Technical Recruiting vs. General Recruiting: What's the Difference?
Are you looking for help hiring the best talent for your company, but you're unsure where to start? So many types of recruiters are waiting to help you expand your team, but it may be challenging to find the right one for you. Every company and industry has different hiring needs and processes, so it's no surprise that recruiters have different specialties. Thankfully, we're here to help!
In this blog, we'll discuss general recruiting, technical recruiting, and what sets the two apart. Each approach has unique benefits, so it helps to understand which is best suited for your company. Let's get started!
What is general recruiting?
General recruiting is the most common type because it allows companies to cast a wide net and choose from an expansive candidate pool. It's most helpful to companies that aren't looking to hire for a specialized role or industry and is open to applicants from many backgrounds.
General recruiters use the most effective approach when attracting a diverse group of candidates. They may come from various industries, possess many skill sets, and have a broad range of experience. From entry-level to executive positions, general recruiters handle the sourcing, assessing, screening, and interviewing potential candidates, then matching them to job opportunities that best suit them.
Since these recruiters work across many industries and roles, they require a broad understanding of the job market and the industries they service. Additionally, general recruiters prioritize a candidate's soft skills, personality traits, and whether or not they'll be a cultural fit. Once they find someone who fits the bill and begin moving them through the hiring process, general recruiters can handle salary and benefits negotiations, manage candidate relationships, and provide support and guidance on getting started in their new role.
What’s technical recruiting?
Now, let's move on to tech hiring, which focuses on finding candidates with unique and specific technical skill sets and experience for a role. Tech recruiters handle sourcing, screening, interviewing, and hiring candidates specifically for technical positions within the industry. So, for example, if your company is looking to fill openings for front-end developers, data architects, computer systems analysts, or engineers, you'd enlist the help of a technical recruiter.
Tech recruiters work in various industries but most often for cybersecurity, hardware, software, e-commerce, and other tech-related companies. They may also come from a technical background, which helps them talk the talk when finding suitable candidates. Their familiarity with coding, terminologies, tools, methodologies, and trends in tech is essential to narrow down applicants based on their technical skills, knowledge, and experience.
Technical interview processes often require an in-depth screening and assessment. So a tech recruiter's expertise is handy when assessing a candidate's algorithms and system design knowledge and conducting coding tests.
So, what’s the difference?
The main difference between technical and general recruiting is that general recruiters and their approach are about finding the person with the right soft skills, attitude, and personality. However, tech recruiters use a more detailed system to identify candidates with the technical know-how to do the job. Some specific areas that set the two apart are:
Knowledge
General recruiters have a general understanding of roles and the job market, which is useful when filling multiple roles across various departments. On the other hand, tech recruiters deeply understand specific technologies, tools, and coding languages, such as Python, SQL, and Java, and can determine just how proficient someone is in them.
Recruiting tools
General recruiters rely on many sourcing channels to fill roles. For example, they may use applicant tracking systems, social media, job postings, employee referrals, and network events. Tech recruiters, on the other hand, can use the same sources in addition to specialized networks and industry groups such as GitHub and Stack Overflow.
Industry trends
General recruiters may stay current on the job market's overall changes and trends. However, tech recruiters must keep in the know when it comes to advancements and trends in tech, with the rise of tools and applications like ChatGPT, AI, and other emerging technologies. Knowing what skills companies are looking for in new hires is an ongoing process.
Build the tech future with eHire
No approach is better than the other. It all depends on what your company's needs are. If your priority is to find candidates who fit your culture and have just the right amount of experience, general recruiting is the way to go. But, if you want a candidate who's a coding ninja or tech wizard, bringing a tech recruiter on board is the best route.
If your company's looking for tech gurus to join your team, we've got you covered. eHire always stays current on the latest trends in tech and optimizes its processes to find the best candidates for your company in today's highly competitive talent market. Ready to set your hiring plans in motion? Contact us today!