By Darko Marcevski Credit of all images:Unsplash, Pexel
MY EXPERIENCE WITH IT RECRUITMENT…
We are witnessing continuous implementation of new technologies in all business areas including also the HR area. Pandemic probably influenced a lot in speeding up the digitalization of business processes in 2020.
Also we can read a lot about the subjects like Data science, Artificial intelligence, Big data management, Machine learning, IoT as new technology trends etc., and new trends in social networking, using technology in recruitment process like bots, submitting videos instead doing live interviews, using AI in testing for recruitment purposes or predicting future employee performance etc.
I was engaged in IT recruitment story in 2020, during the first pandemic year. I was recruited by one European IT company in a role of sourcing/recruiting specialist, normally remote. My main assignment was on daily basis to send a minimum number of contact requests through LinkedIn. At the end of each month my duty was to detect my applicants that applied and to send the report back to the recruiting manager.
First, I thought, wow, what an original idea of how to source the new candidates. And I was happy to start something new in a sense of new processes and use of a technology. Later, I realize this is something that is already going on, several years before. But ok, I said this is my way of reskilling. This actually will become later a main reason I decided to start a new HR agency focusing on IT recruitment among other HR areas.
To get back to the story, I continued to send contact requests and a number of “my” candidates applying for positions was rising from just 5 in July, to 25 in September.
About 1-3 % of contacted persons were applying for some of the opened positions. I was proud of my numbers. But as everything has its own beginning, its peak, and its saturation, it has also to have its own fall …so I said to myself…. After 4 months this is enough …why they do not automate this process? They are IT companies…So I decided to quit.
Meanwhile one another HR agency hired me to do the IT recruitment, based on commission payed per hire. I thought this is interesting, and it is more meaningful for me. I can use both my IT recruitment experience and my previous experience gained as a Recruitment and Talent Manager in big production companies. And at the end, I can do more in head hunt process, using my recruitment skills, interviewing skills, testing skills, maybe assessment centers etc. And what is most important, I would have included more personal touch in the recruitment process.
So, we agreed and I started with new enthusiasm and “woala “, the first CV came (fortunately this lady got the job very fast and I received my commission. My wife said, wow, you become a businessman…just keep going…continue with that) …And guess what, did I use standard recruitment tools? No, I didn’t. What I use was a pure social networking (read it as outbound recruitment marketing). After 1 day I received the lady’s CV and we agreed initial conversation in order just to check her language skills, career aspirations, salary expectations and that’s it. I forwarded her CV to the client and they organized with her a technical interview. I received notification that she got the job and I received a commission. I thought wow, they paid me for this. It cannot be so easy.
Normally, my previous recruitment experience and skills did this for me, but I was mostly payed because I used some of recruitment marketing skill in proper way.
I continued with my work and succeed to source several more IT professionals to switch the companies. In some cases, I felt like a matchmaker…I thought I can open a matchmaking agency…
To be honest I realized that I will need to upgrade my skills in IT recruitment. Until that moment I thought I know a lot about recruitment but I realize that I know little about IT recruitment. So, I started to learn about the IT roles, Technologies, I passed some free courses on coding in html and do you know what, I like it.
Definitely the future of work reports predicts mass openings in IT roles in the next 10 years globally. The recruitment industry potential is huge. There are at least 5 IT developers positions opened per one developer currently in the Europe. So most probably this trend is the same among the IT recruiters.
So, imagine a situation where IT developer is working on her job position and there is a huge probability once per week to receive a LinkedIn message about the new job opportunities. This was not a case before several years ago. I received at least dozens of messages from developers complaining on that how they already have received several messages for the same job position. And I asked myself. This must be, at least annoying.
DON’T LOSE THE PERSONAL TOUCH…LOOK AT ON IT AS ON YOUR BUSINESS STRATEGY APPROACH
My point is that we have to be careful in outbound and guerrilla recruitment marketing, because it can be contra- productive and we can prevent this if we personalize our marketing approach. The humans are not machines although we create them.
Social networks are made by humans and IT recruiters’ mission is to use these tools in the way we used to write our letters before mass usage of internet.
Can you remember which letters did you read most? Most probably those letters having a personal meaning to you, the letters filled with feelings, events, love, humor, creativity, etc. It is the same here. Do not “copy paste” your messages for the potential candidates. Yes, the technology exponentially speeds up our communication, but we cannot give us a such luxury to exclude human touch in our communication. If we do that, we shall not be successful in the sourcing and recruitment process. Even though if we are rejected in more than 95% of the cases in the process of sourcing, the speed of communication allows us a commodity to even not process this as a defat, because this is happening in the time frame of a couple of hours and the feeling of disappointment as a recruiter does not last too long. The sun will shine after few hours. Some of the requests sent will be accepted. This evidence we have to use to create personalized approach in the process of sourcing, recruiting and at the and selecting the best matching candidate. Have in mind that developers respect when recruiters show tech knowledge, and the job descriptions contains information about technologies and frameworks, salary and office environment information. Some of the biggest tech talents platforms have the house rules of how to approach to developers. Have in mind that huge number of developers just want to be left alone. The same is for videos. You will find at Facebook a lot of sourcing videos made by IT companies in order to attract Developers attention. And guess what the best of them have personal touch.
Sourcing talents is possible from a variety of diverse resources and no plan is ever perfect. Some employers prefer the instantaneous, analytics driven approach, and others prefer more personable and loyalty-based tactic. Regardless of where you find yourself, embrace the possibilities around you.
HAVE YOUR “HEROES” ONBOARD
Recruiting and sourcing professionals are pushing limits of ethical behavior on internet during the process of sourcing. Some of recruiters are mentioning even social engineering concepts in the process of sourcing which can have negative implications. Straight forward process of sourcing and recruiting where the potential candidate gives her consent on personal data usage for the recruitment process purposes is the legal and the only right way. Examples like gathering personal information like name, surname, email address, location, place of work, education etc. without the given consent by the personal data holder is non-legal behavior and non-ethical behavior.
“Successful sourcing/recruiting saves money”
My message at the end would be that we need to keep our traditional communication values in the sourcing and recruitment process. Maybe it will be a tradeoff between the speed and the quality but at the end, look at this like added value to your business approach. The ultimate goal in the recruitment process is hiring the best “HEROES” that will adapt quickly and will give exceptional performance at their work.
“Ethical sourcing strengthens the Company Brand”.