Tech employers must do more to attract talent – starting with sustaining their reputation

Tech is growing. And fast.

The continuing boom is great for tech businesses, but it’s creating a major challenge. The shortage of talent also continues – and the rising demands of potential recruits don’t help.

Almost 5m people now work in UK tech start-ups, scaleups and the wider tech economy according to Tech Nation. That’s a huge jump from 3m in 2019.

Demand for talent in the ever-resilient UK tech sector can only intensify.

What makes an attractive tech employer?

Universum’s annual Most Attractive Employers Report 2022 has just been published. It explores where students want to work. Employers need to pay attention to such indicators. 

The Universum study is particularly interesting because it represents the future workforce. Gen-Zers fresh from school and Uni are joining the jobs market. They bring digital fluency never seen before – they’ve grown up with it. There’s a challenge though:

Gen Z’s getting picky.

They can afford to be. They are going to be in huge demand.

When it comes to the things that matter to this new, value-led generation, it often all comes down to reputation.

Tech giants have the assets and the funding to project the reputation they want and spread the word widely.  

Yet, if your tech business is just emerging or still growing, you need to recruit talent, too.

Competition is fierce. Every sector desperately needs digital skills and data capabilities.

How is your brand going to measure up in a jobs market that’s soaking up the best recruits like a sponge?

It isn’t just graduates and new workers either. Computer Weekly’s CWJobs research found that 81% of workers in the tech sector feel that company reputation is a key factor in applying for a job.  Glassdoor echoed this citing 84%.

Let’s look at how the big players in tech are boosting their reputation when it comes to employer attractiveness to young workforce entrants, to see what lessons fast-growing tech brands and start-ups can learn.

Brands doing good get the best recruits

Unsurprisingly, Google is #1 for IT in The UK’s Most Attractive Employers 2022 report (as it has been for a few years). Interestingly, it’s also top for the Business/Commerce sector, and pretty high up in the Natural Sciences and Humanities/Social Sciences/Education categories.

Even though we all ‘love to hate’ megabrands, people desperately want to work for them. Why is that?

Google’s recent television ad focused firmly on inclusivity and understanding. Titled “the more we learn, the closer we get”, it appealed to subjects that are firmly on the Gen-Z radar, like racial discrimination, mental health, and cultural difference. It shines a light of compassion on Google, humanising what might otherwise be a faceless corporate.

In a similar vein, Amazon (placed at #4 in the IT category, and featuring in the top 50 for Engineering, Natural Sciences and business) has recently run campaigns focused on their green tech and sustainability credentials, using a sustainability employee as the figurehead.

Worker wellbeing and flexibility

Since the pandemic, flexible working is increasingly important to recruits. Brands like Google are keen to advocate hybrid working, saying that they’re open to all options.

This isn’t universal – some companies, such as Tesla, are starting to reject hybrid working. Yet a recent Microsoft survey suggested that those who do so risk losing a terrifying 51% of their staff – something that a sector with a skills squeeze simply cannot afford.

Flexibility is simply another aspect that makes an employer more attractive. People increasingly want to endure a commute for a purpose, rather than just because it is a norm. Brands who encourage employees to find the right balance are becoming more attractive employers.

Innovation ain’t all there is to it

When it comes to Engineering, Rolls Royce tops the ‘Most Attractive Employers’ bill, leaning on prestige, heritage and excellence, with Aston Martin and MacLaren less than a car’s length behind.

Of course, brands like these are long established. Their reputation precedes them. They’ve positioned themselves on platforms where they – and their latest developments – get noticed. With teams in motorsport, they’re used to handling vast quantities of data at breakneck speed, so they’ll be looking for the top tech whizzes to help them keep the lead over competitors.

And in the Natural Sciences category, it’s not surprising that AstraZeneca and Pfizer have leapt into the top 5 two years running. They have become household names due to COVID vaccine development.

Events may have forced them into the public consciousness, but you can be certain their PR teams will be making the most of their wider fame.

The bottom line for tech employers

What all these brands have in common is innovation in their fields – but also that they put themselves firmly in the public eye and manage their reputation as carefully as a big brand can.

The factors above present additional pressures on top of the vitally important messaging consistency and transparent operation. Companies that communicate well and truly walk the walk on their avowed values will have the power to attract the best talent.

For tech brands just starting out or experiencing rapid early growth, the way to get the edge over big business competition for new recruits is to put yourself firmly in the view of your audience. You certainly need to show them your exciting innovation and opportunities. Your commitment to social responsibility, sustainability, diversity and inclusion may matter even more.

People need to feel good about working with you.

The world of work has changed, not just for new recruits, but for existing workers too. They expect more from the companies they work for. If you can’t offer it to them, they’ll look elsewhere.

Are you projecting the right image to the world? Sharing what makes your business an attractive employer isn’t always easy, so talk to us to build your communications and reputation.