In a remote first world, attracting the top talent is becoming increasingly challenging. With a growing demand for tech workers, which is far outweighing the supply, it’s never been more important to have a solid recruitment strategy.
Why is there increasing demand for tech talent?
As many businesses have gone remote first following the pandemic, employees skilled in IT and cyber security are required to ensure the smooth running of these business processes.
“Over the pandemic, tech has proven its worth in enabling businesses to continue to work, with automation and emerging technologies playing an important role in helping streamline the ways in which people work in a constantly changing world,” Tracy Pound, Chairwoman of the CompTIA Board of Directors.
As a result, offering a good salary alone is no longer enough to attract top tech talent. This can be particularly challenging for smaller businesses, who may feel they struggle to compete with the appeal of working for a larger organisation.
However, there are many benefits and methods small businesses can utilise to attract talent. Plus, studies have shown candidates now more than ever, place increasing importance on values, flexibility and company culture when looking at potential places to work.
Here are some top tips on how small businesses can attract and retain top tech talent.
Use social media to get in front of candidates
Unfortunately, becoming as known to candidates as some of your more well known, larger competitors isn’t something that can be done overnight. However, with social media, you can still get in front of your ideal candidates and give them a good impression of your organisation and its work culture.
A significant portion of candidates look at the social media of companies before deciding whether to apply for job. The reason they do this, is to look at aspects including company culture and to get an idea of how a company operates.
Social media advertising can also help your organisation reach a wider pool of candidates. You can pay to advertise jobs on LinkedIn or do some brand awareness campaigns over a couple of platforms. With the right strategy, social media can get your brand in front of thousands of ‘ideal’ candidates.
Communicate career opportunities within your organisation
According to the Global Talent Index, one of the key reasons candidates leave their jobs is a lack of progression. Therefore, by advertising the potential for career development (if it’s possible), you could position your business as appealing to a wider pool of tech talent, especially those who wish to grow with an organisation.
Further to this, providing a clear career path for employees is a cost-effective strategy to improve employee aquitision and retention.
Promote flexibility
Let’s face it, Monday – Friday 9 to 5pm is so 2019. So is spending all this time at an office.
With the demand for tech professionals at an all-time high, candidates have lots of choice. For many, the ability to work flexibly is high on the priority list when it comes to deciding whether to apply for a role. In fact, candidates have said they would prefer the option to work remotely, over an increased salary.
Enabling remote working also benefits the business, as it means access to a wider pool of candidates if they are not limited geographically.
Offer competitive benefits packages
Whilst small businesses obviously won’t be able to compete with the likes of Google’s impressive benefits offerings, which include celebrity talks; cooking classes; massage therapists and more. They can still offer appealing wellbeing and engagement benefits, without incurring eye-wateringly high costs. These types of benefits can include flexible working (as previously mentioned) and organising some team socials every so often.
To help promote these benefits, ensure some photos from socials or any events, go up on your social media, to ensure candidates can get an insight into what it would be like to work for your company.
Leverage the power of small business
It shouldn’t be forgotten, that working for a small business can have many advantages. Firstly, in many smaller businesses there is often less bureaucracy. It is often easier to form closer relationships between people and teams in a smaller organisation. As often employees work closer together.
Often, when the team is closer, there are a wider range of responsibilities, as opposed to having just one person for who has one main task, which they do all the time. For example, in a larger organisation they may hire for the role of an email marketing specialist. In a small organisation, email marketing may be just one aspect which make up the role of a digital marketing executive.
If the role you’re offering encompasses many aspects, that could be appealing to someone who wants more experience, for example a recent graduate. Therefore, promoting this could work in attracting a certain type of candidate.
Take a personal approach
For smaller organisations, taking a personal and individual approach may be easier to do. For larger organisations, often everyone’s working schedule is likely to be the same, with limited option for flexibility. However, in a smaller business, it can be easier to monitor employee lifestyle and how this can best fit around work. Being able to do this, as a business can seem very appealing to potential candidates, who may be looking for a more flexible approach due to their circumstances.
Emphasise the influence in the role
To help appeal to the top talent that would go for the big businesses, emphasise the level of influence and significance they will have in their role. This will help candidates see the level of impact they may have on a project, which could help attract those more driven and motivated to make a positive impact within your organisation.
In conclusion
Being a small business can come with some benefits which could see candidates choosing you over a larger, more well-known competitor. However, it’s the way you communicate these benefits, along with a solid company culture that can have the strongest impact.
Gibson Watts can help you find the best possible talent to help grow your business. Speak to a member of our team today to find out more.
Written by Josh Smith