So you’ve finally decided to bring on some new team members and grow your company. You get started with a job posting, interview a few potential candidates, vet them carefully and make your final hiring decision. If only it were that easy! It turns out this is one of the hardest times to hire anyone in any industry, let alone technical talent. The market is extremely competitive, which means that finding and recruiting new team members is harder than ever before. But don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. This article talks about how the job market has changed for tech professionals and how that impacts hiring. It also shares advice on how to find new team members in this tight labor market so you can begin growing sooner rather than later.
Why is it so hard to find tech talent?
Before we dive into how to hire in this tight job market, let’s take a step back and unpack the reasons why it’s so hard to find and recruit new team members right now. There are three primary factors driving the increased difficulty of hiring:
- Minimum Wage - With so many people looking for work and companies competing for top talent, wages are rising.
- Skill Shortages - There are not enough candidates with the skill sets to meet demand, especially in highly technical fields like software engineering. The result is that the applicant pool is smaller, and the people in it are more highly desired.
- Permanent vs. Contract Jobs - More companies are hiring contract workers to get around the difficulties of hiring full-time employees. Contractors can be easier to hire and have less strict expectations around benefits and salary. Because more companies are hiring contractors, fewer people are looking for full-time jobs.
What does growing your team look like?
Hiring new team members is a big decision for any company. It’s a commitment to onboarding new people, working with them to get them up to speed, and helping them become successful contributors. It also means getting ready for more hiring down the road. As you bring people in to fill new roles, you’ll likely need to hire more again within a few months or even weeks. The hiring process is complex, and it’s important to recognize that it takes time. You can’t expect to post a job, interview candidates, and have new team members by next week. The average hiring time is around two months, but it can take longer depending on the role and the hiring process you decide to follow.
P.S. Estrada has a good pool of candidates and can do this for less than 5 days.
7 Steps for Hiring in the Job Market
No one hires for their first sales hire or the executive they’ve been hoping to bring on at their company the same way they did when hiring was easier. Regardless of whether you’re hiring for the first time in this tight job market or want to do things differently because hiring has been slow, there are a few things you can do to speed things up and make the process smoother.
- Make Sure You’re Ready To Hire Before You Even Think About Posting A Job Listing: Make sure you and your team are ready for new people. This might mean getting a hiring plan together and deciding how many people you’re looking to bring on and when. You should also make sure you have processes in place for onboarding, mentoring, and managing new team members, appropriate job titles and roles, and enough funding to support the new people you’re bringing on board.
- Determine Your Hiring Criteria Before You Write A Job Description or Do Anything Else: You need to know what you’re looking for in a new hire. What skills and experience do you need, and who are you hoping to hire? What is the role you’re hiring for, and what is that person expected to do?
- Set Up A Candidate Pipeline Before You Begin The Hiring Process: You should have a pipeline of potential candidates ready to go. This is often referred to as a “hunter” vs. “farmer” hiring approach. If you don’t, you’ll have to start from scratch every time you post a new job listing, and that can take a lot of time.
- Create A Strong Job Description: The way you write your job description can make or break the hiring process. It’s important to get the language right and to include all the relevant information about the job so candidates know what they’re getting into. Your job description should be two things: - Targeted: Include the skills and requirements needed for the job. - Descriptive: Give candidates a good idea of what the job is like.
- Build Your Candidate Pool: You don’t have to post your job on a job board to find candidates. You can reach out to people in your network and see if they know anyone who would be a good fit for your company. You can also use social media like LinkedIn to find candidates. And don’t forget about referrals; they’re often some of the best hires companies make.
- Vet Candidates and Hire Slowly: The hiring process is a two-way street, so remember that you’re evaluating your candidates as much as they are evaluating you. Vet your candidates carefully, making sure they are the right fit for your company and that they can do the work you need them to do.
- Turn To Contract vs. Full-Time Hiring: One of the biggest challenges you’ll face as you hire in this tight job market is finding candidates who are willing to take a full-time job. Some candidates will want to be full-time, but many aren’t interested in that level of commitment. So, if you’re finding that you can’t find candidates who are willing to take a full-time job, turn to hiring contract workers.
3 Strategies for Finding Talent
Now that you know how to decide what to hire for, vet candidates, and hire the right people for your company, let’s talk about how you can find new candidates to bring on board.
- Find your network - Start by looking within your network. Make sure you’re using all of your connections and are actively networking with people in your field, in your city, and in your broader industry.
- Use new tools - There are new tools and platforms in the job market that you can leverage to find the right candidates for your company. Some of these include: - Talent recruitment platforms like Workpop or FlexJobs - Job board aggregators like Snag or Indeed - Candidate-focused networks like LinkedIn - Social media channels like Facebook and LinkedIn groups - Online tools like Indeed or Zoominfo
- Partner with HR Consulting firms - If you're looking to take your business to the next level, partnering with an HR consulting firm is a great way to do it. HR consulting firms can help you with a variety of tasks, from recruiting and training new employees to managing employee benefits. They can handle all the details for you, so you can focus on running your business.
Conclusion
Hiring in the current job market is harder than it’s ever been, but it’s also more important than ever before. You need new team members so you can grow your company and hit your goals. You need people who can help with projects, provide new perspectives, and make your company stronger. Find your network, use new tools, vet candidates carefully, partner with HR consulting firms, and hire slowly. These are the keys to hiring successfully, even in this competitive job market.