The Auckland Tech Talent Pool
Everyone talks about the skills shortage, but you’ll be pleased to know we’ve seen a real split in Tech roles, those that are straightforward to fill and those that require more time to ensure the right person is found. Skillsets where there seems to be available candidates is in the Help Desk, Infrastructure and Project Management spaces, meaning clients should have fewer problems getting people on-board. However, an area that is proving to be more challenging is in the Business Analysis skillset, where either candidates have multiple options and can pick and choose or clients are very particular about the background and this tightens the candidate pool.Whilst there’s arguably a large pool of BA talent looking for their next career move or contract role, we are regularly finding that when employers have really specific criteria for the role, it can make it harder to find the exact match. As a result, it’s common to see quality candidates who are a great fit for an organisation, knocked back at CV stage because they haven’t worked on a specific type of project or specialist software previously. I know how important it is to have the right industry-specific experience and skills, however, being flexible on requirements and allowing new recruits to apply their transferable skills can drastically increase employers chance of finding the right candidate and cultural fit in the current competitive market. So, a really good BA can typically turn their experience to most projects.
Contrary to the BA world, we’re finding a real shortage of candidates and availability of contractors in Data Security, Architecture and Development skillsets in the market. Unfortunately, this means employers need to allow for a longer turnaround time and a more proactive approach to be taken to secure the right talent in these areas.
The Need for Speed in the Recruitment Process
Time to recruit has never been more important. I know you’ve heard it before, but we’re seeing top candidates snapped up quickly in this competitive market, so it’s essential that employers are ready to go once they have the green light. This means ensuring budgets are signed off in advance or advising your recruiter if not so that the candidate can be kept informed. Unfortunately, due to legal changes from the government, we are no longer allowed to make offers subject to final checks such as references. This has made it so much more important to go to market when you’re ready and signed off. Contractors, in particular, are hesitant to consider roles without knowing that the budget has been approved and the contract duration is fixed.We understand that many employers juggle multiple priorities and when understaffed, the last thing you have time for is recruitment. My advice is to invest time upfront in getting budgets and other requirements approved and then hand over to your recruitment partner to manage the process for you. That way, when you find the right candidate, you can lock them in right away.
Communication is Key
Keeping your candidates engaged is vital as you move through the hiring process. We hear many candidates say they have a great interview but then don’t hear from the employer for weeks – at which time they’ve received an alternative offer. While that might mean employers are going through internal approval processes, the candidate can be kept in the dark, posing the risk that they’ll move on to something else.To overcome this, be clear with your candidates about when they should expect to hear from you. If you have a preferred candidate, keep them informed of where you’re up to at your end so they can be assured things are progressing and getting closer to offer stage. Communicating openly with your recruitment partner can also help secure your ideal candidate. Little things like the following can really help:
- A detailed brief at the start of the project can help streamline the process
- Providing feedback on candidates presented allows us to adjust the hiring brief as necessary, bringing you one step closer to your perfect hire.
If you’d like to discuss any of your upcoming hiring needs or trends in the Technology recruitment space, talk to me or my talented team of Technology recruiters at OCG today.