How I stumbled into IT recruitment.. ??????

My transition from a technical non-IT recruiter to an IT recruiter wasn’t that easy.

It all started during COVID when the economy was hit and external hiring for new positions had significantly slowed down. With fewer positions to fill, many companies were encouraged to start building their internal talent acquisition teams and thanks to the advancement of LinkedIn Recruiter and other job boards, companies decided to save some costs.?

However, the IT industry continued to flourish and hence, I decided to venture into a new recruitment avenue. With that being said, I still faced a number of challenges while dabbling in this new world despite 10+ years in the recruitment business.

Firstly, most IT jobs are project-based, meaning that candidates are hired for a fixed term. Due to the nature of the industry, projects can be as short as 6 months, and as long as 2 years. The same is true for Middle Eastern markets, most of the IT recruitments were contractual rather than permanent. And permanent staffing was where I had all my success and now, I had one less tool in my kitty to convince candidates to come onboard: the prospect of job stability! Luckily, I came to realize that stability isn’t really that big of a USP for IT candidates and thus, I didn’t let it prevent me from diversifying my IT client base.?

Secondly, it is a fast-paced domain with constantly evolving technologies, new trends, and new frameworks, which even seasoned IT recruiters will admit, can be quite daunting. Thus, keeping your knowledge base up to date is essential. For instance, I would reach out to industry experts in my network and often ask them to help me with skill reviews & CV reviews where multiple technologies or coding languages were required to weed out candidates for difficult positions.?

Thirdly, open job orders don’t necessarily come from the end client. It has many layers to it. By the time the position reaches the recruiter, it is at a very critical stage. Recruiters are expected to work under tremendous pressure and get less time to source people. If the results are not fast, business is lost. This was one of the first lessons I learned, and a very important one.

To overcome this I have had to revamp my workflow, manage my resources and time a lot more effectively to ensure that I keep up a constant flow of CVs for my clients.?

Are there more challenges? Yes, there are! ??

Last but not the least, candidates often make tall claims on their CV which don’t match their true skillset and thus, makes shortlisting a lot more challenging. They could be a part of a big team doing complex jobs, but their contribution may not match the requirement because they don't specialize in the skill that the client needs. With time, the “bad eggs” became easier to spot, however, for scouting talent with very specific skill sets I would make use of my network and peers to review CVs and JDs together.

To conclude, it has not been an easy transition but given that I enjoy learning new things, I found IT recruitment to be very satisfying and rewarding for my personal growth as a recruiter and an entrepreneur.??

If this story resonates with you, leave a comment and share your experiences below. And don't forget to like and share this with your network.???? ??