10 Tips to Attract and Retain Tech Professionals

If your organization is like many, you might have difficulty attracting and retaining top tech talent. Technology is a fast-paced industry with a lot of job hopping. After a while, it can begin to feel like you’ll never be able to keep talent, especially as your team leaves for bigger opportunities.

Take a deep breath. We are here to share 10 tips to help you keep up with recruiting technology pros.

The current demand for tech professionals

Technology is a growing field. According to data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, tech careers should expect a 13% employment growth from 2020-2030. Data from CompTIA shows the tech sector continues to add new jobs, even as some markets slow down.

A growing number of companies are in need of tech workers, which is causing a bit of turmoil in the industry.

Many companies focus heavily on recruiting, but that could cause some current employees to feel underappreciated. If companies want to keep up with the demand for tech professionals, there needs to be a balance between:

• Attracting new talent
• Retaining current talent

According to data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, tech careers should expect a 13% employment growth from 2020-2030. Data from CompTIA shows the tech sector continues to add new jobs, even as some markets slow down.

How to attract tech professionals

To grow any company, you need to attract new employees. Recruiting can be difficult, especially when trying to capture technology pro attention. Here are some helpful ways to attract new hires:

1. Use remote work as an opening bid

Employees have made it clear that they want more flexible work arrangements. Since employees can do technology work from any place with an internet connection, they want remote work options. According to LinkedIn, while remote jobs make up 20% of their listings, they receive 50% of job applicants. If you want to attract a tech pro to your job listing, start by making it remote.

2. Update your company’s tech stack

Working with outdated technology can make it harder for you to attract top tech talent. Potential employees coming out of tech boot camps will likely use more current software. Likewise, employees who work with your competitors might be used to working with updated tools. Update your company’s software regularly to ensure new hires can easily transition to your team.

3. Focus on diversity and inclusion

According to OpenView Partners, 37% of candidates see a lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion as a major red flag. Put effort into improving DEI at your organization. Make sure that you are not only showcasing diversity, but that you are supporting these groups daily.

4. Recruit tech talent where they are

Next, you want to recruit tech talent where they are. You can do this in many ways:

• Finding tech talent that may be unhappy working at a competitor or other organization
• Advertising your job openings where a tech professional might hang out like a tech conference or meetup
• Connect with candidates on social media

5. Don’t be afraid to customize the job pitch

When recruiting tech workers, you must be willing to customize the job pitch if you want them to work at your company. Going the extra step to be personable and send a detailed message complimenting the work can be a stepping stone. When you get personal and do your research, candidates will know you are serious about them. When you want candidates to listen, get deep.

How to retain tech professionals

Once you have a new hire on your team, you should consider employee retention. How will you ensure that you aren’t hiring for the same position in a year? Tech turnover can be a serious issue. Here are some ways to retain tech talent once they are on your employee roster:

6. Create a generous time-off policy

First, focus on your time-off policy. Employee burnout is at an all-time high, and it’s pronounced in the tech industry. Time-off is necessary, but it’s not about creating unlimited vacation policies. Instead, you need to set clear expectations about how much time you expect employees to take off yearly. HR and managers should work together to ensure that employees adhere to these guidelines. You can also offer sabbaticals for extended time off after a certain period of work with the company.

7. Build a coaching/professional development culture

Employees stay at a company because they feel like they are growing. Therefore, managers have to be willing to coach employees and help them learn more.

One of the most common ways to coach and develop employees is through one-on-ones. According to research from Hypercontext, managers who have one-on-ones with their team are 1.5x more likely to retain their team. Make sure that you attend these meetings regularly.

8. Offer promotions/raises to employees regularly

As we’ve discussed, getting excited about a job you feel like you’ve stalled in can be challenging. Companies who want to retain top talent offer promotions and raises that help people feel like they are growing. At the very least, wages should keep up with inflation. If possible, create a straightforward career path for all tech employees to follow. For example, how does one go from a junior to senior software engineer at your company? Promoting from within is essential. Having these steps defined will ensure that you can offer promotions fairly.

9. Send and analyze employee engagement surveys

Employee engagement surveys like Gallup’s Q12 can give HR and leaders valuable insight. Companies should be sending out quick pulse surveys quarterly. Once results come back, take time to analyze the data and make necessary adjustments at work.

For example, one of Gallup’s engagement questions is, “I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.” Based on answers to this:

• Look at the overall results. Is there a gap? How do the results compare to the last quarter?
• Dig deeper into departments? Is there a particular department that is struggling the most? Is this a new phenomenon?

Q12 works best once you have a baseline of quarterly data, but it can be a powerful tool to spot engagement issues immediately.

10. Offer more recognition to your employees

Employee recognition matters. Employees want to feel like companies value their time and talents. It’s easy to forget that you’re appreciated, especially as you work with a company for longer. Utilize employee recognition software to ensure that everyone gets recognized regularly.

You can attract and retain top tech talent

While tech professionals often switch companies and job hop, it’s possible to attract and retain top talent. It can be challenging if you don’t have the funds the major tech firms do. While you can’t compete with money, you can compete with work/life balance or care for team members.

• Lean in to what makes your organization unique.
• Reward employee loyalty by unlocking opportunities as people stay.
• Don’t be afraid to show employees how much you want and appreciate them.

With time, you’ll be on your way to attracting the tech talent you want.