How to recruit talent for a company - channels (Part 1/3)

I  have been in the tech sector for over 15 years - I started as a developer and paved my way to being a team lead, head of development, CTO, and eventually, a founder. There are several “lessons learned” from my professional journey that I’d like to share. 

During the past 7 years, recruitment has been a central aspect of my position and after screening more than 6500 CVs, conducting more than 800 interviews, and hiring more than 150 people, I’ve learned a thing or two, so I put together a series of articles to share my experience. 

In this one, I will discuss successful recruitment that can apply from junior to senior positions for tech, product, and operations for any startup in a highly competitive environment like Berlin. 

How to choose the right hiring method

Allow me to be Captain Obvious for a brief second and list the seven main options of hiring on the landscape:

1. General online portals (e.g. indeed, stepstone, etc.)
2. Announcement on your website
3. Specialized portals (e.g. berlinstartupjobs.com, github.com, angel.co)
4. LinkedIn job ads
5. LinkedIn direct search
6. Headhunters
7. Network

The bad news is - I don’t know a secret goldmine of talents to share with you BUT I can recommend an option that in my experience is best for a. time efficiency and b. cost efficiency.  

Medior and Senior Product/Tech employees know very well that the demand for them is very high and their profiles are valued, so they won’t be as proactive in finding a job as a beginner would. 

Plus, a newly created company has a very low outreach in general, no proven track record, tight budget, tight resources, and usually a very distant profitability roadmap which brings thoughts of instability, which sets apart certain types of employees who want comfort and stability. 

Which option will help you find your dream candidate?  

1. General online portals - my suggestion, save time and don’t post an announcement there, tech/product people don’t usually go.
2. Own website - if your brand is not known, the website won’t generate candidates but if you are, then your dream employee might slip into your inbox. Sometimes job seekers target companies where they want to work, so they will go straight to the company’s website or LinkedIn profile and look for openings. Usually having some good PR articles help to catch attention for openings.
3. Specialized portals - they're a good alternative to general online portals but have low traction and can be expensive. 
4. LinkedIn job ads - another good alternative but again, eventual low traction for senior developers good traction for medior candidates. Eventually you need to control the Ad expenditure otherwise it can turn quite pricey. 
5. LinkedIn direct search - it’s a good place to start the headhunt but it is time-consuming and you need to have experience and a clear vision to target potentially interested specialists.
6. Headhunters - it’s an expensive but efficient way to find the perfect candidate in a short period provided that you’ve selected a good headhunting company (that’s essential). Headhunters can reach candidates even before they have decided to leap, so you have good chances of recruiting top talent via headhunting.  
7. Network - you can use your connections and those of your team members to recruit. This method can have low traction unless you are a prominent person with a big network.

Tips from my experience 

To save time and be efficient, I recommend using headhunters because they employ options 1, 2, 3, and 4, and then filter through candidates to pass you quality CVS sparing you time to focus on what is really important to acquire good talent.

On average, headhunters charge from 10% to 35% of the first-year salary and sometimes, also a retainer. When choosing a headhunter, pay attention to the rebate policy (rebate policy - is the policy that applies when the employee hired via headhunting leaves within a certain time-frame). Typically, 1 month equals 100% rebate, 2 months 50% rebate, or a new candidate for free.

Two suggestions from my experience: 

• Get a discount per volume, 
• Get a progressive discount: start at 18-25% fee and try to get down to 12-15%.

To be cost-efficient, dedicate one of your own resources (could be your own time or another employee) to do a direct search based on the type of profile you are targeting either by experience or potential development. This is more of a numbers game since many messages you send will not be answered or will be answered within months. The more people you reach out to, the higher the chances of finding an employee. Candidates usually look at their old LinkedIn messages, when they want to change their job.

The key to success is to be creative and human with the message, read the profile carefully, tailor the message to the person, and avoid automation and copy/paste. Keep in mind that you will need to resist. Many will tell you they’re not interested or will try to challenge you, so don’t give up fast. Maintain communication and aim for an interview, so you can change their minds “in person”.

Recruitment is not an overnight process, it takes time and energy. Remember that a "no" today can be a "yes" tomorrow.

So be patient and good luck.

Thank you so much for reading this article and I hope it helped! Even if it was just as external validation :)