Our team recently filled 50+ middle and senior level positions with relocation to Cyprus in just 5 months. Our Talent Sourcer Ivan explains In this article what exactly helped us achieve this result.
About the client
Our client is a software development company and digital solutions provider headquartered in Cyprus with offices in 4 other countries where we were also looking for specialists. The company's team of over 700 technical professionals delivers large-scale, customized projects based on client needs.
The business had an ambitious expansion plan: to grow by 300-500 specialists by the end of 2024 [spoiler: in Q1-2-3 they hired 1000 specialists]. The list of vacancies provided to us for filling included over 20 tech and non-tech roles.
Introductory information
- We chose the RPO scheme for our cooperation. After all, recruiters act as project managers in our client's company. Therefore, our recruiters joined the internal team and managed the vacancy from collecting requirements, conducting pre-screen interviews, supporting all stages of interviews with the hiring manager [3-5 stages of interviews on the client's side, depending on the vacancy], to the offer to the candidate according to the company's internal standards.
- 3 pairs of recruiter + sourcer joined the client's company. Each pair had from 6 to 10 vacancies in progress at one time. All vacancies were with relocation to Cyprus, Portugal and Bulgaria.
- To make it easier for candidates to make a decision and to be able to familiarize themselves with all the details of the vacancy without focusing on moving abroad, the EvoTalents team has created a special guide. Its goal is to clarify all unclear aspects of the moving and help to adapt to the new place.
- In order to find as many relevant candidates as possible in the shortest possible time, we analyzed the data and selected donor countries/companies from which candidates would be most willing to relocate. Of course, we did not forget about actively searching in countries where the company had offices.
Key actions
To maintain a high rate of filling tech vacancies, we set ambitious goals for ourselves, in particular, reaching a rate of 20 interviews with a recruiter per week and conducting 10 professional interviews. This target allowed us to close about 10 vacancies per month. This level of activity was necessary to ensure high efficiency of the process.
One of the key aspects of our approach was maintaining a balance between the quality and quantity of candidates. Good conversions at different stages of the funnel [see below] confirmed that with such a volume of work, we did not sacrifice the quality of candidates, but instead had a clear understanding of the profile we were looking for. Maintaining high standards meant that we always focused on the whole picture: not only finding candidates, but also creating attractive conditions and opportunities for cooperation for them. This helped to increase conversion at the final interview stages and improved the overall result.
To keep up with this pace and work efficiently, we focused on operational efficiency. All tasks that did not directly impact the recruiting process were postponed. We also streamlined our workflows to focus only on the most important. This included automating routine tasks, improving time management tools, and applying best planning practices. Efficient organization of work allowed our team to stay focused on the main goal - to find and attract the best talent in the market.
What helped us
- Clear understanding of the candidate profile. Before starting the process, we carefully analyzed the requirements for the position, highlighting key points and clarifying the candidate's preferences. This helped us better understand how to attract the right specialists and increase interest. A detailed understanding of not only technical but also soft skills, values and motivation of the candidate contributed to the formation of attractive offers and reduced the risk of rejections at the final stages of selection.
- Creating a sourcing strategy. We focused on the methods that demonstrated the best results. This approach allowed us to spend resources as efficiently as possible. Special attention was paid to search queries, donor companies, keywords, search locations, etc.
- Market monitoring research. An important step was market research, which included identifying countries, positions and companies where suitable candidates could be found. We researched which markets were most saturated with technical talent and which of them best matched our profile. In-depth market analysis helped us to timely adapt the strategy and adjust the search depending on external factors.
- Operational efficiency. We were results-oriented, so sometimes we automated processes where possible. We found ways to perform routine tasks faster, which significantly helped the hiring process. For example, integrating sourcing and communication tools helped optimize time. This approach allowed us to focus on strategic tasks.
- Experimenting with approaches. To find the most effective methods of work, we constantly rewrote messages to candidates, changed approaches to sourcing, and selected different donor companies and countries for search. We tested new approaches to interacting with candidates, which also included personalized messages.
Advice
Use different sources to find candidates: recommendations, job boards, specialized Telegram channels, etc. This will allow you to expand your reach and find the best talent. Involving new platforms and sources reduces dependence on individual channels and ensures a stable flow of relevant specialists.
Conclusion
Our strategy let us fill 50+ positions while maintaining high quality standards. Key success factors were a clear understanding of the candidate profile, an effective sourcing strategy, operational efficiency, and a willingness to experiment. Implementing these approaches will help any IT recruiter achieve better results in searching and selecting personnel. In addition, an approach based on constant experimentation and adaptation allows you to remain competitive in a dynamic labor market and attract the most valuable technical specialists.
