top of page

13 Smart Recruiting Tactics to Win the Tech Talent War


It's no secret that high-quality candidates in the technology field are getting harder and harder to find. In fact, a survey by Indeed revealed that 86% of organizations find it difficult to find and hire technical talent. Moreover, 83% said the tech talent shortage has hurt their businesses through lost revenue, slower product development and increased employee tension and burnout.

So how do you get the best and brightest to choose your company over your competitors -- and stick around? Forbes Technology Council members offered their best recruiting tactics to help you sway top tech talent to join your organization.

1. Have A Goal-Oriented Conversation

Technology leaders need to be aware of the main factors that are affecting the individual’s decision, whether it be company culture, pay and benefits, or opportunity. It is in your company’s best interest to present what you believe makes your company superior and to discuss how this aligns with the potential hire's goals. Aim to align the individual's goals with your company's offer. -Marcus Turner, Enola Labs

2. Show Off Your Culture

As long as you’re offering a fairly competitive salary, the major draw for potential hires will be the team members, projects and overall environment. Have your team meet the prospect in a non-formal setting to discuss what they would likely work on. The relaxed meeting will both encourage prospects to open up and reflect well on your team’s culture. - Pin Chen, ONTRAPORT

3. Show Them Your Company's Vision

People like to be a part of something exciting. Promote your company to prospective employees by sharing the company vision and its growth goals. If you don't have an exciting vision with potential growth prospects, you probably have a bigger problem to solve anyway. - Charlie Youakim, Sezzle

4. Understand What's Important To The Candidate

A job is so much more than a place to work. It shapes our capacity for other commitments, from family and friends to community involvement to saving for major investments. Find out what is important to your candidate. Salary? Flexibility? Stock options? Perks? By getting to know what matters to them, you can make the best possible offer and also demonstrate your empathy as their future manager. - Leah Allen, Radius

5. Provide A Personalized Work Experience

Innovative talent is looking for a meaningful work experience. If you can address the personalization of work culture through a blend of human capital initiatives, analytics and big data capabilities, then you can create a climate that is much more attractive to recruits and more effective at retaining employees. - Shelly Blake-Plock, Yet Analytics, Inc.

6. Level The Playing Field Compensation-Wise

Culture alone will not attract top talent. I start by paying a competitive salary with appropriate benefits. Once you have a level playing field from a compensation point of view, you can focus on other aspects such as company culture. By offering fair compensation and a superior work environment, you can easily win over potential new hires to work for you instead of your competition. - Chris Kirby, Voices.com

7. Ask How You Can Sweeten The Offer

Find out what the other company is not delivering on for the new hire and, if it is within reason, offer that to them. It could well be that it's something easy and affordable to add, like a more flexible schedule. It's worth asking to see if you can oblige a simple request. - Chalmers Brown, Due

8. Show Respect

Besides offering a competitive starting salary, technology leaders should start by simply demonstrating the respect they have for what new talent can bring to the table. Show the prospect that the company is above the competition in the way it treats and respects its employees. - Scott Stiner, UM Technologies, LLC

9. Look For A Mutual Fit

There must be a good fit between the candidate and the company. Fit analysis includes job requirements, skill sets, work ethic and, most importantly, company culture. The interview dialog should reveal to both sides if there's a good fit, and there should be no need to "convince" the candidate to join. If you have to convince the candidate, he or she is probably not a good fit anyway. - Leon Hounshell, Greenwave Systems

10. Focus On The Work Environment

Every new hire aims to find a healthy work environment. No one wants to start a new journey at a company in which the turnover rate is skyrocketing or that has been experiencing massive dismissals. That can compromise the entire productivity of a team, so having a strong work environment as a differentiation point can definitely count on the company's behalf. - Nick Chandi, SlickPie

11. Show Them How They Fit Into Your Plan

Tell the candidate what you care about, how you think about the problems you are trying to solve & how you have made & plan to make an impact. Tell them how they fit in the plan & why their contribution will be valuable to the mission. Convey why the work is meaningful & let them make the right decision for themselves, which will be right decision for you, too. - Saul Diez-Guerra, Thinkful

12. Tell A Great Company Story

Offers can be matched and salaries and benefit packages can be comparable, but what’s going to attract real talent will be the story of the company. Hiring the right people by creating an environment, product and story that potential employees can get behind will put the employer in a place where they can offer a position to some "big fish" candidates, and those candidates will want to accept. - Greg Cruikshank, LabRoots

13. Highlight Innovation

People often pursue careers in technology for innovation; they want an opportunity to think outside the box. Technology leaders need to highlight what their company is doing that’s new and exciting as well as outline a potential career growth plan for the candidate. - Michael Ringman, TELUS International

Featured Posts
Recent Posts
Archive
Search By Tags
No tags yet.
Follow Us
  • Facebook Basic Square
  • Twitter Basic Square
  • Google+ Social Icon
bottom of page