The Simple and Effective Ways to Follow Up After a Tech Interview

Getting the ideal tech role often involves a lot of patience. You need to regularly check job listings, interact with your tech recruitment company to discover new opportunities that match your skills, and constantly write new cover letters and CV.

When you finally land an interview, the chances are you’ll be eager to hear back from your potential employer as quickly as possible. While there’s not a lot you can do to accelerate the company’s hiring decisions, following up with a hiring manager or recruitment team can be beneficial.

The right approach to the “follow-up” phase helps to convey your passion and interest in the job you’ve applied for. It also lets you keep employers updated about your situation and demonstrate your soft skills (such as excellent communication).

The key to success is knowing how, when, and why to follow up effectively.

There’s a right and wrong way to follow up after a tech job interview. Contacting a company too frequently could make you seem overly eager (and pushy), which might harm your chances of getting the role you want.

However, failing to follow up completely could make you seem disinterested or less memorable to your interviewer.

The best way to approach the follow-up process is to set the foundations at the end of your interview. Ask the interviewer when you can expect to hear back from them about the next steps and if they have any specific preferences about how you should contact them.

Using this information, you can effectively navigate the following three methods of following up after your job interview.

The Power of Thank-You Notes

The thank-you note is the one message you can send to every interviewer immediately after your tech job interview. It doesn’t ask them for an immediate decision or push them for more information; it simply shows you’re grateful to have an opportunity.

Typically, sending this note between 24 and 48 hours after the interview is a good idea.

You can send your thank-you note via email, text, or social media, or even leave a voicemail (depending on your interviewer’s preferences).

Whichever method you choose, keep the note short and sweet. Express gratitude and mention one specific thing about the interview that resonated with you, reinforcing your enthusiasm for the tech role.

You can also use this opportunity to highlight why you think you’re a good fit for the role. For instance, if you were excited to hear about the company embracing more tech, mention that and note how you’re currently experimenting with innovative solutions yourself.

What to Include In Your Follow-Up Email or Message

If you’re sending a follow-up email or message, keep things straight to the point. If you send an email, include a specific subject line, such as: “John Smith: Re: Interview on April 5^th, 2 pm”.

Start the email by using your interviewer’s name and reminding them of your name: “Hello Jane, this is John Smith; we spoke on [Date, time]”.

Again, keep this note short and straight to the point. The content should be similar to your thank-you note, expressing your interest and excitement about the role. It might help to reference something you’ve recently heard about the company or industry. For instance, you could congratulate the team for winning a recent award.

Ask if there’s any additional information you might be able to provide that could help the company’s hiring decision, and let them know you’re looking forward to hearing from them.

Follow-Up Etiquette

Knowing how to follow up effectively after a tech job interview is a great way to demonstrate your passion for a role and excitement about a job. However, it’s important to use the right approach. Here are the three things you should focus on:

Getting the Timing Right

While you can immediately contact a hiring manager with a thank-you note, you shouldn’t ask for information about their decision too quickly. Nor should you constantly bombard them with endless messages. Follow up once after the date your hiring manager gives you, indicating when they’ll be making their hiring decision, and then wait.

The only time to avoid this rule or reach out earlier than the date is when something changes in your situation. For instance, you can inform your hiring manager if you get an offer from another tech company or acquire a new certification.

The Content and Tone

Regardless of what happened in your interview, always thank the hiring manager for the opportunity when sending follow-up messages. Expressing your passion and excitement about the tech role is also important. Be professional, friendly and enthusiastic with your tone of voice. Remember to reference the interviewer by name, too.

Personalising the Message

When following up with an interviewer, take a personalised approach. Call the interviewer by name and reference specific things in the interview. Hopefully, you will have taken notes throughout the interview, so you’ll know what to mention.

Follow Up on Your Tech Interview the Right Way

Mastering the art of tech interview can significantly improve your chances of getting the role you want and pave the foundations for a positive relationship with the leadership team in your new company.

Knowing when and how to send a thank-you note, follow-up message, and feedback request will help you navigate the post-interview phase professionally and confidently.

If you’re looking for help with your recruitment strategy, get in touch by calling James Shenton Managing Partner for Technology on 01580 857179 or send us an email here.

Opus Resourcing recruits world-class SaaS, technology, commercial and executive talent for companies ranging from seed-stage start-ups to Fortune 500 companies within the UK, Europe, and the US.

Book a Call with James Shenton

How To Make Your SME Attractive for Tech Candidates

In a skills-short tech landscape, attracting standout talent is challenging for every organisation. Unfortunately, it can be particularly hard for small to mid-sized businesses and enterprises SME.

Not only do these companies lack the same resources as larger, more established businesses, but they can also struggle to capture the attention of candidates keen to work with industry giants.

According to data shared by several industry bodies across the globe, over 80% of businesses with fewer than 50 staff members struggle to fill open positions. By contrast, 67% of large companies are experiencing the same issue.

Fortunately, the right strategies can still help smaller companies stand out and appeal to exceptional candidates in the tech industry. Here are several ways to give your SME an edge.

1.   Define and Demonstrate Your Company’s Culture

Tech candidates are no longer influenced exclusively by salary and benefits. Driven by a desire for meaningful work, empathetic employers, and exceptional work-life balance, candidates focus more on company culture to help them identify the ideal role.

Identifying the core components of an excellent company culture and showcasing how this translates in job descriptions, websites, and interviews will help enhance talent acquisition. In today’s tech space, an excellent company culture should include:

• A clear vision: Companies with a clear vision or mission benefit from a more aligned, collaborative company culture. They also attract candidates searching for meaning and purpose in their tech roles. Show your candidates how you commit to improving your community, industry, or world.
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion: A strong “DEI” initiative is now essential to attracting a broad range of talented professionals to your team. Demonstrate how you treat every employee with fairness and respect, ensuring every team member is valued and fully integrated into the dynamics of your workplace.
• A commitment to employee wellbeing: Candidates want to see evidence that you respect their need for work-life balance. Highlight how you enable flexible working options for team members, promote wellness by encouraging team members to take time off, and contribute to reducing burnout and stress among employees.

2.   Offer Competitive Compensations and Benefits

Though 58% of employees now say they’re more attracted to other factors, such as career development opportunities and job security than excellent remuneration, a competitive salary and benefits will still boost your chances of attracting the talent you want.

Depending on the size and financial health of your tech business, you may be unable to match the compensation packages bigger companies offer. However, it’s still important to conduct regular salary benchmarking assessments to ensure you’re offering staff a fair wage.

If your compensation package is on the lower end of the scale for the role you’re trying to fill, look for ways to enhance the appeal of your role with unique benefits. Consider offering team members performance-based incentives to encourage ongoing motivation. Look at opportunities for flexible work arrangements, such as hybrid work or four-day work weeks and more holidays.

It’s also worth committing to regular wage reviews to improve your chances of retaining staff and maintaining their loyalty.

3.   Emphasise Opportunities for Growth and Development

Career advancement is a priority for many tech candidates. This is particularly true now that the workplace is growing more dynamic, and the demand for diverse skill sets and digital literacy is evolving.

Showing candidates they can learn and grow in your organisation, with training solutions for hard and soft skills, will help expand your talent pool. Consider experimenting with training and mentorship programs, highlighting career progression programs in interviews and job descriptions, and sharing employee achievements on your website.

Investing in a strong approach to learning and development opportunities helps attract candidates to your team. It builds resilience in your workplace, ensuring your company can constantly adapt to changing tech dynamics. Plus, development opportunities can improve retention. As a recent article on LinkedIn shared, 94% of employees say they’d stay with a company longer if it invests in their professional growth and development.

4.   Build an Incredible Employer Brand

In today’s digital world, tech candidates have more opportunities to review and assess the “brands” of their employers than ever before. Up to 88% of candidates say they examine employer branding when deciding whether to apply for a role.

Building an effective employer brand means finding ways to draw attention to the unique aspects of your business that should make it appealing to candidates. Always promote your employee value proposition (EVP), highlighting learning opportunities, compensation packages, and company culture on every platform.

Don’t only create a powerful “About Us” page and share stories from employees on your website. Give your team members a voice on social media. Share videos of team-building events and regularly draw attention to your organisation/organization’s latest accomplishments.

5.   Improve the Recruitment Process

Candidate experience is another crucial factor influencing how easily SME tech companies can attract talent. The more complex or frustrating it is for employees to get a role within your business, the more likely they will avoid you. Remember, candidates who have a bad experience can easily share their insights on social media and online forums, harming your brand.

Assess your recruitment process carefully, looking for ways to reduce friction and frustration for candidates. Consider how easy it is for potential employees to find information about your company, fill out application forms, and take screening tests.

Consider updating how you interview candidates offering remote and video interviews to reduce the need for travel. Additionally, think carefully about how you follow up with candidates during the hiring process. Regular communication can improve a candidate’s perception of your brand. Even if you don’t hire every candidate you meet, leaving them with a positive impression of your brand means they’ll be more likely to join your talent pool.

6.   Work with an Experienced Tech Recruitment Company

While there are various ways you can make your tech SME more appealing to talented candidates, working with an experienced recruitment company is the best way to increase your reach and reduce talent gaps.

An experienced recruitment company will allow you to tap into talent pools you wouldn’t otherwise be able to access. They can leverage their existing networks to fill your pipeline with relevant passive and active candidates ideally suited to your role.

Moreover, their knowledge of the industry and candidate priorities will help you define the best way to capture the attention of talented professionals with the right benefits and rewards. Your partner can even help you refine processes like writing job descriptions, promoting your employer brand, and streamlining interviews.

Finding valuable talent in a skills-short tech environment can be complicated for any company, but it’s particularly challenging for smaller businesses with limited resources. The strategies above will ensure you can expand the reach of your employer brand, connect with more relevant candidates, and increase your chances of filling talent gaps.

Plus, working with a recruitment company will help you further build on these methods, ensuring you can position yourself as the “employer of choice” for the right talent, regardless of your company’s size.

If you’re looking for help with your recruitment strategy, get in touch by calling James Shenton Managing Partner for Technology on 01580 857179 or send us an email here.

Opus Resourcing recruits world-class SaaS, technology, commercial and executive talent for companies ranging from seed-stage start-ups to Fortune 500 companies within the UK, Europe, and the US.

Easy Ways Managers Miss-Motivate Teams: Avoid These Pitfalls

Motivation is the lifeblood of a successful tech team. Motivated employees are more productive, engaged, and creative than their counterparts. They’re also more likely to stay with your business and adapt rapidly to changing workplace dynamics.

That’s crucial when the tech industry is navigating constant evolution and growing skill shortages. Unfortunately, motivation can be difficult to cultivate and preserve. Even the most committed team members can lose their drive and enthusiasm over time.

The good news is there are ways to nurture motivation in your workforce. Here, we’ll examine some of the easiest but frequently overlooked ways you can reinvigorate your team.

1.   Unify Your Team Around a Shared Vision and Goals

A person’s motivation is largely affected by their sense of purpose in the workplace. It’s hard to feel enthusiastic about a role and the tasks you complete each day if you don’t know what you’re working towards or how your efforts are paying off.

Unfortunately, many business leaders and managers in the tech industry fail to share their vision with their team. Simply helping your employees understand their purpose in the workplace, what their targets should be, and why their work is important makes a huge difference.

Based on your knowledge of your company’s goals, set clear, realistic, and measurable goals for your team members, and help them understand how their targets align with your organisation’s “bigger picture”.

2.   Cultivate a Culture of Appreciation with Regular Recognition

A Nectar study found that 83.6% of participants believe regular recognition directly impacts how motivated they feel at work. Praising your tech employees’ efforts and celebrating achievements helps reinforce good behaviours in the workplace and keeps teams pushing towards new targets.

There are plenty of ways to reward your team members, from giving them additional paid time off, financial bonuses, or flexible work opportunities. However, expressing genuine gratitude with a personalised message or comment can make a huge difference.

Additionally, when giving positive feedback, it’s worth explaining exactly what you’re commending your employee for. Don’t just tell your team members they’ve done a “good job”; tell them you appreciate their creativity, intuition, or adaptability.

3.   Provide Opportunities for Growth and Development

Tech employees are more likely to feel motivated if they see they’re making genuine progress in their careers. Prioritising your team’s development doesn’t just help them become more efficient and productive in their roles; it also improves their job satisfaction.

It also shows your team members that you believe in their potential and see a future for them within your business. Provide your staff members with various ways to improve soft and hard skills through training, mentorship, and online courses.

Try to tailor these development opportunities to each employee’s professional goals and aspirations, as well as the needs of your business. This will boost motivation and ensure your tech company can benefit from a more skilled, adaptive workforce.

4.   Build an Inclusive, Collaborative Environment

A supportive, collaborative, and inclusive company culture is crucial for success in the tech landscape. A recent study by Forbes revealed that companies with robust cultures have up to 72% more engaged employees, and engagement is closely linked with motivation.

First, focus on building an inclusive environment where every team member feels respected and valued by their managers and colleagues. Next, ensure you’re constantly strengthening the bonds between your team members with cross-departmental collaborative work, team-building activities, and regular meetings.

Encourage staff members to get to know each other and praise employees who empower and elevate their colleagues. When hiring new team members, consider how they’ll contribute to the company culture you’re trying to build.

5.   Create a Feedback Loop

We’ve already mentioned the importance of sharing positive feedback with your [sector] team, but all feedback forms are valuable for growth. Constructive feedback, even when addressing an error or mistake, directs your team members.

It shows them that you believe in their ability to improve and inspires employees to keep progressing with a growth mindset. Crucially, however, feedback shouldn’t be one-way.

Opening yourself up to feedback from your team is also important. When team members can freely share their thoughts and opinions, they feel more invested in the company. Additionally, showing your staff you value their input shows trust and respect, improving team morale.

6.   Promote Work-Life Balance and Wellbeing

Burnout and stress harm employee motivation and engagement. Unfortunately, in today’s fast-paced tech workplace, it’s easy to overlook the importance of employee wellbeing. Creating an environment that promotes good mental and physical health reduces the risk of burnout and shows your team members you care about them.

Consider offering access to flexible work schedules to ensure your team members can balance their work with their personal responsibilities. Encourage teams to make the most of their time outside the office and allow them to “disconnect” from the workplace by turning off notifications.

You could even look into implementing wellness programs, giving employees access to discounted therapy sessions, gym memberships and healthy food. The happier and healthier your teams are, the more motivated they’re likely to be.

7.   Empower Through Autonomy

In the competitive tech landscape, it can be difficult for managers to let go and give their employees independence. However, micromanagement stifles creativity, demotivates employees and even increases turnover. Up to 69% of people say they’ve considered leaving their role after being constantly micromanaged.

Show your employees you trust them by giving them the freedom to complete tasks in their own way and make their own decisions. If you need to monitor the progress of a project, arrange an end-of-week meeting where you can discuss things with your team and plan the next steps.

You can even improve autonomy by clarifying how often you expect your team members to check in and provide updates at the start of a project.

8.   Embrace Frequent and Open Communication

Communication also has a direct impact on how motivated your employees feel. The more your team members can connect and share information with their colleagues and supervisors, the more clarity they’ll have on their goals and targets.

Additionally, creating an environment of open communication, where everyone is encouraged to share insights, feedback, and ideas, nurtures creativity. Committing to constant and transparent communication with your tech team is also beneficial.

Regularly keeping employees up-to-date about project changes or important things happening in the organisation makes them more likely to trust their managers. It’s hard to feel motivated when you don’t know whether you’re being kept out of the loop.

Finally

Consistent motivation is crucial to success in any industry. However, nurturing high motivation levels in your tech team requires more than a commitment to setting goals and occasionally distributing rewards. By implementing the strategies outlined above, you can boost your chances of keeping your staff members motivated and engaged.

What’s more, you’ll benefit from a stronger, more attractive company culture that helps reduce talent turnover and attract new employees.

If you’re looking for help with your recruitment strategy, get in touch by calling James Shenton Managing Partner for Technology on 01580 857179 or send us an email here.

Opus Resourcing recruits world-class SaaS, technology, commercial and executive talent for companies ranging from seed-stage start-ups to Fortune 500 companies within the UK, Europe, and the US.

Book a Call with James Shenton

Why You Should Include Interests and Hobbies in Your Tech CV

An effective tech CV is your first opportunity to leave a lasting impression on your employer. However, since the average hiring manager only looks at a CV for 6 to 7 seconds, it’s important to keep this document concise. That’s why many candidates often omit sections referencing their hobbies and interests.

It’s easy to assume your passions are irrelevant to your employer’s hiring decisions. But, when they’re implemented correctly, they can offer useful insights into your personality, skills, and potential cultural fit. A well-crafted hobbies and interests section could differentiate you from the competition in a complex tech job market.

We recommend including hobbies and interests in your CV and our top tips for ensuring they make the right impact.

The Benefits of Including Hobbies and Interests

In the seconds it takes for a tech employer to scan your CV, you need to grab their attention and encourage them to spend more time getting to know you.

The right collection of hobbies and interests can highlight your skills, pave the foundations of an emotional connection, and give you an edge over other candidates. When they’re carefully infused into your CV and relevant to the role you’re applying here is how and why hobbies and interests can help:

Forge an Emotional Connection

Hobbies and interests humanise tech candidates, providing a deeper insight into who they are as a person. They can help employers visualise what you’ll be like to work with. For instance, if you’re applying for a position as a tech team manager, sharing that you enjoy coaching your son’s football team shows you’re passionate about helping others succeed.

Highlighting specific hobbies can even establish common ground with hiring managers. After reading a company’s “about page”, if you notice a CEO spends her free time taking cooking classes discussing your love of baking, it shows you have common interests.

Hobbies and interests also show commitment and passion, two things most hiring managers are looking for in any tech candidate. Employers love candidates with drive and enthusiasm.

In many cases, hobbies and interests can also help to break the ice during interviews. When hiring managers have more information about you, it feels less like they’re speaking to a stranger. They can ask you questions about your hobbies and start forming bonds with you as a person.

Reinforce Relevant Skills

Used correctly, hobbies and interests in a tech CV are an excellent way to draw attention to relevant, transferrable skills. Many hobbies offer an insight into your skills that may not be evident based on your qualifications and previous work experiences.

For instance:

Playing team sports

Team sports like basketball/football/baseball show you’re comfortable working well in a team. If you lead the team, you can demonstrate leadership skills, such as solving problems, managing conflict, and motivating others.

Volunteering

An interest in helping shows you care about others and are committed to giving back something to the people around you. It demonstrates that you’re not driven solely by monetary rewards and have a strong sense of purpose.

Coding or tech hobbies

Coding and technology-based hobbies demonstrate a passion for learning and discovery. They can highlight critical thinking, problem-solving, and numerical analysis skills. They also show you are adaptable, as you can follow a fast-paced industry.

Demonstrate Cultural Fit

Hiring for cultural fit can help tech employees reduce onboarding costs and improve their chances of retaining talent. Employers are increasingly searching for candidates who can add value to their culture, help them achieve their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, and contribute to excellent team dynamics.

Your interests and hobbies can provide insight into whether you’ll fit well with the company culture. They demonstrate a commitment to work-life balance, indicating that you’re invested in your wellbeing and are less likely to suffer from burnout.

They can also demonstrate that you share the same work ethics as your colleagues. For instance, sharing a passion for travelling in your CV can show you have strong cultural awareness and sensitivity. It also demonstrates excellent organisational and time management skills and an ability to adapt rapidly to changing circumstances.

How to Choose Which Interests to Include

While including hobbies and interests in your tech CV can be valuable, preserving the right balance is important. Your passions shouldn’t overwhelm your experience and credentials but augment the information you provide.

When choosing which interests to include, focus on:

Relevance to the Job Role

Every skill or interest you mention should be relevant to the role you’re applying for. If you’re applying for a tech managerial position, it makes sense to draw attention to hobbies that have improved your leadership skills. You might mention that you’re the captain of a sports team or responsible for event planning as part of a charitable initiative.

Honesty and Authenticity

While it might be tempting to try and tailor your hobbies to what you think your hiring managers are interested in, it’s important to be honest. Don’t tell employers you love fishing because you’ve heard the CEO goes fishing. There’s a good chance you’ll be asked questions about your hobbies that reveal you haven’t been truthful.

Preserving Balance

Even if your hobbies are a big part of your life and potentially relevant to the role, don’t focus on them too heavily. Use your hobbies as supportive evidence of your skills and competencies, but focus primarily on your professional skills and experiences. Remember, a CV should only be one or two pages long.

How to Incorporate Interests on Your Resume

Each tech CV you send to a company should be tailored to that organisation and the role you’re applying for. When incorporating your interests and hobbies into your CV, think carefully about:

Placement and Formatting

How you position your hobbies and interests in your CV, will depend on the value they’ll add. The most important information about you should be placed at the top of the first page. If you feel a specific hobby demonstrates how effective you’ll be in a role, you may mention it at the top of the page in your personal summary.

If your hobbies and interests are less important, you might position them further down the page, underneath your skills and qualifications. Alternatively, you may look for ways to include them in other sections, such as an “accomplishments” section.

Relate Each Hobby to a Skill

Ensure each of the hobbies and interests you outline relates to a specific, relevant skill that will be valuable to your hiring manager or tech employer. Concisely draw attention to how your interest improves your employee value.

Here are some examples:

• Tech enthusiast: I enjoy exploring the latest technological advancements, staying up-to-date with new trends and developments, and networking with other technology fans.
• Volunteering: I believe in giving back to the community, using my tech skills to benefit others, and expanding my industry knowledge.
• Fitness: To maintain a healthy work-life balance, I engage regularly in physical activities that help improve my endurance.

Adding Hobbies and Interests to C.V.s

It’s easy to assume that hobbies and interests should be omitted from tech C.V.s in favour of more traditional professional insights. However, including the right information about your passions can help you to boost your chances of getting the ideal role.

Drawing attention to relevant interests and hobbies can help forge a personal connection with hiring managers, demonstrate crucial skills, and differentiate you from the competition.

Use your hobbies and interests to augment your CV and ensure you stand out in the competitive tech job market.

If you’re looking for help with your recruitment strategy, get in touch by calling James Shenton Managing Partner for Technology on 01580 857179 or send us an email here.

Opus Resourcing recruits world-class SaaS, technology, commercial and executive talent for companies ranging from seed-stage start-ups to Fortune 500 companies within the UK, Europe, and the US.

Book a Call with James Shenton

Preparing for the Final Stage Tech Interview: What to Expect

Making it to the final stage of a tech interview is both exciting and daunting. If you’ve got this far, it means that your potential employer is seriously considering offering you a job. However, you’ll still be competing against a selection of other, equally qualified candidates.

Ensuring you’re properly prepared to make the right impact on a hiring manager or business leader is crucial to ensuring you don’t stumble at the last hurdle.

How well you demonstrate your hard and soft skills, and knowledge, as well as a strong level of cultural fit, will determine whether you walk away with the role you want.

Here, we’ll guide you through the process of preparing for a final stage tech interview, discussing everything from the research you’ll need to conduct, to the questions you should ask.

The First Step: Demonstrating Cultural Fit

The first step in being successful in your final stage interview, involves carefully researching the culture of the company you want to work for. The chances are you’ll already have a basic knowledge of things like team dynamics and business values, based on previous interviews and assessments and information from your recruitment consultant.

At this stage, it’s important to refine your understanding of the company’s culture, so you can demonstrate how well you’ll fit into the organisation. According to a study from Glassdoor, up to 25% of new hires leave a role within 6 months, and one of the most commonly cited reasons, is poor cultural fit.

Since employers don’t want to waste time and money replacing new hires, they often use the final stage of the interview process to evaluate cultural fit carefully. Being able to demonstrate that you understand and share the company’s values will make you a more compelling option.

Dive into previous interview notes, examine the company’s website, and look for insights into the company’s goals, mission, and vision and how they align with your personal work vision. Consider if you have any anecdotes or stories you can share about previous projects you’ve worked on, that demonstrate potential cultural alignment.

For instance, if your company values intuition and creativity, you could talk about a previous project you launched, and how it benefited a previous employer.

Showcasing Your Skills and Experience

While your CV, and previous interviews or assessments should have given your potential employer insight into your skills or experience, many will still use the final interview to gather additional information. They’ll be looking for specific examples of your technological expertise, and how your competencies align with their specific needs.

Prepare some “STAR” (Situation, Task, Action, Result) stories to dive deeper into your experience. Outline achievements with clear numbers or statistics and remember to base your responses on what you know about the company and the responsibilities of the role.

While it’s important to showcase your technical skills, don’t forget to draw attention to relevant soft skills too. Showing a high level of resilience and adaptability will significantly boost your chances of getting the right role in a dynamic tech landscape.

Highlighting important transferrable skills, such as the ability to problem solve, collaborate cohesively with team members, and lead others can also be extremely helpful. Remember to convey confidence in your abilities, but know when to acknowledge your weaknesses, and discuss what you’re going to do to overcome them, such as investing in additional training.

Showing a growth mindset and commitment to continuous learning and improvement can give you an edge over other candidates, even if they have more experience than you.

Asking Insightful Questions

The final stage interview isn’t just an opportunity for potential tech employers to evaluate your suitability for a role. It’s also your opportunity to learn more about the position of the company, and the responsibilities you’ll have in this position.

Asking insightful questions demonstrates that you have a genuine interest in the role and are committed to being the best possible new hire. It can also show you’ve done your research into the company, showing you have initiative and drive.

Consider asking questions such as:

• What are the key performance indicators you’ll be tracking in my work?
• How would you describe your company’s approach to professional development?
• Which staff members will I be working with on a daily basis?
• What would you say your number one goal is for the company in the next year?
• What would you consider to be the biggest challenge for someone starting in this role?
• Which skills would be most important for me to develop when I start this role?
• How does your company show a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion?
• What does your typical onboarding process involve?

When formulating a list of questions, look for ways to show your focus on delivering value to your employer. Be careful not to ask questions that are clearly answered by the job description, or the company’s website.

Preparing for Different Interview Formats

Only around 20% of the people who apply for a tech role will reach the final interview round, and each company can take a different approach to how they manage the interview process.

Some companies, looking to save time and money on the recruitment process, will conduct virtual interviews using video conferencing software. If your employer takes this approach, make sure you treat the virtual interview just like any other interview. Don’t assume the conversation is casual or informal, just because you’re not attending an office in-person.

Different tech companies will also add different elements to the interview process. Some will ask you to talk with a panel of business leaders, others will ask you to present case studies from your past work or take technical assessments.

If you’re not sure which approach your potential employer will take, you can ask the hiring manager or recruitment company you work with what the interview will involve so you can prepare.

Make sure you familiarise yourself with the company’s products, services, and goals, and research the trends in the tech industry when preparing responses to possible questions. It can also help to host “practice” interviews with friends or family members. This should boost your confidence, and help you identify any issues with body language or anxiety before the interview.

Preparing for Your Final Stage Interview

Reaching the final stage of the interview process with a tech company means you’ve shown a hiring manager or team that you potentially have the skills and experience required to excel in their role. However, if you fail to impress during the interview, you could miss out on a job offer.

By researching the company’s culture, demonstrating your skills and experience, and asking insightful questions, you can maximise your chances of success.

Preparing for different interview formats will also ensure you have the confidence you need to excel during this stage.

Remember, regardless of the outcome of this interview, you should view it as a valuable learning experience that you can use to support your career path and professional development. If you’re unsuccessful, ask your recruitment company or the hiring manager for feedback on how you can improve and prepare for future interview success.

If you’re looking for help with your recruitment strategy, get in touch by calling James Shenton Managing Partner for Technology on 01580 857179 or send us an email here.

Opus Resourcing recruits world-class SaaS, technology, commercial and executive talent for companies ranging from seed-stage start-ups to Fortune 500 companies within the UK, Europe, and the US.

 

Book a Call with James Shenton

The hiring process has evolved in the competitive tech recruitment landscape. Candidates now have more options when deciding which companies to work with and which roles to pursue.

Their expectations for employers are higher than ever, and business leaders need to work to ensure they’re constantly enhancing their employer brands and attracting the right talent.

Delivering an excellent candidate experience is the key to improving your chances of skilled professionals accepting your job offers. What’s more, it directly impacts your reputation as an employer, influencing who you’ll attract to roles in the future.

Plus, it can pave the way for a successful introduction to your company’s culture and values for your employees.

With 58% of candidates turning down job offers based entirely on poor candidate experience, learning how to optimise interactions with candidates is more important than ever.

Here’s how you can enhance the candidate experience in 2024.

Understanding the Current Hiring Landscape

Candidate experience has become a valuable differentiator for talent-short tech employers. Almost 73% of organisations agree that a great candidate experience is critical to the success of their hiring strategy. Yet only 17% of employers measure candidate experience at every available opportunity.

Though strong candidate experiences have always impacted recruitment success, they’ve grown increasingly crucial in 2024. In the tech space, a significant deficit in skilled workers leads to competition for talent among employers.

A candidate experience boosts your chances of attracting key people to your company by enhancing your employer brand. Plus, it can help to ensure candidates refer other talent to your team.

Alternatively, in a candidate-driven market, a poor candidate experience increases the chances that your job offers will be rejected. It can also reduce your talent pool, dissuading candidates from applying for other roles in the future.

Leveraging AI Without Compromising Human Touch

One of the reasons delivering a consistently strong candidate experience is so difficult is that the recruitment landscape is constantly changing. New technologies, like AI-powered tools and automated software, have emerged in recent years to streamline processes and enhance efficiency.

Around 44% of recruiters believe that AI helps them save time in the hiring process. In some cases, these tools can even reduce bias in tech candidate selection by assessing applications based on skills rather than characteristics or attributes.

AI-powered and automated tools can help source and screen candidates who fit well for job opportunities and reduce hiring time. Still, it also has limitations as it overlooks candidates with unique talents and attributes and is trained to search for applications that fit specific criteria.

Striking a Balance Between AI and the Human Touch

While AI and automation can significantly enhance the recruitment process, it’s important to recognise its limitations. You can reduce the chances of losing talented candidates due to issues with AI by:

• Working with a recruitment company: A specialist tech recruitment company can review candidate applications alongside your AI and automated tools. This creates an opportunity to pinpoint valuable candidates missed by your technology. A recruitment company offers expertise and insights based on their knowledge of the trends and dynamics of the current market.
• Interact with each candidate: Automated responses sent to candidates thanking them for their application can help streamline recruitment processes and maintain ongoing communication. However, not every discussion can be automated. Ensure you acknowledge and interact with each candidate individually.
• Review your tools carefully: Assess the outcomes of your AI-powered hiring strategies carefully. Review regularly to see if important candidates are being missed during the filtering process due to issues with your model’s review methods.

Emphasising Professionalism and Clarity

Improving candidate experience in the tech landscape often involves enhancing the application process demonstrating consistent professionalism and clarity. The key to success is setting clear expectations from day one and simplifying the application process.

Up to 60% of candidates have stopped applying for a role halfway through the process due to its complexity or length. With this in mind:

Write Clear Job Descriptions

Clear, concise job descriptions highlighting the key skills your tech candidates need are crucial. Avoid using industry jargon and complex terms, even if you believe your candidates will be familiar with them. Work with a tech recruitment company to ensure you’re leveraging the right language and removing any terms that might be seen as biased towards a group of candidates.

When crafting your job descriptions, focus on must-have skills and attributes for candidates rather than nice-to-have skills and qualities. Additionally, ensure your job descriptions are structured to be easy to read, with clear sub-headings and bullet points.

Demonstrate Professionalism In Communication

Every interaction with your candidates should reflect your company’s values and commitment to showing respect, inclusivity, and transparency. From the initial message you send to candidates thanking them for their application to when you send a rejection email or job offer, ensure your communication is clear and professional.

Refer to your candidate by name, and be clear about the next steps in the hiring process. Explain what’s happening at each review stage, and provide clear timelines to show tech candidates how long they can expect to wait for the next update.

Setting Expectations

Clarity is crucial throughout the hiring process. When a candidate chooses to apply for your role, clearly outline your hiring process to them, letting them know what kind of interviews they may need to attend or tests they may be asked to do.

Highlight how you’ll evaluate each candidate clearly and define how long they’ll need to wait for an update on their application’s outcome. Clarifying the hiring processes and timelines will enhance your candidate’s perception of your brand.

Candidates notified regularly of application outcomes are 3.5 times more likely to re-apply for another position with the same company.

The Importance of Feedback and Communication

While numerous factors can influence your candidate’s experience, few things are more important to your tech employer brand than consistent communication and feedback. Currently, 65% of candidates say they never receive an update on their application.

Whether your candidates successfully apply for a role or not, provide them with clear and constructive feedback. This demonstrates respect for your candidates’ time and effort in the application process. Plus, positive feedback can help candidates understand your company’s values and prepare them for success within your organisation.

Negative feedback could also assist a candidate in improving their chances of getting the right tech role in future, whether with your company or another business. This improves their perception of your employer brand.

Remember to source feedback from candidates, too. The insights they can provide into the experience they received throughout the application and interviewing process can help you optimise candidate experience in future.

Optimise the Candidate Experience

In a talent-scarce tech landscape, delivering an excellent candidate experience has never been more important. Embracing professionalism throughout the hiring process, demonstrating a commitment to transparency and clarity, and connecting with candidates on a human level will boost your chances of attracting and retaining the right talent.

Happy candidates are up to 38% more likely to accept your job offers. If you’re struggling to make the most of your candidate experience, working with a tech recruitment company is the easiest option.

They can offer insights into what your candidates are looking for and give you tips that help you excel at everything from writing job descriptions to screening candidates and conducting interviews.

 

Effective Recruitment Models for Tech Companies

Recruiting has always been a complex process, affected by changes in candidate preferences, evolving technology, and market dynamics.

Choosing the right recruitment process for your tech organisation can be complex. That’s particularly true with growing skill shortages, evolving AI applications, and changing working styles, like hybrid and remote work.

However, the ideal recruitment strategy is crucial to attracting and retaining talent and cultivating a thriving workforce.

So, how do you define the process that’s right for you? Here, we’ll guide you through the pros and cons of different recruiting strategies and the steps you’ll need to take to boost your chances of hiring success.

The Groundwork: Preparing for Your Recruiting Campaign

Though access to talent is growing in some areas, particularly for tech companies who offer remote working options, we’re still in a skills-short market. In the past 6 years, according to data from Statistica, the global research company over half of all organisations have suffered from severe skill shortages.

The UK, the US, and Australia face consistent difficulties filling skilled roles. To give yourself the best chance of attracting talent, you need two core things: an excellent employer brand and a fantastic candidate experience.

Let’s start by looking at your employer brand.

Building a Strong Employer Brand

Today, according to some recent data from LinkedIn, 88% of candidates consider a tech company’s employer brand when applying for a role. A powerful employer brand is what tells candidates why they should work with your company. It highlights your unique benefits, draws attention to your company culture, and helps you and your recruitment company  “market” your company.

A stronger employer brand helps you attract high-performing talent by highlighting the positive aspects of your company culture. If you deliver exceptional benefits, promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, and invest in developing your team, they will also likely stick with your company.

To make the most of your employer brand:

• Identify what candidates want: Find out what tech candidates are looking for in your industry. Flexible working options are extremely popular, whether they include hybrid work options or flexible schedules. Consider giving your teams more freedom over their workday and exploring various unique benefits.
• Create a compelling company culture: Highlight the unique culture of your company. Draw attention to how you promote professional growth with training and development. Showcase your efforts to support diversity, equity, and inclusion, and ensure every team member feels comfortable within the workplace.
• Promote your brand: Make it easy for tech candidates to understand your employer’s value proposition. Draw attention to your employees and their success stories on your website. Share insights on your social media pages, and advertise the benefits you can offer on job descriptions.

Optimizing the Candidate Experience

Regardless of which recruitment process you choose for your tech company, your focus should always be on delivering an excellent candidate experience. Improving the candidate experience doesn’t just make candidates more likely to accept your job offers.

It’s also a good way to enhance your employer brand and make you more appealing to future candidates. Focus on things like:

• Simplifying the application process: More than 70% of candidates say they won’t submit a job application if it takes more than 15 minutes. Make the process simpler by allowing customers to sync their LinkedIn profiles or upload CVs instantly.
• Communicating transparently with candidates: Give your candidates a clear view of where they are in the application process by communicating with them regularly. Let them know when you’ve received their application and when you’re reviewing it.
• Requesting feedback: Ask successful and unsuccessful candidates to share insights into what they liked and disliked about the candidate experience. This will help you to identify areas where you might need to improve.

Choosing Your Tech Recruitment Process

Once you have a strong employer brand and an insight into your candidate experience, it’s time to choose your recruitment strategy. There are a few options for tech companies to consider, all with their pros and cons.

The most common options include:

• Recruitment companies: Working with a recruitment company to outsource your hiring process to a team of dedicated and experienced professionals.
• DIY Recruitment: Use your own time and that of your team to help with the recruitment process. This would include advertising, CV, screening, initial interviews, writing Job descriptions, etc.
• Internal Talent Team: Recruit an internal talent acquisition team who may still work with an external recruiter to focus exclusively on recruitment and ensure your hiring strategies align with your business goals.

Let’s explore the pros and cons of each option.

DIY Recruitment: The Pros and Cons

Smaller businesses and those with limited budgets often rely heavily on DIY recruitment. They assume the easiest way to reduce the costs of recruiting is to use the resources they already have. However, there are downsides to a DIY strategy.

Pros:

• Cost savings: Tech DIY recruitment removes the need to hire additional employees for recruitment purposes or pay a recruitment company, making it a more budget-friendly option for smaller organisations.
• In-house control: Since you’re handling everything yourself, you get complete control over the recruitment process, from how you’ll source talent to where you’ll search for candidates and even the candidate experience.
• Direct communication: In a DIY strategy, you’ll communicate directly with candidates, which can give you a better insight into their competencies and skills, improving hiring decisions.

Cons:

• Time-consuming: Managing the whole recruitment process internally can be time-consuming and complex. There’s a lot of work to do to source, filter through, and interview candidates. You could even lose money if crucial members of your team are spending more time on recruiting than on their technological tasks.
• Limited reach: The chances are that your internal team members won’t have access to the same extensive talent networks and specialists’ resources. This could limit your ability to tap into different tech talent pools.
• Lacking expertise: The people you choose to be responsible for your recruiting process might not have any expertise in recruitment. They may not know how to write great job descriptions, conduct effective interviews, or connect with new talent sources.

Internal Talent Team: Pros and Cons

Using an internal team involves hiring HR professionals with expertise in the recruitment world to work within your tech company. This gives you a similar level of control to DIY recruitment and access to some of the specialist skills you might be missing.

Pros:

• Dedicated expertise: An internal talent team brings specialist knowledge, experience, and insights to your recruitment process. They’re focused exclusively on hiring for your business and don’t have to direct their attention anywhere else.
• Alignment: Internal teams will better understand your tech company culture and employee value proposition because they’re constantly exposed to it. This can make it easier for them to find the right talent for your team.
• Consistent access: Building an internal talent team means you’ll have long-term access to the recruitment professionals you need. They can help build a consistent recruitment strategy that grows with your company.

However, there are issues with this approach, too.

Cons:

• Resource intensive: Establishing and maintaining your internal talent team will require significant investment. You’ll need to hire HR professionals, train them on your recruitment strategies, and pay their salaries long-term.
• Limited perspectives: Because your internal team only works with your tech company, they may have a restricted view of the trends and patterns in the wider industry. They could be susceptible to biases and blind spots that make it harder to hire a diverse team.
• Scalability: With internal teams, you may have periods when you don’t need to hire anyone and must rapidly increase your recruitment strategy. Scaling up and down to meet those changes can be complicated.

Recruitment Company: Pros and Cons

Overall, working with a specialist tech recruitment company is currently the best way to ensure you get the talent and support you need. That’s one of the reasons up to 90% of companies use professional recruitment agencies.

While there are downsides, the benefits of working with a company can save you time and money in the long term and improve your chances of making the right hiring decisions. 

Pros:

• Access to Expertise: Recruitment companies offer access to specialist knowledge of your industry, the talent market, and the recruitment landscape. They have pre-built networks to help with talent sourcing and can dedicate resources to help you with everything from interviewing to writing more effective job descriptions.
• Expanded Reach: Agencies spend years developing extensive candidate databases and industry connections. They can help you source active talent and passive candidates ready to explore new opportunities. They can also position your employer brand perfectly in front of candidates, boosting your chances of attracting the right people to build your team.
• Time efficiency: Outsourcing recruitment to an agency frees up your tech company’s internal resources, so you can focus on growing your company and profits. They’ll handle the tough parts of the recruitment process, saving you significant long-term money. They can even fill talent gaps faster than an internal or DIY team.

On top of all this, recruitment companies can help you identify trends that will improve your employer branding, enhance your candidate experience, and assist you with factors like writing job descriptions and conducting interviews. They can give you the expertise and insight you need to build a future talent pipeline.

Building the Ideal Recruitment Process

An effective tech recruitment process is crucial to ensuring you can develop a thriving workforce for your company. While all businesses need a strong employer brand and an excellent candidate process, various ways to approach your recruitment strategy exist.

Overall, however, working with a tech recruitment agency is the best way to improve your chances of achieving your recruitment goals. Their expertise, support, and reach will give you a critical edge in a skills-short market.

Opus Resourcing recruits world-class SaaS, technology, commercial and executive talent for companies ranging from seed-stage start-ups to Fortune 500 companies within the UK, Europe, and the US.

For more information get in touch with us at, 01580 857179 or send us an email here.

The Key To Marketing Yourself As The Ideal DevOps Engineer

Though skill shortages remain high in the DevOps landscape, the market for candidates is still extremely competitive. In 2024, it can take an average of 3-6 months to get a job offer, and there’s no guarantee you’ll want to dive into the first opportunity that appears.

To improve your chances of getting job offers for valuable roles faster, you need to know how to market yourself to prospective employers and recruiters who are involved in the process.

Here is the thing to remember.

As effective marketing can convince consumers to invest in a product or service, the right strategy can help employers see you as the ideal candidate.

From working with a recruitment company to developing a strong personal brand, this guide will show you how to create the ultimate ‘marketing strategy’ and achieve your DevOps career goals.

Partnering with Recruiters: The Value of Specialist Support

The right tech recruitment team is an extremely valuable tool in your goal of getting the ideal next role. Reputable companies with experience placing candidates in your field will help you access a wider range of relevant job opportunities.

What’s more, they can help position you effectively in front of potential employers, allowing you to write the ideal CV and master the interview process.

When working with recruiters, make sure you:

• Set clear objectives: Define your priorities for a new role. Are you more interested in positions with excellent work/life balance and flexibility, or are you looking for opportunities to develop new skills or join a company with a diverse culture?
• Build relationships: Connect with your recruiter and help them understand everything there is to know about you. Highlight your strengths and weaknesses, skills, experiences, and career goals so they can offer a tailored level of service.
• Collaborate strategically: Pay attention to the suggestions and guidance your recruiters give. Ask them for advice on preparing for interviews or creating a stronger online presence.

Developing Your Personal Brand

Your brand helps differentiate you from the other DevOps candidates in your field. It’s how you highlight your strengths and value as an employee and capture the attention of employers. 70% of hiring managers say a strong personal brand is as important as an excellent CV.

Creating a personal brand starts with a self-assessment.

Conduct a “SWOT” analysis, identifying your strengths and where you need to improve. Look at the threats posed by other candidates in you’re the DevOps industry (such as having more experience) and the opportunities you can explore to improve your appeal (such as investing in additional learning).

Once you have a clear view then:

Identify your unique value proposition:

Determine what makes you the ideal candidate for the roles you’re applying for. Have you had unique experiences in the industry? Do you have skills other candidates don’t have, or do you have an excellent work ethic?

Craft your story:

Develop a compelling narrative or “personal branding statement” that communicates your professional journey. Highlight accomplishments, aspirations, and key experiences that you’ve had to demonstrate your value.

Preserve consistency:

Ensure your brand identity is consistent across all platforms, from your CV, to your LinkedIn profile, other social media accounts, and professional website or portfolio. Use consistent messaging, imagery, and language.

Conducting Research: Know the Skills Employers Want Right Now

A big part of effective marketing is knowing your target audience. You need to understand what DevOps employers are looking for so you know what to highlight in your CV and online profiles. Start by examining job postings listed by the types of companies you want to work for, paying close attention to the skills and attributes they value.

Next, consider the current trends in the DevOps hiring market and the transferrable skills countless employers are searching for. In 2024, for instance, there’s a growing demand for:

Digital literacy and technological proficiency:

The world is becoming more technologically advanced with new software, AI solutions and hardware. However, only 1 in 10 workers possess the digital skills they need to thrive in new roles. Demonstrating a high level of digital literacy can give you an excellent advantage.

Adaptability and flexibility:

In a complex economic landscape, employers want professionals who are resilient, adaptable, and able to pivot to rapid changes in market dynamics. Show employers how you’ve overcome and adapted to previous challenges, and demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning and improvement.

Emotional intelligence:

Though technical skills are crucial in many tech roles, soft skills, like emotional intelligence and resilience, are becoming more important. Demonstrating a high self-awareness, empathy, and the ability to communicate and collaborate with others will boost your chances of success in the current market.

Optimising Your CV

Once you’ve conducted the right research, it’s time to optimise your CV and the cover letter you send to potential employers. Crucially, every CV and cover letter you send should be tailored to the specific employer and role you’re applying for.

According to data from Glassdoor, 63% of recruiters say they prioritise CVs personalised for the role. Before applying for anything, research the company you want to work for. Look carefully at the job description and the employer’s highlighted skills and attributes.

Try to match their language and focus on demonstrating the key skills that showcase your capacity to excel in the role. Additionally, make sure you:

Quantify your achievements:

Provide concrete examples of your success in similar roles. Use numbers, metrics, percentages, and statistics to validate your impact.

Format carefully:

Keep your CV clear, visually appealing, and concise. Make sure it will be accepted by any company using ATS software.

Add a personal touch:

Implement a personal touch to your cover letter. Consider referencing shared values based on your knowledge about the company and their ambitions or goals.

Enhancing Your Online Presence

While your CV and cover letter are still crucial in 2024, many recruiters and hiring managers are turning to the web for deeper insights into candidates. Approximately 72% of recruiters look at LinkedIn, the professional social media platform when hiring new talent.

With this in mind, complete and optimise your LinkedIn profile. Ensure a clear summary of your achievements, insights into your experience, education, and skills, and numerous endorsements from previous employers and colleagues. Use keywords relevant to DevOps to improve visibility online. You should also:

Share engaging content:

Sharing insightful articles, industry news, professional updates, and thought leadership content could demonstrate your expertise and help you engage in your network. Remember to participate in professional networks and groups to expand your reach and connect with potential employers.

Network consistently:

Actively connect with professionals and peers in you’re the space, such as recruiters, and alumni. Personalise your connection requests with a message tailored to each person. Consider attending virtual events through LinkedIn to expand your network further.

Align other online assets:

Ensure you’re making the most of your other online assets, such as your portfolio, professional website, and additional social media channels, to present a consistently strong view of your value as an employee.

Demonstrating continuous learning by adding new skills to your LinkedIn profile regularly and completing LinkedIn courses for certifications can also make you more appealing to employers.

Market Yourself as the Ultimate DevOps Candidate

For the best chance of getting the right role in today’s competitive DevOps landscape, you must do more than respond to job postings. Learning how to market yourself as the ultimate candidate with the right CV, personal brand, and online presence is crucial to success.

Working with a tech recruiter and ensuring you focus on developing your skills in the key areas crucial to today’s employers will give you a significant edge in the job market.

Give yourself the best chance of career success, and hone your marketing skills.

Opus Resourcing recruits world-class SaaS, technology, commercial and executive talent for companies ranging from seed-stage start-ups to Fortune 500 companies within the UK, Europe, and the US.

For more information get in touch with us at, 01580 857179 or send us an email here.

Unlocking Success in Tech Video Interviews for Recruitment

Video interviews have become common in the current tech hiring landscape. Not only are they more convenient and cost-effective for both candidates and employers, reducing the need for travel, but they can make it easier for hiring managers to make the right choice.

With the ability to review recordings, employers can carefully analyse each candidate before extending a job offer. According to Indeed, 82% of employers used virtual interviews in 2021, and 93% wanted to continue using them.

This means every tech candidate needs to be prepared to make the right impact on video. Learning how to handle the technical aspects, convey professionalism through your attire and body language, and respond effectively to questions is crucial.

Here’s how you can unlock the secrets to video interviewing in 2024 and beyond.

First: Know the Video Interview Format

While video interviews in the tech space have been commonplace since the pandemic, the way these interviews are hosted and used is evolving. Companies are experimenting not just with live video interviews but also pre-recorded sessions.

In a live interview, the experience is similar to a face-to-face discussion. You speak to your panel or interviewer in real-time, responding to any questions asked.

In a recorded video interview, you’re presented with a selection of pre-written questions.

You then record yourself responding to these questions. In this scenario, you may have more opportunities to practice your answer and prepare what you will say before you respond.

In some cases, companies may also use a blended interview format, asking employees to submit a video bio, similar to a cover letter, before they engage in a live video session. Ensuring you’re prepared to handle all the different types of video interactions you’ll be presented with effectively is crucial to creating the right impression.

Mastering the Technical Aspects of Your Video Interview

Once you know what type of video interview you’re participating in, the first step is to familiarise yourself with the technology you’ll be using. 45% of recruiters believe video helps them speed up hiring.

The last thing they want is for your technical issues to lengthen the process. You will be told which platform you’ll use when you’re offered your interview.

Create an account with the platform (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, etc), and test the features beforehand. Ensure you know how to mute and unmute your microphone, start and end a video stream, and share your screen. You may also want to check whether you can change your background or record the video yourself (for later reference).

Other technical preparations to invest in include:

• Audio and Video Setup: Invest in a quality webcam, microphone, or headset and connect them to your video conferencing platform. Check whether you can adjust the lighting and sound settings to improve your interviewer’s overall experience.
• Internet connection: Ensure you’re conducting your tech interview in a setting with a strong and stable internet connection. A wired connection may offer better stability than a wireless alternative.
• Conduct practice runs: Call friends or family members through the video platform to check for any potential technical glitches you might face.

 

Presenting Yourself Professionally

While most recruiters and hiring managers today are working to overcome unconscious bias, 96% still feel they make rapid decisions based on factors like how you present yourself in an interview.

Simple things, like how you dress, can offer hiring managers an insight into your level of professionalism and how serious you are about a role.

Just because you’re meeting over video from the comfort of your home doesn’t mean you should dress casually. Act like you would in any interview, and dress professionally.

• Check your background: Ideally, you’ll choose a clean, clutter-free background for your interview. However, if you’re limited in the space to choose from, you may be able to use a professional-looking virtual background instead.
• Maintain eye contact: Don’t look at yourself on screen during the interview or allow your eyes to wander. Maintaining eye contact by looking directly at the camera conveys attentiveness and confidence.
• Mind your body language: Think carefully about your body language in any interview. Sit up straight and avoid slouching or fidgeting during the discussion.

It’s also helpful to arrange your video camera to ensure you capture the right amount of your body. Ideally, your full torso and face should be visible at all times.

Preparing your Video Bio

Suppose you’re participating in a process that includes a pre-recorded video interview or are asked to submit a video bio. In that case, ensuring you make the right impact immediately is important. The best way to accomplish this is with preparation.

The same practices apply here as you would research a company’s background and prepare responses to competency-based questions using the STAR method for a standard interview.

A good way to boost your chances of success is to draft a concise and compelling script based on your cover letter, CV, or the areas your recruiter has suggested. Highlight your key achievements, skills, and experiences relevant to the specific position you’re applying for.

Eliminating Distractions

Distractions are a common issue for video tech interviews. Unlike in a traditional interview, you’ll be situated in your own home, which means plenty of opportunities for other aspects of your life to get in the way.

Reduce your risk of interruptions and background noise by choosing a quiet and secluded space for the discussion. Inform anyone else in the house that you shouldn’t be disturbed during the interview, and close the door if you can.

Other ways to reduce your risk of distractions include:

• Preparing for technical glitches: Glitches can still occur even if you have used all the tech before. Make sure you’re ready to switch to a different method of communication, such as a phone call if problems arise. Stay calm and composed when troubleshooting issues.
• Addressing connectivity problems: If your internet connectivity drops during the interview, politely inform the interviewer and look for ways to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Apologize for any delays, even if the problem isn’t your fault.
• Mute other distractions: Turn off notifications for your email account and other apps you might use on the same computer you’re using for your interview. Don’t open other tabs during the conversation; and silence your phone!

Attending the interview a few minutes early can also be helpful to ensure you’re fully prepared and check for any technical issues in advance.

You’ll likely encounter at least one type of video interview during your tech job search this year. Ensuring you’re prepared to make the right impression, whether it’s during a live interview or asynchronous conversation, is crucial to boosting your chances of getting the right job.

After any video interview, remember to review your performance, thinking about what you’ve done well and what issues you might need to address before your next interview. This will help you prepare more effectively for future conversations.

Opus Resourcing recruits world-class SaaS, technology, commercial and executive talent for companies ranging from seed-stage start-ups to Fortune 500 companies within the UK, Europe, and the US.

For more information get in touch with us at, 01580 857179 or send us an email here.

Improving Poor Performance in the Tech Industry: Strategies and Tips

Improving poor employee performance in tech isn’t simple, but countless business leaders must handle it regularly.

Employee performance issues emerge for various reasons. Stress and anxiety caused by problematic company cultures or external factors like economic distress, personal problems at home and a lack of skills or motivation can lead to issues with productivity and engagement.

Poor management abilities in a tech business can cause inefficiencies and problems for employees.

A lack of purpose, direction, and ongoing support can impair a team member’s ability to deliver consistent results.

Fortunately, there are ways to manage and improve poor performance issues in tech. Here’s how you can empathetically and effectively manage and improve performance problems as a tech leader.

Understanding the Root Causes of Poor Performance

The first step to improving poor performance in the tech workforce is understanding what’s causing the issue. Underperformance can appear in various forms, from employees who fail to meet deadlines or turn up to work on time to those who have a negative, sometimes toxic attitude that impacts the morale of other staff members.

Diagnosing the issues resulting in decreased productivity and inefficiencies ensures you can implement the right strategies to fix the problem.

Some of the most common root causes of poor performance include:

• Inefficient processes or systems: Up to 42% of HR professionals say poor systems and processes cause problematic productivity. If your employees don’t have access to the right technologies, standard operating procedures, and guidelines, they’re more likely to make mistakes.
• Personal issues: Work and life aren’t entirely disconnected. Personal stress, medical problems, and family and relationship issues can affect productivity.
• Burnout: As tech roles become more demanding, burnout is becoming increasingly common. Employees overwhelmed by unrealistic schedules and limited support can quickly lose motivation and find it difficult to deliver results for their employer.
• Company culture: A problematic company culture caused by poor leadership, limited support or collaboration, and even conflict between coworkers can harm employee performance.Alternatively, a strong company culture empowers staff members to thrive in a diverse, inclusive, and friendly environment.
• Skill Gaps: According to this report from Gartner, 70% of employees think they haven’t mastered the skills they need to thrive in their careers. Gaps in hard and soft skills make it impossible for employees to unlock their true potential and increase the risk of burnout.
• Demotivation: Sometimes, employees don’t feel motivated enough to perform well at work. They can’t see the purpose or impact of their work, and their responsibilities are unclear, making it difficult for them to excel.

Addressing Poor Performance: The Step-by-Step Guide

Once you’ve explored the common root causes of performance issues in your tech business, the next step is implementing a holistic strategy for overcoming the issue, which requires more than just a commitment to training people.

Business leaders must combine effective communication, clear development plans, and a strong company culture to achieve results.

Step 1: Implementing Effective Communication Strategies

Exceptional communication is a crucial cornerstone of any successful business. Unfortunately, many companies struggle to communicate consistently and effectively with their teams.

The problem begins with ensuring team members know their roles, responsibilities, and company expectations.

To address this issue, leaders need to ensure that team members are clear on their tasks and responsibilities and how what they do contributes to the company’s broader goals and the purpose they serve. This helps to pave the way for exceptional performance.

Beyond setting clear expectations, business leaders must ensure clear and honest communication is consistent in the workplace culture.

Robust communication strategies can help managers and supervisors identify the root cause of performance problems more effectively and work with team members to find resolutions collaboratively.

Ensure you have a strategy in place for:

• Consistently delivering performance reviews: Don’t just tell your employees what they need to improve or what they excel at once a year.Ensure you’re regularly sharing feedback, both motivational and developmental.Motivational feedback highlights what a team member is doing well and encourages them to continue to operate in this way.Developmental feedback is required when someone isn’t quite meeting expectations, and you want to draw their attention to the impact of how they are currently operating and what you want them to do instead.Active listening and empathy: Demonstrating empathy for your employees and actively listening to their issues helps to forge stronger relationships between team members, managers and the company.

  It also means your team members are more likely to inform you if they’re concerned about burnout or overwhelmed at work.

Give your team members plenty of ways to share feedback about the company culture, work processes, and challenges they face. It will give you a broader overview of the problems affecting your team.

Step 2: Developing Personal Improvement Plans

Based on your conversations with employees and the insights you gather into the root causes of performance issues, you can begin to develop comprehensive “performance improvement plans”.

Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) are personalised documents that outline the steps team members need to take to overcome underperformance issues and achieve their goals.

They should include:

• Clear, realistic goals: Discuss your employee’s goals for their career and how they align with the broader goals of the business.Set clear, measurable targets for your team members to work towards. Ensure these targets are realistic, based on the existing strengths and weaknesses of your team members and the support you can offer.Use frequently monitored milestones and support the employee in returning their performance to company standards and expectations.
• Strategies for development: Outline the resources you can offer individuals to assist with their on-the-job development so that they have the necessary skill set to return to their previous performance levels or achieve the required performance levels for their role.This could mean providing access to training courses to address skill gaps that may be virtual or in-person or have additional coaching.
• Consistent feedback and monitoring strategies: Determine how often you’ll meet with your tech employee to review their progress towards their goals. Define which metrics or KPIs you’ll monitor and continue to reinforce the company’s expectations.Ensure your team members know who they can turn to for extra support if they encounter problems.

 

Performance plans are tailored to the specific issues and needs of the employee you want to support. Consider their learning style and unique requirements carefully, and regularly check in to ensure your team members have all the support they need.

Step 3: Creating a Supportive Work Environment

Over recent years, a growing body of research has demonstrated that a positive work environment directly impacts employee performance and productivity.

According to the University of Oxford, happy workers are up to 13% more productive.

Creating a happy workforce starts with developing a positive and supportive company culture, which means turning your workplace into an environment based on company values that will often revolve around trust, respect, and collaboration.

Examples of areas that companies prioritise are:

• Diversity, equity, and inclusion: Ensure you provide equal support to all staff members, regardless of their background. Encourage cross-team collaboration and give every employee a voice when making crucial business decisions.
• Motivating employees: Find ways to motivate your tech employees by creating reward and recognition programs that champion their hard work. Offer meaningful feedback regularly and request input from employees in return.
• Exceptional leadership: Train your team leaders and managers to model desired behaviours, such as inclusivity, honest and transparent communication, and a commitment to collaboration.

Crucially, ensure your team members can connect with business leaders or HR professionals when they discover an issue with the company culture.

Overcoming Poor Workplace Performance

Addressing poor performance in the tech industry can be complex. Business leaders must take a holistic, strategic, and empathetic approach to address the causes of disengagement, poor motivation, and diminishing productivity.

Most importantly, commit to constantly optimising performance, assessing the outcomes of your staff members, and ensuring you’re aware of any issues individuals and teams might be facing.

Fortunately, with the right strategy, you can improve performance, enhance your employer brand, attract more talent to your business, and increase retention.

Opus Resourcing recruits world-class SaaS, technology, commercial and executive talent for companies ranging from seed-stage start-ups to Fortune 500 companies within the UK, Europe, and the US.

For more information get in touch with us at, 01580 857179 or send us an email here.

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