The 3 Most Common Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring an IT Professional

Hiring competent IT professionals is a real struggle these days. Employer expectations and employee demands are increasing, while there are very few candidates to fill vacancies.

However, finding an employee who meets your requirements is only half the battle. The hardest part is convincing them to think about changing jobs. So if you’re struggling to hire software developers in Colombia or anywhere else in the world, stay away from the following three top mistakes made by IT recruiters.

1. Passive recruitment

If your IT recruitment practice begins and ends with posting a vacancy on a job portal, it is not surprising that you do not see the effect. This method stopped working several years ago. At most, only junior IT candidates and those without experience can press the “apply” button.

To achieve your goal and hire a talented developer, you need to focus on methods that require more time and effort than traditional advertising:

  • search on social networks: placement of vacancies on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook;
  • using the power of online recruitment platforms for IT recruiters, such as Huntly;
  • direct outreach: contact potential candidates via direct messages;
  • networking events: attend webinars and seminars to meet potential candidates;
  • Use SEO for your job listings to attract more candidates;
  • Use blogging and content marketing to reach an even wider audience.

The most important thing is to approach candidates directly to interest and help them and to properly take care of the entire selection and onboarding process.

2. Underestimate financial incentives

In some regions, discussing salaries upfront remains taboo, complicating recruitment in the IT sector, where competitive pay is a key motivating factor for changing jobs, especially when salaries sometimes reach five figures.

Candidates usually have clear financial expectations. From their perspective, going through multiple stages of hiring only to find out they can make half your current salary is a waste of time.

That’s why financial incentives should always come first, or at least second, in your communication with IT professionals. Such an open approach will save you and the candidate time.

3. Hasty hiring

Good developers are usually already employed and are not actively looking for new jobs. They need time to consider offers, as they were not previously thinking about changing positions. That’s why, in IT, waiting until a vacancy arises to start hiring is often insufficient. A recruiter in a hurry creates a dissonance: you need quick solutions, but that’s not how hiring IT talent works.

Being proactive and establishing a hiring system provides better results. Here, you should consider all the best practices mentioned in the first chapter: online recruiting platforms for IT recruiters, social media searching, direct contact, attending networking events, using SEO best practices, etc.

There must be a hiring system, a constant flow or talent pool with enough candidates at any stage and at any time.

Solution: Rely on modern platforms

These are the most common mistakes that hinder effective IT recruitment. While correcting them won’t guarantee an influx of resumes or candidates applying for jobs, avoiding these mistakes will significantly improve your chances.

Don’t forget to rely on modern recruitment platforms like Huntly. It is a versatile recruitment platform, capable of offering you candidates tailored to the specific requirements of your vacant position. Good luck in your search for IT talents!

Main photo: Freepik