As a subsidiary role of the talent acquisition tree, the very definition of the technical recruiter lives in its words; a hiring professional who is charged with recruiting tech talents best suited for a tech role. In other words, these resourceful recruitment hands have the responsibility to dash into the market in pursuit of the best tech-savvy guy who can adequately handle work-related technologies with ease.
A technical recruiter is tasked with recruiting and maintaining a solid and reliable workforce who can push the company to the top. Some of the positions a technical recruiter try to find the right person for are only filled by a unique flock such as software engineer, data scientist, information security analyst, computer research scientist, and so forth, who all fall under the information technology and engineering sector.
All industry sectors may suffer from a lack of well-trained top-of-the-line specialists and tech talents, yet, the tech industry, in particular, faces a hindering phenomenon. When forced to hire the best-fits for specific technological jobs which demand specific qualifications and educational background, these tech companies genuinely bleed.
Between the highly specialized jobs, the learning curve of acquainting an employee with proprietary technology, and the competitive recruiting taking place, a technical recruiter’s life undergoes constant pressure and stress; that makes the bunch of the technical recruiters a unique breed specialized in tracking and hunting down the technological geeks with fierce force of will.
Ultimately, their efforts will bear fruit in hiring the best tech-masters who have the means to make a business successful. For this reason, technological sectors including startups heavily rely on technical recruiters to make the right choice when it comes to picking out and sorting the right candidate.
Our point from all this technical gibberish was to single out technical recruiters and their undeniably important roles in any company. All noises surrounding this subject have convinced different-nature companies, especially the tech ones, to invest a lot of money, energy, and time in hiring the most experienced technical recruiter, who, in return, hire candidates with great enthusiasm for technology (talk about irony). These obviously super-smart and pioneer recruiters possess traits unseen in regular recruiters with in-depth knowledge of the industry. Since the stakes are high and the pressure is nerve-racking, not every recruiter fosters a desire to become a technical recruiter, making finding such an individual a kind of struggle.
As explained, the job's just not for everyone to grab. Because of that, the role of a technical recruiter is designated as a high-level in-house TA position having few software engineering qualities under their belts. In simpler words, if someone wants to be hired as a technical recruiter, they will face a few barriers, need to have good command in CI/CD, Git code reviewability, architecture, and even little expertise on the company's tech stack such as JavaScript, Java or Golang. On the other side of the coin, you need to have a great understanding of the hiring process; however, some tech companies even resort to hiring technical recruiters with related academic backgrounds and work experience. It's normal to see tech companies remove so many roadblocks just to get their hand on a reliable and dedicated technical recruiter since, by nature, they're so hard to come by and easy to lose.
After recruitment, these specialized recruiters will transfer their tech background and prior experience into another tech-savvies hiring process, which benefits the company.
Recruitment of such qualified technical recruiters makes the whole process of finding the best-fits for technological companies way easier and straightforward because they infuse their experience into the recruitment department and its employees. Their presence lifts the pressure that can clog everyday operations at a hiring team.
We can make this comparison between two salespersons too; one without a specific product, vertical or industry expertise, and technical knowledge and the other a master of the cult. It takes a considerable amount of time for the untutored person to familiarize themselves with the company and the technologies, from day-to-day activities to the market jargon. On the other hand, a professional knows all there's to know, every little detail, the business's ins and outs, and even the technological analogies.
In a recruitment team, the same standard applies. A general recruiter's knowledge landscape only spans what is required of him/her; s/he doesn't need to get technical and play around with hard-to-read candidates. Specially-trained technical recruiters shine over general recruiters in their specific field, know who to hire, and understand how the technology works.
For most companies, reaching a size threshold beckons the unwanted bond with a recruiting agency for future hires. In this article, and due to technical recruitment’s sensitive nature, the debate becomes more heated.
When talking about general hiring, sitting with outside agencies can impose a cost, time, and manpower on the company. In the matter of recruiting technicians, this can spiral out of hand pretty quickly and violently.
If a firm sticks to another agency to find the best tech experts for them and tosses out the idea of pouching their own very technical recruiter, it may hit some significant roadblocks as the first thing that comes into the play will be the cost inflations. An in-house technical is already in the house and paid for (as in a salary) with little to nothing side costs, making it the perfect substitute for an outside technical recruiting agency. Usually, these agencies make their money when they bridge the tech experts to the tech company and take away their commission from the candidate’s salary. This number can go up as high as 2 times the former candidate’s salary, which can easily blow up to a tall figure of $100,000 a year after just two or maybe three hires. It’s common sense that, in this case, tech companies opt for in-house technical recruiters.
Another perk to choosing an in-house technical recruiter resides in loyalty. When a technical recruiter becomes a part of a company and its recruitment team, it’s more likely to stay loyal to that brand and take their side; after all, it’s in their best interest. They’re a part of the team and the family, and it’s far-fetched that they will abandon this trust if not provoked. They will be better able to help propel the company forward in terms of a strategic overall talent attraction strategy. Technical recruiting agency and their assigned recruiter, on the other side, don’t host the same feeling towards the company, and money is mainly their primary drive. Of course, some of these agencies boast about their work ethic and results, but, at the end of the tunnel, their employees are more likely to stay loyal to them than some random tech company, as it’s apparent.
Having a 24/7 direct communication line to an in-house technical recruiter is another good perk to why technical recruiting agencies might not be the most valuable and entertaining idea. When the technical recruiter is hired at a tech company and deems it trustworthy, it becomes attached and tries to be on deck for any opportunity. They even might go above and beyond their enlisted duties and take some for the team. This translates into them always be available and willing. They don’t want to come across as solo-player who doesn’t know how teamwork goes down, making them the ideal technical recruiters. As far as technical recruiting agencies are concerned, their technical recruiter can be working with two or maybe more partners for the best hires. This removes one tech company from the center of their attention and, eventually, down the road, results in miscommunications, hiccups, and mutual discomfort.
So, now the clouds over the importance of having an in-house technical have been blown away, it’s time to get more précised in the actual job.
Recruitment strategizing is one of the most essential pieces of the puzzle for a technical recruiter. They need an efficient strategy for sifting candidates, selecting talent, and marketing them to a range of open roles. The recruiting industry is constantly changing. In the age of social media and digital job applications, a solid strategy is vital for sifting through the sea of potential candidates. A good portion of a Technical Recruiter’s time is spent figuring out the best ways to reach the top technical talent.
Candidates come from a variety of different places. Social media has quickly become a Recruiter’s dream tool. Most know that LinkedIn is a social network designed for recruiters, but savvy recruiters also use platforms like Twitter and Facebook to identify and source candidates. Today’s Technical Recruiter has to maintain a digital presence and constantly be on the lookout for new ways to build your network.
Next, technical recruiters must identify the best recruiting networks. Platforms like FieldEngineer.com allow technical recruiters to find and advertise their positions to top talent roles in the industry. Social media is also widely used to find the right people.
A big part of the role of technical recruiters is in job description creation.
This is where written communication skills come in handy. Have you ever wondered who writes job descriptions? Usually, it is a team effort between the recruiter and other vital members of the Human Resources department. Writing skills are a must for a technical recruiter as technical recruiter jobs require strong written communication skills.
Being able to write a quality job description requires a comprehensive understanding of the position. For a Technical Recruiter, this means extensive technical knowledge is necessary to succeed.
Whether working in-house or for an external Recruiting agency, interviewing and assessing candidates is a crucial part of a Technical Recruiter’s job. Their goal is simple: find the candidates worth presenting to the decision-maker in the hiring process. This requires conflict management skills, negotiation skills, and a healthy dose of persistence.
Employer branding is more important now than ever. The recruiter has become the “face” of a company at job fairs and campus events. Succeeding at this duty requires comfort speaking in front of large
The demand is so high from a technical recruiter that no one or two predefined sets of skills will suffice. They need to have a blend of human skills and technical background to successfully manage tech-savvy recruitments. They need to be dedicated, but in the meantime, not so much that their people skills fall behind. They need to build relationships both on personal and educational levels so candidates can trust them and believe in the system since technical recruiters are the best that a tech company offers.
Although a relatively new term yet, hiring the right technical recruiter shouldn’t be taken for granted. These hardcore recruiters have many personal and professional traits that can push the company forward or throw a wrench in its tracks and disable it for good.
Technical recruiting agencies should always come second to having a full-time technical recruiter on board with the main recruiting segment since a lot is at stake.
These individuals should have a noticeable social media presence with adequate job description writing skills and an eye for developing recruiting strategies. They have to be vigilant, hard-working, up-to-date, and yet noticeably human so they can create the most effective ever-lasting connections with the tech-savvy candidates.
We recommend taking a long time before adding somebody to the team as the technical recruiter.
