Filtering the right candidates for IT & tech roles

IT & tech hiring managers continue to face the challenge of finding the right candidates who not only meet the technical requirements but also fit within the company’s culture and long-term goals.

With the tech skills gap widening—around 30% of UK tech firms report struggling to fill crucial positions—the importance of an effective hiring process is more apparent than ever.

In this article, we’ll explore practical tips for filtering top talent, crafting smart screening questions, and using search techniques to pinpoint the best IT & tech candidates for your roles.

1. Crafting relevant screening questions

To narrow down your candidate pool, it’s essential to ask targeted screening questions early in the process. These questions should reveal a candidate’s technical skills, problem-solving capabilities, and cultural fit. For IT & tech roles, here are a few key areas to cover:

Technical expertise

• What is your experience with [specific technology/language] like Python, AWS, or Kubernetes?
• Can you describe a project where you solved a technical issue using [tool/tech]?
• How do you stay up to date with the latest advancements in [technology or specialisation]?

These questions allow candidates to showcase their hands-on experience with technologies directly relevant to your role. Hiring managers should consider tailoring these questions to the specific requirements of the job.

Problem-solving and innovation

• Tell me about a time when you encountered a complex technical challenge. How did you resolve it?
• Can you walk me through a recent project where you introduced a new tool or process to improve efficiency?

These open-ended questions help you assess a candidate’s critical thinking, adaptability, and ability to work independently essential skills in fast-moving IT environments.

Cultural fit and soft skills

• How do you handle feedback from colleagues or supervisors?
• Can you describe a situation where you had to collaborate closely with a team to achieve a technical goal?

IT & tech roles are no longer solely about technical expertise—communication, teamwork, and a growth mindset are increasingly important.

Filtering for soft skills can help avoid hiring technically proficient but socially misaligned candidates.

2. Advanced search techniques for finding top talent

With hundreds of applications pouring in for top IT & tech roles, it’s crucial to streamline your search and ensure you're identifying the most qualified candidates. Here are a few techniques to help you cut through the noise:

Leverage Boolean search strings

When searching through databases or job boards, Boolean search strings can help narrow your candidate pool effectively. For example:

• “Java AND Python AND (AWS OR Azure)” will find candidates with experience in both programming languages and at least one cloud platform.
• “Software Engineer NOT Junior” will exclude less experienced candidates if you’re looking for senior-level professionals.

This technique saves time and ensures your search is focused on candidates with the most relevant experience.

Use niche platforms and communities

In addition to general job boards, focus your search efforts on niche tech communities and platforms. Websites like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and Free-Work cater to tech professionals who are often active in specialised discussions or sharing their work.

Additionally, don’t underestimate the power of LinkedIn. With over 870,000 IT professionals in the UK alone, LinkedIn offers sophisticated search tools to filter candidates based on skills, location, and industry.

Use candidate personas for targeting

To improve your search strategy, develop detailed candidate personas based on the type of IT professionals you’re seeking. These personas should include typical skill sets, preferred technologies, career goals, and working environments. When creating job postings or targeting candidates through LinkedIn or job boards, refer to your personas to refine your approach.

3. Smart screening for technical roles

With IT roles becoming more complex, especially in areas like cyber security, cloud computing, and AI, it’s increasingly important to filter candidates early in the process. Here's how to smartly screen candidates:

Assess coding skills with practical tests

Rather than relying solely on a CV, coding tests can be a reliable indicator of technical proficiency. Platforms like Codility, HackerRank, or LeetCode allow you to set challenges that align with the role. For instance, a DevOps candidate might need to demonstrate their scripting skills or proficiency with automation tools.

Evaluate problem-solving with real-world scenarios

Create real-world scenarios that align with your business needs. If you’re hiring for a cloud engineer role, ask candidates to design a cloud infrastructure solution for a fictional company, explaining the tools and processes they would use. This helps you understand how they approach problems and develop solutions in practice.

Look beyond the cv

In tech, a polished CV can often hide gaps in knowledge or overstate experience. A study by Glassdoor found that almost 85% of UK recruiters had encountered misleading information on CVs. That’s why it’s vital to look beyond the surface level. Use tech communities, GitHub repositories, or even side projects to assess a candidate’s actual work and expertise.

4. Red flags to watch for

While it's crucial to filter for the right candidates, it’s equally important to be mindful of potential red flags. Here are a few warning signs that may suggest a candidate is not the best fit:

• Inconsistent or vague project descriptions: Candidates who struggle to describe the technical details of past projects or who use vague language might not have played a significant role.
• Unclear motivation for contract or permanent roles: Be sure to understand whether a candidate is genuinely interested in the type of role you're offering (permanent vs. contract).
• Lack of communication skills: With remote work becoming a staple, clear and concise communication is key. If a candidate struggles to articulate their ideas, this may cause problems in a fast-paced tech environment.

5. Keeping a human approach

While technology helps streamline the hiring process, maintaining a human element is critical, especially in tech roles where people skills can sometimes be undervalued. Here are some ways to build strong connections:

• Provide clear feedback: IT candidates, especially in the UK, value constructive feedback. Whether positive or negative, offering thoughtful responses to candidates throughout the process fosters a good reputation for your company.
• Build relationships for future roles: Even if a candidate isn’t right for the current role, maintaining a connection can prove valuable. The UK’s tech industry is relatively tight-knit, and staying in touch may help fill future roles or build a network of talent.

Filtering the right candidates for IT & tech roles in the UK is both an art and a science. By combining advanced search techniques, thoughtful screening questions, and real-world testing, IT hiring managers can find candidates who not only possess the right skills but also fit within their team’s culture.

As the demand for tech talent grows, implementing a streamlined approach to hiring will be key to securing the best professionals for your business in 2024 and beyond.