Hiring the Right Engineering Talent

The engineering talent landscape is rapidly changing, and which can be a struggle for hiring managers to keep up. Competition for experienced engineers is steep. Recruitment strategies need to be carefully considered in order to attract and retain the best talent. For instance, payments giant Stripe recently increased their engineering hires by 500%. They overhauled their compensation packages to attract more candidates. However, they may be missing the big picture on hiring the right engineering talent.

Companies need to recognize the need for an efficient and effective interview process. It is important to prioritize the candidate experience while also assessing their skills in a data-driven, unbiased manner. This means taking the time to understand what engineers are looking for in terms of career growth and development, and creating an interviewing environment that is conducive to their success.

Finding the right engineering talent

Using objective measures to evaluate skills during interviews is essential to ensure that the engineering talent hired is the right fit for the job. By relying on objective metrics, hiring managers can better assess candidates’ abilities and potential to succeed in the role. This approach helps to minimize bias and ensures a fair evaluation process that identifies the most qualified candidates.

It’s also important to take the time to understand the engineering community for the particular industry, including the tools and technologies that are most relevant to the current job market. This can help organizations to craft more targeted recruitment campaigns that are better suited to the specific needs of the engineering talent.

For instance the fintech industry is quickly emerging as one of the most innovative and lucrative fields for engineers due to new technologies and advancements in the financial sector. Companies need engineers with the skills to build and maintain complex financial systems. They must have a working knowledge of financial principles and processes, as well as an understanding of the technical aspects of the industry. When recruiting for this type of role, it is beneficial for talent acquisition teams to use competency-based assessments of their engineer applicants.

Using skill assessments, recruiters will ask candidates to complete multiple coding or other technical tasks in a realistic working environment. Companies can set a score or percentage threshold and measure an individual’s skills against a wider pool of candidates, setting an objective bar for moving forward in the process. With job evaluations, companies can reduce bias, speed up the interviewing process and save time.

Questions for hiring managers

However, for this to work, assessments must also reflect the work as accurately as possible. Managers and recruiters should ask themselves the following questions:

• What background is needed for this type of position?
• What specific skills do I need to assess for my open role?
• Are the interview questions related to tasks that the candidate would do on a daily basis?
• Do the questions match the level of experience required for the role?

How to improve recruiting methods

There is an abundance of engineering talent but current recruiting methods are leaving great candidates on the table. Here are some ways to improve current recruiting methods:

1. Use social media to target specific audiences and promote job openings.
2. Implement an employee referral program to encourage current employees to refer potential candidates.
3. Utilize data analytics to identify the most effective recruiting channels and adjust strategies accordingly.
4. Consider partnering with a talent recruiting agency to expand the candidate pool.
5. Streamline the application process to reduce friction for candidates and improve the candidate experience.

360 Talent Avenues uses better, more data-driven practices, to find and hire the best of the best to help take businesses to the next level. Partnering with 360 can provide benefits such as access to a larger pool of qualified candidates, saving time and resources on recruitment efforts, and receiving expert guidance throughout the hiring process. Contact us today to learn more about our tailor made services.