than supply. Few companies have found a foolproof way to attract and evaluate candidates and to do it quickly. What’s wrong and what can be done about it?
Companies should do more to develop and hone their employment brands, and ensure that every touch point with targeted candidates consistently reflects that brand, according to Integral Talent Systems Founder Dr. B Lynn Ware.
Techies don’t need to be dissatisfied with their job. If something more attractive comes along, they will leap, regardless of how long they’ve been with their current employer.
Much attention is focused on marketing to potential clients while employment branding and its execution are an afterthought. As a result, candidates may have misperceptions about what it is like to work there.
Vivek Ravisankar, co-founder of HackerRank, says that recruiting can’t be an outbound exercise only; you must attract talent and get them to come to you. Hackathons are one way to go. Startups like Stripe, Weebly, and Cue host contests to attract thousands of programmers to solve a particular challenge. Google has been running its Code Jam for a decade as a means to identify top engineering talent.
Evaluating
Focus less on screening for stellar academic credentials, and put more emphasis on hiring for the candidate, not for the specific job requirements.
Be sure to thoroughly read an entire resume or social media profile — you know, the one you requested from the candidate in the first place. Putting in the extra effort to evaluate professional backgrounds in detail may take longer, but cuts down on the extra costs of doing the average six-second scan, which often delays the search for the right hire. In this case, “fail fast, fail often” is not appropriate.
Hiring managers must spend time to convey to the recruiter what kind of candidate and skillsets they’re really searching for. What’s equally critical is intuition, the ability to read the person and ascertain whether they’re genuine or blowing smoke.
In screening a resume, recruiters should focus on identifying the candidate’s outstanding achievements, whether for work or a side project, looking out for these factors:
Overselling: In reading through multiple job descriptions, the candidate may look like the greatest thing since sliced bread. However, practically speaking, could all of the stated achievements been made in the specified timeframe? Are numerous positions indicative of an ambitious or unstable employee?
Ambiguity: Because only so much information can fit onto a resume, oftentimes responsibilities are described in general, brief detail. Recruiters should make sure they can ascertain the activities executed by this candidate specifically.
Depth of Experience: How long has the applicant been engaged in pertinent work experiences? How much influence did the candidate’s role have in executing decisions? Keep an eye out for the length of experience and level of participation.
Interviewing
In Vivek Wadhwa’s recent article in the Washington Post, he pointed out the unfairness and uselessness of quirky questions that many companies ask: “If someone came in right now and announced the zombie apocalypse had just started outside, what would you do in the next hour? What is something that you’re geeky about? What superpower would you give to your best friend?”
Google found that these questions don’t lead to better hiring outcomes and stopped asking them, describing them as “a complete waste of time, fail to predict anything, and serve primarily to make the interviewer feel smart.”
Instead, recruiters and hiring managers should conduct interviews using proven techniques, including relevant behavioral and situational questions as well as reasonable coding exercises.
Recruiting procedures to avoid
Lengthy application forms have got to go. Some go on for pages, and each must be completed before continuing to the next. There is no way to look ahead to see what more will be required. Opt for a more simple, conventional route with just an upload of a resume or social media profile.
Make candidates’ application process as straightforward and streamlined as possible. Treat them like guests in your home when they come in to interview, and provide clear feedback and status quickly. Lacking clear and timely communication with candidates in the pipeline disrupts the onboarding process and can harm the quality of your company’s brand. Don’t leave candidates hanging.
A job posting should be viewed as marketing collateral and clearly state the skills and profile desired and include highlights about the job itself. What cool things will the person be working on? What kind of impact will he be able to make?
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Mauri Schwartz is President/CEO of Career Insiders, a talent acquisition and career management consultancy, and is a frequent presenter at career conferences including HR West. Mauri has consulted with major corporations as well as university career centers at UC Berkeley’s Haas Business School, Tulane University, Mills College, and others, and contributes content to several publications including TheLadders RecruitBlog, Opportunity Knocks, and her own blog Career Advice and Other Musings.