7 software engineering recruitment tips for hiring managers

Are you wondering how to recruit software engineers? Try using our recruitment tips to improve your chances of landing the best talent in your industry.

With tech being such a competitive and high-demand market, hiring the best software engineers can be challenging and somewhat daunting.

To put that into context, PwC’s research suggests that 49% of people decline a job offer because of a poor recruitment experience.

So, what’s the secret to success?

Let’s explore some different recruitment tips you may not have tried before.

Valuable recruitment tips for hiring managers

1. Remove the tech tests altogether

Many successful clients will sell themselves through the interview process and technical questioning.

If you can’t remove the tech test in your interview process, keep it short (two hours is a fair expectation), and be clear and realistic on rough timescales to complete and return.

You can watch our recent Workplace 2.0 webinar, where we go into this in more detail.

2. Suspend your expectations at the CV stage

Some beneficial advice for hiring managers is suspending their expectations at the CV stage, particularly if they’ve received a CV from a recruiter who has been successful in the past.

You’ve been sent the CV for a reason. The candidate’s experience transcends what is actually on the document you’re looking at. So, if you’re collaborating with a tech recruitment expert, trust their initial judgment.

Remember, placing the right candidate benefits their business too. So, they wouldn’t want to waste your time with someone with no potential.

3. Be flexible

When looking at your hiring process, you must match the market.

If you need to cut out a specific stage to give yourself the best possible chance of securing someone, that can be a huge help.

Make your life easier by tailoring the process to the industry and what works for your business to make the procedure more accessible.

4. Save time for personal chit-chat

Having time for personal chit-chat and getting to know the person behind the CV is essential for warming up the candidate and making it feel less formal.

With many interviews now being done virtually, it can be easy to forget the more general conversations, not just the job-related questions.

Easing a candidate into the interview can allow for more accurate responses and gives you a better flavour of the person and how they’d fit into your business.

5. Sell the role whilst keeping it conversational

Don’t forget that it is a candidate-driven market. You must take time to sell the role to the person and keep it conversational and two-way as much as possible. 

You’re not doing them a favour.

6. State what’s on offer beyond the job

We advise you to enter the interview as the hiring manager with a confident answer as to why you would want to work at your current company.

This question is extremely common for candidates who want to see behind the business. So, you want to sell what is on offer beyond just a job, whether that is the culture, the social events, or the flexibility.

Be prepared for questions too.

7. Ensure candidates receive prompt feedback

Candidate feedback is a positive way for hiring managers to appreciate their time and investment in the process.

Although it might feel like a time-consuming task, a little courtesy goes a long way and can be the difference between a negative company review and a good one.

Since tech roles are on the rise, there is no question that software engineers and tech professionals are valuable and highly sought after.

Make your company stand out to ensure you recruit and retain employees that add value to your workplace.

More useful content for hiring managers

To be able to recruit the best employees for your business, your recruitment process needs perfecting.

As a tech recruitment agency, we work with our clients to attract and hire the best tech talent based on their requirements.

If you want more top tips on hiring processes, interviews, and beyond, read our blog. You can also get in touch and speak to our friendly team if you have any other queries.