There’s a reason why so many tech recruiters say that hiring in this sector is different. It’s not because developers are “difficult”. It’s because they’ve spent years receiving generic messages, vague promises and approaches that make it clear from the very first line that the person who wrote them doesn’t have the slightest understanding of the role they’re recruiting for.
After a while, they learn to ignore anything that sounds the same. But catching developers’ attention doesn’t require you to learn to code, you just need to change your approach.
1. You don’t need to become a master engineer
One of the biggest mistakes recruiters make is assuming that simply memorising a list of technologies is enough. It isn’t.
Nor do you need to know how to develop an application. What you do need is to understand enough to have a credible conversation.
- Knowing that Java and JavaScript aren’t the same thing
- Understanding the difference between front-end and back-end
- Understanding why someone might choose React over Angular, or Python over Java
Several experienced recruiters say exactly the same thing: learning the basics immediately makes conversations with candidates easier and helps you identify the best profiles.
2. Stop pretending you know everything
Developers can tell almost instantly when a recruiter is putting on an act. Many experienced recruiters recommend exactly the opposite: starting the conversation by assuming they aren’t developers. Saying something like:
“I won’t pretend I can code, but I do want to understand what you’ve built.”
is far more effective than trying to come across as an expert. Honesty builds trust, whilst pretension leads to ghosting.
3. Learn where developers spend their time
Developers don’t spend much time on LinkedIn, but they’re active in online communities. Our advice is: read what they write, understand the problems they’re discussing and take note of the technologies they’re exploring.
Platforms such as:
- daily.dev
- GitHub
- technical newsletters
are excellent for understanding what really motivates developers. The key is to listen actively to the community. In fact, many comments from the community specifically recommend using these spaces to learn the language and culture of developers before attempting to recruit them.
4. Salary transparency isn’t optional
Few expressions annoy developers as much as: “Competitive salary”
Competitive compared to what? The vaguer a job ad is, the less likely you are to receive an answer.
Even when it isn’t possible to disclose an exact figure, giving a salary range and explaining the process conveys much more confidence than withholding the information until the interview. Developers value clarity.
This issue has begun to be legally addressed because of the new Pay Transparency EU directive. This directive has led to significant changes in job interviews already.
5. Ask about what they’ve built
A conversation about what someone has achieved says a lot about a candidate. Instead of asking:
- “How many years of React do you have?”
Try asking:
- “What was the most interesting thing you’ve built with React?”
- “What’s your favourite part of your current codebase?”
- “What kind of engineering problems do you enjoy solving?”
These questions spark more in-depth conversations about the meaning of one’s work, leading to better recruitment decisions.
For great tech recruitment, listen to tech community
It’s tempting to look for new tools, new automation solutions or new AI prompts. But almost all the advice from recruiters who work with engineering teams daily, points in the same direction:
- Learn the basics.
- Listen more than you speak.
- Be transparent.
- Don’t pretend to have technical knowledge.
- And take a genuine interest in people’s work.
Developers don’t have a problem with recruiters. What they do have a problem with are recruiters who seem to be copying and pasting the same message to a hundred other people.
When you stop trying to sell roles and start having genuine conversations, almost everything changes.