4 common mistakes recruiting IT profiles

For modern recruiters, IT profiles can be both attractive and elusive. These professionals have some of the most valued skillsets in the current labor world. What is more, they can be difficult to find and very easy to lose. This is why you can’t afford to make a single mistake while dealing with these candidates. 

Are you aware of the most common mistakes recruiters can make while looking for IT profiles? At T2W, we have an extensive experience in recruitment and talent acquisition. In fact, we specialize in recruiting technology-related profiles, so we can help you. In this article, we’ll show you the main mistakes you can make dealing with tech professionals. 

1. Being fixed on working at the office 

IT professionals are people in constant change, and they always keep an eye on the future. As a consequence, they look for organizations that share their adaptability and embrace the new trends backed up by technology. Therefore, looking for a tech candidate offering work in an office is the equivalent to writing “we are a prehistoric organization” in the job ad.  

You will lose more than 50% of the available candidates and you can be sure the best ones won’t apply. In a time when cloud technology is easily available for anyone, demanding IT people to go to the office is a recruitment crime. In fact, today many professionals have started rejecting jobs with hybrid work since they find driving daily to the office completely unnecessary. 

This is even more important for IT professionals for whom there is no impediment to complete all their regular tasks from home. The nature of their work makes it possible for them to create a website, develop an app or work in a database together with other people without leaving home. So, forcing them to go to the office regularly is one of the worst mistakes you can make while recruiting IT talent. 

2. Not offering upskilling opportunities 

One of technology’s most important characteristics is that it changes constantly. With each new year we have new apps and devices powered by characteristics such as artificial intelligence or cloud technology. This forces professionals in the IT world to update constantly their knowledge and skills.  

Therefore, it’s impossible to offer an attractive set of benefits to IT candidates without considering upskilling. Of course, this is not an action that should be implemented just by itself. Initiatives such as upskilling and reskilling must be part of a careful and extensive human talent management strategy.  

It may sound complex, but it can really make a difference. Since this is really attractive for these candidates, you should showcase this in the job ad as a big benefit. Companies that actually care about constantly training employees will be able to attract and retain these professionals. Not paying attention to upskilling will be a terrible mistake. 

3. Offering a bad candidate experience 

All candidates are valuable in any recruitment process. Each applicant is a source of knowledge and skills that can offer so much to the organization. Therefore, they all must receive good candidate experience, which is made up by all the different interactions recruiters have with applicants. However, when we talk about an IT candidate, this is even more important. 

Keep in mind the skillset this group of professionals have is very valuable and quite difficult to find. Moreover, in the current state of the talent market, they are not exactly abundant and many of them know other IT professionals in the same field. Offering a bad experience to IT candidates not only creates a bad experience for that person, but also for the people close to that candidate. That limits your recruitment options.  

On the other hand, applicants are a more important asset than companies imagine. The treatment they receive not only has a direct effect on their perception of the company, but also on word-of-mouth marketing. With a good marketing recruitment strategy, you will turn applicants into brand ambassadors. Not paying attention to candidate experience would be terrible for your organization.  

4. Not conducting a technical evaluation 

 If you are a recruiter, you probably have received attractive resumes of people who, on paper, are perfect for the position. However, that apparent suitability does not always lead you to a good candidate. Most resumes tend to magnify experience and skills. That creates a misleading image of the applicant.  

Likewise, a person might seem very competent and speak confidently in a certain area. However, first impressions can be misleading, and it isn’t a good idea to recommend a person based just on an interview. After all, one of the main characteristics of IT professionals is their high level of technical knowledge. You must assess the level of such knowledge. 

For that reason, it’s necessary to conduct technical evaluations that help you identify correctly the knowledge each candidate has. These tests should be comprised of exercises simulated in similar situations to those the candidate will find in the position. If you neglect these tests, you might end up with people that don’t really fit the position. 

These are the main mistakes you could make recruiting IT talent. Make sure to avoid making these since we are dealing with a very specific type of talent. With good experience and the right actions, you will increase your talent pool.  

At Talent2Win, we strive to align your company’s business objectives with the best Talent Acquisition strategies available. If you want to learn more about the services we offer, do not hesitate to contact us.