When I hear from our sales guru Saku about another new IT recruitment case starting, many thoughts come to my head. Who is this new client? Will the position be appealing? Do they have realistic expectations about the market?
I often create an image of a certain company based on their product, website, and references I have about them. If it’s a well-established industrial company, as a recruiter I might easily think they are a bureaucratic and old-fashioned organisation. Or if it’s a startup, they could be unstable and on the verge of bankruptcy. However, these prejudices are too often limiting and don’t correspond to the actual situation.
Different things for different people
When coming to a kick-off meeting with a client, it’s best to be open-minded and see beyond the first impressions. And not just for me as a recruiter, but there is always something cool, something appealing to a certain kind of developer. Some appreciate stability, a solid long-term view and good personal development perspectives, whereas others enjoy fast change and the excitement of working in something really new and groundbreaking.
While some appreciate the technical challenge of optimizing code, others want to work close to the customer focusing on usability, design and meaningful products. I firmly believe there is always something in every company that will interest a specific kind of developer. My job is to match companies and developers, and for doing so the key is to truly understand what is cool and enticing about every open position. Sure, a given job won’t be for everyone, but there will certainly be someone who will enjoy and excel at it.
Our impressions of a company can come from our experience as consumers, from the news – or rumours – we have heard. But as recruiters we shouldn’t think of a workplace as if we were choosing it for ourselves, but rather have in mind the ideal developer that appreciates the kind of environment in question. We all have different priorities, but our own taste as individuals shouldn’t guide our judgment of a company. Instead, it’s best to come to every customer meeting with a fresh and open mind. Always.
💡 Thinking of your unique selling points as an employer is an important exercise to do. It’s also a part of our Recruitment Process Design service, where we map your talent personas and help you understand the best ways to attract talent specifically to your organisation. Read here how we worked with Logmore to ramp up their recruitment process.
