Recruiting Tech Talent in 2022: Changes and Challenges

As part of our commitment to furthering the tech and digital community in the UK, we caught up with Jack (Head of Talent Acquisition at Legl) - a B2B Start-up focusing on revolutionising the Legal industry) to discuss the challenges and changes to the tech talent market. Jack also very kindly shared some advice for any hopeful young techy’s who are looking to secure their first role in the industry!

From your perspective, what changes have you seen in the tech talent market over the past ?

The whole industry is a different environment than when I first started. Industry innovation, exciting products, scaling businesses and genuine curiosity has thrust forward both the demand and expectations of what it means to be in 'Tech'.

Over the past 5 years, I feel there's two major changes in the market: 1) Demand 2) Understanding.

Investment into Tech start-ups has boomed since I joined the industry, and that's led naturally to an increased demand for talent. Hiring into Tech has always been a challenge for employers, but the rise in requirements for a long time was unrepresentative as the routes into industry and the progression for candidates.

In my opinion, the increase in demand has directly led to an increase in understanding across the industry. Not only have businesses struggled to acquire Tech talent, they've struggled to retain as we've witnessed a boom in comp & benefits and culture. Ensuring a diverse, inclusive and positive working culture is now at the forefront of every People & Talent professional.

As an example, back in 2015 there weren't many organisations fronting the benefits of hiring neurodiverse talent, and even more so, adjusting their hiring processes to be inclusive to all people. Now, in a candidate-led market, employers MUST adapt which has sent a shockwave of 'Understanding' throughout stakeholders.

What do you think are the biggest challenges tech recruiters are facing going into 2023?

A core challenge Tech Recruiters & employers alike will face in 2023 is lack of agility in their approach to the market. Demand is soaring, candidates have the choice of where their next career move is, and if you're not agile enough in your hiring process, agile enough in your salary reviews, agile enough in your progression frameworks, you'll struggle.

One of the most common challenges I've witnessed, which I expect to worsen in 2023, is the lack of awareness between employers and talent on salary expectations. Salary expectations are on the rise as demand for talent continues to increase. Companies who are still operating against a salary benchmark from 2 years ago are massively out of date.

What advice would you give to junior candidates wanting to break into their first commercial role?

Network, network & network. It's amazing to see the increased routes into the industry, with more and more people looking to transition into a career in Tech. The knock-on effect for this, is that for junior candidates, the market for finding that all important first role becomes more and more important. It's certainly possible to find the right role for you, but it's become more difficult.

There are some fantastic individuals across LinkedIn who are always open to helping - network and reach out to everybody and anyone who you'd be interested in connecting with.

Thank you Jack! It’s great to hear your insights from a client’s perspective, and there is some really useful advice in there too!

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