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      Raise the Bar in 2023: Strategies from Top Employers Winning Tech Talent (VIDEO)

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      Need insight to plan your recruiting and hiring strategies for 2023? Watch this on-demand webinar to hear talent acquisition experts from Top Employers Winning Tech Talent discuss key findings and data from Hired’s What Top Tech Employers Do Differently: New Hiring Data to Win in 2023 report. They share strategies for filling open positions with top talent and building a diverse team quickly and efficiently.

      Hear from:

      Hired SVP Marketing, Erica Yamamoto

      Manager, R&D Talent, Tray.io, Reece Batchelor

      Director of Tech Talent, SAP, Tatiana Moraes Nogueira

      Talent Acquisition Manager, Technology, iHeartMedia, Jeff Carr

      Read an excerpt of the conversation here and scroll down to access the full webinar. 

      What are strategies for driving qualified candidates?

      Tatiana Moraes Nogueira, Director of Tech Talent, SAP

      We invest a lot in preparing our interviewers to really understand what we are and how we are interviewing. What are the qualifications that we’re looking for in these candidates? We are always prioritizing candidate experience on top of everything. Transparency is a big thing for us. We are fast in providing feedback and we provide full feedback to our candidates.

      That is definitely something that always brings us more and more candidates. Whoever applied in the past understands why they were or were not approved. Then they go and work on the skills we wanted them to have and they can reapply. 

      We also are very strong on flex work. SAP is a company committed to employee experience first. SAP is a people-first company. We definitely communicate very broadly that some roles are going to be remote while some others need a bit more in-person time. SAP has amazing offices throughout the US and Canada. We are looking for people to be in the office maybe two or three times a week and we communicate this flex work approach in terms of hours, location, and days of the week.

      Flex work for us means you can accommodate your working hours around your projects and personal life. We also have a big returnship program. We are allowing people who have been away from work for over a year and a half to come back to the workforce. All these things are elevating our brand and allowing us to continue attracting the best talent out there.

      Reece Batchelor, Manager, R&D Talent, Tray.io

      Naturally, being a smaller company, we rely heavily on outbound strategies to attract talent. We do take quite an aggressive approach to this. We target 100 new messages per week. Hired is a great tool for us. 

      We also use a tool called Gem for messaging sequencing. At Tray, we don’t just staff emails out either. We try to get really personalized – not just ‘I see you work at X company.’ I’m talking about really calling out things on people’s LinkedIn profiles, including work they’ve done and blog posts they may have written too. 

      We’ve also looked at a lot of data on our outbound messaging to see what’s working and what’s not. 

      There are two real changes we’ve made recently. One is keeping our messages short, sweet, and to the point. No one has time to read lengthy emails. We’re just trying to hit what people want to know, which is why we are reaching out to them and what’s in it for them. Those are the two points we’re really trying to hit. 

      Secondly, we like hitting and tackling the elephant in the room, which is job security. It’s top of mind for everyone. We’re quite fortunate as we’ve done funding a couple of months ago, so we call that out in our messaging. 

      But what’s different now from maybe 12 months ago is we’re not saying we’ve done a round of funding and are in hyper-growth mode because that scares people. It’s all about how this is now sustainable and why joining Tray gives you the security you’re ultimately looking for. 

      Jeff Carr

      Automation is the name of the game. We try to automate as much as we can. We start with a lot of market data trends and share them with our executives, VPs, and hiring managers. This includes where these market trends are with compensation, the available workforce, what the time-to-fill is across the technology industry, and what you can expect as candidates move through the process. 

      We try to keep everything as efficient as possible. We do weekly meetings with the managers to keep communication feedback between the recruiter, candidate, and hiring manager as tight as possible in the process. 

      We’ve even adopted a tool for scheduling interviews. It’s taking the manual process out of the pattern to where everything is automatically shared with the candidate and hiring manager. That’s probably given each team member at least five hours back in their day.

      Showing the value proposition of where automation can help. Additionally, metrics and data points help keep everybody aligned on where process improvement is and where opportunities are for it. Any automation you can add to your process adds a lot of value back to the recruiting team members, candidates, and hiring manager.

      Related: Get Internal Approval for Recruiting Tools: A Step-by-Step Playbook 

      Watch the full collaborative panel discussion to discover: 

      Top strategies to increase interview response and acceptance rates 

      Why and how salary transparency increases equity and efficiency in hiring funnels

      Why tracking time-to-fill is only part of the story

      Ways to drive organizational innovation  More

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      How to Improve Job Security During an Economic Downturn: Career Advice for Recruiters

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      An economic downturn is a notably difficult time for job security for recruiters. Open positions can become scarce to the point where the search for talent may halt. Hiring freezes inherently restrict recruiters and talent acquisition leaders from being able to fulfill their usual duties.  

      “Recruiters need growing businesses to fulfill their function. To deal with this, we need to understand what the reality is. That can give us the right foundation to strategize around staying in the game,” says Recruiting Brainfood’s Curator, Hung Lee, in a past episode of Hired’s Talk Talent to Me podcast. 

      Leaning on Hung’s insights, let’s dive into how recruiters can protect their own careers during tough times.

      4 ways to strengthen job security and how recruiters can distinguish themselves during an economic downturn

      Expert: Recruiting Brainfood Curator, Hung Lee 

      1. Invest in yourself

      Hung recommends recruiters start by taking the time to expand their skill set. He says, “Upskilling is definitely something recruiters need to do. It is a great time to upskill yourself in areas you could improve… Look at the skills you may have neglected due to operational overload now that you have some capacity.”

      There are a number of free resources “teaching you how to source candidates, do employer branding, copywriting, analytics, and more.”

      Related: Explore workshops and events from our partner, General Assembly

      2. Think ahead to create job security as a recruiter

      While upskilling is critical, Hung says “it would be very wrong to spend 100% of your time doing that because however skilled you may be, you also need to get busy positioning yourself to get opportunities when they emerge. I recommend recruiters think about: Am I in the right market for the near, mid, and long term future?” 

      Following a crisis or recession, “a lot of these industries will certainly come back in a very different form which is often smaller in terms of absolute manpower. That has a knock-on effect for recruiters so think about what industries are going to grow and where the new demand will emerge. Recruiters have to be agile and able to port into growing industries — not hang on to ones that will probably die.”

      3. Apply your recruiting skills to the job search

      “I advise recruiters to apply what they do to themselves. We often apply skills externally and never internally for our own needs — but recruiters need to do that.” 

      “If I’m prospecting as a third-party recruiter for a client base or market to trade in, I would be very sensitive to which markets will grow compared to those likely to shrink. Essentially, recruiters need to apply exactly the same methods and mentality to the job search.” 

      “I think it would be wrong to look for available recruiter jobs and only that. The right thing to do is look at industry sectors you anticipate to grow. Get yourself positioned in those places, build networks there, build contacts, and do the research.”

      “Find yourself on fertile ground. You don’t need to be the best recruiter in the world. If you’re swimming against the tide, you have to be an amazing swimmer. If you’re swimming with the tide you could use a float device and make it to the other side.”

      “Recruiters have native skills directly applicable to jobseeking. You know how to source, retrieve information, research, do a cold open, document, and promote. All of those things need to come together.” 

      “We rarely have our own dog food but in this case, we have to chow down. Think: How would I do this if I was recruiting for a customer or market mapping for a prospect? Engaging in the job search is a very interesting demonstration of the skills, processes, and mindsets you can apply from the job of recruiting.”

      4. Stand out by fostering meaningful connections 

      While traditional routes of applying for a job through a post are legitimate, Hung urges recruiters to pursue less conventional methods too.

      “As a hiring manager I would be more impressed with an explanation involving deep research from analytics, tracking of funding, or some information gathering a recruiter would typically do. With that, you provide evidence of how you would do the job. This mentality will not only help you generate opportunities, but convert them as a result of the techniques you employed to find it.”

      Source for companies with the same precision you source for candidates. 

      “In other words, when we default to jobseeking, we forget the recruiter, or the crude animal in us. We shouldn’t just default to what’s available. Maybe 10% of your time should be applying for jobs and 90% should be doing investigative work to source hidden opportunities and find other ways to connect with the hiring manager.” 

      “Remember the market flipped on us. This is now a candidate-rich market for recruiters. If I was recruiting for a recruiter and I put a job out, I’ll be flooded with candidates. Therefore, as I get more applications, I spend less time on them. In turn, every application has to be closer and closer to the ideal person I’ve imagined.” 

      Hung encourages recruiters to be thoughtful in starting a conversation and demonstrating existing recruiting skills. 

      Focus your efforts wisely

      “Simple mathematics means your chances of being that person will generally be slim. You should go and apply but it shouldn’t be the dominant activity for you as a jobseeker. Instead, do what you have been doing as a recruiter. Treat your job search as the process of gathering information about the best options out there, then figuring out a way to engage with them.”

      “If you do this in the right way, you may catch the opportunity before it becomes public and you might even short-circuit the entire process. Let’s not forget in a candidate-rich market, generally, an employer does not want to advertise the job because it brings a massive applicant flow problem. Ideally, someone wanders in and solves my problem — be that person. Recruiters have the skills to do it. They just have to switch to their usual mentality and put it in a new context.” 

      Related: Job Searching? Online Networking Strategies to Get you Started 

      At the heart of great teams

      Fortune recently called out tech layoffs hitting HR teams especially hard. Experts warn that companies viewing talent-focused roles as far from profit-earning for the organization may be dangerous in the long run. When the economy bounces back, companies that cut recruitment or DEI risk will need to reassemble and may struggle to keep up with competitors after losing this foundational aspect.

      Recruiters are at the heart of building and maintaining great teams. Showcase the value you bring.

      Want more insights just for recruiters?

      Tune into Hired’s podcast, Talk Talent to Me, to learn about the strategies, techniques, and trends shaping recruitment and talent acquisition—straight from top experts themselves. More

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      How to Foster Psychological Safety in the Workplace, from Interviews to Management

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      Why it’s Important to Create an Environment for Employees and Candidates that Welcomes Feedback

      The workplace hasn’t always felt like a safe space to speak up or out. Because of that, issues can go unaddressed and ideas can go unmentioned. Savvy organizations know an environment strong in psychological safety is more conducive to innovation and employee satisfaction. Haven’t heard of psychological safety before or don’t know what it is? Learn why it’s important in the workplace from interviewing to managing teams. Find out how to establish and nurture it within your company.

      What Is Psychological Safety?

      According to Harvard leadership professor Amy Edmondson, “psychological safety is a belief that it’s absolutely ok, in fact, it’s expected, to speak up with concerns, with questions, with ideas, with mistakes.” Everyone feels comfortable being themselves at work. There’s no fear of punishment or humiliation for one’s thoughts or ideas.

      This doesn’t mean work is sunshine and rainbows all the time. Conflict will happen. The difference is people are willing to speak up. There’s mutual support with psychological safety.

      Psychological safety lays the groundwork for innovation and adaptive performance. This can occur at all levels of an organization. It establishes an environment where team members feel comfortable expressing concerns. They ask tough questions because everyone’s input counts. They’re not afraid to throw out ideas for fear of rejection. When team members feel safe, they’re more likely to take risks, share new ideas, and challenge the status quo.

      Anabel Morales, VP of Talent Acquisition at Worksome describes psychological safety in a nutshell as “really just having the ability to speak your mind and being open to candor.”

      Tyler Parson, Head of Talent at Chili Piper explains how creating this space stems back to the organization taking initiative. “If you create a culture where it’s okay to say those things, then it takes all the fear out of it, or at least most of the fear out of it.” 

      Company Values & Culture Foster Psychological Safety

      Reinforce and promote psychological safety through the company’s values. Doing so allows you to set the tone for its development throughout the organization.

      Worksome’s company values are “Speak data, be brave, and have fun.” Anabel Morales explains how these values work to build an environment of psychological safety. 

      “Being brave really connects to letting people be authentic, speak their minds, and have fun. I think it’s not just about social events and team building, but it’s also about actually having a passion for your work and having fun at your job because of what you’re doing.” 

      “Our cultural framework is made up of trust, transparency, and inclusion. We try to approach everyday interactions with our colleagues in this way and also throughout the candidate journey.

      Culture promotes psychological safety for internal employees seeking changes too. Tyler Parson shares how this works.

      “What we’re trying to build at Chili Piper and have been successful in doing so far is creating a culture where if you want something new, you always ask for it internally first. If it’s in the realm of possibility and our growth plan, then we try it.”

      With clear values and a positive culture, employees can feel comfortable expressing themselves in the workplace and building trust with the company.

      Psychological Safety in Interviewing

      For far too long, an interview hasn’t always felt like an opportunity to speak up without fear of backlash. Or worse, getting the boot from the recruitment process. Building psychological safety in interviewing will change that.

      Anabel explains why Worksome makes an effort to provide psychological safety in the interview process. “We want to ensure people feel free to speak up and share failures as well as successes because we know that’s really where the learning happens and that’s just important to share.” 

      This welcomes the opportunity for candidates to share the adversity they overcame to achieve success!

      So, how do you set a precedent of psychological safety for a candidate in an interview? It starts with the interviewer.

      Tyler shares that Chilli Piper ensures during “interview trainings, hiring managers are equipped with how to create a basic positive candidate experience. Part of that is understanding how to make candidates feel comfortable, welcomed, and [empowered] to talk about their experiences in a way that doesn’t shy away from talking about their failures.

      Gauge a candidate’s ability to foster psychological safety in the workplace. Ask questions focusing on empathy and respect. Assess if this person will be a good fit in a culture of psychological safety.

      How do you go about building trust with your team?Provide an example of how you showed empathy in your current role.How would you help someone progress after a failure?Share how would you respond if someone else’s view on a task or project differed from yours.

      Psychological Safety for Management

      Creating a psychologically safe workplace starts with strong leadership. Leaders need to model the behavior they want to see in their team members. They need to encourage open communication. Give employees the space to voice their opinions.

      Anabel believes “top leadership” setting a precedent has a ripple effect throughout the organization. “I think if they are living out their values then it will naturally trickle down to the rest of the company.” 

      “You can always use the values when you are trying to make tough decisions and when you reflect on the values, it’s [even] helpful in navigating your day-to-day.”

      “When we hire managers or if we promote somebody into a management role, right away we introduce them to our leadership principle, educating them on just how to live up to those values.”

      Tips to Build Psychological Safety

      Here are 3 important tips from Amy Edmondson to create psychological safety as a leader: 

      Frame the work as a learning problem, instead of an execution problem. Needing everyone’s involvement creates a rationale for speaking up.

      Ask more questions to invite sharingActively request opinions from those who tend to stay quiet

      Acknowledge your own fallibility to create more safety for speaking up. Tyler Parson supports this saying, “It starts with… you as a leader practicing vulnerability”

      Apologize when you make a mistakeAsk for help when you need it

      Model curiosity and ask a lot of questions to create a necessity for voice.

      Promote equal speaking time for everyone involvedEncourage feedback sharing and use it to build on ideas

      Psychological Safety Is the Foundation for Innovation

      Psychological safety establishes a baseline. Everyone can feel safe to speak up and feel heard when they do. In this sort of environment, innovation comes easily with the free flow of ideas. 

      Want more insights into recruiting tips and trends?

      Tune into Hired’s podcast, Talk Talent to Me, to learn about the strategies, techniques, and trends shaping the recruitment industry—straight from top experts themselves.

      Finally, want to listen to the full episodes featured in this article?

      Editor’s note: at the time of the podcast recording, Tyler was Head of Talent, in June of 2022, she was promoted to VP, People. Congrats, Tyler! Likewise, when her episode was recorded, Anabel was VP of Talent Acquisition, in August of 2022, she became VP, People and Culture. Congrats, Anabel! More

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      Less Competition, More Talent: Here’s How to Recruit in an Economic Downturn

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      What You’ll Learn

      How a ‘down’ economy affects hiring strategiesWhat companies should avoid doing in rough economies (it’s probably not what you think)Advantages of recruiting in an economic downturn12 best practices to help gain a competitive advantage when the economy slows

      About this eBook

      If you’re in the hiring space, you’re probably no stranger to this shifting landscape of talent acquisition. Now, we’re facing the newest challenge in the labor market: rising inflation, fears of recession, and labor shortages. But no matter the economic climate, it’s your job to find and retain top tech talent. Discover how can you adapt your hiring strategy to successfully recruit, keep pipelines warm (and strengthen your own career) during an economic downturn. More

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      Get Internal Approval for Recruiting Tools: A Step-by-Step Playbook

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      What You’ll Learn

      How to articulate the problem the tool will solve (with examples!)How to prepare a solid rebuttal (just in case)The communication structure to follow when you request the tool

      About this eBook

      Your team has big goals and you’ve identified a new recruiting tool to help. So what’s the best strategy to get it approved internally? Securing approval may feel like a tremendous challenge but this playbook will outline, step by step, how to get your recruitment tool budget approved so you can better automate and streamline your hiring process. More

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      Why You Should be Recruiting Laid Off Talent (+ 3 Key Strategies) 

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      Between shrinking labor force participation due to the pandemic and the “Great Resignation,” in which almost 50 million workers left their jobs, we’ve faced a whirlwind of a labor market. Now, amid increasing inflation and labor shortages, the job market remains uncertain. Whether it’s business as usual or you’re under a hiring freeze, it’s important to think about nurturing your pipeline and recruiting laid off talent. 

      This year, numerous layoffs came as a tough blow to many tech workers thrust back into the job market. In September of this year, job cuts surged 46% with US-based employers announcing over 29,000 layoffs. 

      Surprisingly, mass layoffs are a relatively recent occurrence dating just back to the 1970s. Since then, many Americans have come to accept layoffs as an inevitable outcome of economic downturns. Workers could no longer rely on the same company to employ them for the majority of their professional careers. 

      So, let’s review key strategies for talent acquisition teams and recruiters to grow their talent pool and find top candidates despite an economic downturn. Here’s how you should approach recruiting laid off talent and stand out in this market. 

      1. Don’t let stigma influence you

      Let’s get one thing straight. Firing is typically performance-based. About 74% of US workers are considered at-will employees. This means an employer may fire them for any reason (if not illegal), or no reason, without warning, and no just cause. 

      Layoffs, on the other hand, are typically unrelated to an employee’s ability to perform a job and the quality at which they do it. Let go of biases traditionally attached to hearing someone was “let go.” Do not assume a laid off worker is ‘less than’ someone a company continued to employ. Perhaps the individual who was laid off was great at their job but the company shifted direction or the economy took an unexpected turn. 

      These days, layoffs aren’t frowned upon as they were in the past. We see an open dialogue about the state of the hiring market and people’s experiences with layoffs. An explosion of  LinkedIn posts in which people share their stories helps prove we are overcoming a taboo. 

      Rethink the connotation of a “job hopper”

      In one LinkedIn post, Rowena Millward reflected on the days in which 10 years of tenure was the average. Then, a changing world of work prompted reinvention. From the shock of having to “adapt or die,” she found success and growth in “dabbling” and making multiple career transitions. Rowena garnered over 1,000 reactions on this post — her statements resonated. We should embrace reinvention. 

      Brittany King, Senior Manager of TA-Talent Intelligence & Diversity, encourages employers and jobseekers to reject negativity around “job-hopping.” In fact, she encourages employers to see past it as a DEI practice. 

      She says, “In many cases, ‘job-hoppers’ have had more barriers than others in the workforce.” This could include health challenges, economic hardships, or transportation issues. Brittany even credits job-hopping to her own career success. “My skills are varied, my familiarity with different industries is comprehensive, and my understanding of organizational culture is robust.”

      Many of the challenges laid off talent face stem from an occurrence simply out of their control. Empathize with them and recognize how much strength it takes to bounce back and re-enter the job search post-layoff. 

      2. Be open to diverse talent 

      Reframing your mindset around particular talent opens up your recruiting to a world of hiring opportunities in places you may not have expected. 

      Layoffs trigger a mix of emotions but also present the opportunity to pivot and explore careers in areas of passion and genuine interest. As people reassess their professional lives after a layoff, many decide to pivot into new fields or industries. In the spirit of Rowena Millward, they embrace reinvention.  

      At Hired, we’ve had the pleasure of meeting numerous jobseekers who broke into the tech sector from wildly unrelated fields — such as music.

      Paula Muldoon used Hired to land a role as a Senior Software Engineer. When we asked her to share her story with us, Paula explained she made a transition into tech from a classical music career. Paula said, “I turned 30 and wanted to earn more money and have a better quality of life. I knew a few developers and they seemed to be really happy and since I could retrain quickly, software seemed like a good option. And turns out I love it!” 

      A successful Makers Academy bootcamp grad, Paula took a bold leap and an unconventional route to make her big career move. Her story serves as a reminder to be open-minded about non-traditional talent or those with second careers.

      Read more stories about candidates who successfully pivoted their careers: 

      In Hired’s panel discussion, “An Insider’s Guide to Hiring in Tech,” our CTO Dave Walters joined TA leaders to discuss improving the recruiting experience for jobseekers and better practices for sourcing talent.

      Panelist John Beard, Director of Corporate & Technical Recruiting at One Medical, made notable points on expanding candidate pipelines with non-traditional talent. 

      “Look for those non-traditional avenues to become a Software Engineer. Look at the bootcamps and at earlier-in-career talent…If you’re an organization specifically looking for the traditional pedigree of Software Engineers from a traditional college education and program, you’re going to miss out on a lot of great Engineers. There are a lot of great self-taught Engineers. There are a lot of great bootcamp Engineers. I’ve hired a lot of great Engineers in their second careers. You can attract them and leverage them on your team, but you have to be open to it.”

      Related: Partner Roundup: Coding Bootcamps & Non-Traditional Tech Education 

      Defining talent based on pedigree is a disservice to your team and puts unnecessary limitations on your recruiting, so look beyond labels and hire for skills.

      Urging companies to prioritize equitable hiring, Hired’s CEO Josh Brenner, explained in the 2022 State of Wage Inequality report, “When competition is high, it benefits organizations to consistently identify non-traditional talent. It creates more robust pipelines of candidates with new ideas to drive businesses forward.”

      Pro Tip: You can add bootcamps to your search criteria on the Hired platform. Or you can work with our events team to create a coding challenge. They’ll help you connect with one or more of our bootcamp partners to co-host and co-promote a challenge or other event. 

      3. Offer what’s important to jobseekers

      To attract the right talent, provide what jobseekers want. In our 2022 State of Tech Salaries report, we explored what tech professionals seek in their roles and job offers. The top perks tech workers would trade for a higher salary/offer are:

      Flexible work schedulePhysical health benefits Paid time off   

      To be successful in recruiting laid off talent amid such volatile economic times, offer flexibility and practical benefits, such as health insurance and 401K retirement matching. These trade-offs are a sharp contrast to findings from the 2021 report, in which more candidates would accept a lower salary for company stock or equity. 

      Perhaps, this reflected a desire for stability as employees assessed what their careers meant in the midst of a pandemic. Employees likely wanted to feel connected to the business and its future growth.  

      Beyond what employers can tangibly offer, tech professionals weigh company values as important too. Again, referencing John Beard, we realize the importance of attracting tech workers who want work aligned with their values:

      “What a company does is increasingly important for engineers who can take their talent to just about any industry. The mission and what the company does really matters. This means concentrating on finding those missionaries as opposed to the mercenaries, who are just looking to maximize their earning potential.”

      Presenting what your company has to offer in values helps you identify the candidates who share your organization’s vision. 

      Is your culture represented well in your employer brand?

      For guidance, download our eBook written for scaling startups, Want to Boost Responses from Candidates? Add Your UVP in Strategic Recruitment Messaging. Work for a large enterprise corporation? Here’s Losing Top Candidates to Unicorns and FAANG Companies? How to Stop It.

      Don’t get us wrong — a competitive salary is essential! However, it loses some of its charm when the fear of getting laid off down the line is present. 

      Perhaps the candidates’ desire to join companies who do meaningful work and the candidates’ willingness to trade salary for benefits enhancing quality of life ultimately reflects their search for security and trust in their jobs. Make candidates feel safe. 

      When recruiting laid off talent, be transparent  

      Does your company offer professional development opportunities? Do they offer tuition reimbursement? What about PTO and family planning/maternity/paternity benefits? Be prepared to tell candidates all about it. Openly share them early in the process. Let them know you want to be supportive by investing in their future — not making them uncertain about it.

      Be sure to keep candidates informed throughout the process. Be upfront about what you’re looking for too as you build trust. Candidates want stability more than ever. Your honest communication about where the company was, is, and will go can help provide that. Share numbers and details to paint a clear picture of your organization. Sell them on why the candidate should begin the next chapter of their career with your team. 

      Go find new talent for your pipeline by recruiting laid off talent

      Do you need better alignment with your hiring teams? Check out our research on What Happens when TA & Hiring Managers Unite. Or if you’re simply spread thin these days, Hired Technical Sourcer offers short or long-term help shortlisting, communicating, and screening technical talent. 

      We also offer opportunities for candidates to showcase their engineering skills and for employers to asynchronously evaluate them using Hired Assessments. 

      Ready to learn more about how Hired supports talent acquisition and recruitment? See how it works for employers with a demo and set up a trial.  More

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      How VMware Attracts and Retains Tech Talent

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      Long before COVID-19 made working from home the norm, this software company was experimenting with remote work and exploring its impact on employer brand. This unsung hero of the B2B technology space was powering some of the busiest and most visible brands of the early months of the pandemic, all while supporting a globally distributed workforce.
      Keeping a watchful eye on these experiments was Global Employment Brand Manager Price Peacock, whose team is responsible for showcasing that employee experience to the public.
      Embracing Remote Work
      Embracing the distributed team model benefits businesses in several ways. Chiefly: It allows hiring managers to recruit from a larger pool, and it makes you a more attractive employer to the staggering number of workers who now prefer telecommuting.
      The move to a distributed team helped VMware address its top talent challenge: standing out in the competitive local tech talent market in Palo Alto, California, where VMware’s headquarters sit. “From a talent perspective, we’re enabling our recruiters, sourcers, and hiring managers to look for people in areas not near VMware offices. That’s allowing us to remove some of those challenges that we historically faced and hire more diverse talent,” Peacock says.
      Prioritizing the “Why”
      Every year, Peacock’s employer brand team sits down for a “gut check.” They reevaluate their priorities and check their efforts against their larger relevance to the company. “It’s allowed us to be nimble, learn, and evolve our employer brand strategy,” Peacock says.
      VMware’s internal EVP reflects this commitment to employees’ development: Own your future. Its employer brand team also maintains a close relationship with the corporate brand team to ensure the message they promote internally stays aligned with the values VMware professes externally.
      Centering the Employee Perspective
      One of the most direct, meaningful ways to keep your employer brand messaging aligned with employee perspectives is to center those perspectives in your content. “Employee referrals today are our number one source of hire. Knowing that, we recognize the importance of our people’s perspectives and voices,” Peacock says. “We actively partner with the 33,000+ employees that work at VMware to create, share, and participate in the content and experiences we’re creating for prospective employees.”
      In foregrounding employee storytelling, Peacock is allowing VMware’s culture to speak for itself. “VMware’s brand is the sum of the emotions and attitudes that people have with us, whether it be our employees, our customers, or the broader community,” she says.

      To follow Price Peacock’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. For help identifying the values and culture you want to create in your company, get in touch.
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      How the Automotive Technology Space Is Attracting New Talent

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      Big changes in the automotive technology space have inspired a renewed focus on attracting tech talent and workplace diversity for this company’s employer brand leadership.
      That focus is just one of the creative challenges Joanna Babiarz faces as Aptiv’s Global Employer Branding Director.
      Your Candidate Messaging Should Evolve with Your Industry
      Recent and rapid tech innovation is rendering certain skill groups obsolete while placing others in high demand. This is especially true of the automotive industry, which now courts very different talent pools than it did a decade ago, according to Babiarz.
      At first, Aptiv’s employer brand messaging wasn’t focused on tech. However, after clocking the industry shift toward being a tech-centric space, Babiarz and her team reshaped their candidate messaging to grab the attention of tech talent and position Aptiv as a competitive employer to this sought-after demographic. Today, roughly one-third of Aptiv’s engineers are software developers and ship over 40 billion lines of code each day.
      To Achieve Workplace Diversity, Start Early
      Refurbishing your employer brand is an ideal time to ensure your messaging reflects your values. During a recent rebrand, Babiarz and her team realized they had an opportunity to disrupt an automotive industry trend with Aptiv’s employer branding: its male-dominated workforce.
      Aptiv employs a diverse team of workers from many backgrounds, but like most other companies in the space, it still struggles to reach women and other demographics underrepresented in STEM. “We are trying to change this ratio. We are trying to show that this space is a fantastic opportunity for growth for anyone, regardless of gender or ethnicity,” Babiarz says.
      What Candidates Really Want
      Today’s candidates don’t just want to collect a paycheck; they want their work to hold meaning. Babiarz observed this when talking to Aptiv employees who’ve stayed at the company for five years or more, as well as those who returned after leaving for a different job.
      She noticed a theme among employee responses: “They have a purpose here. It’s not that they’re working on another software app; they’re helping save lives and mitigate the risks of accidents. They offer solutions that reduce emissions.”
      No matter the nature and scale of the shifts occurring in your industry, Babiarz’s advice to employer brand leaders is the same: Ask your employees about what needs to change. “It’s not always about the market trends or what the stakeholders expect from you,” she says. “You have to talk to your employees!”

      To follow Joanna Babiarz’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. For help gathering data and insights you can act on to improve your company, get in touch.
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