New paradigm for IT Recruiting
First Years
Prior to the technology boom of the information age, the development of web and mobile applications, and the emerging job market in the early 2000s, there were traditional ways of handling the employee recruiting process for companies seeking new hires.
These processes involved conducting in-person interviews at the office to get to know the candidates, who would then be compared to other applicants interested in the position, with the aim of finding the best fit for the role. Lengthy lists of applicant candidates could be generated, from which only a few would proceed to the human resources interview stage, and even fewer to the more demanding technical evaluations. This method, known as generalized recruiting (for non-IT profiles), worked as a paradigm since there was always another candidate available; companies could revert to the long list of applicants if any of the already selected individuals were not a good fit due to cultural, technical, or negotiation issues.
The possibility of having such a long list, also known as a “shortlist,” was impractical in the early days of the IT job market. Established developers were mostly self-taught professionals who probably had yet to go through recruiting processes in any company. Moreover, they represented a minority that was not very representative in relation to the demand and urgency of companies to fill these positions quickly. For this reason, recruiting processes adapted to a more agile version where the term “shortlist” and the possibility of a comparative recruiting became obsolete.
The Other Era
In its early stages, this characteristic of the IT field introduced a new recruiting paradigm: if developers were scarce and the demand for their profiles was very high, companies would implement fast, complex, and efficient recruiting processes to ensure an expected fit, even without the possibility of comparison among candidates. In this new approach, the ideal fit was the candidate whom the entire evaluating team wanted to move forward with, prioritizing quality over quantity.
This type of process gave rise to a new profession we now know as “IT recruiting.” Its primary feature is that recruiters must actively seek out candidates, as the possibility of desired profiles applying on their own initiative is very limited, given that they usually already have jobs. What can the market offer to attract these talents? The best benefits, opportunities for professional growth in stable projects, better compensation packages, and a flexible process that allows them to apply despite already having full-time jobs. In summary, IT recruiting generated short and efficient processes due to the specific demands of the field.
Diversification of Profiles
Alongside technological advancements and the use of web and mobile apps as we know them today, there was an increase in specialization and specification of IT profiles. To deliver a better user experience, it became necessary to create a wide range of IT roles, such as testers, support engineers, and user experience designers.
This diversification represented another paradigm shift for companies. While a product company or a software development agency could produce and create technology, it became clear that having the right human resources to make it happen was crucial. This led to the creation of IT recruiting departments within companies or the association of companies with IT recruiting agencies, which could understand both the company’s needs and the desires for change of the candidates who were already working on projects.
An end-to-end process
In the IT industry, an end-to-end recruiting process is known as a process that covers all stages from the beginning to the end.
How many stages does it consist of?
In what aspects can it be flexible?
How determinant are the requirements of a job description?
What technical and soft aspects will be evaluated?
What is a key aspect to fill the position?
These and other questions are opened and modified in an IT recruiting process because it allows for a mutual understanding between the hiring company and the candidate. It aims to create empathy from both sides of the process. This approach leads to a shorter and more pleasant process for the candidate, making the hiring process more efficient and cost-effective for the company.
Although empathy might be perceived as a soft characteristic, its effectiveness is supported by data. Metrics in IT recruiting have become a key element for maintaining and preserving the paradigm of an agile and cost-efficient process, even years after its implementation.
Recruiting Company
So, what does an IT recruiting agency do? How does it differ from an in-house IT recruiting department, a software development agency, or a product-based company?
The main difference lies in their perspective towards the hiring process, as well as their ability to handle multiple companies and candidates simultaneously, each with distinct styles, goals, and projects, but all with the common objective of hiring and engaging candidates who not only accept an offer but also actively contribute their knowledge to the project.
Over the years, with the inclusion of statistical data in our service, we have been able to show our clients how their processes work, identify areas for improvement based on candidate experiences, and pinpoint aspects that can be made more flexible to enhance the flow of profile selection. Offering a panoramic perspective in the IT recruiting service leads to process improvements.
Nowadays and CONEXIONHR‘s Services
Bringing an external perspective, revealing data, understanding different approaches, and making necessary modifications have been the key reasons why our clients choose us as their recruiting agency. In this distinctive market moment, where there seems to be a shift from the IT recruiting paradigm to a more traditional and generalized model regarding process duration, the IT recruiting model perseveres with several core ideas:
Efficiency increases with shorter process times.
Various aspects of a search can be flexible.
The ideal candidate is one whom the entire team wants to continue progressing within the process.
At this moment in the market, candidates eagerly await shorter processes and more attractive project propositions. They actively seek new opportunities.
