You know the drill. Post an IT job on the usual suspects—Indeed, Monster, Dice—then wait for the flood of resumes to pour in. Sort through a sea of candidates, most of whom look pretty similar on paper. Try to figure out who might actually be a good fit. It’s time-consuming and frustrating, and in the end, you’re still not sure if you’ve found the right person for that critical tech role. There has to be a better way.
Leveraging Social Media for IT Sourcing
Social media is a goldmine for sourcing IT talent. Think about it – software engineers, web developers, and techies of all kinds spend tons of time on networks like LinkedIn, GitHub, and Stack Overflow. Tap into those communities and you’ll find high-quality candidates who may not even be actively job hunting.
On LinkedIn, search for relevant skills, job titles, and keywords to find potential candidates. Don’t just look at profiles – join relevant LinkedIn groups and engage in discussions. Comment on people’s posts, ask questions, and make connections. People will start to recognize your name and company, and may be interested when you reach out about job opportunities.
GitHub is a must for sourcing developers. Browse popular repositories in languages and frameworks you hire for. See who’s actively contributing and check out their profiles. Don’t be afraid to reach out to talented developers, even if they’re not looking. Many would be open to hearing about an exciting new project or role.
Stack Overflow is a Q&A site where developers ask and answer technical questions. Search for topics related to your tech stack and see who’s providing helpful responses. These people clearly have the skills and knowledge you need. Strike up a conversation to build rapport, then mention any suitable job openings.
Using social platforms, you can build relationships with candidates before they even apply. This allows you to find people who may not be actively job seeking but would be interested in the right opportunity. With the tech talent shortage, thinking outside the traditional job board box is key. Leveraging sites where your ideal candidates already spend time is a smart way to get a leg up on the competition.
Tapping Into Tech Communities and Forums
Tapping into tech communities and forums is a gold mine for sourcing IT talent. These online spaces are where developers, engineers, and techies connect to discuss the latest technologies, coding challenges, and industry news.
As a recruiter, you should become an active member in relevant tech communities and forums. Sign up for accounts, engage in discussions, provide value, build connections, and get to know the members. Some of the major communities and forums include:
•GitHub – The largest host of source code in the world with over 40 million developers collaborating. Join discussions in the Issues and Pull Requests sections of repositories you find interesting.
•Stack Overflow – The largest online community for programmers with over 50 million monthly visitors. Answer questions, ask questions, and connect with developers.
•Reddit – A massive collection of online communities including popular tech subs like /r/programming, /r/learnprogramming, and /r/webdev. Share resources, weigh in on discussions, and reach out to people directly.
•Discord – A popular chat app for gamers that also hosts servers for many tech communities. Search for Discord servers related to languages, frameworks, and technologies you want to source for. Join the conversations and engage with members.
•Meetups – Don’t forget about in-person meetups in your local tech community. Attend meetups for web developers, software engineers, DevOps professionals, and IT professionals. Mingle, network, and connect with people who may be open to new opportunities.
With some time and effort, you’ll become a familiar face in these communities, build valuable connections, and discover skilled candidates open to starting a conversation about new roles at your company. Sourcing IT talent doesn’t get much better than that.
Building an IT Talent Pipeline Through Employee Referrals
One of the most effective ways to build an IT talent pipeline is through employee referrals. Your own staff likely knows other skilled candidates in their networks that would be a great fit for your company culture and open roles.
Offer Referral Bonuses
To incentivize your employees to refer strong candidates, offer a referral bonus. This could be a flat fee or a percentage of the new hire’s salary (e.g. 5-10%). The bonus should be paid once the new employee has been on the job for 3-6 months. This gives them time to prove themselves as a good fit.
Spread the Word
Let your employees know about your open IT positions and your desire to source great talent through referrals. Explain the referral bonus program and any requirements, like the referred candidate must be interviewed and hired for your employee to receive the bonus. Ask staff to tap into their professional networks on LinkedIn, alumni groups, and industry associations. Their personal connections could lead to skilled candidates you may not find otherwise.
Make it Easy to Refer
- Provide your employees with a simple referral form they can pass along to interested candidates. The form should capture details like the role the person is interested in, their resume, contact information, and the referring employee’s details.
- Accept referrals from employees even if there isn’t an open requisition at the moment. Having a talent pool of referred candidates to draw from when a new role opens up will give you a head start on the search.
- Give referred candidates priority review. Reach out for an initial phone screen quickly and be prepared to fast track them to an interview if they seem like a strong match. Your employees will appreciate that their referrals get VIP treatment.
Keep Employees in the Loop
Let the referring staff member know when you’ve contacted the candidate, scheduled an interview, and made an offer or hire. Thank them for the referral and provide feedback on why the candidate was or wasn’t the right fit. This closes the loop and will motivate your employees to keep the referrals coming. A successful hire from a staff referral is a win for everyone.
FAQs: How Do These Techniques Fit Into My Overall IT Recruitment Process?
These innovative sourcing techniques should be part of your overall IT recruitment strategy, not replace it. Think of them as supplements to boost your talent pool, not substitutes for the tried-and-true methods you already have in place.
Use Them in Tandem with Traditional Sourcing
- Don’t abandon your job board postings, LinkedIn outreach, and employee referrals. Keep those techniques as the foundation of your sourcing, and layer these new approaches on top.
- For example, post a role on your careers site and LinkedIn, then promote the opening through geofencing and social media targeting to reach potential candidates who may not see the other listings.
Test and Measure Results
- Pilot one or two of these techniques at a time to see how they perform. Start small by sourcing for a single open position.
- Track key metrics like cost per applicant, time to fill the role, and quality of candidates to determine if the method is effective.
- Make adjustments as needed to improve results, then scale up the techniques that prove most successful.
Stay Within Your Budget
- While many of these innovative sourcing techniques are low cost or even free to implement, some do require an investment in tools or advertising.
- Determine how much you can allocate towards new sourcing methods, and start with the options that fit your budget. As you achieve good outcomes, you can then make a case for increasing your spend.
Keep an Open Mind
The world of recruitment marketing and sourcing is constantly evolving. Stay on the lookout for new techniques and channels that may be well-suited for attracting IT talent. But don’t feel pressure to jump on every new bandwagon—only adopt the approaches that you believe will genuinely expand and improve your sourcing for the skills and roles you need to fill. With an experimental mindset, you can continue pushing the boundaries of how you source and recruit technical talent.
Revolutionizing IT Talent Acquisition
So there you have it, some innovative ways to source top IT talent that go way beyond the typical job board postings. By tapping into networks, building relationships, and leveraging technology in new ways, you open up a whole new pool of candidates. It may require an investment of time upfront, but the payoff of finding that perfect candidate for a hard-to-fill role will be well worth it. Staying ahead of the curve with sourcing techniques is key to recruiting success in such a competitive market. Time to get out there and start connecting – your next rockstar developer or engineer could be just one handshake, tweet, or hackathon away! The future of recruiting is now.
