More than two billion people use WhatsApp. So it’s not surprising that IT headhunters utilize this messenger to locate the best candidates. But how exactly can one use this application to find employees?
Continue reading to learn about the reasons for WhatsApp use in the recruitment field. We’ll also tell you what the job of an IT recruiter entails and go over this specialist’s primary skills.
What Is an IT Headhunter?
An IT headhunter is a contractor employed by a company to locate excellent candidates in the IT talent market. Businesses typically engage such specialists to swiftly find workers and determine whether they comply with the requirements. Experienced headhunters can have a database of candidates, be proactive in their search for talent, and even lure staff from competitors.
A headhunter can be an individual or a recruitment agency. Although he may be considered a recruiter, his primary responsibility is executive search. Executive search refers to locating and hiring executives or other senior personnel, and, in most cases, this term is synonymous with the headhunter. Employers typically turn to such professionals when they have a pressing need for personnel or cannot find suitable candidates on their own.
Necessary IT Headhunter Skills
In the broadest sense, headhunters aren’t usually technical gurus. However, for IT headhunters, an awareness of the technical nuances, or at least a basic comprehension, is required.
The following are the most critical abilities for IT headhunters:
Understanding the IT industry’s peculiarities
As we previously stated, a competent IT headhunter must be technically savvy. Therefore, it is necessary to identify a candidate who will fully meet the customer’s requirements. In addition, headhunters should also continually develop since new technologies emerge daily, and such specialists must maintain their expertise up to date to stay on top of the current trends.
Always studying the background
An IT headhunter’s professionalism includes researching your company’s history to understand its needs better. Before making an offer to a possible candidate, an expert like this conducts thorough research.
Marketing skills
Advertising skills are half the battle for a successful candidate’s employment in your company. Experienced headhunters know how to elevate your company and attract potential workers.
Organizational skills
IT recruiters must be excellent organizers. Their work not just entails conducting interviews. They also create appealing job descriptions, target the top candidates, and search for talents.
Search and networking skills
Whether through social media, forums, or vacancy aggregators, such an expert must know how to identify the best candidates. Such a professional should also have personal contacts as search channels.
Communication abilities
Constant interaction with people necessitates the capacity to communicate effectively. An excellent expert maintains a professional demeanor, talks calmly and clearly. He is never rude and does not ignore messages or phone calls.
Persistence & confidence
In the highly competitive world of technology, finding suitable candidates is not easy, as IT experts get lost among the many job offers. In this case, it is critical for the headhunter to be persistent (but by no means intrusive) for the candidate to choose your company for cooperation.
The Significance of Using Apps and Other Resources in IT Headhunter’s Work
The hunt for candidates has almost entirely moved online in the digital era, where 6,378 billion people use smartphones. Note that the world’s population is presently over 7,9 billion people, and the number of smartphone users is expected to increase to 7,516 billion by 2026.
As a result, a headhunter’s work requires numerous tools and web resources. Many job search options are now available, ranging from the renowned social network LinkedIn to recruiting software like Workable and even messaging apps like WhatsApp.
Here’s how a tool for hiring can help a headhunter:
- convenient management of information regarding potential candidates;
- easier search for the required talents;
- timely interview planning and scheduling;
- providing instant feedback;
- availability of notifications, so a headhunter doesn’t miss anything.
6 Reasons IT Recruiters Should Use WhatsApp
WhatsApp is a widely-used free cross-platform messenger. We’ll go through the main six reasons for using it in recruitment.
1. High Popularity of WhatsApp
At the beginning of the article, we’ve mentioned that more than 2 billion people use this messenger. As a result, it opens up a large pool of candidates for your required job positions. And because it’s a messenger, you can easily communicate with potential employees.
2. International Audience
People from all across the world use WhatsApp. It offers up the potential of outsourcing tasks and recruiting employees from any country.
3. Free to Use
The headhunter can easily make calls or send messages for free. In addition, the recruiter has access to the messenger functionality enabling him to contact candidates abroad or call a potential employee in the area.
4. Availability of WhatsApp Groups
Headhunters may use groups to locate IT workers interested in specific areas. The recruiter can also form his group and disseminate information about it; thus, attracting dedicated professionals.
5. Active Audience
About 500 million people use WhatsApp every day. Even those who don’t interact with this messenger daily still keep it on their phone. Therefore, there is a high probability that the headhunter’s message will reach the final recipient.
6. Messages Marked as “Read”
It is another reason to use this messenger. If the candidate is interested in cooperation, he will answer as soon as possible. Alternatively, if the headhunter notices that his message has been read but has received no answer, he will have a chance to send a reminder again.
Conclusion
The software engineer headhunter who has been in the business for a while knows how important it is to use apps to discover candidates. We hope this post has given you a better understanding of what headhunters do and why they use WhatsApp messenger to locate talents.
