Technical recruiting is challenging, the world of technology is constantly evolving, new role types consistently come on stream, new technical specialisms, new languages, frameworks and tools, it’s complicated.
And Technical recruiters need to understand this world in order to identify and hire talent for technology roles from software engineers to SREs through support and beyond.
For new technical recruiters, this can all be a daunting task! Often, they can be overwhelmed by the sheer scope of what they might need to know, confused by how deep their understanding needs to be, and reliant on more senior recruiters in their own company to help fill in the gaps with on-the-job training.
The challenge comes as these more experienced recruiters are busy with their own work which is important to the business. In the current system, all parties are left dissatisfied – senior recruiters begrudge the time taken from their own work, new recruiters don’t feel onboarded sufficiently and businesses suffer as both groups miss out on productivity.
With so many knowledge gaps to fill, it’s time TA Leaders rethink how they close new recruiter knowledge gaps and relieve the burden placed on senior recruiters to provide on-the-job training to new hires.
This is where a knowledge support system can provide the solution. A knowledge support system can be a cost-effective alternative, providing new technical recruiters with access to the knowledge resources, and expertise they need to boost their levels of confidence and ultimately, accelerate the time it takes for them to be productive in their roles.
This knowledge support system should follow the best practices of knowledge management and sharing and should contain a blend of knowledge assets to assist new recruiters.
Technical Knowledge:
Technical recruiting requires an appropriate understanding of the specific skills and experience required for each technical role. Without this knowledge, technical recruiters may struggle to identify suitable candidates or understand their technical abilities and have productive conversations.
Knowledge Journeys
A good knowledge support system can create learning and knowledge journeys for users to help grow their understanding and provide paths to expertise. This may be provided through access to guided platform journeys, technical training courses, e-books, podcasts, webinars, and other ongoing coaching materials that cover a range of technical topics. With access to these resources, new technical recruiters can more quickly develop a solid understanding of the technical skills and expertise required for each type of role they hire for as well as the core recruiting competencies for a variety of use cases.
Knowledge Experts
In looking to remove the burden from senior employees in a company a knowledge support system can provide new technical recruiters with access to technical experts and mentorship. Technical recruiting can be a complex and nuanced process, requiring understanding of the latest trends and best practices in the field. It’s important to demonstrate to candidates and hiring managers that you are part of their world. Through a knowledge support system new technical recruiters can connect with domain specialists who can provide valuable insights and feedback on their work. These connections can help new technical recruiters develop their skills, access bespoke knowledge, learn about new technologies and approaches, and gain exposure to different perspectives and ideas.
Market and Domain Insights
New technical recruiters stay up to date with the latest trends and developments in the industry leveraging a well-structured and targeted knowledge support system. It can help new recruiters build commercial and market awareness by exposing them to market trends and insights, significant events and knowledge of the competitive ecosystem and companies. Additionally, it can provide new technical recruiters with access to industry events, conferences, and seminars where they can participate and be part of the technical community.
One-to-many corporate memory
A knowledge support system provides a central hub for corporate memory of recruitment for companies. Recruitment functions can generate knowledge and insights around their recruitment efforts to support and guide recruiters of the future. This enables senior and experienced recruiters to contribute to the upskilling of new recruiters and helps companies retain essential knowledge and distribute it to many rather than relying on 1-1 mentoring and shadowing as is typical.
Ultimately, a knowledge support system can provide new technical recruiters with the recruitment knowledge assets and subsequent competency and confidence they need to excel in their roles. We know technical recruiting can be a challenging job and by providing new technical recruiters with the knowledge and expertise they need to tackle these challenges with confidence, new technical recruiters can develop their skills, avoid common mistakes, and build their confidence and credibility.
With the right support system, new technical recruiters can establish themselves as knowledgeable, productive, successful and adaptable recruiters and make a meaningful contribution to their teams and organizations. All of this, while removing the burden on senior recruiters so their success is not impacted and creating a company resource that grows in value through time as knowledge is created, curated and improved.
