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Finding the engineering talent to fill a technical role is a weighty task, but an important one. 

Having the right engineering talent on your team can move the business in a positive direction and put you on track to get the best results. In today’s landscape, technical hiring often requires more than just putting out an ad and waiting for the next engineering talent to apply.

Effective technical hiring for junior developers is an ongoing process and requires a proactive approach that starts even before a role opens up. There is value in learning how to build a talent pipeline and fill it with the best engineering talent so you have a pool to choose from at all times!

How to build a talent pipeline

A talent pipeline for technical hiring is a network of proficient engineering talent that are ready to take a position, regardless of whether there is a role available for them. It results from a relationship-centric style of recruiting, in which companies develop relationships with—and engage—people who interest or impress them.

Talent pipelines are commonly referred to as “pools” or “networks.” Though they are essentially the same thing, a talent pipeline is intentional and can be utilized as a long-term recruitment strategy.

A pipeline also serves the purpose of keeping communication open with promising junior developers, even if they do not initially get the job they applied for. All too often we hear that the “timing was not right,” but why let a good candidate slip away that easily? Your recruitment workflow should offer a good experience for candidates so that they are more likely to stay in touch.

Building a talent pool

When learning how to build a talent pipeline, the starting point is identifying the future needs of your business and creating a framework that works for you.

The following are important things to consider when building a talent pool that delivers.

Creating a talent pipeline with your company’s desirability to impress

From company culture and reputation to benefits and success, there is a range of important things that will attract the best engineering talent and junior developers to your pipeline. Identify and articulate your company’s purpose, which defines what you do, so candidates feel motivated to join and be part of a shared mission.

Start young

The best and brightest engineering talent of tomorrow might still be in college, or even high school! Get involved in work placement programs or campus networking events when building a talent pool to broaden your pool and increase your chances of finding people that are the right fit.

Hiring junior developers who have good foundational skills with strong potential can have many advantages. For instance, a lack of experience might not be so bad if a candidate has transferable skills and is enthusiastic about learning.

Participate in career training programs

There are plenty of career training programs out there including non-profits, that work—often in underprivileged communities—to prepare students and adults for jobs in tech. Your involvement in a program or charity like this could find you some incredible prospects.

Look within your company

Current employees could also be considered part of your talent pipeline, potentially even those in fields unrelated to tech. Nurturing and providing training to your own workforce gives them the resources they need to grow into bigger and better roles. They likely will already be familiar with the company culture and processes (which means less time invested towards onboarding!).

Be personable and communicative

Friendly conversation not only engages candidates and builds rapport throughout the process, but it allows you to get a feel for the soft skills of a junior developer—the ability to code is just as important as their ability to communicate, grow, and assimilate into your company.

Put your tech talent pipeline to use with Codility

A robust pipeline full of engineering talent is the best place to start for tech companies looking to hire developer roles.

Now that you know how to build a talent pipeline, you can finally focus on narrowing it down to the best recruits…and we can help with that. Assess a candidate’s hard programming skills with our online CodeCheck tests, and gain the necessary insights that will help you hire smartly for your team.

For more technical hiring resources, check out our free ebook, The Art of Hiring Developers, offering key insights into hiring front-end, back-end, and DevOps engineers:

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Marketing Specialist at Codility, Jeff is passionate about empowering hiring teams to connect with candidates. He draws on his own experiences as a recruiter to create meaningful content. Outside of work, you can find him on the soccer field or catching the latest Sci-Fi flick.