People were already discussing the tech shortage issue long before the pandemic. Nowadays, the scenario is even more challenging. There are just not enough professionals with the right technological background to spark their companies’ digital transformation. In a rapidly digitizing economy, an IT recruiter is an essential asset that connects tech talent and organizations.

Tech skills are no longer just a mere advantage but a prerequisite. This digital skills gap comes at a cost. Global Digital Skills Index research from Salesforce and RAND Europe highlights that 14 of the G20 nations could miss out an $11.5 trillion in cumulative GDP growth if the skills problem isn’t properly tackled. There is no doubt that the skills gap will continue to widen and intensify due to the emerging technologies and new social habits.

As technology and innovation have drastically shaped society, so have they redesigned the workplace. Human Resources professionals had to significantly transform the way in which they find, interview, and recruit new talent. In particular, tech talent who not only is particularly hard to find but difficult to hold.

What are your plans for the future? Interested in becoming an IT recruiter? In this article you’ll find what you need to know about the skills and effective strategies to build a successful career in IT recruitment.

IT recruiter: a matchmaker connecting tech talent and organizations

When you think about it, recruitment is very similar to dating. Recruiters have an eye on someone special and try to reach out sooner than later. First, they investigate the candidate through his or her social media profiles. But before popping the big question, they need to develop trust and evaluate compatibility through several dates.

Nowadays, companies keep on striving to source the specialized tech talent they require to leverage organizational success. This shortage of skilful professionals is holding back their business vision. IT recruiters are, therefore, an essential piece to overcoming this challenge, acting as a matchmaker to bring together companies and professionals. 

As its name suggests, an IT recruiter specializes in information technology (IT) and focus on identifying and filtering potential applicants to meet the organization’s needs for open and future positions. While most professionals work “in-house” at an organization, some also work independently or for recruitment agencies.

IT recruitment is particularly common to fill permanent job vacancies, project-based jobs (quite popular in the tech industry such as team extension models or dedicated development teams) or short-term positions for a set period of time.

“What skills do I need to be an IT recruiter?”

An IT recruiter will source, screen, arrange interviews, and hire talented candidates.

IT recruiters respond to the need of highly-demanding and talented specialists at the speed of light because we’ve seen technology develop at an overwhelming pace in the latest years. As a result, they must be fast learners who can stay on top of industry developments and understand the IT hard skills required for new job openings.

You won’t have to be able to code but if you are interested in a career as an IT recruiter, you will find out that a comprehensive technical understanding can be very helpful. A strong background allows you to assess properly IT candidates, answer their questions and decide whether their profiles match what the employer is looking for.

Every now and then, the candidates are not actively looking for new jobs but would consider a better career opportunity if one came their way. A sharp IT recruiter identifies these passive job seekers and is familiar with where the most talented applicants can be found.

Thus, soft skills such as patience and organization are key in finding the needle in a haystack candidate. You will also need powerful communication capabilities to create compelling job ads, lead insightful job interviews and develop honest connections with applicants.

Being an IT recruiter can be challenging, but we know for a fact that there’s no shortage of opportunities. This is an exciting and promising profession due to the limited supply and high demand for tech talent. If you think you have what it takes to become a successful IT recruiter, send us your CV. PrimeIT recruitment has more than 200 job opportunities in the IT industry!