Pre-Recruitment

Pre-recruitment process is a set of actions that take place prior to the actual headhunting of IT specialists. A well-planned preparation sets the tone of the whole hiring and contributes to great results. There are 6 essential steps to undertake, before launching a hiring process.

1. Analyze your current human resource 

Before starting a recruitment process, you need to understand whether there is an actual need in hiring any additional personnel. To get a grasp of that, you should revise your company strategy and define how many software developers you’ll need for its implementation. If you plan to make your software more sophisticated and modernized, launch the development of a new product, or just simply scale up, you will definitely need to hire new specialists in your engineering team. By getting feedback from the team lead or engineering manager on the current state of the development team, it will be possible to identify those IT experts your company needs to achieve the established goals.

2. Set a hiring budget 

Remember that the amount of allocated funds will determine the course of the recruitment campaign. Therefore, when setting your budget for the hiring process, make sure it’s realistic and adequate.

3. Identify position status

Before proceeding with job requirements, it’s crucial to identify the position status. Your department manager or team lead can determine whether it’s going to be a full-time, part-time, fixed-term, temporary, or casual employment, depending on specifics of the position and present needs. 

4. Compile an ideal candidate profile 

Once the position status is clear, your HR department can start working on the creation of an ideal candidate profile. It should contain the desired hard & soft skills, education, plus years of professional experience of the candidate to successfully cope with your tasks.

5. Develop a recruitment strategy 

Another vital aspect to consider during the pre-recruitment stage is your hiring strategy. A well-thought-out recruitment plan can help you achieve the desired hiring goals swiftly and cost-effectively. Make sure you think over such aspects as:

• Interview stages
• Time frame (a distinct period your entire hiring process might last)
• Channels and tools for sourcing candidates

The final phase of the pre-recruitment process is the creation of a catchy job advert. To reach a wide audience, it’s better to post your vacancy on popular job boards and social media (LinkedIn in particular). 

Another vital step of the pre-recruitment process is the employer branding campaign. This is usually conducted when scaling up in an offshoring destination. When entering new markets, local candidates may be unaware of your company which can lead to both protracted and unfruitful recruiting. To get the best results, try cooperating with an IT recruitment partner, who is well-aware of the local market and can present you as an employer in the best light.