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Competition to attract and retain qualified tech professionals has never been fiercer: In today’s marketplace, many or most potential tech new hires are likely considering offers from more than one company. Tech leaders should always be careful to carefully screen each job candidate, but they should also understand that each job candidate is scrutinizing them and their company just as carefully, because they are likely to be spoiled for choice when it comes to to choose an employer.
So how can a tech leader convince a sought-after candidate that the role, culture, team, and work they have to offer combine to create a great fit for a tech professional? Below, 16 industry leaders from the Forbes Technology Council share ways a tech leader can persuade top tech talent to join their company.
1. Detail the specific ways your company ‘shines’
I’ve found that people move from company to company based on three main factors: compensation, culture, and work. Understanding a candidate’s ideal role that includes these three factors is key to success. Know your company, know your competition and know in which drivers your company shines over the competition. Be prepared to address any gaps and double down on the drivers your company shines on. – Kim Bozzella, Protiviti
2. Explain how your role will fit into the company plan
Show the employee that your offer is a win-win. As a technology leader, share with them where your functional area is headed and how it fits into the company’s three- to five-year plan. Find out what the candidate’s own goals are, then paint a picture of how they’ll develop their skills along the journey, the valuable experiences they may have, and the team members they’ll have the opportunity to work with. – Dimitri Shelest, OneRep
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3. Share how work makes a difference in people’s lives
Emphasize the importance of your mission and impact (in our case, in health care). Share information about recent growth, as joining a growing company provides an employee with many opportunities to learn and develop professional skills in ways not possible at other stage companies. Finally, proactively provide information about the company culture; believe as Your work is more important than how many you work. – Eric Rosow, Diameter Health
4. Talk about your plans for growth and disruption
Get into the details. Talk about how your company is unique and different from the rest. Share your short-, medium-, and long-term plans for growth and disruption. Talk about how what you do can impact lives and help shape a better tomorrow, and how it is therefore aligned with a larger purpose. Finally, discuss how strong your career framework is; Can employees easily change course and do what they want to do? – Nitin Jain, L&T Technology Services
5. Show how you respect and meet the needs of team members
The “Great Resignation” has shifted the balance of power, so companies must be intent on building a culture and evolving the employee experience. Innovative companies are listening to their employees and adopting new initiatives, including hybrid working, individualized benefits and reskilling their staff to retain talent. Employees show loyalty to companies that respect their individual needs. -Micah Remley, Robin
6. Lean on your mission
Many tech workers today want to feel like they’re having a positive impact on the world; they seek a purpose. Instead of focusing solely on the work, emphasize the good your company is doing in the world, with concrete examples. In our case, we rely heavily on the benefits of our natural language processing and artificial intelligence technologies to improve patient outcomes in healthcare. – Will Manidis, ScienceIO
7. Detail opportunities to advance your career path
I think it’s important to strike the right balance in early discussions between the expectations you have for the applicant in their first 30/60/90 days and the development and growth opportunities that will come with the position. After you’ve asked them about their previous experience, it’s your turn to explain how this could be the perfect next step in an ongoing career journey. – Markus Bernhardt, OBRIZUM
8. Be honest and transparent
The most important thing a leader can share is simple: the truth. This is especially true in technology, where candidates are looking for truly progressive cultures. Be honest and transparent, not only about what’s amazing about your culture, but also about areas for improvement. Share what you’re already doing to evolve so your organization’s values shine. – Jim Longo, Discuss.io
9. Discuss growth opportunities and individual success stories
The “war” for highly-skilled talent has been one of the main challenges in building a strong technology organization. A potential hire must believe that they will have opportunities for growth and professional success in your company. I encourage transparency about the scope of work and expectations. Plus, share company success stories and build on company values and vision, which are more important than ever today. – Natalia Scherbakoff, Trinseo
10. Share how it will help move your ‘story’ forward
The story is everything. More than compensation and more than a title, candidates are looking to write a compelling personal narrative. Your company needs to fit the candidate’s personal narrative. For example, “A great company gave me the framework I needed to start my own business later on” or “Working at a high-growth startup allowed me to rise through the ranks faster than my previous role.” -Liam Kinney, Channel
11. Invest in your team so they become your advocates
We are in the era of hyper-growth technology companies. For both the largest tech companies and growing startups, the competition for new tech hires is intense. Employees choose a company for three reasons: mission, drive, and people. For many companies, the first two are a commodity. So the choice comes down to the people. The best way to win over a new hire is by investing in their team and making them vocal advocates. – Eric Futoran, Hug
12. Keep the process short
Interviews are two-way evaluations that require the company to inspire the candidate. If the candidate is inspired by the hiring manager, the team, and the work to be done, they will want to take the job. Another key tip is to keep the process short and quick. If you don’t, a promising candidate will get another offer. – Eric Braun, Speed Innovation
13. Never hire under false pretenses
Leaders who approach the hiring process knowing they are being interviewed as much as the candidate will see better success in this market. Treating candidates with respect and reducing toxic hiring practices is key. Clarity and honesty are essential. In a market as competitive as this, hiring someone under false pretenses simply leads to rapid and costly turnover. – Joe Onisick, transformationONGOING
14. Explain how you will take advantage of your unique abilities
Explain to candidates how they will use their specific skills to solve unique and interesting problems. For example, engineering software for the financial industry relies on various aspects of computing, such as security, high availability, and redundancy. In any industry, helping candidates understand exactly how they will apply their unique and specific skills can help a company stand out. – Vivek Ravisankar, HackerRank
15. Share your company’s success story
I find that keeping the business momentum helps with hiring. Whether it’s an equity round or a new Fortune 50 client, potential candidates are more likely to join you if you can demonstrate a track record of success. I also appreciate that you can’t keep the momentum going forever, so another thing that’s been helpful is adding world-class team members who can act as “talent magnets.” -Karl Siebrecht, Flexe
16. Approach the interview with genuine curiosity about the candidate
Something we have always prided ourselves on is having the right people in the right positions. By approaching the interview process with a sense of curiosity, we strive to get to know the candidate well beyond what may be seen on paper. In the end, what is being offered to a candidate may not even be the position that started the conversation. By emphasizing individual strengths, we show them how valuable they are. -Jonathan Cardella, Ventive, LLC