Guest blog: 3 intelligent hiring practices that can help technology businesses thrive in a competitive job market
Following a hugely disruptive and unsettling 2020, it is estimated that 41 per cent of the global workforce are considering leaving their jobs this year. Furlough, burnout and poor leadership during the pandemic are attributed as the main reasons for the current sea change of people leaving their jobs, dubbed ‘The Great Resignation’.
With vacancies at an all time high both in the UK and US, (job vacancies in the UK surpassed one million in 2021), the hiring market is fiercely competitive, so what can tech companies do to attract the best talent? Kate Croucher, Head of Global Talent Sourcing at FDM Group shares her insights.
1. Hire for skills, not experience
The secret to successful recruitment? Hire candidates based on their potential. Too many companies fixate on ticking boxes and hiring candidates with a set number of years’ experience, but experience doesn’t always equal proficiency.
Focusing on the transferable and relevant technical skills a candidate has can be a more effective way to secure top talent. Placing less emphasis on experience, especially for junior roles, will help you to attract candidates with the ambition and drive to make a real difference to your business. It’s also important not to disregard candidates who may have been out of work for a period of time due to raising a family or illness for example, or those who are embarking on a career change. Strip back your list of essential requirements to the critical hard and soft skills you need right now and make this the key priority when hiring.
● Avoid specifying a set number of years’ experience a candidate needs to have to apply. This can put top candidates off if they have less experience than you’re asking for.
● You may have a candidate who has 10+ years of experience in a work environment, but less than a year in a similar role to the one you’re hiring for. Weigh up how important this is and how many of the skills you are asking for are transferable from a previous role.
● Be open minded when it comes to job titles. Just because someone may not have the ‘manager’ title you’re looking for, doesn’t mean they don’t have the skills it takes to be successful in a managerial role.
2. Eradicate university bias
Shortlisting candidates based on their prestigious university education or work experience at a ‘big name’ employer can significantly limit the pool of applicants you have to work with. And not only that, but it also creates an unfair bias which actively disadvantages applicants from underprivileged backgrounds. The same goes for university subjects. If the candidate has the right skills for the job, how important is their degree subject? For some roles, the degree subject will matter, but for many it won’t, so be sure to consider this during the hiring process.
● Scrap target lists of universities based purely on league tables.
● Work experience placements are not always essential – focus on potential.
● Take into consideration that some candidates may have worked alongside their university degrees to fund their studies or been forced to take career breaks due to caring responsibilities or similar, so won’t have completed long periods of work experience or internships. Overlooking these candidates can mean you miss out on some of the most driven and resilient individuals.
3. Focus on D&I initiatives
Promoting diversity and inclusion initiatives throughout your organisation and ensuring they are embedded throughout your hiring process is key to unlocking new talent. Hiring candidates from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds brings a variety of experiences and cultures together and yields a wider range of skills. Having a diverse range of perspectives and ways of thinking can also strengthen your organisation and create more innovative ways of working.
Diversity and inclusion is particularly important for tech firms, as Sophie Woods, Global Diversity and Inclusion Manager at FDM Group explains: “Diversity is not only key to future-proofing businesses but also critical when it comes to the future of technology. All technological innovations connect disparate ideas, data sets and systems. To truly address the needs of its users we need to have representation and inclusive tech teams building for the future”.
● Make unconscious bias training compulsory for all hiring managers
● Use strength-based interview questions to evaluate candidates on an equal playing field
● Make diversity and inclusion initiatives a priority, not an afterthought. Creating a company culture that celebrates diversity in all forms results in happier employees and higher staff retention.
FDM Group provides industry-leading technology training and work placements for Graduates, Ex-forces and Returners, creating careers and bridging the digital skills gap. Read FDM’s 2021 Gender Pay Gap Report here.