Tech talent shortage is still a problem despite all layoff news we heard in 2023. 57% of UK tech professionals say that the tech talent shortage has increased compared to last year. Companies such as Meta and Salesforce who massively laid off in previous quarters are planning to (re)hire in the comings months.
When I founded Supportful as a software engineering staff augmentation company 2 years ago, I started from scratch. I didn't even have a single tech talent or a database for that matter. Today, we have close to 1,500 software engineers in our talent pool.
This guide is meant to help you replicate what was an efficient process for me to build a top talent pool and continuously nurture it. The objective is not to make the pool as large as possible, but rather a curated list of the best talents out there. That's why a traditional approach consisting of buying lists of names and posting job ads will not make wonders. To get A-players, you have to proactively hunt for them in non-conventional places.
To start off, you only need a well-organized database. It could be a simple spreadsheet or an advanced HRIS software. The most important thing is the candidate information and how you organize it for efficient retrieval.
In addition to the person's contact details and their resume if available, I make sure to add the following:
To get all of the above data, I check a person's LinkedIn profile, website, or GitHub profile. Most of the time, you only get part of the information. A phone call with them is the best way to secure the rest.
When I chat with a software engineer, I want first to assess their current situation and see if I can provide a better growth path for them. I ask them about their previous experience and about their current role. I try to understand their exact aspirations, i.e., what's good for THEM, not for me.
I once had a conversation with a software engineer that was doing well in his position and was learning a lot. The opening I had for him was better paid, but not as interesting and challenging as his current role. I advised him to stay at his company and wait for another opportunity that could be better at all levels. He appreciated the advice, and eventually referred a friend of his for that opening. Being genuine and transparent always pays off.
A Premium LinkedIn subscription will be of help. It will allow you to browse LinkedIn and all people's profiles without any restrictions. You can also get a Sales Navigator subscription for its advanced filtering capabilities - although I wouldn't put too much importance on getting Sales Navigator compared to a Premium subscription.
With a Premium LinkedIn subscription, you can use the platform's filtering criteria to find talented software engineers. However, some of the most talented programmers have either little LinkedIn presence or basic social media footprint - or both. They are however present on unconventional platforms.
GitHub is the largest source code repository in the world. It is also THE social network for software engineers, with more than 100 million registered developers. When you land on a user's landing page, you can view their achievements, how actively they have been developing lately, and their public contributions.
I use Google or the website's search functionality to find high-ranking developers in terms of followers or contributions.
Stack Overflow is the pre-ChatGPT platform for development Q&A. While its usage slowed down after ChatGPT became the go-to destination for programmers, it is still a leading platform to find top talent. Users have a profile page with badges and reputation that help identify the most prolific and helpful developers.
Tech gatherings are a great place to find talented software engineers. They can happen on-site or online online. Examples of such events include community meetups (AWS User Groups, GDG, Meta Dev Circle) and hackathons.
When you attend an event, the objective is to network and identify who are the community stars. They can be speakers or attendees. I try to engage with as many developers as possible, especially those who ask relevant questions during tech talks.
At Supportful, we've partnered with leading bootcamps in Lebanon such as SE Factory and Zaka AI to tap into their talent pool. The best bootcamps train people on becoming great software engineers. While most of the graduates are early in their career, they usually prove to be good hires with a high growth potential.
There's wisdom in old proverbs. "Birds of a feather flock together" is applicable to almost any group of human beings, including developers. When you meet a top software engineer, chances are their friends are of the same caliber. Referrals create win-win-win situations: the referring engineer is happy to help a friend; the referred engineer gains access to new opportunities; and I get to add top talent to my pool.
An outdated pool is an inexistent pool. The information about software engineers in your talent pool should be as up to date as possible. I'm not talking about real-time updates, but rather about being aware of major changes.
Scheduling pool updates as a recurring task in your calendar is the safest way to commit to it. It can be done on a quarterly or on a bi-yearly basis, and limited to the top 50 talents in your pool. Getting updates can be done asynchronously from the talent's most maintained profile page or directly via email or phone. You can also do it occasionally, for example after receiving a LinkedIn notification about someone starting a new position.
On the other hand, I make it a point to grow my talent pool on a weekly basis. I book time for this task every Friday and set an objective of adding an average of 5 new software engineers a week. That's around 235 new additions every year.
Being consistent pays off. When the opportunity is there, you'll be grateful for having the right talent match. Hope this guide will help you in building your own talent pool!
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