The Software and Data Engineering UK job market is booming, with candidates receiving huge numbers of opportunities and offers. While the pandemic has led to a shift in working expectations and mindsets, there are some things that never change in recruitment. With that in mind, here are a number of ways a company can set out their hiring process to be as effective as possible and stand out from the competition when hiring Data and Software Engineers: Clear Vision and Defined roleEngineers want to be part of a company and a role that means something, ideally in Tech for Good, Future technologies (Crypto, AI, Cyber, etc). Not every company can offer that but if you can’t then a clearly defined project with something meaningful for them to complete and achieve, will go a long way to attracting the best people. This also plays into IR35 for contractors too, essential to hire the best freelance staff that any contract role has a clear scope and falls Outside IR35. Timelines in terms of feedback and interview:It is estimated that a candidate can keep their attention for 2 to 3 weeks (max) during an interview process with one company. If you’re taking a week to feedback between interviews or at CV review then you need to ask yourself if hiring is a true priority. Non-complicated interview process:The most successful businesses have one-stage interviews (Contract) or two-stage for permanent employees. Both interviews will be technical and with Engineering Managers, lasting for between 30 – 60 minutes. The interview process will also contain no technical test unless a task is done at the meeting. Short and relevant interview processes leave a positive impression of the company and keep engagement high. Compensation:Salaries and day rates have increased in the engineering market, businesses need to adapt as they face pressure coming out of the pandemic due to both cost of living increases and competition from US-based companies giving the new remote working norm. Pre-pandemic salaries aren’t going to cut it in this market, so whatever you were paying pre-March 2020, add +15% to that to ensure you remain competitive. Remote and flexible working:Remote working is here to stay, and ignoring it will lead to a loss of potential talents. We recently worked with a client who required 2 days per week onsite in London. There were 15 Engineers available for work with the right skillset – only six were interested given the hybrid work (meaning 60% of the talent pool was immediately gone). If you can go above and beyond and offer flexible working to help with school runs and other family tasks that goes a long way too. There has been a mindset shift in terms of what is important post-pandemic and remote work is definitely close to the top of that list. Partner with recruiters who know the market: If you can identify one or two market specialists that operate within the engineering space you are recruiting for, they will be the quickest way to the Senior candidates. An agency recruiters’ job is to stay up to date in real-time with the market conditions and which candidates are becoming available. Some of the engineers never make it to the direct hire market as they are snapped up by agency recruiters and sold onto clients without them ever actively looking. If you’re not working with agencies, you are missing out on a massive talent pool.If you’re looking for more information or an informal conversation on the market, get in touch. Alternatively, take a look at our latest Software Engineering jobs for an example of how we work.
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