“Outlaw” techie persona
Looking for a new tech hire who will shake things up a bit? You need an 'outlaw'. Discover how to attract this type of candidate with clear career progression.
How to identify “outlaws”
Those who fit the outlaws persona may not be immediately identifiable- in an interview setting they may not always be inclined to fully reveal their true personality. They may present themselves as less forthright and risk-taking than they actually are. Generally, though, these techies will show themselves to be comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity, as well as having plenty of their own ideas on how things should work, not being afraid to use their initiative. To gauge their predisposition towards questioning the status quo, ask about working on briefs that are not fully developed, and what their go-to strategy is when they disagree with existing decisions and processes.
Interested in:
- Stress-free work
- Career progression that does not impact personal life
Industries of interest:
- Finance
- Legal
Preferred specialities:
- Cybersecurity
- General IT
- Coding
View our report on the different temperaments of a techie here
Hiring and retention for this group:
If a company is looking for new tech hire who might shake things up a bit, they could benefit from an outlaw. In order to attract this type of techie, focus on having a clear progression path set out for the role and advertising this to candidates. This should be on top of an attractive salary, benefits and healthy work-life balance, which are considered important by all tech employees and are crucial for retention.
Most of the people in this category are likely to stay between 2 – 5 years. To keep them around even longer, make sure their role allows for them to keep progressing (including appropriate salary increases), without infringing on their personal life.
Whilst outlaws are drawn to IT & Telecoms just like the other personas, techies from this group are also the most likely to consider roles in the Finance or Legal industries, which are not popular with other personas. They tend to favour cybersecurity roles over any other specialty. A high proportion of them are actually working in Business Intelligence roles.
Techie personas series
To delve deeper into the high-flyers and the other personas, view our report here.