The US software development market has stabilised following the tech layoffs of 2023 and 2024. Demand for skilled professionals remains strong, particularly for those with AI and cloud expertise, as organisations increasingly move from on-premises solutions to cloud-based software as a service (SaaS).
Remote and contract positions are expanding, creating new career paths for IT specialists while giving organisations the flexibility to build teams that can respond quickly to changing priorities. Candidates are looking for roles that offer growth, purpose, and exposure to innovative tools, while businesses prioritise hiring tech talent that can adjust and make a meaningful impact.
In this competitive environment, attracting and retaining top candidates requires careful attention at every stage, from role definition to interviews and compensation. Here are some of the hiring strategies shaping success today.
1. Define your needs clearly
Before starting the recruitment process, define the technical skills, level of experience, and seniority needed for the role. Also consider whether the position is best suited for a permanent hire, contractor, or 1099 consultant, keeping in mind US tax and employment regulations.
Additionally, outline any critical soft skills that will influence success, such as communication, stakeholder engagement, or leadership – especially for cross-functional or remote US teams. Charlie Adey, Nicoll Curtin Consultant, notes:
“Some of our clients in the hedge fund space are looking for the very top 1% of candidates. Soft skills are equally important as technical skills. Identifying the essential capabilities early helps hiring managers and talent acquisition teams focus on what really matters for senior positions.”
2. Leverage diverse sourcing channels
Relying solely on traditional job boards can limit your reach. Instead, diversify your sourcing strategy by exploring various channels:
- Social media: Platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, GitHub, AngelList, and Stack Overflow are ideal for engaging with developers active in the tech community.
- Online communities: Join forums and discussion groups focused on your industry or specific technologies to connect with potential candidates.
- Employee referrals: Encourage your team to refer skilled technology professionals from their network.
- Coding challenges and hackathons: These events offer a great way to identify and evaluate developers’ problem-solving skills.
3. Optimise your job posting
Crafting a compelling job description is essential to attract top talent. Be sure to highlight:
- Company culture: Emphasise your values, mission, and work environment.
- Project details: Outline the key projects that candidates will work on, describe the goals, technologies used, and the potential impact of these projects. Clearly articulating project details minimises the risk of applicants making incorrect assumptions and can reduce turnover and the risk of wasting your team’s time, once they are hired.
- Growth opportunities: In the current job market, there’s a strong demand for flexibility concerning internal mobility and professional development. Candidates want to know they can grow in their roles, so it is important to clearly communicate opportunities for professional development and career advancement.
- Compensation benchmarks: Indicate that you offer competitive salaries aligned with industry standards. Transparency around pay expectations early on can prevent wasted time for both sides. Charlie Adey mentions experience with excellent candidates, who have not expressed interest in a role until they learnt about the compensation benchmarks.
“We shouldn't pretend as though salary isn't one of the main factors for a candidate looking to move to a new role. By being transparent about what the benchmarks are, we can avoid wasting time and ensure that the wider recruitment process is more streamlined. This leads to a better experience for both the company and the candidate.”
4. Conduct efficient interviews
Your interview process should be both comprehensive and streamlined. Consider the following:
- Technical assessments: Use coding challenges or technical interviews to gauge a candidate's abilities. The clients that Charlie Adey works with often implement a technical task or HackerRank test at the start of the interview process to ensure they only progress the very best candidates. Adey says that it saves time and, although it can appear to be somewhat transactional, for the most part, candidates will appreciate the structure of these interviews.
- Behavioural questions: Evaluate cultural fit by assessing communication, teamwork, adaptability, and collaboration across remote or distributed teams. Adey says that overlooking behavioural questions may result in employees not passing their probation period due to a lack of cultural fit. It might not be the most exciting interview stage for applicants or the talent acquisition team, but it's vital in the wider process.
- Take-home projects: For senior roles, assign a small project to assess the candidate’s work quality and problem-solving approach. Adey points out the importance of the right types of tests:
"Take-home projects need to be carefully considered, designed to be relatively concise and not to be excessively strenuous. Otherwise, you may dissuade excellent candidates from the start."
5. Offer a competitive compensation package
Offering a competitive salary and benefits package is essential. Benchmark your offer against industry standards and adjust for location and experience. For instance, salaries in Silicon Valley or New York differ significantly from smaller US cities. One effective way to do this is by consulting reputable industry salary and rate guide documents. These guides provide insights into the typical pay range for various skills, from the lowest to the highest rates, specific to your market and project context. Developers know their market well, so being prepared with a competitive offer is crucial in securing the right candidate. Transparency around total compensation, including salary, bonuses, equity, healthcare, retirement contributions, and PTO, can significantly improve your ability to attract candidates.
6. Work with specialist recruitment consultants
Utilising applicant tracking systems (ATS) and other hiring tools is essential for streamlining the recruitment process, tracking candidates, and making data-driven decisions. However, for hard-to-find talent or when speed is critical, partnering with specialised technology recruitment companies can be highly effective. As a talent acquisition team, you may need to hire a Java developer one day, a .NET developer the next, followed by a business analyst or account executive. Achieving timely results for such diverse roles requires access to pre-built candidate pipelines, something not all companies can maintain in-house. Specialist recruitment agencies provide pre-built candidate pipelines and access to niche US talent pools, which can be challenging to maintain in-house.
7. Foster a strong employer brand
A strong employer brand can make all the difference when attracting top talent. Highlight your company’s achievements, culture, and commitment to employee satisfaction. As highlighted in this article, compensation and career growth opportunities are key selling points for software developers, so be sure to emphasise them in your branding efforts.