How to find, retain and develop tech talent

Unfortunately, over three-quarters of employers have problems finding and keeping employees as the Great Resignation hits home.

This movement, also known as the Great Attrition, is being felt in many companies as tech talent streams out the door to pursue better opportunities. Organizations that take the time to learn why will have an edge in attracting and retaining talent.

Developing robust people and talent strategies are among the highest-value actions a business can take. Yet, according to another McKinsey survey, 61% of HR professionals believe that hiring developers will be their biggest challenge in the years ahead. 

There is something we can predict, too: employees don't just want benefits and perks - they want to feel valued by their organizations and managers. They want meaningful interactions, not just transactions. 

This is how you can rethink your talent strategy:

Have a talent experience team

Companies have to invest across the entire hiring cycle. Many companies already have a focused team dedicated not only to employee experience but also to talent experience. These teams focus on improving processes from hiring to onboarding - creating a work environment where people can do exciting work and nurturing a culture built around developer happiness.

This is a significant empathy exercise: put yourself in the talent's shoes. Talent wants to meet the people they're going to work with, complete the interview process quickly and get moving fast when hired. 

Identify skill gaps

Every leader in the organization should constantly provide feedback and point out what skills every person in their team needs to develop to succeed at their jobs. This exercise should be done as often as possible and not just reserved for performance review meetings.

Every challenge an employee faces should be seen as a growth opportunity: from the most obvious, like learning a new technical skill, to more human/people skills, like the ability to provide feedback or even managing their own time. Everyone is responsible for creating an environment where people believe they are valued as individuals and are given the time and space to flourish.

Offer a valuable journey

Understand what your tech talent cares about. Just like a business must understand what its customers need, managers must also understand what their employees need to give them the right learning opportunities. Asking questions is the best way to do this. 

Regular one-on-one meetings will be beneficial at this point. In addition to using this time to check in on their current projects, be sure to ask them what skills they're most comfortable with and which ones they would like to develop. Inquire about any areas that might feel incredibly challenging.

A good compensation package is excellent, but top candidates also care about being a part of a strong culture that values technology and doing meaningful and exciting work. 

Upskilling

Much of the talent you need will come from the team you already have. Focus on mapping the necessary skills for each role in your company and create reskilling and upskilling training sessions. This will increase engagement in the long run and create career opportunities for those who already believe in your company. Make training continuous through ongoing learning journeys and tailored for specific roles. Emphasize experience rather than simply providing certifications.

Empower teams

Build small, empowered teams with a clear mission, and let them execute. Support them by clearing organizational roadblocks and enabling team-level decision-making.

Simplify processes

Eliminate meaningless processes—top talent won't put up with it. Instead, focus on providing the resources they need to excel at their jobs.

Offer career opportunities

More than two-thirds of developers want to avoid becoming managers. Instead, they prefer to keep their craft sharp and pursue increasingly sophisticated digital challenges. Therefore, create both managerial and non-managerial career paths so your engineers can grow and build their skills.

Invest in developer experience: create an environment that delights and inspires your developers. Focus on developer happiness - productivity and performance will follow.

Invest in diversity

Create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment. A study from McKinsey & Company shows that companies that practiced gender diversity in executive teams outperformed peers by over 20%.. Define clear strategies to increase diversity and focus on developing an environment that nurtures talent through diversity and a supportive culture.

Olby simplifies building and scaling teams in Brazil

Companies partner with Olby to find and retain the best tech talent and promote thriving & long-lasting work relationships based on trust and partnership bonds. We foster connections between Latin American talent and international companies, leveraging life-changing opportunities and boosting global tech companies. 

Olby is your partner in this journey. Grow exponentially with a successful team of highly-vetted Brazilian tech talent. Ready to hire your next team? Let's get there.