What Is A Technical Recruiter And How Do They Differ From A Generalist Recruiter?

The advantages of a technical recruiter vs a generalist are often up for debate and pondered over by businesses in need of hiring support.

Whilst all recruiters, technical and generalist, carry out similar tasks and processes, there is a difference in knowledge, expertise, and levels of access to great technical talent.

By gaining a full understanding of the arguments involved in the technical vs generalist recruitment agency debate, organisations can make the right decision for the acquisition of their upcoming hires.

What is a technical recruiter?

A technical recruiter is a recruitment professional who specialises in technical roles in industries such as engineering or IT. Their responsibilities include attracting, sourcing, and screening fantastic professionals for organisations. They normally specialise in a particular area of their sector and will have in-depth knowledge of their niche. This can be particularly useful for businesses whose hiring managers have little experience or knowledge of the skills and responsibilities of the technical roles they are trying to fill with appropriate candidates.

Technical recruiters also create and nurture relationships with professionals in specific talent pools, which then gives businesses access to the best technical talent possible. The need for access to passive candidate talent pools, that would otherwise be unreachable, makes the skills of a technical recruiter very attractive to organisations.

What is a generalist recruiter?

A generalist recruiter, on the other hand, isn’t a specialist. They will source, attract, and screen candidates for a wide variety of roles, both technical and non-technical. They may work in a particular industry or sector, but the roles they fill will be very diverse. In contrast to a technical recruiter, the pool of candidates that they have access to will likely be larger but very varied.

The phrase ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ is well-suited to the adeptness of generalist recruiter. Their vast experience across sectors allows them to understand how different people work together, the range of managing styles, and business set-ups/operations. They have experience in growing individual departments and the headcount of organisations across different sectors and industries.

Technical vs generalist recruiters: How can they support organisations?

All standard recruitment processes and procedures tend to be undertaken by both technical and generalist recruiters alike. Decisions on whether to choose to work with a technical or generalist recruiter will often be based on whether organisations require access to specialist knowledge, expertise, and a better quality and more expansive talent pool.

Advantages of a technical recruiter

• Access to specialist and niche technical professionals

A technical recruiter will often specialise in a certain area of their sector. They will focus a lot of their energy on networking and building relationships with great technical professionals who match the skills and experience they tend to recruit for. They have large networks of professionals that they have built up relationships with over many years.

Great technical professionals often prefer working with technical recruiters over generalists because they have a strong understanding of their industry, background, and experience, and will likely have access to roles that are more aligned with their skillset as a result. Therefore, businesses working with a technical recruiter will have access to exceptional passive and active technical talent.

• Expert knowledge of the market

A good technical recruiter will have an intricate knowledge of their market. Their vast know-how of in-demand skills and work experience, plus projects being undertaken by businesses in their chosen section and big names who are growing/reducing their technical teams, means that they always have an excellent grasp of demand, compensation, benefits, and more.

A technical recruiter will communicate with specialist technical professionals day in and day out, as well as the companies that look to hire them. They understand candidate pain points and can advise businesses on how they can adapt their EVPs to make themselves attractive.

A technical recruiter will offer organisations market insights and other key information that can be essential to the hiring process. Generalists, on the other hand, may struggle to advise organisations on these details as they won’t have a similar level of knowledge. Choosing a generalist recruiter over a technical recruiter could end with businesses losing out on the talent they need.

• Knowledge of skills and experience

A fantastic advantage of a technical recruiter over a generalist is their knowledge of specific skills and competencies. A technical recruiter will know and understand what skills the professionals in their talent pool should possess and will be able to ask the right questions to assess if they are suitable or not. This means that the recruiter can pre-vet candidates when sourcing them and can send the hiring manager/ HR specialist a great list of candidates for them to choose to send to interview.

For businesses looking to hire technical or specialist talent, this makes a technical recruiter particularly useful because they will be able to send over the most relevant candidates they know would fit the role. This is in contrast to a generalist, who may not fully understand the differences between candidates’ skills and might put unsuitable candidates in front of the hiring manager.

• Access to great interim professionals

Businesses may need individuals to fill skills gaps immediately. However, the permanent technical recruitment process can take 2-4 weeks. Permanent hires need to be thoroughly assessed to ensure they are a good fit technically and culturally. In contrast, contract and interim professionals can slot straight into organisations to support any immediate needs.

Due to a technical recruiter’s large pool of candidates, they will be able to provide businesses with some fantastic interim contractors who could helpprojects or day-to-day activities stay afloat while they look for a permanent professional. Recruitment can be disruptive to businesses, but using a contractor can help keep projects and every day business operations running.

Advantages of a generalist recruiter

• Access to technical and non-technical candidates

Companies that are looking for one or a small number of agencies to support their entire hiring strategy across technical and non-technical departments are more likely to use a generalist recruiter to meet their needs. Businesses that use a generalist recruiter to cover all roles could find that it’s a cost-effective option, however, any technical role that businesses have will suffer as a result. The one size fits all approach that a generalist recruiter may take to mass hiring, will not be able to help organisations effectively hire technical professionals.

• Offer adaptability

A generalist recruiter can adapt to various sectors and projects with ease. They know a range of industries, job types, and departments. This allows a generalist recruiter to seamlessly assist hiring campaigns, regardless of the job role they need to recruit for. A technical recruiter may feel a little out of depth hiring a non-technical role, but for a generalist recruiter, jumping into unknown roles is their bread and butter.

• Looking for a junior role

If companies are looking for junior or entry-level talent, even in a technical industry, working with a generalist recruiter can work as well as a technical recruiter in some cases. This is because there is often less need for specialist knowledge or vetting and a lower level of knowledge of the sector is essential. Of course, a technical recruiter would be able to still fill the role well, either option could work.

The debate continues! If you are searching for a technical recruiter, particularly in your search for a top IT professional, VIQU is an award-winning IT recruitment agency. Get in touch with our team here and secure a fantastic new hire.