Over the last decade, Ireland has built a reputation as the central tech hub of Europe due to our highly educated workforce and convenient location between Europe and the U.S. With the tech sector in Ireland thriving, the employment market for tech talent is more competitive than ever.
The technology sector is also experiencing a shortage in talent, which makes filling specialist roles difficult and costly. According to Stack Overflow, there's an 87% employment rate among developers, which is a clear reflection on the market right now.
On top of that, LinkedIn reported that the average wages in the software sector rose by 11.4% since Q4 2011, almost double the growth rate of 4.3% in the overall Irish labour market. That means hiring roles like developers or engineers can be costly and hiring the wrong people can cost even more.
That's why if your business needs tech professionals such as developers, software engineers or analysts, you'll need the right tech recruitment team for the job. Finding a tech recruiter that specialises in the areas you need can be a challenge.
Here are 4 essential questions you should ask yourself before hiring a tech recruiter for your recruitment process.
Can they source candidates in the right places?
A survey from Indeed found that 86% of respondents find it challenging to find tech talent. With employment rates among developers so high, sourcing plays an essential role for a tech recruiter. The better they are at this, the better quality your hires are and the more efficient your time to hire is.
While job boards and LinkedIn are a great source, you're more likely to start a conversation with a developer in places where they're more active. Websites and forums like Github, Stack Overflow, Stack Exchange and Slack are great platforms to source talented developers. Your ideal tech recruiter would be familiar with using these platforms in tandem with more traditional channels.
Tech recruiters should also have knowledge of where certain skillsets are in the market and in what companies. For example, a big tech name like Amazon could have a good supply of coders that are incredible at Java, which your business needs to drive a product or offering forward. This widens your net for reaching qualified candidates.
It's also worth considering if they have any existing relationships with the tech community and wider companies. This can give your business a significant advantage when sourcing tech talent.
Finally, since the Irish market is competitive for tech talent, companies are now increasingly looking to abroad to source employees. Experience with sourcing and hiring candidates internationally is a big plus, particularly with hard to fill tech and IT roles.
Do they have the technical knowledge required for screening?
It's not enough for your tech recruiter to source the talent, they also need to be able to evaluate whether the candidate has the specific skillsets required for the role. With technical roles, that requires a level of knowledge on the recruiter's side before moving the candidate through the hiring process.
Your tech recruiter should have a basic knowledge of programming languages and frameworks to adequately judge if the candidate is right for the role. For example, if a candidate was to talk through a previous project they worked with, your recruiter should be able to be familiar with best practices and processes.
It's also important that your tech recruiter can understand the function of the candidate's role in the business and know what they need to look out for when screening the candidate.
The more they understand that, the higher the chances that you'll source qualified candidates for your talent pipeline.
Do they know what the candidate really wants?
Since the demand for tech talent is high, you can bet that quality candidates are constantly being approached by other recruiters for roles, so it's important that your recruiter knows what the candidate really wants to stand out from the rest.
What benefits or factors drive certain roles with high-demand skillsets more than others? Maybe certain roles prefer remote work or flexible working schedules, or maybe a higher salary is the only requirement.
The candidate could also want a clear progression path in the role. Either way, it's important that your tech recruiter knows what particular candidates are looking for while maintaining the needs of the business.
Will they prioritise our company culture?
Big tech names like Google and Facebook prioritise 'culture fit' as one of the biggest factors for hiring a candidate.
It examines the personal qualities a company looks for (for example: working well with a team, what they value in a company and showing an attribute to learn more'�) and how that's aligned with the company vision. Whether an employee is a good cultural fit directly affects organisational performance and employee retention.
Having a culture that motivates your employees to perform is essential and your tech recruiter should have that same attitude and put culture at the front of the recruitment process. They should take the time to understand your company's culture, core values and know the personal attributes required to align with those values.
Overall, if you're looking for a tech recruiter, it's important that they know where exactly to look outside the traditional channels to source quality tech talent. They'll need a basic level of technical knowledge to adequately screen the candidates.
They should understand what tech talent really wants to stand out from the rest and always put your company culture first through the recruitment process.
Looking for more market insights?
Cplis a global provider to all types of companies, from start-ups to multinationals in every sector including technology.
Our team of dedicated IT Recruitment Consultants have developed strategic partnerships with clients across all industry sectors in Ireland and internationally, with each consultant specialising in their own technology vertical - from Business Intelligence, Development and Infrastructure to PMO.
As a result of our reputation for quality and efficient service delivery, we are regularly the first port of call for any new business ventures that consider setting up in Ireland, working closely with IDA and Enterprise Ireland.
If you'd like to discuss how we can help your business, feel free tobook a free consultation.