Why tech startups should hire a recruiter to grow their team fast
Spencer Bratman
Head of Product Growth
September 30, 2024
•
5 mins
For tech startups, partnering with a recruiter—whether freelance, contract or through a dedicated recruiting firm—can be a game-changer. Recruiters who specialize in hiring for specific roles can help you build a strong team. They also bring their pre-existing expertise to the hiring process. Before we get further into the benefits of hiring a tech recruiter, let’s talk about what you should look for when hiring one.
A freelance or contract technical recruiter is an expert in sourcing, vetting, and hiring candidates in roles in tech. They can manage all of your hiring pipeline from start to finish, allowing you to focus on other tasks. Tech recruiters have specialized knowledge in what makes a successful candidate for tech companies. Since they have experience specifically hiring for roles at tech companies, they can better evaluate which candidates will be a good fit. They also dedicate all of their time toward the hiring process, leading to a faster time-to-hire.
Some of the tasks you can expect your technical recruiter to take on include crafting job descriptions, sourcing qualified candidates, conducting preliminary interviews, communicating with hiring stakeholders about the best candidates, and essentially any other hiring tasks you need them to take on. They also bring industry expertise to the table, so they can provide you with information like salary benchmarks and hiring trends for specific roles. This helps your startup be more competitive in your market.
Startups can get a lot of benefits from working with the right tech recruiter. Some of the primary benefits include:
1. Access to a Wider Talent Pool
Experienced freelance tech recruiters come with pre-existing connections and sourcing resources. They typically have access to a network of tech professionals that they’ve kept in touch with in the past. They also have access to talent that you wouldn’t normally be able to reach through traditional job postings – passive job seekers. These are professionals who aren’t actively looking for new roles but would be open to jumping on the right opportunity. These can be highly skilled individuals that you wouldn’t necessarily reach if you didn’t have a recruiter on your side.
2. Save Time and Resources
No matter how you slice it, the hiring process is time-consuming and expensive. This is especially true if you waste time making the wrong hire, leading you to go through the process all over again. Tech recruiters can step in and handle your hiring pipeline, taking on tasks like sourcing, screening, interviews, and even negotiating offers. This can speed up the hiring process, reduce the risk of costly mistakes, and free up the rest of your team for other tasks. This is essential for startups, where time is valuable.
3. Expertise in Tech Roles
Tech roles are some of the most difficult roles to hire. The interviewer needs to have specialized knowledge to understand what candidates are right for the role. The tech interview process can also be lengthy, with multiple interviews often including technical ones. Tech recruiters know how to hire for these roles and they know how to run the interview process. They understand the nuances of various roles like software engineering, data science, DevOps, and product management, which enables them to accurately assess candidate qualifications and match them to the needs of your startup. With a freelancer recruiter, you can immediately get the help you need without having to train them.
4. Faster Time-to-Hire
Startups often need to fill roles quickly during high growth stages. Recruiters have the tools and expertise to streamline and optimize the hiring process, significantly reducing your time-to-hire. This means you get more great hires onboard fast, and you can continue to scale your business with minimal disruptions.
5. Better Quality Hires
Of course, a faster time-to-hire isn’t much help if you have high turnover. Fortunately, tech recruiters can also help improve the quality of your hires. Although they know how to expedite the hiring process, it doesn’t mean they’re rushing and hiring people as fast as possible. They have the skills required to thoroughly source and vet top talent who buy into your company's mission. This way, you get quality hires who are on board for the long run.
How to find expert recruiting and hiring help
Finding the right tech recruiter for your startup can be a huge boon to your hiring processes, but that doesn’t mean you should rush the decision. When you want to add an expert recruiter to your team, there are several factors you should consider. These factors include:
Contract or in-house - We’ve mostly talked about contract recruiters in today’s article, but in-house recruiters are also an option. For most startups, contract recruiters are a better choice since they can quickly get started and the cost makes more sense for startup budgets. Larger companies may want to consider an in-house option since they hire more people.
Job boards or recruiting agencies - You can find tech recruiters the traditional way by posting to job boards and reviewing applicants. This gives you a lot of control in the hiring process, but it can take a lot of time. Recruiting agencies can also be an option, but this can be expensive. Dover offers the best solution for startups with our Recruiting Partners marketplace, which connects you to hourly contract recruiters instantly.
Experience - Regardless of your method for hiring a tech recruiter, you should still take the time to screen them and see if they’re a good fit for your startup. You should seek someone who has a proven track record placing candidates at tech companies. It’s also good to find someone who has experience working with startups since they’ll have a better understanding of the unique hiring challenges that come with rapid growth and scaling.
If you’re ready to find your tech recruitment partner, Dover is your solution.
Dover is the top recruiter marketplace for startups
Dover offers an ideal recruiter solution for startups. Our Recruiting Partners marketplace connects you to proven and vetted recruiters who specialize in sourcing and hiring top talent for fast-growing companies. Our Recruiting Partners can immediately jump into your hiring processes and help you make great hires in tech roles, marketing, management, or any other position you might need to fill.
Our recruiting partners are also priced for startup budgets. Instead of locking you into a long contract, you can work with our recruiters on an hourly basis. This lets you hire a contract recruiter as often or as little as you need them. Whether you need to fill a few roles or need ongoing hiring help for the foreseeable future, Dover has you covered. Ready to get started? Connect with your Recruiting Partner today!
