Permanent IT Recruitment: What You Need to Know Before You Start

Effective permanent recruitment in IT begins long before your first job posting goes live. In fact, the initial steps you take in your recruitment process are just as important as candidate screening, interviewing and onboarding – they set the tone for your entire recruitment strategy.

A 2023 survey found 64% of IT hiring professionals agreed that recruitment is costly, time consuming and can lead to the wrong candidate and quick turnover, with 29% of new hires departing within six months of being onboarded. How can this be avoided? Engaging in a thorough and strategic planning phase at the outset of recruitment ensures the process you establish is not only more effective in fulfilling immediate staffing requirements, but also supports your long-term business goals.

Let’s explore how to navigate these initial stages to lay a solid foundation for a successful long-term hiring process.

Know Your Budget

The same State of Tech Talent 2023 report found 59% of organisations revised their 2023 hiring plans due to economic concerns, but more plan to increase hiring than decrease. Understanding the total cost of hiring, including external recruiter fees, onboarding costs and training as compared to your allocated budget is more than just a preparatory step: it’s a strategic necessity.

Ultimately, creating a comprehensive budget plan informed by current market trends will prevent unforeseen financial strains and enable better negotiations with candidates when the time comes!

Understand the Competitive IT Salary Landscape
Competitive salaries are one of the key motivating factors for top IT talent, with market rates continuously evolving. Getting a solid grasp of the salary landscape and keeping on top of its rapid changes is a key preliminary step in your recruitment process – here are a few steps to consider:

1. Industry analysis: As a starting point, examine industry-specific salary reports and surveys. Many organisations, such as and  provide broad salary ranges for IT roles.
2. Geographic variations: Salaries for IT roles can vary significantly based on location due to cost of living and demand for skills – so understanding where your organisation fits is key. Whether you’re hiring in a major city like Sydney or Brisbane or remotely, research local salary trends to understand these variations.
3. Competitor benchmarking: Analyse what similar companies in your sector are offering. This can be achieved through online job postings, networking with industry peers and (if available) industry-specific benchmarking studies.
4. Consult with recruitment agencies: Whilst the above methods are useful for understanding the landscape, the most valuable information will come from a trusted recruitment agency that has wide exposure to salary negotiations. IT recruitment agencies can provide valuable information on what candidates expect and what other companies are offering, especially for more specialised roles.
5. Consider total compensation: Salary is just one part of the total compensation package. Benefits such as additional leave, bonuses and work-from-home flexibility frequently prove to be influential in attracting candidates and are especially handy when your budget doesn’t stretch to meet the top end of the salary range.

Define What You’re Looking For

Defining exactly what you’re looking for in your ideal IT candidate will give you better long-term outcomes. It’s often difficult to pin this down exactly, however. Here are a few ideas on how to best do this:

1. Organisation needs: Consider the specific needs of the role in the context of your organisation’s current and future objectives. For example, is your company shifting towards a new cloud architecture? Prioritise candidates with expertise in this area. Similarly, if your organisation has a culture of remote or hybrid work, seek applicants with successful work-from-home experience.
2. Make a list: To get a clear picture of exactly what you’re looking for, it’s beneficial to brainstorm and list out all the organisational needs and desired candidate attributes. This list should then be refined and prioritised to both enhance your understanding of what you are looking for in a candidate and communicate this to others.
3. Talk to stakeholders: Gathering insights from different perspectives, such as team leads and HR, helps create a comprehensive profile of the ideal candidate that includes not just technical skills, but also interpersonal attributes and cultural fit.
4. Analyse previous hires: Reflect on the attributes of employees who excelled in similar roles. What skills and qualities did they possess? Learning from past experiences helps to refine your criteria – and avoid repeating mistakes!

This clarity in candidate profiling is not only beneficial for guiding your recruitment strategy, but will also help you craft effective, targeted job descriptions that attract top IT talent.

Ensure a Positive Candidate Experience

A slow and inefficient recruitment process can deter potential candidates and reflect negatively on your organisation. Here are a few factors to consider in your planning to help streamline your recruitment process.

1. Software: Consider using recruitment software that allows for easy submission and processing of applications and resumes – this is sure to be appreciated by tech candidates.
2. Communication: Clear and consistent communication with candidates sets the right tone and builds trust. Keep candidates informed at each stage, even if it’s just to communicate delays or setbacks.
3. Cultural fit: Think about how your recruitment process will reflect your company culture (and how well a candidate might fit into this). This not only helps in assessment, it also gives candidates a clear idea of what to expect, enhancing their experience.
4. Feedback: Soliciting feedback from candidates about their experience with the recruitment process can be done through surveys or informal conversations post-interview – this information will help you continually improve the candidate experience.

Work with an IT Recruitment Agency

IT recruitment agencies can be valuable partners in your hiring process. However, it’s important to understand how to get the best out of them. This means communicating your needs clearly (including the role requirements, company culture and the type of candidate you’re looking for), as defined by your preliminary planning! A good recruitment agency should act as an extension of your HR team, providing not just candidates, but also insights and advice on the IT job market.

Our team here at Exclaim IT are experts in Australian tech recruitment and understand what it takes to attract top talent to your organisation. Contact us for support locking down your next dream hire.