Diversifying teams with modern approaches to technical recruitment
Are once sought after standard academic routes into tech still relevant for modern companies?
As a member of the People team at a growing software company I am involved in a lot of technical recruitment. From developers to testers and Azure experts, Spektrix is competing in a crowded market for top talent. Where we’ve found so much of our success is opening up recruitment and scrapping previous prejudices around education and training. In the rest of the article I will explore some of the alternative routes into technical roles, the advantages this brings to companies and teams and touch on other industries who are struggling to start exploring this.
There are new, exciting, flexible and accessible routes into technology careers appearing all the time. Simply put, you don’t need a Computer Science degree to become a successful developer, so why not pick a cheaper, quicker, more flexible option? Some of the key ones we’ve seen at Spektrix are intensive 12–16 week boot camps such as Makers Academy, Flatiron School or Northern Coders who teach students basic principles of Software Development and essential skills which can be transferred to the world of work. There are also a large number of organisations looking to up-skill certain individuals who are less likely to enter the industry via a traditional route. This includes CodeBar, a group of volunteers who organise free workshops around the UK & United States to create a safe and collaborative environment for minority groups to learn together. Alternatively Tech Returners offer free part time courses designed for beginners and returners to help them reach a job ready level in just a matter of months.
What’s great is that the underlying values and principles around a lot of these organisations is making careers in tech accessible to those who may be excluded from joining in a traditional academic way. It is having a huge impact on the diversity of the talent within the industry. Furthermore these new candidates are demanding changes to outdated, homogeneous cultures and environments which in the past dominated the tech space. Naturally, workplace cultures have had to adapt to embrace this difference and become a safe, and inclusive place to succeed. It’s also quickly apparent that the skills these individuals bring from their previous careers make them stand out, and often excel quicker than those who have followed traditional educational routes and their different approaches to problem solving and creative thinking help teams to deliver success.
Other advantages which many of these ‘bootcamp’ courses build in from the beginning is employability. Part of the success of these organisations is partnering with employers in the areas they’re teaching. Building the schools’ credibility and networks in the community has been a key part of their growth. They are therefore aware of the tools needed to succeed within the roles at their partner companies and spend time preparing students for joining a role within tech, as well as providing key connections through job fairs or work sponsors.
Code.org states that there are currently 493,270 open computing jobs nationwide, and yet only 42,969 computer science students graduated last year. The demand for technical talent means we need to modernise the way we educate people. The flexible, speedy and agile nature of learning mean alternative routes, outside traditional Computer Science degree courses, put engineers at an advantage simply given the demand from the industry itself.
From working in a position which influences recruitment, especially tech recruitment, I am excited as I see candidates’ backgrounds diversifying. Admittedly this talent joins us as junior engineers and when recruiting for senior positions it is much harder to attract or find the same levels of diversity. However, these essential changes to routes and education have made careers in technology more accessible and appealing for more people. Given time, the right mentors, and opportunities, these juniors will progress into our senior or leadership positions. Retaining and nurturing growing talent is incredibly important in an industry that moves as fast as tech, and critical for the success of any business. The future of tech looks brighter and more diverse because of this re-approach to learning and hiring. I urge other industries to look to modernise and diversify their hiring process and question whether old fashioned benchmarks such as; long academic degrees, Russell Group Universities, Private School education or regimented graduate recruitment is right for your company or the industry you work in as a whole.
