3 things you MUST KNOW about technical recruiting

Recruiting for technical positions is quite different than recruiting for positions such as finance, accounting, management. With the recent rise of demand for IT professionals, fueled by Silicon Valley’s latest string of hot startups and successes such as Facebook, technical recruiting is hotter than ever. However, the HR professional wanting to jump into the tech game faces some formidable challenges.

1) Technical know-how

Technical recruiting often requires good knowledge of the industry and ability to scan tech resumes to determine if a candidate is a good fit. Therefore, it helps to concentrate on an area of tech, such as ERP, for example, and read up on it to raise your knowledge of the field.

2) Choose the companies you work for

While there are a myriad of startups, they are often short on funds and are very picky on who they hire. In other words: they might be wasting your time. Try to get bigger companies as clients, and you’ll go further with one of them, than with 10 startups.

3) Tech candidates are not desperate

While the majority of the unemployed are desperate for any work, tech applicants are usually picky about who they work for. And this is more true the higher up on the know-how and salary ladder you get. Therefore, you literally have to court the tech talent as much as they have to court you. Have clear job descriptions and be prepared to use email more than phone.