Nobody applied for your IT job: what now?
You put an ad online on your website and have to take it down the next day because numerous suitable applications have already been received. However, very often it is not so simple. It can be weeks, months and sometimes even more than a year without finding the right employee. It is becoming increasingly difficult, especially for developers, to find the right candidate. So if you went through all the applications without success, try these 8 tips to optimize your recruiting.
Dive into your organization
1. Benefit from qualified employees
It is certainly not ideal for a single person to have more than one job or role in the company. However, for resource reasons, this way of working is not uncommon in start-ups. Explore the skills of your current employees to fill your gap internally, even if only temporarily. In this way, you can save time searching for the right setting and not the fastest one.
2. Provide training for existing employees
While you may be lucky enough to have an employee who can fill two roles simultaneously, you should also consider the possibility of training someone for the role. Offer training for existing employees who are interested in a new challenge. In this way, the gap can be closed, at least temporarily, or perhaps permanently.
3. Shift roles to recruit an “easier to fill” role
Before you advertise a lead developer, first evaluate existing developers. Also, consider promoting an existing developer to lead. While you still need to hire someone, a junior position that requires less experience may be easier to recruit.
If you have a front-end developer who also excels in the back-end (which you are currently looking for), try shifting the roles to get more applicants again. Do you have a designer who can also program? Then switch your search from a developer to a designer and try your luck with it.
Expand your search
4. Re-evaluate your job posting
It's tempting to focus the job description specifically on what you're looking for. Sometimes too many specifications in the job requirement can ruin your chance of good candidates. If you receive few or no applications, check your job advertisement. Maybe it's worth being a bit more lenient with the required years of experience, or reducing the technology knowledge and possibly expanding the search region. You can also test placing benefits and employee benefits in addition to salary information in order to attract more candidates. You can also see how a perfect advertisement for developers has to be designed on "devjobs"
5. Also consider remote talent
Of course, it's an advantage if the new employee you just hired is also physically in the office with their colleagues. However, if you broaden your search to "remote," you can also recruit on a global scale. Start recruiting candidates from a similar time zone to counteract time difference issues. You should make sure that at least a telephone exchange with the team is largely possible. The extended search can increase both the number of applicants and the chance of finding qualified candidates.
6. Use your network
If you haven't already, share your job post with anyone you know, anywhere. Go old school and use "word of mouth" or "word-of-mouth marketing" to let your friends and friends of your friends know about the current vacancy. Evaluate your network for job profiles in similar industries. Maybe someone is unhappy and wants to change companies. Also encourage your employees to share the advertised position in their networks. Don't be afraid to tap into all your social networks. You will soon reach more candidates this way.
You can also use third-party services
7. Job boards
If you only publish open positions on your own website, the number of incoming applications, especially for developer vacancies, will be rather meager. Expand your reach by placing your jobs on free job search engines. These reach a lot of candidates, but the output of qualified IT candidates can be low, especially on these mass media. You should therefore also use paid job exchanges or specialist portals for developers, such as "devjobs", to increase the quality of the applicants.
8. Recruiter
The expenses for recruiters can quickly seem excessive or frivolous. However, these can be a good option, especially when the well is as dry as it is for IT professionals. Personnel consultants are often connected to several networks and can therefore deliver suitable candidates more quickly. This can drastically minimize your recruitment effort. You can use recruiters who focus on very specific roles and also service providers who give you a wide pool of options.
Heads up
The fact that there are only a few candidates for certain positions in the job market does not mean that you will never find the perfect match. Try to implement some of the tips described in this article. You will be surprised at the number of applicants.
