6 creative places to source tech candidates your competitors aren’t using
Learn where the best tech talent likes to hang out and how you can use that knowledge to enhance your recruiting strategies.
Over the last five years demand for tech and IT candidates has been high. While things may be changing, particularly at entry level, with the number of open positions reportedly declining, tech pros are still highly sought after, with nearly 130,000 unfilled tech jobs in the US alone! To attract the best talent, organisations will need to think outside the box when it comes to tech recruiting strategies, especially if they are seeking to tap into new talent pools and access passive candidates.
Specialist recruiters, like DMCG Global, can be great resources to help you connect with digital and technology candidates in the places they socialize, as many of our consultants have worked in the industry themselves. Their extensive networks allow businesses to reach the 70% of qualified talent that are not actively job hunting.
6 creative places to connect with tech talent
With just a little bit of creative thinking you can connect with highly skilled and talented digital marketers, programmers, data scientists and other tech specialists.
While most people know how powerful a professional social network like LinkedIn can be for reaching both active and passive candidates, there are a number of other places tech talent likes to hang out:
1. GitHub
GitHub is a place where developers can store and share code and projects they’re working on. It’s not a professional networking tool but it can be used to find and connect with tech talent.
All the code on the site is organised by programming language. By searching for the language you’re hiring for, you can sort and explore the users who are posting projects in that language. Many developers add their email addresses making it easy to connect with promising talent.
2.Stack Overflow
Like GitHub, Stack Overflow is a way for developers to connect with each other, ask technical questions and share solutions. Users can also rate each other’s questions and answers.
To connect with tech talent, you can explore individual user’s profiles, sort by programming languages and tags, and see who has asked and answered questions on those topics. You can then compare profiles to your job description.
3. Slack channels
Slack is a tool for workplace communication and collaboration, but did you know that there are hundreds of public channels and communities that allow developers and programmers using different technologies, languages and locations to connect?
A quick Google search will allow you to explore channels relevant to your role. For example, the iOS developers channel currently has several thousand active members. You can then connect through the group chat or privately message members.
4. Goodreads
Yes, you read that right, Goodreads! This one might feel a little out there, but the book review site can be a great place to source tech candidates.
Search for books in the topic of IT, programming, front or back-end development, whatever tech skills your job might require. You can see users who have reviewed those books and read through their profiles. From there you can connect, send messages, or use contact information posted on their profile to strike up a conversation.
The previous suggestions have all been social networks of a sort, but there are two other creative recruiting strategies for reaching top candidates:
5. Alumni networks
If you are looking for tech talent that has the latest skills as well as a creative and innovative mindset, recent graduates from computer science and engineering programmes are ideal candidates. You can tap into the alumni networks of prestigious and local colleges and universities to connect with tech candidates.
A quick search will show you which programmes are nearby, and you can contact the alumni office or department head to discuss ways to contact their graduates. Many universities and computer science departments host job boards, send out newsletters and magazines, and host graduate job fairs that you can attend. Building this connection will help you access young, exciting talent early.
6.Your employee networks
Your current employees are a great untapped resource for connecting with tech talent. Each one of them knows people personally and professionally who could be a great fit for a role with you, so don’t forget to ask them for recommendations and referrals.
DMCG Global can help you reach great tech and digital candidates
If you are looking for advice on how to create recruitment strategies that will appeal to the best tech or digital talent, DMCG Global can help. Appeal to top-quality professionals with a bespoke recruitment service tailored to your needs. Contact our expert consultants to discuss your requirements. Get in touch below to find out more.
