Could your hiring practices be amplifying the tech talent shortage?

Struggling to engage tech talent? You’re not alone.

Nearly every organization I speak to is facing hiring challenges and many are worried about what it means for future growth. They should be. Recent research from Korn Ferry found that by 2030, more than 85 million jobs could go unfilled because of a lack of skilled people. This adds up to a staggering $8.5 trillion in global unrealized annual revenues.

Nearly every industry is facing skills shortages, but across the tech world things are really tough – in both contingent and full-time hiring. As digital innovation progresses, more and more roles fall inside the tech sector; leaders aren’t just worried about how they will fill empty positions today but how they will recruit for an ever-expanding workforce in the future.

You can’t outrun a skills shortage, but you can check your hiring strategy to ensure you’re maximizing your chances of attracting (and retaining) great tech talent.

Remote work matters.

Much of the data we’re collecting internally shows a dramatic market shift following the pandemic. Worker priorities have changed and it’s much tougher to fill in-house roles than in the past. Many candidates in the technology space expect and demand remote roles, and organizations that fail to offer flexibility could find themselves struggling to attract the skills they need. Remote work is not only an important factor for new hires – it can help you to retain valuable talent too. Our recent Global Workforce Agility Report found 91% of the most successful organizations – the Vanguards – said remote work had a positive impact on employee motivation and engagement at work.

Streamline the hiring process.

Many hiring processes for mid- to high-level tech roles are long – much too long. Two or three rounds of interviews give your competitors time to woo and engage a great hire. This type of hiring process may have worked in the past but it doesn’t work anymore. Every touchpoint a candidate has with an organization from applying for a role to arranging and going through the interview process should be simple and intuitive. Hold up a mirror to your current hiring approach and remove complexity wherever possible.

Reward and engage successful candidates.

When candidates are in demand, you have to stand out from the crowd. Don’t take weeks to respond to queries and be aware that candidates probably have several offers to choose from. What will you do differently? From sharing a gift card so a successful candidate can grab lunch on you to providing access to resources that will help them gain insights into company culture and their new role – it’s not enough to make an offer and forget about it. Every part of the hiring process should work smoothly, and everything should be as easy as possible for successful candidates. If they have to wait weeks for important equipment or answers to questions, you’re likely to lose people before or during the onboarding process.

We live in a world where people are bringing their consumer expectations to work. They can order anything online and have it turn up on their doorstep the next day. Candidates – particularly tech candidates – won’t tolerate poor user experiences, complex processes, or unnecessary delays. In a market where talent has the luxury of choice, you need to stand out for the right reasons. It’s tough to change processes that have been hardwired into a business for years or even decades, but when you’re competing with start-ups and companies that are taking a fresh approach to hiring, you must be agile enough to compete.

How will you ensure you’re somewhere great tech candidates want to land?