Day in the Life of a Tech Recruiter: What Does Their Job Really Entail?
An overview of the typical activities and responsibilities of a tech recruiter including sourcing candidates, screening resumes, interviewing, and more.
Tech recruiters play a vital role in matching top talent with companies seeking specialized skills. But what does their day-to-day job actually look like? Here’s an inside look at the daily responsibilities and challenges of a tech recruiter.
The Workday Begins
A tech recruiter’s day typically starts by reviewing new job requisitions and incoming resumes. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job openings in computer and mathematical occupations are projected to grow by 13.1% between 2020–2030, outpacing the average growth across all occupations. This high demand means recruiters often start each morning with a full inbox of new potential candidates to screen.
Before diving in, many recruiters start by prioritizing job requisitions based on urgency and skillset availability. According to TalentLyft, software developer jobs typically take the longest to fill at an average of 43 days. DevOps engineer roles also prove challenging, taking 39 days on average. Recruiters assign top priority to these hard-to-fill positions.
Resume Review and Candidate Sourcing
Once prioritization is complete, recruiters dive into parsing through resumes. This process is greatly accelerated by applicant tracking system (ATS) technology. According to Ideal, 98% of recruiters rely on ATS platforms which use algorithms to automatically scan for skills, experience, education, and other keywords. This allows sorting and screening of resumes in bulk rather than manually reviewing each one.
After identifying top candidates from the ATS, recruiters spend time proactively sourcing potential prospects through LinkedIn, GitHub, Dice, and other platforms. According to LinkedIn, there are over 740 million professionals on their network, providing a ripe candidate pool. Tech recruiters search profiles, groups, and projects for signs that developers may be open to new roles.
Scheduling Interviews
Once a batch of qualified candidates have been identified through ATS and sourcing efforts, the interview scheduling begins. According to Huntress Labs, technical interviews for software engineering roles average 4.5 rounds totaling 9 hours. Recruiters work with managers to find availability and book meeting times across multiple stakeholders.
For on-site interviews, recruiters spend time prepping candidates by providing tips on what to expect, from coding tests to culture conversations. At the same time, they provide hiring managers with interview guides and suggested questions tailored to each role. This level of preparation helps ensure the limited interview time is used efficiently.
Data Tracking and Relationship Building
Like any data-driven role, metrics are a constant consideration for recruiters. From time-to-hire to source-of-hire, tracking hiring funnel performance is critical. According to Greenhouse, six in ten recruiters say they are evaluated based on metrics like these day-to-day. Keeping detailed records allows recruiters to optimize their process over time.
As quoted in Top Echelon, 37% of recruiters say their biggest challenge is finding qualified candidates, illustrating the importance of an always-on sourcing mindset.
Outside of active candidate search, recruiters focus on building pipelines and relationships. This means attending industry events, networking with engineering leaders, following alumni groups, researching competitor talent moves, and keeping a pulse on hiring trends. As quoted in Top Echelon, 37% of recruiters say their biggest challenge is finding qualified candidates, illustrating the importance of an always-on sourcing mindset.
A Challenging Yet Rewarding Role
In summary, a tech recruiter’s responsibilities span candidate sourcing, interview scheduling, data tracking, and relationship building. No two days look the same. While juggling the urgent needs of hiring managers with the interests of candidates makes for challenging work, tech recruiters get the reward of making career-changing connections happen. They play an invaluable role in supplying companies with specialized talent in a highly competitive landscape.
