3 Ways Dev Recruitment Agencies Will Improve Your Hiring Strategy

If you are looking at your developer talent acquisition strategy for 2023 and you are unsure why you are struggling to find the right hire, I’m sure you’ll be relieved (at least to some extent!) to read that dev recruitment is one of the toughest areas of IT recruitment in the UK.

With around 750 software developer jobs being advertised per week in 2023, but a skills shortage plaguing the industry, the heavy competition to secure the best talent is palpable. In fact, I remember reading a stat that said that for every developer there are 2.2 development roles available. Companies hiring web developers need to do all they can to attract talent.

But all is not lost. I honestly believe using a specialist developer recruitment agency is one of the best ways of hiring the right development professionals for your company. With the market as tight as it is, dev recruitment agencies like VIQU can give you a much-needed advantage.

Why are developers in such high demand?

Software development is a crucial area of IT, with most modern businesses relying on digital technology to help them operate. You might not think it, but software development plays a key role in almost all companies.

Many businesses rely on the latest technology to showcase their products or services to their clients or customers. Developers, in various roles, work on maintaining and deploying systems, testing, and debugging software, and much more. Things like a flashy site or an app with AI-integrated applications can attract and impress and can go a long way in building trust and brand loyalty. This is where developers can come in to help to create and integrate this.

New technologies, systems, and innovations are coming about every day and it is developers who can help you take advantage of these technological advancements and stand out among your competitors.

Being in a tight labour market means that companies hiring web developers have to offer more to attract the best talent. This has further pushed up demand as businesses struggle to hire. Knowing what to look for when hiring software developers and the key ways to maximise your recruitment strategy is more crucial than ever.

Dev recruitment specialists know what developers want

Developer recruiters like VIQU are continually meeting developers at the precipice of switching roles. So we understand their key pain points and what ultimately attracts them to a new business.

Below I discuss some of the main factors to consider when attracting developers to your business:

1. Learning and Development

Unsurprisingly, the opportunity for career and skills development is often at the forefront of IT candidates minds. However, for developers, having the scope within a company to flourish in their role, whilst continually updating their skillsets and knowledge of the latest technology is a huge consideration factor. According to a recent study, around 3 in 4 developers say they learn a new technology every few months. Offering development opportunities and space for them to personally improve their skills will be a good way to attract developers, especially if you cannot compete with your competitors by offering the highest salaries.

2. Remote Working

The attraction of remote and hybrid working for IT professionals is well known, and a major component for enticing developers. Before the pandemic only 19% of developers were fully remote, however, this increased to 86% in August 2021. This makes remote working an expectation for many developers.

If you’re worried a remote developer won’t be as productive at home as in the office, statistics show that 68% of developers say they are more productive at home in comparison to 32% who say they get more work done at the office. These statistics are staggering and show how important the ability to work from home is for developers.

3. Bonuses and incentives

There’s no denying that companies hiring software developers often have to offer higher salaries to secure top talent. For instance, IT Job Watch indicates a huge uplift in salaries for C# Developers in the last year (18% rise).

If you are unable to offer the high salaries we are seeing, you could consider providing an extensive bonus and incentive package. I know of some businesses who give a performance bonus at the end of every successful project, to encourage high performance and productivity. This can help not only attract developers but also encourage them stay at your company if you show a commitment to valuing good work. If the opposite happens and developers feel undervalued, they are much more likely to leave and you will have to restart the software development hiring process all over again.

With knowledge of what your competitors are offering development talent, combined with the main pain points that are motivating them to switch roles, we can help you develop your strategy to ensure you are an employer of choice in the development market.

A developer recruitment agency can help widen the candidate pool

Sometimes working against the tide of a challenging labour market for businesses can be frustrating.

It can be difficult to see the wood from the trees. That’s where a dev recruitment agency can add lots of value.

Through a detailed scoping call, where we discuss your exact needs and requirements for the role – what skills are essential and what are nice-to-have, we’ll help you deduce exactly what you’re looking for. Sometimes this actually widens your net of suitable candidates.

We scour our database of suitable candidates to see who will fit, as well as effectively using specialist job boards to find key talent. Additionally, we use our extensive online network, which my colleagues and I have built specifically around our specialisms, to advertise your role. This means your role will reach both active and passive candidates your company wouldn’t have access to.

Recruiting from abroad

Here at VIQU, we have years of experience assisting companies with navigating hiring international skilled workers. This is an untapped market of fantastic IT professionals – developers included.

Unfortunately, the process of becoming an approved Home Office Sponsor is full of red tape and costly barriers that can make the opportunity unattainable for many businesses. This undoubtedly puts off businesses from applying, especially small to medium sized companies.

However, that’s where VIQU comes in. We have been a skilled worker sponsor (formerly known as ‘Tier 2’) since 2017. We have welcomed multiple developers from the Philippines and Vietnam into our own internal development team, in addition to supporting numerous businesses to do the same. Our award-winning Skilled Workers Programme covers every aspect of the hiring and onboarding process, from using native speakers to source candidates, to travelling with you to conduct in-person interviews. We assist your company through every step of the immigration process and will even meet your new hires at the airport! This cuts out a lot of stress for you, so you can focus on choosing the best developer for your business!

We can help you through the process

As specialist dev recruitment consultants, we know that there is far more to a recruitment process than just finding the right individual. The dev recruitment process can be complicated and it can take a long time to get it right. The danger when proceeding with recruiting by yourself is you run the risk of either it dominating your business and taking your team’s time away from work which generates income for your business, or delaying the process to the point the developers are snatched up by another company.

We are here to ensure that doesn’t happen. Below I’ve included just a small selection of the tasks we can take care of, saving you time and money:

• Performing the boring tasks

The software development hiring process can involve multiple stages, as you want to assess and establish if the candidate has both the hard technical skills you need, but also would be a good cultural fit for your company. Don’t make the process unnecessarily long and arduous for yourself and hire a recruitment agency to cover the more simple, but time-consuming tasks. This can include pursuing references, organising technical assessments and evaluating the results, and ultimately chasing candidates.

• Organising interviews

A developer recruitment agency, such as VIQU, often has the expertise and the resources to organise a first-stage interview. Using a video interview platform, we can perform a first-stage interview for you asking the questions you want the candidate to answer, recording the session for you to look over at a time which is convenient for you. Additionally, we can provide the candidate with a link to a set of questions that they can record their answers to in their own time. This approach will save you from spending large amounts of time interviewing individuals that you know early on are not the right fit for your business.

• Keeping the candidate engaged and interested

When candidates are fielding multiple interviews at different companies, it’s hard to keep them engaged. We make regular check-ins with candidates to keep them in the loop of what’s happening and can help keep the process moving at a good pace, so they don’t lose interest. As we have explored, developers are high in demand so there is a big possibility if you don’t keep them interested and engaged in the process, they will go elsewhere.

We know that optimising your dev recruitment process is difficult for many businesses. We have the skills and expertise to help you every step of the way. Contact us today for support!