The Most Challenging Tech Roles to Hire for: Why They’re Tough and How to Recruit Effectively
From our experience of over 17 years outsourcing for our clients’ tech teams, we’ve identified the five most challenging roles to hire for. In this article, we explore the reasons behind this and offer strategies to attract top talent.
We at KWAN know how challenging it can be for tech companies to hire high-value employees who fit in with their specific needs. Not only do you need to find someone who has the necessary experience required to contribute towards your business goals, but more human factors such as culture adds and adapting to hybrid working methods in today’s tech industry are just as important to consider.
However, as the tech industry becomes increasingly complex, companies must adapt to keep up with advancing and ever-changing technologies, and the skill set of their staff must reflect that. Read on to find out which tech positions are the hardest to hire for, why this is, and our advice on how to grow your tech team by recruiting effectively.
What are the 5 most challenging roles to hire for??
From our experience of over 17 years outsourcing for our clients’ tech teams, we’ve identified the five most challenging roles to hire for. Whether due to the lack of professionals available, the experience needed, or the ever-updating set of skills and knowledge needed.
Why are those the most challenging roles to hire for?
Knowledge and Experience
These roles require an extensive amount of knowledge and experience in software development and IT operations skills, including programming, automation, cloud services, and system administration. Many companies seek candidates with practical experience, but finding those who have both solid theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience can be tough. As a deep understanding of low-level programming concepts, memory management, and system architecture is essential, this leads to increased competition for available talent, which can be less common to find as the number of specialists is small. Finding candidates with the all-encompassing skills needed for these roles can be challenging, as it generally limits the candidate pool to more senior professionals.
Evolving Technologies?
While companies generally require candidates to have several years of relevant experience, the rapid pace of technological change means that candidates must also possess the capacity to continuously learn and adapt to new tools and methodologies. Finding someone who has both experience and a solid grasp of new tech trends is challenging in this constantly changing tech landscape, and it can be exhausting to find candidates who can keep up. Especially when considering the role of Machine Learning Engineer, as new algorithms and tools constantly evolve due to rapid AI growth, the job demands a unique blend of skills, including expertise in programming, statistics, data analysis, and domain knowledge. Keeping up with these developments requires continuous learning and adaptability, driving high demand for such candidates.
High Salary
As demand for skilled tech workers such as these exceeds the available talent, their salary expectations tend to be quite high, resulting in the larger tech businesses with the necessary resources hiring the best people. This can make it even harder for smaller tech startups.
Communication & Interpersonal Skills?
These roles are complex and require collaboration across different teams, making the hiring process more rigorous to ensure candidates can also work well in a collaborative environment. So, not only must candidates meet all the technical skills above, but they must also boast a modern mindset that embraces remote and asynchronous work, to be able to thrive in global environments and across cultural differences. Finding candidates who can collaborate effectively across disciplines while also aligning with the company culture can be difficult. The roles also involve troubleshooting complex issues in production systems, which requires strong analytical skills and experience in managing high-pressure situations.?
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What can you do to attract these sought-after professionals?
Corporate Benefits?
There are many budget-friendly benefits you can offer to potential candidates. These include well-being perks such as healthcare insurance, as well as wellness programs that promote the physical, mental, and economic well-being of employees. At KWAN, we recently launched KWAN4Wellness, an initiative aimed at sharing knowledge about wellness across all aspects of our team members’ lives.
Providing training is also very important, and it doesn’t have to be overly expensive. Many online training programmes only need to be purchased once and can then be used by your entire team. Moreover, encouraging your team members to teach one another is a great way to consolidate knowledge and practise not only technical but also soft skills. Remember that after learning, people will want to put their knowledge into practice. That’s why it’s important to provide modern hardware and software, as well as extra time in their work schedules to apply what they’ve learned.
How about social perks? You can organize and implement social events within your company to create great memories and foster stronger connections, all without putting too much strain on your budget.
For further insights, check out our article on what tech employees value most and least, or explore our guide to innovative company benefits that can help you create a good work-life balance for your team and attract promising tech talent.
Good Salary & Financial Incentives
Because these positions are so difficult to fill, if you find a candidate who meets all your criteria, it may be worth offering a higher salary to secure them – otherwise, you risk losing them within a matter of months. But what if you simply can’t meet the salary your candidate is asking for?
One option is to offer performance-based bonuses or incentives tied to the company’s results as a supplement to their salary. Another is to present the candidate with a sustainable career development plan that motivates them to grow and advance within the company while raising their salary accordingly.
Interesting Projects?
This might seem like a subjective point: after all, what makes your project interesting? We can look at it from two perspectives: either it means that your company has a strong mission or purpose that people can identify with, making them feel they are working towards a greater cause, or it means that your IT professionals have the opportunity to work with technologies they aspire to use. For example, many software developers today want to work with machine learning, meaning they are likely to consider a project involving this technology interesting.
A lack of interesting projects is actually one of the main reasons software engineers change jobs – you can read more about the other reasons here.
Recruitment Transparency?
Transparency in your recruiting process is also fundamental to effectively hiring top tech talent. Before hiring, the potential candidate must be made aware of exactly what projects they will be undertaking, who the clients are, and how they will be involved. If the person you are interested in hiring clearly understands all the different phases of the hiring process, and what they will be expected to carry out, it is much more likely that they will want to work for you.?
At KWAN, we prioritize transparency in our recruitment process. First, we get to know our candidates – their work experience, skills, and ambitions. Then, we present them with opportunities that align with what they are looking for. Once they receive an offer, our recruitment process doesn’t stop there. Through our People Experience Partners, we continue to work with them, providing guidance and support for their professional growth.
Hiring – especially in the tech industry – is complex and should be tailored to the unique requirements of each company’s goals. Finding the right fit isn’t easy, particularly when hiring for highly challenging positions, such as those mentioned earlier in this article.
The 5 Most Challenging Tech Roles to Hire for: How can KWAN Help?
If you’re struggling to fill the most challenging tech roles to hire for, there are many advantages to working with an outsourcing partner like KWAN.
With our extensive experience and great knowledge of the market, by outsourcing with KWAN, we can help you save time, hiring effectively and cost-efficiently, ensuring you find the right candidates, but paying only what is necessary for the success and growth of your company.?
What’s more, you’ll have a dedicated account manager and a talent recruitment team that interviews over 100 candidates weekly – this ensures we find the perfect fit for your tech team, using cost-effective methods that keep your budget intact. Is it too hard to believe? Then take a look at this article in which you’ll find 10 reasons why nearshoring your tech team in Portugal is the perfect solution for your hiring needs – one of them being the rates your business can afford.
We understand the recruiting troubles tech companies go through to build a strong and cooperating team. That’s where we come in – to take the hassle off your plate, allowing you to focus on growing your business. Find more about KWAN and get in touch so we can start assessing your team’s needs today.