Software engineers are coders, creative problem-solvers, and strategic thinkers. They can address the large-scale development challenges your company faces while taking into consideration limited resources, time constraints, and the impact on the organization.
The market for hiring people with these skills was intensely competitive before the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s only become more so in the intervening years.
Plenty of staffing companies can send employers a list of job seekers who have “coding” on their resume. That approach isn’t good enough for effective hiring. The best recruiters for software engineers know how to identify and engage the right talent on behalf of their clients.
It’s the reason employers partner with Agile, the IT staffing company.
Some staffing agencies send their employer clients massive amounts of unvetted resumes. In the industry, these agencies are known as “resume pumpers.”
When agencies don’t carefully review their candidates, clients waste days filtering through them with no real indication they have found the right person.
Other staffing agencies have the opposite problem: they don’t offer a large enough pool of candidates. Whether because of a lack of resources or time, they only interview a handful of software engineers. So, employers may not get the talent they need.
The average staffing company interviews four candidates before sending one to the client. On average, Agile interviews eleven candidates before presenting the best option.
This allows us to deliver effective, high-quality candidates in a timely manner — not just resumes for the sake of fulfilling our contract. (Learn more about our process and our IT recruiting firm’s services for employers)
Part of the reason that Agile has the best recruiters for software engineers is that technology is all that we do. Agencies that don’t specialize in this way either:
Some of our team members are developers who do their own coding. Others have years of experience in our clients’ industries and in growing technical teams. All have cultivated expertise through training and ongoing professional development, including the speakers and professional meetups that Agile hosts in-house.
Why all this effort?
First, it’s to ensure that clients get the right candidates.
Some agencies ask their clients for a job description, send off mass emails to anyone with a few matching keywords in their resume, and share the candidates they hope fit the job. That results in low satisfaction and low retention rates.
Second, authenticity matters to software engineer candidates.
When recruiters contact technology workers – and many are contacted hundreds of times in a given month, regardless of whether they are in the job market – these workers can tell the difference. They know when a recruiter is spamming them versus when an opportunity is a good fit.
To some agencies, it’s a numbers game: did you speak to 60 people today? Did you send enough candidates to the client this week?
At Agile, our standard is, “Are we getting clients the right candidates at the right time?”
Turnover has traditionally been high in the staffing industry. There are a few common reasons:
As a consequence, team members burn out over time, and agencies need to bring in more (inexperienced) hires. The average IT staffing professional stays with an agency for 1.5 years.
Through time and experience, our recruiters learn each client’s business in detail. They can send candidates that are a great fit for the company, team, and technology. They can anticipate hiring needs instead of playing catch-up at crucial times.
Agile retains its recruiters through a culture that values specialization and collaboration. Our people can have the careers they want instead of being pushed down a specific path. Recruiters and sales professionals assist one another and communicate closely about client needs.
We also have structured our staff into silos: groups dedicated to specific technologies and jobs. This includes a silo dedicated to recruiting software engineers. Organizing our team in this way helps us track performance and provide the resources our recruiters need.
Beyond Agile’s specific expertise in recruiting software engineers, our agency offers employers other important advantages.
A nationwide reach. Agile recruits candidates from outside of a limited local pool of professionals. This allows us to connect employers with the talent they need.
Sized for success. Agile’s size ensures transparency and responsiveness for our clients. Our operation isn’t hindered by massive teams and bureaucracy.
Flexibility. The software engineers that Agile represents can work for employers on a contract, permanent, contract-to-perm, or project basis.
Ongoing support. Our recruiters constantly check in with employers and candidates. By communicating with both sides, we promote the best experience possible for our clients and for the professionals they hire.
Ultimately, employers choose Agile because they want a partner. Our agency acts as an experienced adviser, one that serves our clients’ need for top talent. We look forward to helping you build your team and grow your business.
March 16, 2022