The news of layoffs has sent shockwaves across the United States, extending beyond the recruiting industry. Even Silicon Valley, which is typically seen as a hub of economic growth, has been affected by the downturn. Amazon’s decision to plan layoffs and delay or revoke job offers has raised concerns about the overall health of the tech industry, and the impact of the economic downturn on job security.
Slowdowns are occurring within the IT recruiting industry, impacting many recruiters and sourcers. Given the current circumstances, it’s important to consider how technical recruiters can stay relevant and up-to-date, particularly as many companies are implementing hiring freezes and conducting layoff rounds. What strategies can recruiters use to maintain their knowledge and adapt to the changing job market?
In a crowded job market, recruiters looking for work must stay current and find ways to stand out from the competition. To achieve this, it’s important for recruiters to invest in themselves. Here are some ways they can do that:
Strategies to stay relevant:
Embrace technology: Recruiters should leverage technology to streamline their hiring process. They can use applicant tracking systems, social media, and video conferencing to improve communication and reach a wider pool of candidates.
Build a strong employer brand: Recruiters should work with their organizations to create a positive employer brand that appeals to job seekers. They can highlight the company’s culture, values, and mission to attract top talent.
Personalize the hiring process: Recruiters should tailor their approach to each candidate to make them feel valued and appreciated. They can customize their outreach and interview questions to fit the candidate’s skills and experience.
Develop a deep understanding of the job market: Recruiters should stay up-to-date on trends in their industry and the broader job market. They can use this knowledge to advise hiring managers on the skills and experience needed for various roles.
Foster strong relationships with candidates: Recruiters should build strong relationships with candidates, even if they’re not hired for a specific role. They can keep in touch with them and let them know about future opportunities that may be a better fit.
By implementing these strategies, recruiters can stay relevant in a constantly evolving job market and continue to attract top talent for their organizations.
What to do during a slow period?
During a hiring freeze or a slowdown in hiring, recruiters can still take a number of proactive steps to stay engaged and add value to their organization. Here are some suggestions:
Build relationships with candidates: Recruiters can continue to network and build relationships with potential candidates, even if there are no immediate job openings. This can help build a pipeline of talent for future hiring needs.
Provide value-added services: Recruiters can offer value-added services to their organization, such as creating job descriptions, providing market analysis or benchmarking, or conducting skills assessments.
Stay informed on industry trends: Recruiters can stay up-to-date on industry trends and best practices by attending conferences, networking events, or webinars. This can help them be better prepared when hiring resumes.
Collaborate with hiring managers: Recruiters can work closely with hiring managers to identify skills gaps and future hiring needs. This can help them be better prepared when hiring resumes.
By taking these proactive steps, recruiters can continue to provide value to their organization, build relationships with candidates, and be better prepared when the hiring freeze ends.
Talent pipelining:
Pipelining candidates during a slow down is important because it can help companies save time and resources when roles open up again. Here are a few reasons why:
Faster time to hire: When a company has a pipeline of candidates that have already been pre-screened and vetted, they can more quickly fill open roles once they become available. This can help the company get back up to full productivity faster, which is crucial in a competitive business environment.
Cost savings: By maintaining a pipeline of candidates, companies can save money on recruiting and training costs in the long run. Rather than having to start from scratch every time a role opens up, they can turn to a pre-existing pool of qualified candidates.
Competitive advantage: In a highly competitive job market, having a strong candidate pipeline can be a major advantage. It can help companies stand out to top talent and give them an edge in attracting and retaining the best candidates.
Join Facebook Groups:
Overall, joining recruiter Facebook groups can be a valuable way for recruiters to connect with others in the industry, learn new skills and strategies, and expand their professional network.
Industry insights: Recruiters can gain valuable insights into industry trends and best practices by participating in recruiter Facebook groups. This can help them stay up-to-date on the latest hiring strategies and tools.
Networking opportunities: Facebook groups can provide recruiters with networking opportunities that can lead to new business relationships and partnerships. By connecting with other recruiters, they may find new clients, learn about new job openings, and gain access to referrals.
Brand visibility: Joining recruiter Facebook groups can also help recruiters increase their brand visibility. By participating in group discussions and sharing their knowledge and expertise, recruiters can establish themselves as thought leaders in the industry and build their reputation.
Continuing education: Recruiter Facebook groups can serve as a source of continuing education for recruiters. They can learn from other professionals, ask questions, and share their own knowledge and experiences. This can help them improve their skills and stay on top of industry changes.
Resources to remain relevant in tech:
There are several websites that can help technical recruiters stay relevant in the IT tech space. Here are a few suggestions:
TechCrunch: TechCrunch is a popular news website that covers technology and startup news. Technical recruiters can stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the tech industry, including new technologies, startups, and industry trends.
GitHub: GitHub is a web-based hosting service for software development projects. Technical recruiters can use GitHub to discover new open-source projects, track changes in programming languages, and learn about new software development practices.
Stack Overflow: Stack Overflow is a community-driven question-and-answer website for programmers. Technical recruiters can use Stack Overflow to gain insight into common programming challenges, discover new tools and technologies, and connect with developers.
HackerRank: HackerRank is a website that provides coding challenges and technical assessments for developers. Technical recruiters can use HackerRank to evaluate the skills of potential candidates, and gain insight into the latest programming languages and frameworks.
LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn Learning is an online learning platform that offers courses on a wide range of topics, including software development, data science, and cloud computing. Technical recruiters can use LinkedIn Learning to stay up-to-date on the latest skills and technologies, and to enhance their professional development.
Taking an online tech course: Overall, getting certified in technical skills can provide numerous benefits to recruiters, including increased credibility, better communication, improved candidate assessment, a competitive advantage, and opportunities for career advancement.
By using these websites, technical recruiters can stay informed on the latest developments in the IT tech space and build their knowledge and skills to remain relevant in the job market.
Reading technical recruiting books:
I recommend my book, “How to Become a Technical Recruiter” which was written specifically to help generalist recruiters transition into IT technical recruiting. The IT field can be daunting for those starting out, but this book clearly defines the top technical roles within the industry.
Upon completion of the book, recruiters will be able to understand the technical-skill requirements for each role, use additional search terms to improve job descriptions, and gain confidence when assessing candidates’ skills during technical phone screens.
The book breaks down technology acronyms and provides analysis tools to confidently evaluate a candidate’s tech skills. It’s written in clear, concise prose, and each job title is defined with searchable keywords and phone screening questions to help turn generalist recruiters into confident technical recruiters.
In the IT industry, “tech talent” refers to the highly sought-after workforce with the skills to drive growth and innovation at technology companies. This includes a wide variety of roles, such as IT professionals, computer science professionals, software developers, engineers, data scientists, and many more emerging positions.
You can learn more about my Technical Recruiter book (here)←
Final Thoughts:
1. Learn about AI influencing talent acquisition and team building.
2. Work on improving your Boolean strings. (Take a course class).
3. Take courses on understanding unconscious biases.
4. Study and implement ways to diversify sourcing methods.
5. Think outside the box for the ideal candidate.
6. Have coffee chats with fellow TA people. People need people.
7. Network with people in the field you have experience recruiting for.
8. Network with people in fields you have no experience recruiting for.
9. Brush up on your state and federal laws for hiring and firing.
10. Brainstorm ways to improve candidate experience, especially ways to accommodate candidates who need alternative interview methods (neurodivergent professionals).
Recommended Reading:
Passive candidate outreach: How many times should I follow up?
How to influence and persuade a Hiring Manager
Creative ways to find talent sourcing jobs in a tough economy
- Unleashing the Power of AI in Talent Sourcing: Meet Noon - May 17, 2024
- Demystifying Natural Language Search: Crafting Effective Boolean Strings - April 26, 2024
- The Art of Context: Why Rushing to Conclusions Can Lead Us Astray - April 25, 2024