Need to recruit a software developer who seamlessly matches your project? This task has never been simple, but it has become even more challenging this year. In 2020, 4% of IT companies “blamed” tech talent shortage on the delaying of innovations, as we have discovered when preparing our guide on how to hire international employees. Yet, 2023 sees 60% — 15 times more!
According to the article posted on Forrester, the estimated number of software companies in the world has multiplied tenfold during the last 10 years.
At the same time, demographic studies say that the population of software developers could only double from 2018 to 2030.
Are there any recruitment techniques helping tech companies to stand out from the crowd? In short, it is arranging all the recruitment stages properly (it doesn’t mean longer hiring, rather well-thought-out) and focusing on culturally-fit candidates. While some businesses rush to attract top performers, whom their fellow firms successfully lure, you can focus on long-term hires.
Here we have drawn a 3-stage guide on how to recruit software engineers in 2023 and the upcoming years.
Technique #1. Explore Tech Talent Market Trends
We consider this step essential, not optional, in the software developer recruitment process. Any great recruitment team would never be great if not set aside time for talent market research. It is an approach allowing you to create the right recruiting tool kit for your case.
What to check when you study open vacancies in the IT sector and active profiles of applicants? We have prepared an ultimate checklist, based on our insights on today’s tech talent market landscape.
Hot Positions
To recruit software developers who can deliver reliable results, you need to offer them an adequate compensation range. To decide on “the price of success”, you should know what skills related to your project are in demand within the tech space. If the team role you want to fill is on the top of the popularity chart, the expected compensation is typically higher. Prepare your budget in advance to avoid unplanned spending later.
Action Tips
📍 Specify the area of responsibility on your project. For example, when you hire web app developers, it could be crafting an MVP from scratch, refactoring databases or improving user interface.
📍 It is crucial to master negotiating developer’s compensation. Especially, when you hire back-end developers or seek full-stack developers for hire, as those positions are trendy.
📍 You can face “theorists”, especially, when recruiting for AI-related projects, as the domain is relatively new. Look for specialists with proven commercial experience.
Hot Regions
How to recruit software developers within limited budget, you may wonder. Broadening your hiring geography can cover that. Countries with emerging economies are known for their optimal compensation ranges. At the same time, a lot of developers with strong technical education and backgrounds live there.
Action tips
📍 Study the local employment laws to avoid any potential misunderstandings with authorities (and fines). Then, create a local entity to take care of tax payments and payrolls.
📍 Partnering with a reliable EOR (employer of record) is an alternative solution that doesn’t require large-scale actions from you. The only official thing you need to do is to sign an arrangement with your HR partner who will take care of compliance, taxes, and payrolls.
Hot Developer Priorities
Recruiting software developers, take into account what they prioritize in job offers and highlight what benefits you can provide for them in each direction. Developers prefer high incomes, but flexible working hours and remote work also matter. Mention those opportunities, presenting your vacancy.
Action tips
📍 If they want to hear about budgets first, put this information on the visible place in your job description.
📍 Think the compensation you offer is not impressive enough? Do not limit your loyalty program to the remote options, paid vacation and sick leaves. When developers who are in search of their dream job see that you give them more than must-haves, they understand you prioritize the team’s well-being. A lot of people choose stability and human-centric culture over increased compensation (even in turbulent 2023).
Hot Tech Recruiting Goal
How long are you going to recruit software engineers? The wrong strategy is a bunch of interview rounds and uncertainty when it comes to the final decision.
Our Talent Acquisition team claims there are 10 job offers per developer on average, and Senior specialists get more pitches than Junior ones. HR Specialists from Outstaff Your Team do their best to send feedback to candidates as soon as possible. Otherwise, there is a risk that coding pros will accept another offer while we are preparing for the next hiring stage.
In 2023, we conducted twice as many interviews for each Junior developer than for each Senior developer. That helps to check if Juniors are ready to cope with the project tasks.
Action tips
📍 Shorten time to recruit software engineers. 40 minutes is enough to conduct the first interview if you have prepared clear questions. Lead the dialogue and stay focused on the facts you have planned to reveal.
📍 A good interview structure created for a particular role saves time when communicating with each candidate. Then, there is no need to specify anything. Use the list with the same questions to candidates for one position. This approach emphasizes differences between specialists.
📍 Collect big data, using an HRIS (human resources information system) to automate recruiting routine, fix all the interactions with candidates, and compare candidate profiles.
Technique #2. Launch Your Data-driven Hiring Campaign
You want to realize all the recruitment potential, right? Then, arm yourself with the results of your market research and prepare the pitch you can post on the recruiting platforms. A successful pitch is the one where each line of the text resonates with the behavior and needs of your target audience.
Action tips
📍 Avoid exaggerations in job descriptions, like “rockstar”, “ninja”, “jedi” or other buzzwords. The world has got tired of them, so you can provoke adverse reactions.
📍 Explore platforms that cater exclusively to developers, as this can increase the visibility of your job openings among your desired audience. Plus, platforms like GitHub Jobs, Stack Overflow Jobs, and LinkedIn's Tech Jobs feature developer-specific listings that can help you target the right talent pool.
📍 Create a dedicated section on your career page to showcase ongoing projects, technical challenges, and the innovative solutions your team is working on.
📍 Explain your company's approach to remote work, detailing how your team maintains communication across various time zones.
Technique #3. Scan More Candidates + Test All Their Skills = Get a Perfect Fit
Having launched your job opening is half a battle. The step most impacting the results of your hiring campaign is here. The burning question of 2023 is not only how to scale a tech team, but also how to engage players who can withstand the intensive schedule and deliver the products of expected quality. The sole of software developer recruiting is candidate selection. Try to evaluate more aspects of your potential partnership with each of them in advance. Here are the main points of control.
Action tips
📍 Exclude professional education from the list of your decision-making factors. Our European and American clients often insist on IT academic education as an obligatory requirement for software developers. Reviewing the candidates we’ve picked, hiring managers agree to consider developers without a degree in computer science. A lot of such candidates are competent in the tech stack and can help reach project goals, bringing their practical experience to the table. At the same time, IT education is not unified yet and knowledge can become outdated till graduation from the university.
📍 Design coding challenges that mimic real-world scenarios your team encounters, allowing candidates to showcase their practical skills.
📍 During interviews, incorporate questions that assess a candidate's ability to work in a team, handle constructive criticism, and communicate effectively.
Hiring Freeze is a Questionable Solution, Engaging a Global HR Partner Changes the Game
Thinking of delaying your team extension in the crisis moments? Thus, you might be making your downtime longer. On the contrary, hiring pre-vetted tech talent unlocks growth during a recession. Filling the skill gaps with dedicated team members today helps you react to the market opportunities tomorrow.
Software developer recruitment is a big independent domain nowadays. You can share your team-scaling plans with people for whom tech recruitment is a core business. They already know the answers to most of your questions related to tech team scalingin the high-competitive times and will take over your hiring responsibilities. Outstaff Your Team can provide you with specialists who are worthy of investments. How do we measure that?
Everything starts with the personalized approach to talent market research — we make a tailored analysis for each position.
To identify and attract pinpoint tech talent, we conduct comprehensive interviews with candidates and do an employment background check.
We broaden our talent pool by sourcing globally — seeking candidates from different countries and initiating the first contact.
We take care of positive candidate experiences during the outstaffing recruitment process. It is a basis for building good relationships with hired developers and avoiding high turnover rates.
Partnering with us could become your best way to recruit software developers.
FAQ
How can I hire a developer fast?
Option 1: Scan more CVs and conduct more interviews a day to find a perfect fit faster. Option 2: Delegate tech recruiting to professionals like Outstaff Your Team. We usually introduce our clients to shortlisted candidates in 6–11 days.
How hard is it to hire developers?
Hiring developers can be challenging due to the competition for skilled individuals, the technical nature of the roles, and your project’s complexity. To overcome these challenges, it's important to have a clear understanding of your company's needs, create an appealing and inclusive work environment, offer competitive compensation, and streamline your recruitment process. Building a strong HR brand and maintaining positive relationships with your development team can also contribute to successful developer recruitment and retention.
How to set hourly rates when you recruit software engineers?
Junior, mid-level, and senior engineers will command different rates as well as specialists from various locations. Together with the Team Lead (if you have any), outline the responsibilities and expectations for each role. Look at job boards, salary surveys, and industry reports to understand the average hourly rates for software engineers with similar skill sets and experience. To accommodate negotiations, set your initial rates slightly above what you're prepared to offer, but still within the range of industry standards. Stay compliant with minimum wage laws, overtime regulations, and any relevant standards. When communicating hourly rates to potential candidates, be transparent about how you arrived at the figures. This helps build trust and demonstrates that you've done your research. Adjust hourly rates based on performance reviews and contributions to the team. This encourages software engineers to excel and grow within the organization.
Stay in tune
Curated Tech HR buzz delivered to your inbox
Quick Search
