Want to become a more technical recruiter?
To become an technical recruiter, you will need to be ready for a steep learning curve. Many recruiting teams are fast-paced, but have highly energetic environments. Junior recruiters on my team are encouraged to ask questions, embrace mistakes as learning opportunities, and focus on continuous improvement. Breaking into the field can take time, but the following tips can help you prepare for that next journey in your career.
I learned by failing forward. I kept trying and trying until things started to click. It took a lot of hard work and effort on my end to ramp up in technical recruiting. Thankfully, there’s a lot more resources available now then when I first started in 2011. – Jonathan
What is a technical recruiter?
A technical recruiter specializes in locating candidates for IT roles. They collaborate with hiring managers to identify and employ the best candidates for available positions. Technical recruiters may be employed in-house within HR or by a recruitment agency. Many times recruiter start out by recruiting for software engineering roles.
Do you need a bachelors degree to get started?
No, a bachelor’s degree is not a requirement to start a career in recruiting. However, having a bachelor’s degree and relevant experience can increase your chances of finding job opportunities and advancing in the field. Many recruiters have degrees in human resources, business administration, psychology, or a related field, but it’s not a requirement for entry-level positions.
Are you completely new to recruiting? I wrote a book titled “How to Launch your Recruiting Career” that might be worth reading.
Average salary of an experience tech recruiter?
The average starting salary for an IT recruiter can vary depending on location, company size, and level of experience. However, on average, entry-level IT recruiters in the United States can expect to earn around $40,000 to $60,000 per year. I recommend checking out levels.fyi to discover more information on tech recruiter salary ranges.
Where should I gain more experience?
Networking: Building relationships with hiring managers and industry professionals can help recruiters stay up-to-date with the latest IT trends and technologies.
Continuously learning: Keeping up with the latest advancements in technology, as well as best practices in recruitment, can help recruiters better understand the needs of IT organizations.
Specializing: Focusing on a specific area of IT, such as cloud computing or cybersecurity, can help recruiters become experts in their field.
Building a talent pool: Building and maintaining a network of IT professionals can help recruiters quickly find qualified candidates for open positions.
Staying organized: Keeping detailed records of candidate interactions and feedback can help recruiters better track their progress and identify areas for improvement.
Collaborating with hiring managers: Working closely with hiring managers to understand their needs and requirements can help recruiters make better matches between job seekers and IT organizations.
Tracking recruiting metrics will be important:
Time-to-hire: The amount of time it takes to fill a position from the moment it is posted to the moment a candidate is hired.
Cost-per-hire: The total cost of recruitment divided by the number of hires. This metric helps recruiters understand the cost-effectiveness of their recruitment efforts.
Source of hire: The percentage of hires that come from each recruitment channel, such as job boards, referrals, or social media. This metric helps recruiters understand which channels are most effective in attracting candidates.
Applicant-to-hire ratio: The number of applicants divided by the number of hires. This metric helps recruiters understand the competitiveness of a job market and the efficiency of their recruitment process.
Offer acceptance rate: The percentage of job offers that are accepted by candidates. This metric helps recruiters understand the competitiveness of their salary and benefits packages and the desirability of their organization as an employer.
Retention rate: The percentage of new hires who stay with the organization for a specified period of time. This metric helps recruiters understand the quality of their hiring decisions and the effectiveness of their onboarding process.
Note: I wrote another article that goes into more depth on recruiting metrics (here)
How to learn how to phone screen tech professionals:
Preparation: Research the candidate, the company, and the position before the call. This will help you tailor your questions and better understand the candidate’s needs and experience.
Active listening: Listen carefully to the candidate’s responses and take notes. This will help you ask follow-up questions and keep the conversation on track.
Effective questioning: Ask open-ended questions that allow the candidate to provide more detailed answers. Avoid asking leading or multiple-choice questions that limit the candidate’s ability to respond.
Clarification: If you’re not sure about a candidate’s answer, ask for clarification. This will help you get a better understanding of the candidate’s skills and experience.
Objective evaluation: Avoid making subjective judgments about the candidate based on personal opinions or biases. Instead, focus on objectively evaluating the candidate’s qualifications and experience.
Communication: Be clear and concise in your communication with the candidate. Avoid using technical jargon that the candidate may not understand.
Time management: Manage your time effectively during the call. Avoid going over the allotted time or rushing the candidate.
Note: I wrote another article that goes into more depth on phone screen interviewing (here)
Any Recruiting books that tackle this topic?
If you’re looking to become a technical recruiter, I highly recommend checking out my book “How to Become a Technical Recruiter” available on Amazon. It covers all the essential topics for recruiting technical roles, including how to assess and phone screen candidates, as well as in-depth discussions on sourcing and real-life Boolean string examples.
How to stay competitive in the field?
Recruiters that I recommend following on social media:
Recommended Reading:
How to build a new talent sourcing function
AI marketing tools for recruiters
Automate recruiting outreach using chatgpt
