So you have a new technical recruiter join your agency or staffing company, and they’re fresh to the world of recruitment and tech!
How do you set them up for success so they can bring their best selves and start to place candidates and generate revenue as quickly as possible?
This guide is your roadmap to ensuring your new recruiter not only survives but thrives in their new role.
Let’s dive into the essential knowledge and learnings you need to provide to set them up for success.
Recruiting Knowledge
Recruitment Roadmap
You need to outline and explain the entire recruitment journey for your new hire. From sourcing candidates and conducting interviews to offer negotiation and candidate management and onboarding, give them a clear roadmap of the various tasks and responsibilities that a recruiter must master to place candidates. You should look to explain the importance of each step and share best practices based on your agency’s processes and the experience you and your team have gained through your careers.
The Art of Communication – Bridging the Gap
Your technical recruiter will play the role of translator between candidates and clients. You should share effective communication strategies, emphasizing active listening and empathy. Provide examples of how to ask the right questions to extract essential information from both parties, ensuring smooth and productive interactions and excellent stakeholder management. Your new recruiter will need to recognise what information is most important to each stakeholder and manage that flow of information through the recruitment process.
Tooling Mastery – Navigating the Systems
Knowledge of your agency’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and other recruiting systems are essential to their work. You need to provide comprehensive training on how to use these tools effectively. Help your new recruiter leverage these tools to their utmost capability so essential details don’t slip through the cracks and your recruiters can work as efficiently as possible and spend time with candidates and clients.
Building a Strong Online Presence
Your new technical recruiter’s online presence matters. Advise them to create a polished LinkedIn profile that showcases their expertise and enthusiasm for tech. Modern recruiters need to have marketing skills to build credibility and trust in their domain and so you should share tips on sharing relevant industry content, connecting with professionals, and positioning themselves as valuable resources in the tech community.
Networking Nuggets
Introduce your recruiter to networking opportunities within the tech world. Encourage attendance at tech events, webinars, and conferences. Highlight the importance of growing relationships with other recruiters, industry experts, and potential clients. Networking can lead to valuable partnerships and insights. This does not always come naturally and often needs some coaching and shadowing initially.
The above skills and knowledge are required for any recruiter to succeed no matter the domain. For technical recruitment, there is an additional layer of upskilling and coaching required so they can understand the domain sufficiently to be successful.
Tech Domain Knowledge
Tech Basics: Laying the Foundation
As your new technical recruiter is stepping into the world of tech, a basic understanding of key concepts and language is crucial. You should provide them with resources like knowledge libraries, online courses, or training materials to familiarize them with programming languages, industry trends, and technology fundamentals. This knowledge will boost their confidence when interacting with candidates and clients, help them build credibility and improve their ability to recognise strong candidates.
Deciphering Roles and Skills
Tech job descriptions can be a puzzle on their own. Take the time to walk your new recruit through different job roles, explaining the skills needed for each. It is even better to give them access to tools that provide this knowledge as they move between different role types and are always available for continuous learning. This understanding will help them spot the perfect match when assessing candidates and enable them to move between role types, skillsets, and more.
Industry Lingo: Buzzwords Decoded
Tech jargon can be overwhelming for a newcomer. Look to enable your new hire by helping them understand common tech buzzwords and their meanings. Understanding the industry language will help them recognise overlaps in technologies and skills so they can manipulate their sourcing efforts, have more informed conversations with candidates and clients and ultimately move closer to becoming authorities on the technical landscape.
Staying Abreast of Trends
Tech is a swiftly evolving landscape. You should look to regularly update your recruit on emerging technologies, trends, and shifts in the market. Provide them with resources like tech news sources and reports to keep them informed, help them understand the markets they are working, and provide insights into companies and competitive landscapes. This knowledge will help them align their recruitment strategies with industry demands and take strategic decisions rather than working blind.
Conclusion
By equipping your new technical recruiter with the combination of essential learnings and knowledge as well as the technical domain-specific upskilling, you’re setting them up for a successful journey in the world of technical recruitment.
There should always be some element of direct learning and onboarding from people in the team but you should equally look at external solutions that can guide and mentor your new recruiters as they work and uncover new areas where they need to build knowledge.
Remember, early learning, guidance, and support will play a vital role in their growth and ultimate success as a recruiter.
Invest in your people early and reap the benefits.
