Inside a Large Tech Search Firm – What I’ve Seen in 2015

Inside or outside of work people who know what I do for a living always ask me: “How is it out there?”, “How is the job market?”, “What’s hot these days?”

I tell them in the markets we work in, it’s been a really good year. After being over our goal last year, as I’m writing this, I’m told we are one deal away from retiring the company’s quarterly goal – and will be well over when we close December. So it’s definitely good out there…

Here are a few other things I noticed in 2015 –

1) More jobs open, but companies are still selective.
We did notice a rise in open opportunities, but we have not seen the flexibility and opening of specs that usually follow. This market still seems like “round peg, round hole”. Companies still want people from their direct markets that can make an immediate impact. This may change in 2016.

2) Compensation is moving.
This is something we have been waiting for and are now seeing companies raise comp on hard to fill positions, or to retain talent. The largest shifts seem to be happening in base salary. The good news is it has worked and as a result, we have filled positions that would have otherwise been left open. We are living in a candidate-driven market and expect compensation to continue to rise in 2016.

3) More interest in retained searches.
For people that have worked with us you know that we work both Contingent and Retained. Every time the market tightens our retained billings go up, clients want dedicated resources and a larger percentage of time spent on their searches. We have seen more retained billings and this includes searches that have an engagement fee to start. This will most likely continue in 2016.

4) LinkedIn.
Reading this on LinkedIn? Yup, LinkedIn continues to accelerate the growth of its platform and its impact on hiring. This year I’ve seen deeper tools available from them, a deeper commitment to original content and greater adoption of LinkedIn messaging. Is it ok to send a note on LinkedIn instead of a thank you email after an interview? If I update my profile will that alert my employer that I’m looking for a job? LinkedIn plays really well on mobile were many candidates live, between meetings and on the run. So get your LinkedIn “A” game ready, because this is just the start!

5) Everyone’s a recruiter.
Sorry, we know you’re getting lots of calls and messages fromrecruiters, but that’s the trade off of a great job market. When the market gets hot, it’s not long before word spreads that there is a ton of opportunity in recruiting. Be patient and qualify quickly who’s worth spending time with, because we know you can’t possibly manage all the inbound activity.

On a personal note, in 2015 I’ve seen the visit from the Pope, “Pizza Rat”, and low gas prices… It’s a great time for companies to grow and for candidates to make substantial moves. We hope to be able to help both lots in 2016.

Happy Holidays, and best wishes for an interesting and successful New Year!

-Bill