How to overcome tech talent search fatigue

The process of searching, shortlisting, hiring, and onboarding tech talent can take its toll on recruiters. Even more so when placements are unsuccessful. Coupled with the fact that 65% of recruiters report increased stress levels since the onset of the pandemic, the process of finding tech talent amongst a skills shortage has become significantly more challenging.

Equally, candidates can become overwhelmed by the process of reading job adverts, shortlisting roles, completing applications, and interviewing. Especially when the outcome is unfavourable. In fact, software company G2 reports that 73% of job seekers say the process of looking for a job is one of the most stressful events in life.

Despite this fatigue, it’s important to remember that recruiters and candidates are working towards the same goal – a successful hire. With some mutual understanding, all parties can benefit from a more positive search experience.

Reverse recruitment 

As the name suggests, reverse recruitment is where recruiters apply to candidates, instead of the other way round. It may sound like a novel concept, but according to Honeypot, the reverse recruiting strategy can reduce time-to-hire by 50%.

Recruiters benefit from the strategy by being able to identify jobseekers by their skills. Knowing the candidate’s strengths beforehand enables them to shortlist more effectively. It also means that recruiters end up hiring from a more diverse pool of talent.

On the other hand, candidates benefit from having recruiters come to them, which means less time shortlisting companies and filling out applications. It’s also more motivating for candidates, knowing up front that a recruiter is interested.

Improve time-to-fill and time-to-hire

According to software company, Lever, 89% of companies lose top talent to messy and prolonged processes. By focusing on reducing the time it takes to fill a role from when it’s advertised (time-to-fill), recruiters can reduce fatigue and make progress quicker.

Using tools like CWJobs’ Instant Candidate Recommendations that suggest candidates as soon as jobs are advertised, ensures recruiters target both active and passive candidates.

Likewise, shortening the time it takes to secure a contract once a suitable candidate has been sourced (time-to-hire), ensures that talent won’t be snapped up by a competitor in the meantime. This is particularly important when hiring younger candidates, as research suggests that 17% of Gen Z job seekers ac  cept an offer less than a week after the first interview.

Making use of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) like CWJobs’ Applicant Manager can be an effective way of keeping candidates up to date with the status of their application, and ensures they don’t become frustrated by a lack of communication.

Write appealing, transparent job adverts

Talent search fatigue can also be reduced by writing job adverts that appeal to a specific target audience. The more information recruiters can provide on the skills, experience, and tasks of the role, the higher the quality of candidates it will attract.

Likewise, making use of tools like Totaljobs’ Gender Bias Decoder can ensure that candidates aren’t excluded because of the language used in the advert. The free tool reveals gender-specific words in text and offers less biased alternatives.

Candidates benefit from transparency in job adverts, as they have all the essential information up front. They’re then in a better position to make an informed decision about whether the role is right for them.

Build a more diverse talent pool

Amidst the UK’s tech skills shortage, recruiters need to widen their talent pool in order to reach candidates that may not otherwise be applying for advertised roles. A 2021 McKinsey report reveals that companies that focus the most on racial and ethnic diversity are 36% more likely to have financial returns that are above average for their industry.

In focusing on building a multigenerational workforce, recruiters can widen their search for talent. At CWJobs, we know that young people value training and development, being able to use the latest technology, and having flexibility in their roles. Whereas experienced candidates are more likely to be more concerned with health benefits and pension packages.

Because multigenerational workforces have different employer expectations, recruiters need to ensure that they’re flexible in the compensation and career opportunities that are on offer.

Likewise, smart tools, such as Equality Boost, enable recruiters to pinpoint when, where and how to reach talent by demographic, location and interest. Through display advertising, companies can attract candidates, monitor campaign performance and measures its success over time.