What Are Top-Engineers Looking For In Their Next Employer And How To Attract Them

Last week, US Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed data that indicated that labor market is still hot with over 1.9 job openings per unemployed worker in May 2022. It further revealed that US continued to register record high levels (more than 11.3 million) of job openings in May 2022, despite the recession concerns.?

These stats might raise a few eyebrows, especially when we have been hearing about tanking markets, impending recession news, and layoffs by various companies.

However surprising, it's a reality that there is a severe talent supply crunch in the US market, and the tech industry is not spared from that.??

The concern is not just limited to hiring but also retaining.

"While some left the workforce altogether, many more reflected on what they wanted to get out of their jobs. We’ve already noted that November 2021 saw 4.5 million workers leave their jobs, the most in history," mentions a May 2022 Deloitte report .

Looking at these mind-numbing numbers and expressions from the industry veterans, I wonder:

Why are so many companies failing to complete their recruitment targets?

What exactly are the top-notch experienced engineers looking for in their next employer??

To get answers to these questions, we need to shift our gears and step into the shoes of job seekers to understand what they truly need.

What does their dream 'employer persona' look like?

Here are my two cents on this matter:

Growth > everything else

"In tech, work-life balance is not nearly as important. With ample job opportunities and areas for growth in the organization, employees are more likely to devote longer hours to compete for a raise or promotion," says a 2021 Glassdoor research .

Unlike retail, healthcare, and hospitality, the tech industry wasn't shaken from the core when we were forced to switch to remote work. As a result, the engineers haven't experienced as many layoffs, hiccups, and uncertainties in the past two years as folks in other industries have. If at all, there were steep wage increases and new possibilities unlocked.?

So for engineers, the aim is not to survive but to thrive by mindfully picking their next workplace.

That's why they are highly curious during the interview to understand what the employer has to offer them in terms of growth:

• What is the scope for them to level up into more prominent roles in the future?
• How does the company culture work towards fostering employee growth?
• How and when do the promotions happen?

A company's purpose and philosophy, aka employee's biggest perks?

It's not without a reason that people dream of working for companies like Apple and Google . These organizations have not just succeeded in creating products that are loved by the masses but have also left a profound impact through how they represent themselves to potential employees.

To attract the kind of talent these big firms employ, companies must share their authentic expression with candidates on important aspects like:

• What is the company's story? Why did you start??
• What is the one thing you care the most about as a company? This could be your mission or a social cause you support. It reflects your values and philosophy as a company.
• What kind of authority do you have in your industry?
• How do similar positions in the organization operate, and what kind of difference their work makes on a larger scale?
• What kind of opportunities will you offer them that don't just scale the company but also their talent?
• How considerate are you towards your employees' requests for changes in systems, effective processes, quick approvals, and such?

Who would be their peers?

Whenever we are working on building a skill, we are often advised to practice it with someone on the same track or, even better, two steps ahead of us. This helps us stay accountable as well as make faster progress.?

Knowing how the surrounding environment affects us, employees want to know who their 'peers' are before joining any organization. Is joining you giving them a chance to network and practice with talented and experienced engineers? Is the workforce of the company motivated and enthusiastic about their job role?

This also gives them an idea of what kind of engineering talent the company has been hiring, nurturing, and growing and what they can expect their roadmap to look like.?

The technology they can't say no to

The way painters are stubborn about using specific brushes to draw particular parts of a painting, engineers could be biased about working on their preferred technologies. This is quite an underestimated yet important determinant of why engineers choose a company.?

Sometimes, they switch jobs because they are getting to work on new technology. For example, backend engineers migrate from Java to Node.js. On the other hand, many engineers are learning blockchain/web3, which is expected to transform the industry in the next ten years, and finding relevant opportunities to practice these skills.

So, while you focus on representing the best version of your company on various fronts, do not forget to highlight the 'technological' accomplishments or advancements that you are bringing.

Flexibility for the winning

Of about 1000 US professionals surveyed by Deloitte recently, 90% said they value flexibility.

Why so??

Because it allows them to:

• Manage their stress and have better mental health
• Enhance their job satisfaction
• Improve their productivity
• Prioritize their personal lives better

The importance of such a culture that enables employees to tick all the above boxes cannot be emphasized enough, especially in the post-pandemic world.?

Today, the employees don't want to compromise on:

• The choice to decide how they want to work — remotely, hybrid, or from the office.
• The autonomy over their work and the freedom to design their own schedule.
• How their employer treats them — do you micromanage every task assigned, or do you trust them enough to be patient with them?
• Empathetic leadership that understands the employees' worth, values them and knows how to handle challenging situations compassionately.
• A diverse and inclusive culture that allows them to bring their true selves to the workplace and empower people around them to do the same.

Closely understanding the needs of employees is great. But, if you don't back up that information with necessary action, the knowledge alone is insufficient to improve the supply crunch.

So, what can HR teams and recruiters do to get the top engineering talent interested in their company?

Before applying for a job position, no matter how thorough the job description is, candidates frantically browse the internet to find out everything they can about the company.

Here, companies' human resource departments can leverage candidates' curiosity by providing them with credible information about the company and its culture.??

So that the job seekers rely less on third-party review sites Glassdoor, where they may or may not get to know facts and unbiased opinions. On the other hand, the information shared by the company's authentic and updated mediums like the website, their CEO's LinkedIn profile, or any of their employee testimonial videos — will always be more trusted sources than anything else.

Be your future employee's most credible source by proactively sharing information like:

• What does the company's growth chart look like this year compared to the last?
• What is it like to work with this company's CEO, CTO, or CMO??
• What do the people working in this organization have to say about the employer?

And such..

Hubspot released a video on their YouTube channel sharing their thoughts on the remote work culture and how they are pulling it off. In this video, you will also see some brief expressions of their employees.

Through such initiatives, you give a sneak peek of your culture that may convince a brilliant mind watching that video from some part of the world to work with you.

Apart from this, companies must focus on building their authority through visual, video, and text-based content spread through various mediums, like:

• Job descriptions
• Interview process
• Social media
• Career sites

Job descriptions (JD):

Most of the JDs sound robotic. Make yours better by making it human.

• While listing down roles and responsibilities, customize and curate them carefully, considering the candidate's qualifications and your company's specifications.
• While mentioning perks, don't just state 'flexible work culture.’ Be specific and clear on your expectations about the flexible work setting.
• Share the impact that the role creates for the company. For example:
• You will be expected to design new product features and implement updates in other models. This will help us create a more user-friendly interface and generate more retention time on the application.?

JDs are your chance to make that first impression on the candidate. Make sure it's a good one.?

Make your interview process speak for the company

There are various ways in which different companies approach their hiring process. While there's no perfect way to do it, there's always scope to make it better and more efficient.

Through your interview process, you reflect:

• Your authority
• Your values and discipline
• Your communication system
• Your enthusiasm toward hiring the candidate
• Your approach, understanding, and behavior while dealing with them

And so much more..

Sometimes, the process doesn't work out the way you planned. Sometimes, things take longer to finalize than you expected.?

Although these things may not be in your control, you can still influence how you maintain your character throughout. Because your character is what represents the company.

Another vital aspect of interviews is anticipating questions the candidates are most concerned about and answering them proactively.

• What does your onboarding process look like?
• What do you expect from them in the first 2-3 months of joining?
• What are your parameters to measure success?
• Who will be their manager? How has that person helped new joiners of the company kickstart their responsibilities in the past?
• Do you encourage employees to take sabbatical leaves or time off to upskill??

And such..

The better the clarity, the faster the candidate can make their decision.

Are you where the world is??

No brownie points for guessing I'm talking about social media here.

Today, there are more than enough platforms for you to get started and conduct meaningful activities like:

• Build and nurture the community of talented engineers through Facebook/Telegram groups.
• Enable leaders and seniors of the company to promote company values through their personal brand on professional platforms like LinkedIn.
• Create content around company services and expertise on relevant platforms and distribute it strategically.?
• Collaborate with reputed engineering colleges, student cells, and platforms to host competitions/events to make your company name familiar for the graduating students during placement seasons.

From one of the quotes from the Glassdoor report mentioned earlier in this article, we know engineers love growth. So when you know 'what' these top talents seek, use your social activities to talk about how you consistently support them in this endeavor.

For example,

• Share pictures of industry-related or thought leadership seminars conducted recently.
• Promote how your in-house training emphasizes both hard and soft skills.
• Include the details of learning and development (L&D) benefits like free access to niche learning portals or sites like Udemy, Coursera, etc., in your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) statement showcased on your website/career sites.
• Highlight how you offer opportunities to attend international conferences and share social proof on your social handles.

You may or may not be doing all of it, and that's okay. Take one activity at a time but start somewhere.

Stand out with your perception on career sites

Treat your employer profile on various job portals and career sites as your company resume. You will look at it far differently and be very careful about how you represent the company information.

• If you have an employer profile on other job boards and sites and candidates are directed to your website from there, make sure your website's career page is updated.
• Don't stuff information for the sake of it. Be mindful and provide only the right and relevant points that the job seekers must know before applying.
• Make the interface user-friendly and easy to navigate. Make the interface user-friendly and easy to navigate. If you want the candidates to fill out any form, upload their CV or send you an email, keep the call to action visible and upfront.?
• If you have your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) jotted down, showcase it on your career page as well as everywhere you advertise your job openings.?
• Remember all the points we discussed for designing job descriptions.

Are you ready to recruit hard-to-hire talent?

If you have made it here, it shows you're determined to settle only for the best talent for your company.?

Summarizing what we discussed in this article, I have five major takeaways to share with you:

• Your JDs, hiring process, social interaction, and existing employees are your most powerful messengers.
• Focus on making your systems, processes, and technology better, so the best talent is not just attracted but also retained.
• Your story matters, and your potential employees care about the vision you're working towards.?
• Career growth matters the most to people in tech, but the post-pandemic world also adds 'flexibility' to the list. Make sure you offer both.
• Be more intentional, excited, and resourceful about how you promote your company culture.

I hope these insights help! If you’d like me to dig deeper into any aspects related to employer branding/recruitment marketing, make a comment below, and I will address it in my future posts.

If we are meeting for the first time, I'm Aditya, and I run a recruitment marketing SaaS platform. A day in my life typically revolves around working with leadership teams of fast-growing startups and helping them design actionable recruitment strategies.?