How to Hire People for Technical Skills

As a business owner, you likely have a grasp on how to hire people. You hire from within, tap your professional network, and leverage popular online job sites like ZipRecruiter. But when it comes to hiring people with technical skills—specifically, skills that are outside of your own—you may begin to feel out of your depth.

Technical skills refer to abilities and knowledge required to perform specialized tasks within a profession or industry. Some examples include computer programming, data analysis, mechanical engineering, digital marketing, web development, networking, graphic design, and project management.

How to hire people with technical skills and recognizing those skills during the hiring process can be challenging. With a structured approach and a clear understanding of the skills required, employers can increase their chances of finding the right candidate for the job.

Define the role and the technical skills required.

The first step in the hiring process is to define the role. This includes the technical skills required for the job and the soft skills that are important for success in your organization. Be sure to have a detailed job description and the qualifications for the position.

Posting on job sites.

Consider using job boards and recruitment platforms to reach a large pool of candidates with the right technical skills. ZipRecruiter is a popular platform that can help you reach many candidates with specific technical skills. ZipRecruiter matches your listing with qualified candidates using powerful AI matching technology.

You can also use ZipRecruiter’s screening tools to help filter candidates based on their qualifications and experience.

Screen for the right qualifications.

As you screen candidates, look for technical qualifications and background experience that would fit your team well or address an existing gap in your organization’s competencies.

Conduct technical interviews.

During the interview process, ask technical questions that are designed to evaluate the candidate’s qualifications. The questions should be relevant to the job and the technology used in the company. You can also give them a small test or project to evaluate their technical abilities.

Use technical assessments.

Technical assessments can help you evaluate a candidate’s technical abilities and determine if they have the necessary skills for the job. You can do this onsite or give them a few days to complete the task.

Many online technical assessment tools can help you test a candidate’s skills in programming, web development, database management and more. It depends on your desired area of expertise.

Check their references and work.

Check references from previous employers, colleagues, or supervisors to understand the candidate’s work style and qualifications. You can also ask for samples of their previous work or projects to evaluate their technical abilities.

Offer competitive compensation and benefits.

Offering competitive compensation and benefits is essential to attract top technical talent. Additionally, it’s also important to supply opportunities for growth and advancement, as many highly skilled technical professionals are motivated by the chance to work on exciting and challenging projects.

Don’t forget that you have resources at the ready when you’re ready to hire. As the #1 job site in the U.S.¹, ZipRecruiter makes job searching easy. It uses powerful AI matching technology to help you find the right fit, and you can also read reviews and ratings from current and former employees to learn about a company’s culture before applying.

^{1 Based on G2 satisfaction ratings as of January 1, 2022}