We have all noticed that the situation in the IT workforce market has not been the same for quite some time. For several reasons, the demand for IT professionals is not as high as before, and more and more mid-level and senior IT professionals spend more time finding their workplace or next project. Still, companies are fighting for the top IT talent. This presents smart organizations with a great opportunity - a chance to find IT professionals who are a perfect fit not only in terms of technical skills and experience but also when it comes to a person's character and cultural fit. In COVID-19 time businesses in different industries hired IT specialists like crazy, and we can say that probably right now is the best time to correct some mistakes.
In this case study we are looking at our recent cooperation with the company Prerender. This is an interesting case for everyone involved in the IT recruitment in 2 different ways:
We’ll guide you step-by-step through the recruitment process nowadays, after which the management of the company says “This [process] provided us with a pool of top talent, allowing us to not only assess technical skills but also ensure a strong cultural fit. I’m very happy about the whole process and the swift communication – I would say it’s perfect.”
You’ll get to know why there are cases where it makes sense to hire a recruitment agency even if you are looking for a small number of IT specialists or you’re a small company.
So, without further due, let’s get to it.
Prerender - a SaaS company looking for 2 top back-end developers
Short intro: Prerender is a well-established (~10 years) SaaS company with a start-up mentality, offering server-side rendering solutions. Their technology helps 2.7 billion websites load and get indexed by search engines like Google much faster. The company has a lean team of 15 employees, with 7 on the tech team (at the project start). Prerender is in Saas Group.
Tech Vacancy: Senior back-end TypeScript/Node.js developer (2 vacancies)
Requirements: The bare minimum experience required is 5 years and we won’t bore you with a long list of technologies. Additionally, several aspects need to be considered, such as “good theoretical knowledge in system design” etc. If we talk about senior tech positions, specific experience in previous roles and projects is always considered. In this case, experience with trade-offs in system design, decision-making in scaling high-load projects, and several other aspects were crucial.
Plus, there is a list of soft skills and personality traits for the candidate to fit in the team:
-start-up mindset
-well organized, self-motivated (because of remote work setup & high level of autonomy)
-friendly, communicable personality
-high energy level and infectious enthusiasm (for keeping up the team spirit)
-passion for technology and willingness to learn new tools
Reminder - when starting the recruitment process, it’s always important to fully understand the “ideal candidate”.
Location: Remote, but must be in European time zones. All Prerender tech team works remotely.
Type of contract: full-time permanent contract.
Situation overview: The requirements for the perfect fit can be called really high. As Artem Pankratov, Head of Engineering at Prerender, puts it: “We are very picky”. In about 6 months the company couldn’t find a good candidate due to the lack of internal recruitment resources. So the decision was made to give the tech recruitment agency a shoot.
The Prerender Recruitment Project: A Step-by-Step Guide
Let's walk you through the recruitment process using the Prerender project as an example. You might be able to adapt some of these steps to your IT hiring process. We've also included estimated timeframes to help you calculate your timeline.
Start of the Project: Defining Your Needs
As with any tech recruitment project, it all begins with a deep dive into the client's needs. In this case, the client was Prerender. Even if you don't use a recruitment agency, it's crucial to ask yourself and everyone involved in the hiring decision: what are we truly looking for? You can't include every detail in the job description, but the key requirements must be clear. The better the recruiter understands the “ideal candidate”, the better the process result will be.
Here's why this initial step is so important, according to MateHR founder Maris Tepers:
"Sometimes hiring managers underestimate the importance of certain skills or experiences by listing them as 'nice-to-haves.' However, the recruitment process often reveals these skills are essential for the role. Feel free to ask for what you need. This is the time to be upfront about your expectations for your future tech talent."
To save time, we are also asking for the questions that hiring managers or key hiring persons have for the candidates. That helps us understand the way of thinking in the company and get back with the more suitable candidates.
Also, it always makes sense to ask - what are those aspects that somebody would find particularly interesting in this role and why? You can’t find a good fit for the role if he or she is not genuinely interested in the job.
It's also important to establish roles and communication channels. For the Prerender project, we decided to send candidate profiles via email and opted out of using an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Urgent matters were handled through Slack. Of course, this will vary depending on the project. The key is to function as a unified team.
Craft a Winning Job Description
Attract top IT talent with a job description that shines! Here are some key ingredients:
Clarity and Concision: Keep it clear, concise, and engaging. Briefly explain the role and what makes it exciting.
Keyword Magic: Sprinkle in relevant IT keywords to catch the eye of qualified candidates searching online.
Perks & Benefits Spotlight: Be bold about showcasing perks and benefits that would entice talented individuals.
Growth Opportunities Matter: Mention any educational budget or support for professional development. This is a magnet for top performers!
Alignment is Key: Ensure all key decision-makers are on the same page and approve the final job description. This saves time and frustration later in the hiring process.
You can check out our job description for the position here.
Strategic Sourcing
This is the hardest and also the most interesting part. Remember - casting a wider net than your city, region, or country can significantly increase your candidate pool. In this case, we had almost all of Europe from the geographical point of view. And no relocation is needed, which makes the talent pool even wider.
Also, it’s important to choose the right sourcing channels. We recommend going beyond just posting on regular job boards and using LinkedIn. Use other relatively small local channels or job boards, as well as IT networking sites to target potential candidates. It helps if the recruiter is local and knows the recruitment landscape in the specific country well.
So, let's look at the sourcing part of the Prerender project at Mate HR in terms of countries and numbers:
8 - altogether in 8 countries we had local recruiters - our partners - working on this project. Spain, Portugal, Germany Poland, Czechia, Romania, Latvia, Ukraine.
23 - the candidates for the position came from 23 countries in Europe + there was interest from countries worldwide, like Canada, India, Brazil, Kongo, etc.
~3500 - that's how many IT professionals referred to the job ads posted in international and local channels.
~1000 - that’s how many developers we and our partners addressed using our own and public databases (both local and international).
~1000 - with such many potential candidates we had further communication (from the total pool of 4500).
At this point, you’re probably thinking - wow, that’s a lot. Are they exaggerating? The answer is - no. We have recruitment projects like this regularly. The thing is - if you want to find top-level IT talent, that also fits perfectly into your team, and you don’t want to make compromises, that’s what it takes.
But, of course, the recruitment process doesn’t end with the pool of potential candidates. The next step is to evaluate which one would fit all the requirements. This is where the interview part comes in.
Screening Interviews and Shortlisting
Once you've built a decent talent pool, it's time to circle back to the beginning: what exactly are you looking for in a candidate? These key criteria will be your roadmap to finding those perfect few.
It’s time to refine your requirements: Take another look at the "must-have" and "nice-to-have" qualifications for the IT role. Maybe they need reassessment.
We highly recommend using an ATS at this stage. It keeps everyone organized and ensures no candidate gets lost in the shuffle (the recruitment process can be a maze!), and some even offer features like automatic resume filtering based on your criteria. You can even explore AI add-ons that help schedule interviews with candidates.
The power of the screening interview: After filtering, you might have a few hundred candidates who seem like a good fit on paper. Here's why the screening interview is crucial:
Efficiency: It saves time by weeding out those who don’t meet requirements before wasting time on lengthy interviews.
Targeted Selection: Go beyond resumes. Assess a candidate's communication skills, passion for the role, and understanding of the technical needs. This is also the right place to ask about the very specific technical experience in all the details.
Cultural Fit: Resumes show skills, but an interview offers a glimpse into personality and work style. This helps determine if they'd be a good fit for your company culture and team dynamics. For example, in the Prerender project, we were looking for someone well-organized, self-motivated, friendly, and communicative.
Reduce Costs: By filtering out unsuitable candidates early, screening interviews save money on the recruitment process.
After you have conducted the interview and if you have a good, structured profile system, some AI tools can help. They might "listen" to the interview and fill in most of the profile or help write text based on keywords. Always double-check the results!
The Prerender Case
Our team conducted 240 screening interviews, taking roughly 156 hours. Factor in roughly the same amount of time for candidate evaluation and profile creation to inform the next stage of the decision-making process. That makes 312 hours altogether.
In the Prerender project, we sent 25 candidates for the technical assignment and further interviews. Remember, even rejected candidates can be future hires or brand ambassadors. Treat everyone with respect and keep them informed throughout the process.
Assessment and Interviews
We haven’t had even one recruitment project without any technical assessment involved. And that is logical, as we are working only with IT vacancies, and the candidates need to show their skills. These are some of the more popular assessment forms:
Technical interview
Home assignment
Technical Test
Pair programming
It’s up to your tech team to choose the right assessment that would fit the role. In any case, “remember that somebody has to give feedback, and his or her time is certainly valuable for the company, as this person usually is a senior tech specialist, team lead, or even a head of tech,” Maris explains, adding that “to streamline the hiring process, most companies incorporate assessments into interviews, saving time for the candidate and the company.”
If your recruitment team (or agency) has done a good job in the previous step (shortlisting candidates, screening calls, making profiles), then this one will go much smoother. Also, it’ll save a lot of time. Artem from Prerender explains:
“The biggest difference compared to our limited in-house recruiting before was the time-saving. Precisely - the amount of time spent on the candidates. I was much less disturbed by inadequate candidates and piles of CVs. Even most of the rejected candidates were on a very high level. There were zero bad surprises. And the spot on candidate’s profiles also made my life much easier.”
When it comes to interviews, it’s always a good idea to ask - what’s the purpose of it? Probably you can merge them, to make the whole process shorter.
As a rule, it’s always better to keep this part of the recruitment process as short as possible so you won’t lose the best candidates. “If you get back to the applicant after a month, it’s just natural that he or she might already have a job in a different company,” Maris comments.
Selection and Offer
This is the final hurdle! You've identified the perfect candidate, and a competitive offer with a great salary, benefits, and clear career growth is on the table. But even at this stage, there can be bumps in the road. For example, in this recruitment project, one of the candidates didn’t receive the offer, because the legal part of the job contract changed and he wasn’t eligible anymore.
Whether you're an in-house recruiter or working with an agency, be prepared for the possibility of rejection – either the company might decide not to move forward, or the candidate might choose another opportunity. The good news? The better you understand the key decision-makers at the company and the candidate's motivations, the more proactive you can be in avoiding these situations.
Mate HR as an IT recruitment agency has served as a mediator in several such situations during the last few years. “Sometimes it’s enough to “translate” the needs and desires of one side to another,” Maris explains, adding that “..there might be a good chance that you as a recruiter will work with the same company or specialists in the future. So it just makes sense to do your best at this point.”
Key Takeaways from the Prerender Case
The Prerender case highlights a few important things to consider when it comes to IT recruitment projects. Here are two big ones:
Finding the perfect tech fit takes time and a wide net: Top tech talent is in high demand, so building a great team often requires looking beyond borders and casting a large net. This might mean tapping into an international talent pool to find the right person.
Recruitment agencies aren't just for big companies: There's a misconception that tech recruitment agencies are only for large corporations. However, the truth is that smaller companies with limited HR resources can often benefit the most from their expertise when filling specific tech roles.
It's a buyer's market for talent so act now! With the current abundance of skilled tech professionals, it's a great time to optimize your operations by hiring the right person without compromise. There's no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to recruiting – in-house or agency – so choose what works best for you. If you have the resources and time to handle it internally, go for it!
But time is money: don't forget the potential cost of a vacant IT position. Think about the lost revenue or missed opportunities while the role remains unfilled. If you need to hire more IT professionals than your HR team can manage quickly, consider partnering with us. We leverage a network of local recruiters across 40+ countries in Europe and beyond, connecting you with a talent pool of over 300,000 tech professionals – even if you're a small startup.
As Artem puts it: “If you can afford to wait a year, then you don't need Mate HR”.