Where to Find Tech Talent in SEA: Smart Hiring Ideas 💡
Sourcing specialists in the IT world is increasingly difficult, particularly in competitive markets like Bangkok, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
Why is it so hard to find the right tech talent in Asia? The main reason is a global tech talent crunch – there are simply not enough skilled techies to choose from. In order to offer the market what it requires, HRs and recruiters now turn to alternative sources to find the right professionals. We asked GetLinks talent managers for advice on where to find tech talents.
Here are some simple yet effective strategies we use to develop our candidate pool.
Be where your talents are, online and offline.
Online Tech communities
If you are looking for developers, keep in mind that they are spending a lot of their time on GitHub and GitLab. Explore portfolios and pay attention to the number of followers for each user you’re interested in. Pro tip: use the advanced search tool to scroll through the entire GitHub network. We recommend to search by programming language, then filter the results by ‘User’ to explore profiles.
Potential tech candidates can also be found on Stack Overflow where developers exchange questions and solutions to tech problems. Be smart about it. Since most developers don’t expect to be contacted through these platforms, look for their contact details and email them instead.
Get social
You have most likely tried LinkedIn: there are plenty of candidates to be found, both active and passive.
However, you wouldn’t be reading this if LinkedIn solved your sourcing problems.
Candidates get bombarded with messages, ads and job offers every day, therefore they are more selective and less responsive.
Give other channels a try. For example, Slack is gaining popularity among tech recruiters. You might have used Slack as a messaging tool, but did you know about tech community slack channels? Here is a helpful List of Slack Channels for local tech communities by region, and there are so many more just waiting to be found.
Don’t forget about Facebook groups and tech forums. Look out for related topics and notice those who actively contribute. Reach out when you see fit – making introductions on social media is easy as long as your message is highly personalized.
Don’t advertise, ask for advice instead.
It never hurts to ask for advice. Be friendly and explain that your team is looking for a talented coder/marketer/designer, and you are just trying to help. You’ll be surprised how much feedback you’ll get.
Offline Events
Events can not be underestimated when it comes to tech sourcing. There’s no better way to engage with tech candidates than meet them in person.
When searching for tech talents, look out for hackathons, local meet-ups, and workshops. Attend a few and you will realize that there’s no better way to connect skilled tech talents. Chat with developers, digital marketers, software engineers, data scientists, and other top tech professionals, network and extend your talent pool.
Pro tip: if you want to fill your IT positions with the best candidates, you must strengthen your employer brand in the tech space. Leverage social proof and mere exposure effect by co-hosting or sponsoring relevant events.
Employee referral programs
People don’t trust companies, they trust other people.
Have you considered finding job candidates through recommendations from your current employees? Simply asking your coworkers to spread the word won’t get you far.
It’s time to set up an effective employee referral program or improve an existing one. We found that the most effective employee referral programs are simple and transparent. Make sure your employees know exactly how to refer someone, explain the requirements and submit a referral. The easier the process, the better.
When your referral process is optimized, it’s time to move on to ask the most important question: how can you motivate your own employees to take part in the referral program? Here is the tricky part: most hiring managers faced with this problem look up the most effective referral bonuses online. And that’s where it all goes south.
There are dozens of bonus ideas, and some of them are truly innovative, but… have you considered asking your employees first?
Every company is different, so the only way to find out what reward would work best for your own employees is to ask them. Conduct a small survey to find out what would motivate them to take part in your referral program.
Once you’ve figured out the incentives, make sure you deliver on your promises and praise your referees publicly to encourage others.
Tech Talent Marketplaces
All of the strategies listed above are useful, yet time-consuming. Unfortunately, sometimes there’s simply not enough time to implement them. If you need to find skilled tech talents fast, talent marketplace is your go-to option.
Tech marketplaces combine the best of traditional recruitment and modern technologies to speed up the sourcing and the hiring process. We believe that cutting edge tech is as important as the human component, so look out for those community-centered marketplaces. Platforms like GetLinks Marketplace bring together active pre-screened candidates using all the above techniques, so companies have higher chances to hire qualified candidates fast.
Looking for skilled tech talents? Try our all-in-one tech recruiting solution, risk-free.
About the Author: Nat Poltavets
