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Posted On Friday, November 8, 2024
Author: Philip Sampson (Account Director)
Recruiters, just like developers, have their own set of habits and techniques that can make or break the success of their mission—finding the best talent! Here are 10 developer-inspired habits every recruiter should adopt for better hiring practices.
Just like developers write code that even their future selves can understand, recruiters need to craft job descriptions that speak to actual humans (not just hiring bots). Skip the corporate jargon and vague buzzwords—nail down what the job actually entails. Think of it like writing a poem: keep the tone consistent, the message clear, and the structure logical.
Use simple language and descriptive titles. If you’re hiring a "Full-Stack Developer," don’t name it "Tech Wizard 4.0." Let’s keep it friendly, people.
In the same way developers organize code, you need to keep your candidate pool structured. Spamming your job boards and then drowning in a sea of resumes? Not ideal. Segment your prospects: sort by skills, experience, and fit for the company culture.
Your ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is like your code repository—keep it clean, tagged, and easy to navigate. Trust me, future-you will thank you.
Just as developers plan before writing a single line of code, recruiters need to plan before they start hiring. What’s the actual role? What skills are non-negotiable? A little prep before you hit "Post Job" will save you time and a ton of headaches down the line.
Don’t fall into the trap of rushing into interviews with no clear vision—you’ll only end up burning out and scrolling endlessly through resumes. Think ahead and streamline your process like a well-optimized codebase.
Recruiters, avoid making the hiring process an obstacle course! No one wants to jump through hoops to get the job. Make it lean and manageable. Developers automate to avoid manual errors, and you should too.
Create efficient interview stages and ensure all stakeholders know their roles. Keep your process flexible and tweakable—after all, a nimble approach can save you when you need to onboard that next-level hire quickly.
Developers often over-engineer solutions, and guess what? Recruiters can overdo it too! Stop adding unnecessary layers to the hiring process.
Hiring for a junior role? No need for a 10-step interview journey with five technical challenges. Keep things relevant to the position, and don’t waste your time (or the candidate's) on features nobody asked for—aka, extra interviews or irrelevant tests.
Got a glitch in your recruitment process? Debug it! Just like developers debug their code, you need to review what’s going wrong in your hiring funnel. Maybe candidates drop out after the first interview. Why? Conduct post-interview surveys, track KPIs, and use recruitment tools like analytics to troubleshoot.
Don’t torture yourself with manual fixes—use automation tools and analytics platforms to pinpoint the issue and streamline the solution. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel!
Just like a developer swears by their favorite code editor, recruiters need the right tools for the job. Sure, Excel works, but there’s a world of software out there to boost your recruitment game: LinkedIn Recruiter, Workable, or Lever, to name a few. Choose a system that gives you better candidate management and efficient workflows—think of it as your recruitment "IDE" (Integrated Development Environment).
A strong ATS with features like candidate parsing and automation can save you a ton of time. It's your power-up for mass resume reviews.
Ever wish you could "undo" a hire gone wrong? Unfortunately, life doesn't come with a "CTRL+Z" feature. However, you can still implement version control! Document everything—emails, feedback, interview notes—because there will be times when you need to backtrack.
A good version control system for recruiters might involve keeping clean records and timelines for every candidate so you can pivot without losing important details.
Recruiters often get caught up dreaming about the next shiny project before they’ve finished filling the roles on their plate. Don’t get distracted! Focus on closing out your current hires before moving on to something new.
Like developers who sometimes start writing a new app before finishing their current one, stick to the task at hand. Finish strong!
Recruitment is like programming in that it’s constantly evolving. New tools, new platforms, new strategies. Developers keep up with the latest coding languages, and you need to keep up with recruitment trends and hiring tech.
Whether it’s learning about AI for recruiting or diving into DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) best practices, staying ahead of the curve ensures you remain the go-to recruiter who knows their stuff.