How companies can plan their tech hiring strategy during COVID-19

According to a recent report published by McKinsey, around 7.6 million jobs are at risk in the UK during the coronavirus lockdown. This uncertainty could potentially give tech recruiters a bigger pool of candidates to hire from as the tech skills shortage lifts, albeit over the short-term.

With business running slower in many sectors, now is the time for recruiters and hiring managers to map out their hiring strategy for the rest of the year. The impact of COVID-19 may be felt for some time but the companies that recover quickest will be those who are ready to act once the market recovers.

Let’s take a closer look at how companies can plan their tech hiring strategy for the second half of the year:

Review your company brand and values

Over the last 20 years of working with companies to help them find the best tech talent, we’ve seen that employer brand has a significant impact on hiring and can increase job applications. As such, companies should take the time to evaluate their website and marketing collateral and consider if they could be adjusted to encourage more job applications.

Over time, a company’s positioning in their marketplace can shift. They may take on more staff and expand, or niche down and start specialising in a specific area. Such shifts usually require a brand refresh to reflect their new position in the market.

Over the last few months, Brexit, the delay of IR35 and COVID-19 have had a significant impact on the way companies do business. As a result, organisations may find that their values have shifted too. What was once deemed a core value a few years ago, may not be considered as important now. Reviewing company values can provide staff and management with renewed motivation as businesses enter the next phase in their journey.

Set clear objectives

At the core of every hiring strategy is a set of objectives. Companies need to be clear on the type of candidates they want to attract. Updating job descriptions and candidate information packs can be a good place to start in encouraging the right candidates to apply. Using suitable language, being transparent about salary and highlighting employee benefits can help a company align their objectives with the type of candidate they want to attract.

Businesses should also be clear on how they will source candidates. For example, will increased use of social media help attract the right type of candidate, or will using specialist jobs boards be more effective?

At CWJobs, for example, recruiters and hiring managers can carry out Boolean searches in our CV Database to find candidates with the right skills. Our database can be filtered by variables such as current job title, location, level of education and salary.

Employers can also benefit from fully-branded emails sent directly to the inbox of up to 120,000 relevant tech people. Job ads promoted with an Eshot receive up to 28%* more applications. We’ve also seen that investing in programmatic ads to attract relevant passive candidates as they receive up to 4x** more clicks than the industry average.

Understand what tech candidates want

To attract the right candidates, companies need to consider what their expectations are. In our previous article What motivates the tech workforce more than money?, we highlighted some key areas that today’s tech professionals consider important.

At the top of the list is flexible working. According to a recent survey carried out by the Smarter Working Initiative, 84% of employees in the technology industry have the option of flexible working, compared to the UK average of 65%. Companies that don’t offer flexible working are therefore missing out on attracting top candidates.

In the aftermath of COVID-19, remote working will likely be a high priority for tech candidates and we’d expect to see more companies embracing remote interviewing with video conferencing software.

Workplace culture is also important. A recent survey conducted by Deloitte confirms that 94% of executives and 88% of employees believe a distinct workplace culture is important to business success. Understanding what type of culture candidates prefer can help businesses implement new working practices that will make their company more attractive from the outset.

Futureproof your business

Staying ahead of the curve in business can make all the difference to a company’s future success. Knowing what roles will be in high demand can help companies target specific candidate types, shape their training and consider how to retain top talent.

In a recent article, CWJobs shared some insights into what jobs are most in-demand during the COVID-19 outbreak. Our list includes infrastructure professionals, IT support, cyber security specialists, IT administrators and programmers.

Knowing what tech jobs will be in-demand over the coming months presents employers with an opportunity to target their job adverts and re-skill, or re-train staff to begin a career in tech. Re-skilling employees, for example, can help companies bridge the tech industry’s notorious skills gap and give them a competitive edge for when the market recovers.

* CWJobs internal performance statistics, January – August 2019

** Market performance statistics, January – August 2019