You’d like your company to hire as smoothly as Netflix, wouldn’t you? After all, a recent study found that it’s the #1 company to work for according to technologists. There are many things Netflix is doing right, but none have a greater impact on their hiring process than the way they focus on communication. Do the same, and the tech talent shortage can feel like a thing of the past.
Communication Across the Company
Netflix has created what they refer to as a “culture of recruiting” that makes hiring great people every employee’s responsibility, not just those in formal talent acquisition roles. Take this page out of their playbook by making sure your entire company is aligned on what positions you’re currently hiring for. If there’s an employee referral program, regularly remind everyone of how it works. Make sure your entire workforce knows how to speak clearly about your company’s perks and understands the importance of leaving reviews on third-party sites like Glassdoor. Even traditional tech companies are thinking this way, with Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, handing his entire leadership team a book on communication when he took the reins.
Communication Between Hiring Managers and Recruiters
While company-wide communication is important, Netflix is ultra-focused on direct and candid collaboration between hiring managers and recruiters with no middle parties to muddy the waters. Technology positions are often described with complex lists of industry jargon, software programs, and required certifications. A recruiter can match a resume to a bulleted job description, but what about the frequent cases of candidates bringing adjacent-but-still-qualified skill sets to the table? If they don’t make it to an interview with the hiring manager, then a great technologist could be overlooked.
Recruiters can only properly control the candidate funnel when they are on the same page with the hiring managers who intimately know the open roles inside and out. Opening these lines of communication immediately boosts the technology recruiting process. Especially in larger organizations, there’s a reliance on tools such as a VMS that are meant to streamline the hiring process but unfortunately disrupt the vital communication element. Remove impediments to the link between hiring managers and recruiters, and you’ll eliminate confusion over candidate qualifications, hiring timelines, and available budgets.
Communication with Outside Hiring Partners
Netflix’s strategy makes clear that communication between those seeking your candidates and those who will hire and supervise them in the role is critical in an industry facing a dramatic skills shortage. This dedication to communication is paramount when working with an outside partner such as a staffing firm. Working with technology recruiters in a staffing firm is a different experience than working with internal recruiters, but the importance of communication remains. Your staffing partner must be able to talk to and collaborate with hiring managers in order to understand exactly what makes a good technologist for your company and deliver them. The best staffing wins for BridgeView IT clients have come when a true partnership is formed with as few roadblocks to communication as possible.
Focus on Communication in Your Hiring Process
Whether across your company, amid hiring managers and recruiters, or between your organization and a staffing partner, opening the lines of communication will dampen the effects of the technology talent shortage. It’s precisely how Netflix is able to cut through the noise and successfully reach candidates. An entire organization on the same page is a powerful recruiting tool. Be more like Netflix and focus on communication to breathe new life into your hiring.
