Recruitment for Startups: 5 Best Places to Look for Tech Candidates

The world economy is going through a massive transformation as companies face the Great Resignation’s adverse effects. Thousands of people are leaving their jobs in multiple industries, but sectors like Finance, Information Technology, Data Analytics, and Bioinformatics are facing the brunt of it. 

A recent article by McKinsey pointed out that more than 3 million cybersecurity positions worldwide were unfilled in 2020. The report also emphasizes that corporations must take advanced measures to attract and retain the most talented people in the technology domain in the coming years. 

Even small companies and startups are feeling the worst effects of The Great Resignation as they’re struggling to keep a hold of the best tech talent.

A report by Fortune magazine said that more than 5 million workers have quit their jobs since the pandemic began, and more are resigning each day. The below figure shows the employee leaving and unemployment rate since 2001.

quit rate fortune

Source: Fortune

Tech Recruitment for Startups

Recruiting tech talent is harder for startups, but the mass resignation across the globe has made it even more challenging. Hiring managers in these small corporations look for innovative ways to find, recruit, and retain the most talented tech professionals, often with inferior results.

We suggest considering these proven sources and strategies for startups and small businesses to find and hire the best tech talent faster:

1. Online Resources

Technology is an excellent boon for hiring managers, and today we have multiple advanced tools, thanks to the age of computers and the internet. Building a solid internet presence and going online are some of the most effective ways to recruit tech talent faster for startups. 

  • Job portals like Glassdoor, Linkedin, Indeed

Most companies turn to traditional job boards like Linkedin, Glassdoor, Indeed, and others for the best candidates. These are undoubtedly the most reliable and popular avenues to look for the most qualified applicants for any role. Posting an ad on one of these forums with a well-written job description is one of the easiest ways to attract and hire the most talented candidates in the tech industry. The infographic below compares the most trending job boards based on the quality of applicants. 

Source: Software Advice

  • GitHub

GitHub is one of the largest global communities for programmers, software developers, and other IT professionals. It is a unique hosting platform where developers can store their projects and collaborate with other programmers from anywhere in the world. GitHub is used by both big businesses working on commercial projects and programmers experimenting with personal projects because of the platform’s extensive features. GitHub is a perfect site to acquire developer talent with projects supported by actual user numbers, whether you’re seeking more information about a current applicant or scoping future candidates.

  • AngelList

Angellist is a household name for startups looking for the most talented people in the tech community. It started in 2010 as a mere job portal but has now developed into a massive global community where startups can interact with angel investors and hire talented individuals. A developer with a profile on AngelList is either already employed by a startup or looking for employment in a small enterprise. According to some estimates, AngelList has somewhere between 3 to 5 million current users. Most developers on AngelList are highly skilled and have years of experience, but they want to work in an environment that rewards their creativity. 

  • Twitter

Many people don’t know, but Twitter can be a brilliant source for recruiting the most talented tech individuals. It is mainly known as a microblogging and social media platform where people can share their views with the world with a short message. But lately, Twitter has been growing in popularity as a recruitment tool, mainly for tech jobs like data science, software engineering, web development, etc. The communications company claims it saw a 13% year-on-year increase in marketing and career-related conversations. Using tools like Follwermonk can be beneficial for hiring managers who want to leverage Twitter for recruiting the best tech talent. 

  • Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow is an online knowledge-sharing platform similar to a question-and-answer website where tech firms, startups, software developers, and other IT professionals can interact with each other. Some people call it a cross between Reddit and wiki for tech people, where they can upvote or downvote answers to questions while also having the option to edit the response. Companies can choose the subscription plan that best fits their requirements and reach out to more than 5 million people with exceptional technological skills. It is highly user-friendly and allows recruiters to filter candidates based on multiple criteria like the programming language, the technology used, developer type, location, and many others. 

2. University Events

Fresh university graduates are always looking for exciting job opportunities, and quite often, they are more talented than other, more experienced candidates. It should be noted that universities and colleges might not be the best places to look for mid to senior-level management positions. But they can be excellent for sourcing lower-level technical jobs with promising career paths. 

The best way to recruit the best tech talent from universities is to approach a local institution and ask about upcoming events. Many colleges have guest speaker events or mentorship programs which can be an excellent means to build a solid network among young technology enthusiasts. 

Such programs are not only personally fulfilling, but they also present chances to connect with up-and-coming talent. The mentorship model will also help you get to know the people you’re thinking of employing, lowering the likelihood that you’ll waste time on someone who won’t work out.

3. Job Fairs

Job or career fairs are another great way to find and hire the most talented people. They are specifically designed events where recruiters and hiring managers can interact with potential employees and discuss various job opportunities. 

Today, many virtual job fairs are conducted yearly, thanks to modern technology. Such virtual job fairs make it possible for global startups to recruit talented tech individuals from any corner of the globe. 

4. Technology Events

The tech industry is massive, and hundreds of events related to the technology world are conducted yearly in different parts of the world. Some of the most prestigious organizations hold various seminars, conferences, summits, and trade shows where the most innovative tech minds come together. 

AI in Finance Summit, Enterprise Connect, DevOps.js Conference, Open Data Science Conference East, and Computer Vision Summit are some well-known tech events where you can find the most talented people. Most of these conferences are held in places like Silicon Valley, London, Berlin, and San Francisco, but many are held virtually through online means. 

5. Coding Bootcamps

Coding bootcamps are short-term intense training programs or schools where students learn practical coding skills and become job ready in a matter of weeks or months. Earlier, these coding bootcamps were conducted on site where students would be taught high-level coding techniques for hours with a more extensive curriculum than regular university courses. 

However, since the global Covid-19 pandemic, many coding bootcamps are held online, where students from all over the world can come together to learn. The below infographic shows the prevalence of on-site and offline coding bootcamps around the globe. 

Source: Course Report

If you’re interested in finding out more about tech recruitment for startups and what you can do to attract top talent, get in touch with BenchPoint, a healthtech recruitment agency

We will be pleased to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have, and we can work with you to develop hiring strategies that are more clearly defined and yield the needed outcomes quickly.