Asking the Right Questions to Find the Perfect Fit
In the dynamic world of tech recruitment, success isn't just about knowing every programming language or tech stack inside out. It's about asking the right questions and understanding the nuances of both the technology and the people behind it. As a seasoned recruiter specializing in matching top tech talent with forward-thinking companies, I've learned that my job isn't just about knowing surface-level tech—it's about asking insightful questions to help inform our clients' hiring decisions and helping determine what the major gap in their team is that they are looking to fill. That could be anything from additional hands needed based on workload to finding someone with a unique skillset of an emerging/new technology that your current team lacks expertise/understanding in.
So, what does it take to master the art of tech recruitment? Here are some key insights:
Understanding the Big Picture: While technical skills are important, they're just one piece of the puzzle. As a recruiter, my job is to understand our clients' business objectives, culture, and team dynamics to find candidates who not only have the right technical chops but also fit seamlessly into the company culture and contribute to its long-term success. I would suggest asking hiring leaders what are major gaps they have in their team, and what are projects coming up that may require specific skillsets that you might not have within their current team. That could lead you to additional “nice to have” skills that would differ a qualified candidate from the “perfect” candidate.
Asking the Right Questions: When screening candidates, it's not enough to just skim their resumes and check off a list of technical skills. I delve deeper, asking probing questions to gauge their problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and passion for their craft. By asking the right questions, I can uncover valuable insights that go beyond what's written on paper and help our clients make informed hiring decisions. To do this, you do need a surface level understanding of new and emerging tech. An example of this is with salesforce developers. You can ask a Salesforce developer questions about their years of experience, but you wouldn’t be getting the holistic view of their experience. To do that, it would require questions referencing if they have worked with Apex or lightning development, as well as one or many of the varying clouds that salesforce utilizes (Marketing, Service, Sales, Finance). Without delving just a tad bit deeper into their experience, you could pass someone through initial screening without realizing that they don’t have the foundational skills needed to fill the clients specific gap.
Building Relationships: Tech recruitment is as much about building relationships as it is about matching skills to job requirements. I take the time to get to know both our clients and candidates on a personal level, fostering trust and open communication every step of the way. By building strong relationships, I can better understand our clients' needs and preferences, making it easier to find the perfect fit for their teams. In addition, from my personal experience, I have noted that even large corporate clients will sometimes look past varying factors including rate, hours, location preference, in-office availability, and even technical gaps if they have a strong foundational history with the potential employee along with strong internal references.
Staying Agile: The tech landscape is constantly evolving, with new technologies and methodologies emerging at a rapid pace. As a recruiter, I need to stay agile and adaptable, keeping up with the latest trends and developments in the industry to ensure that our clients have access to top talent with the right skills for their projects. This can be done pretty easily through our day-to-day tasks. Generally when a new role comes open looking for a tech stack we have yet to work with, you have the ability to talk through dozens of potential candidates a day with that skillset. Ask questions like “outside of your general years of experience (which hopefully you went over as a general starting question), what are other ways that I could use to summarize and highlight your mastery of this skillset. For example that could be ranging from everything you can do with/within the platform, if you have integrated it from scratch, of just difficult projects you had to work with within the skillset”. Based on hearing the answers of the dozen individuals you might talk to, you can start to determine what a high level of knowledge looks like relative to someone who is relatively new to the skillset.
Ultimately, my job as a recruiter isn't just about matching keywords on a resume—it's about understanding the unique needs and preferences of our clients and candidates and finding the perfect fit for both. By asking the right questions, building strong relationships, and staying agile in the face of change, I help our clients build high-performing teams that drive innovation and success in the tech world.
Blog written by P3+Uplift Sr. Technical Recruiter Hunter Haws.