When it comes to IT recruitment and tech hiring, we’re in a golden age. Employers have an abundance of resources available to identify excellent candidates and hire them. It almost sounds effortless – but is that truly the case?
Despite the range of tools available that can streamline hiring, plenty of employers continue to face challenges in attracting and retaining skilled IT professionals.
And no wonder. Whether overall hiring activity is high or not, the best candidates often get snapped up quickly. Meanwhile, candidate expectations are changing, and there is always more than one factor that people evaluate when deciding whether to accept a role.
So, where are companies going wrong? Let’s break it down.
1. Chasing Unicorn Candidates
Here’s the first trap of IT recruiting: looking for the ‘perfect’ candidate who ticks every box: senior experience, niche certifications, 12 programming languages, and the ability to make barista-quality coffee in the break room.
Pursuing the ideal candidate can lead employers to overlook qualified individuals who, with some training, could become their best performers. Even worse, searching for unicorns prolongs the hiring process, which can quickly increase costs for a department or organisation.
Solution: Broaden your criteria to include candidates who demonstrate potential and a willingness to learn. Investing in training and development can transform a good hire into a great one. Read our deep dive into skills-based hiring for tips on how to look beyond unicorn candidates.
2. Neglecting Soft Skills and Team Fit
Yes, technical abilities always matter in tech jobs. But soft skills – like communication, adaptability, teamwork – matter just as much, especially in collaborative environments like DevOps, Agile squads, or cross-functional product teams. Companies who ignore this end up with good developers who can’t work with others, or worse, damage team culture.
Solution: Balance technical assessments with behavioural interviews. Look for curiosity, learning mindset, and cultural fit, not just certifications. Get team members involved in the interview process to offer their perspectives on candidates’ cultural fit.
3. Forgetting to Sell the Company
Tech professionals with solid experience always want more than one thing from their job. They want flexibility, growth opportunities, and a good culture. (And competitive pay, of course.) These are the elements of an attractive employee value proposition.
In IT recruitment, overlooking your company’s EVP can seriously hinder efforts to hire the best talent. If the hiring process focuses only on “what can you do for us?” and forgets to show why the company is worth working for, don’t be surprised if candidates go elsewhere.
Solution: Show off the company’s projects, culture, and learning opportunities. Share real stories from the team. Articulate a range of remuneration or rate, and non-pay benefits, to reel in top candidates.
4. Ineffective Job Ads/Descriptions
As IT recruiters, we see this often: job ads filled with company-specific jargon and acronyms, or things like 15 ‘essential’ requirements that aren’t quite essential. Consider that job ads need to:
- Give a clear overview of the role and company
- Sell the positives of the position and organisation while being honest
- Get to the point, without turning into an HR document
Solution: Write clearly. Say what the job actually involves, what tech stack you use, and why someone would want to work there. Highlight the context of the role and its impact within the organisation. Real humans read these ads, so it’s best address them as humans.
5. Slow and Unresponsive Hiring Processes
Candidates with in-demand skills can always move fast, even in a softer hiring market. When the hiring process drags out with multiple rounds of interviews plus a test project, or feedback is slow, candidates will lose interest or get snapped up by someone quicker. Slow hiring processes can send a message to candidates that the company doesn’t respect their time.
Solution: Streamline the process. Be decisive. Keep candidates in the loop – a little professionalism goes a long way. You don’t want to lose your top pick because you sat on their resume for three weeks. (Working with an IT recruitment specialist who knows the Canberra and Brisbane market inside-out can help avoid these delays.)
6. Skimping on Onboarding
Hiring someone is just the beginning. Once a candidate accepts a job offer, companies can sabotage what would otherwise be a fruitful employment relationship by neglecting the onboarding process. Leaving new hires to sink or swim frequently leads to disengagement and quick resignations.
Solution: Give new hires proper support: clear induction, a buddy system, and time to settle in. First impressions matter. On the first day, introduce new hires to company culture, processes, and expectations. Be available to answer their inevitable questions.
Talk to IT Recruiters Who Can Help
If you want to avoid these common traps and hire the right people the right way, we can help. At Exclaim IT, we know the tech market inside out, and we make IT recruitment feel human again. Need help finding tech professionals? Don’t hesitate to contact us today.
