Tech Recruiter Do’s and Don’ts

Tech recruiting is big business. Hire the right developers and you have the next big thing; hire the wrong developers and you have a team full of egos, problems, and headaches. I've gotten a fair share of recruiter emails over the past five years and, as someone trying to be recruited, I feel confident I can give decent insight into the do's and don'ts of tech recruiting. Want to recruit developers like me and other talented devs? Read this post.

Do: Extreme Personalization of Emails

Don't: Send "Stock" Emails

The most annoying recruiter email practice is that of the "one size fits all" recruiter; the recruiter that you know has one template where all they ever change is the recruitee's first name. Developers aren't all the same so your stock email will be "found out" in a glance. The best recruiter email I ever received had the subject line ARSENAL! ARSENAL! ARSENAL! This developer knew enough about me to chant the name of my favorite team; I read his email and listened to his pitch because he took the time to know my interests outside of web development. Extreme personalization from this recruiter worked.

Do: Tell Me the Business Name

Don't: Make Me Guess What's Behind Door Number Three

Throwing a teaser like "a top education company" at me instantly disqualifies your email; it tells me you don't trust me enough to give you the referral and that I would go around you to apply to the company directly. You're already insulting the person you're trying to make money off of. If you're presenting a great opportunity to a prospective hire, they'll be more than happy to name you as the referral and get you the credit you deserve. Playing the guessing game with someone you want to trust you is farcical and you're simply wasting your time.

Do: Follow Up at Reasonable Intervals

Don't: Track My Every Move

An email every 4 months is reasonable; an email each month isn't reasonable and will get you pushed straight to spam. The truth is that any sane developer decides to leave a job over a period of months; no stable developer leaves an employer due to one decision or on a whim. Checking in over reasonable intervals keeps you off of a developer's spam list and keeps them intrigued. Give a developer space and they will give you the time.

Do: Ask Dev Managers to Email Recruits

Don't: Ask HR to Email Recruits

Receiving an email from a perspective boss or tech-savvy person is five times more likely to be successful than an email from a HR person. Getting recruited by fellow developers allows us to ask questions and speak to professionals we trust, professionals that can provide real answers. Asking HR these questions results in two undesirable actions: a "I'll go ask {manager} about those" or "we can discuss that in future communications." Interfacing directly with a manager provides instant comradery and respect.

These four tips should be gold for any recruiter. There are more tips I could give but none of them are nearly as important as those specified above. Developers like being courted, like being recruited; developers don't like being harassed and annoyed. A personal touch is invaluable and, even though a developer may not be ready now, following the rules of a good recruiter will always keep you in the back of their mind.