Why You’re Missing Out on Top Developers by Not Hiring Remotely

Our Customer Success team speaks to talent acquisition managers from all different industries, company sizes and structures, and they all tell us the same issues they’re facing. The most common issues we hear about hiring developers are:

1. Limited pool of candidates - a real shortage of talent!

1. Expensive recruitment costs

1. Lack of formal software engineering qualifications/education

Lots of companies are constraining their own talent pools by setting expectations that employees must be present in the physical office. However, if your company is considering, or does, hire remote developers this can help mitigate some of the major recruitment issues. Here’s how ✍️

Widens your potential pool of candidates 🏊 According to TechRepublic, a massive 83% of software developers want either remote or hybrid working options post-pandemic, so by not offering remote work you’re massively reducing the number of potentially interested techies.

By hiring remotely, you’re solving problem 1. But it could also help reduce the other two issues. By widening your pool of candidates, you won’t necessarily attract more candidates, but you’re certainly more likely to! 🎯The third biggest issue around lack of formal software engineering education - is this really necessary anymore? It may be a company policy, but in our opinion, it’s outdated and creates a huge barrier for young tech talent to get into the industry. We have spoken to tonnes of incredibly talented self-taught software developers who have got their foot in the door and are excelling in their careers.

Reducing costs 💰 Tech recruitment is a lucrative business and on average one successful hire for a developer in the UK can set you back around £6,000; if you have ongoing hiring needs this can quickly become unaffordable and excessive. Companies can pay around £12,000 per month for specialist tech recruiters to join them in-house to find top tech talent. 😲 For smaller companies and tech startups, this is completely unobtainable.

With a wider talent pool as well, you’re more likely to find more suitable candidates to fill your role - and more likely to find someone with a great culture fit to your company. Employees with a great culture fit, often are happier and therefore more productive and stay at companies longer. This is a win-win situation! 🥰

Reach diversity and inclusion goals ✊ Diversity in software development is an issue - it’s a profession that is lagging behind the curve in terms of equality and diversity in the workplace. There are plenty of reasons why diversity in tech is important, including:

• One of the greatest skills that software developers possess is the ability to problem solve. By having a diverse engineering team, you’re bringing in different perspectives and experiences - and different ideas, which can help to solve problems more effectively.
• A more diverse workforce can help the bottom line.
• By shouting about your diversity and inclusion metrics and goals, it can help position your company as a top employer. A great example of this is Monzo.

For more information, have a read of this blog on the top 4 ways hiring remotely can help companies reach their diversity and inclusion goals. It’s important for companies to become more actively engaged in driving diversity in software development.

You might be wondering how to hire remote developers? 🔍 In order to attract remote candidates, you need to ensure that your job descriptions accurately reflect this, on your own careers page and any job boards you may be using.

There are specific developer focused job boards out there like Haystack. There are also job boards out there specifically for remote opportunities, make sure wherever you’re advertising your job that you’re getting the most out of it. Generic job boards may yield less results, and potentially less relevant results compared to using a job site designed for your audience - just as Haystack is for developers.

Get in touch today to learn more about how Haystack can help you build your tech employer brand so you can start attracting more top tech talent.