Hiring top software talent quickly is a challenge many UK businesses encounter. At Apache Associates we work with hiring managers closely and know how to cut time to hire while maintaining high quality candidates. This article will run through the practical steps you can take to recruit faster and still hire software developers who will perform to your requirements.
Hiring Developers Faster
Smarter Sourcing
Candidate sourcing is where a faster process starts. Instead of relying on one channel, look to use a combination of job boards, specialist communities and targeted outreach. Build relationships with developer communities on platforms such as GitHub and Stack Overflow, taking take a more proactive approach to passive candidates.
Focus on your brand as an employer. Clear information about your tech stack, culture and career progression can attract the right applicants faster. Show real projects and results rather than unclear perks. Candidates want to know the problem they will be stepping in to solve and the impact they will make to your firm.
Why not use our current talent pool to shorten sourcing times? We are experienced in creating developer pipelines for clients across the UK for a range of brands.
Undertake Efficient Screening
Slow CV checks really slow down hiring. Instead move to skills based screening early on to filter out poor matches faster. Ask candidates for a short code sample or a simple take home task that will display the skills needed for everyday work. Keep required tasks time boxed and specific so you assess practical ability.
Introduce a phone screening to validate communication and cultural fit before lengthy time consuming interviews. A 20 minute call could save days of interview scheduling and helps to decide if candidates need full technical interviews.
Structured assessments can help to reduce bias with standardised criteria for technical and behavioural skills making decisions clearer and faster. It's a good idea to train hiring managers to assess so that everyone is on the same page.
Speedy Interview Processes
Long, multi stage interviews can slow you down and tire keen candidates. Aim for less focused, smaller interviews and ensure each one has a clear purpose. Stages could be a technical assessment, paired coding exercise and culture fit discussion.
Make sure that interviews are collaborative, for example, ask a senior engineer to judge technical skills and a hiring manager to look at team fit. Avoid repeating the same questions in multiple stages and share interview notes promptly so feedback is ready and decisions can be made right away.
Video interviews for initial stages are useful, but onsite meetings for final rounds are a sensible approach. This speeds up timings and expands the candidate pool geographically.
Improve Offer Acceptance
A fast offer is only effective if it sits well with your applicant. Therefore preparation of market aligned offers and training hiring managers to approve them can speed up the process. Delays in compensation approvals are a common reason to lose quality candidates.
Communicate clearly to candidates the compensation, benefits and career pathways as early as possible. If you need more time for negotiation explain the timeline and the next steps as your applicants will value honesty and transparency.
With your offer, give a strong onboarding outline with role milestones and mentor support that demonstrates you have a plan for their success to increase job acceptance rates.
Use Contingent & Contract Talent
If hiring for permanent roles is taking longer than anticipated, bringing in contract developers can keep projects moving to timeframes. Contractors can fill current skill gaps and sometimes convert to permanent hires if the fit is right.
Having a group of vetted contractors reduces lead time which is where we come in. Our team has a network of contractors ready to work, so you can maintain workflow while you search for the ideal permanent candidate.
Gather & Analyse Data
- Utilising data can help you to see what is taking the most time in your hiring process. Here are some key tips:
- Measure time to hire, drop off rates & source effectiveness
- Review the stages causing delays & fix
- Make small changes like interview calendar blocks or recruiter sprints
- Track hire quality in probation outcomes & performance reviews
Collating this data and making tweaks helps to ensure faster hiring without lower long term performance.
Practical Tips To Hire Software Developers Faster
- Standardise job descriptions with required skills & preferred skills
- Automate scheduling with tools that sync to calendars
- Pre approve budgets & offers to mitigate last minute delays
- Use a technical tests & pair programming to evaluate skills
- Keep communication strong for high engagement & respect
These practical yet small changes can all add up to a faster hiring process that vets for the depth and fit you need in your company.
High Volume Or Niche Roles
If you have a high volume of hiring to undertake, build talent pools with regular contact and tech focused content. For companies looking for niche skills, use specialist communities, conferences and targeted campaigns to reach the right people. Niche roles take longer so align workstreams by hiring contractors for non core work while you search for the perfect match.
Use referral programmes to accelerate the discovery of trusted candidates as they often convert faster and require less screening.
Work With An IT Recruiter
Working with a specialist IT recruiter can save your time to hire considerably. At Apache Associates we prequalify candidates to assess technical fit and handle the interview logistics so your hiring team can focus on the final decision. We also provide market insight on salary and skills to help you make competitive offers faste
Get in touch with our recruitment team to discuss urgent roles or learn more about our approach to developer hire.