Interview tips

Four Steps to Recruit Elusive Engineers

Celeste Reppond

Celeste Reppond, Author at Glassdoor US | Aug 19, 2016

We’ve all been there. Engineers do not want to be found. We recruiters are the bane of their existence, plaguing them with nonstop messages. Great engineers tend to just want to to code, change the world and be left alone. With the tips I’m about to give you, I have to first issue a Spiderman-inspired warning: With great recruiting power comes great responsibility. Please do not use your newfound abilities to harvest emails to spam engineers with bulk, thoughtless messages. So, where do you begin sourcing for hard-to-fill, niche roles? Step 1: Do your homework! Ask yourself and your hiring manager some of the following questions:

Do I actually know what the software engineer job description entails?
Why do we need this person?
How do you spot the right engineer for this role?
What career paths do engineers like to follow, and what type of person tends to step into roles like the one I’m trying to fill?

Once you and your hiring manager have answered these questions, you can begin the hunt! Step 2: Search for engineers online. To actively recruit engineers, engage with them where they tend to spend time online. Meetups on Techy Topics Determine which topics of interest might be associated with the role that you’d like to fill and join related Meetups. You can then cross search individuals in the Meetup groups on LinkedIn to discover more about them professionally if that information isn't already listed. For example, many DevOps folks want to talk about Ansible (a platform for configuring/managing computers) or Chef (a software that manages servers), then swap ideas. This is a great place to connect with engineers who are really passionate about the space. Github This is a goldmine of contact information. If you can’t find an engineer’s email, you can find their username, then use a Boolean search in Google to see what comes up. Social media referrals from engineers on your team Have small teams join you for a “referral lunch.” Explain how they can search their connections on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Provide them with an easy-to-fill-out spreadsheet to list their relevant connections. Step 3: Use the right tools. Usually, between all of the tools I use, I can avoid sending a LinkedIn InMail. They all are great in their respective contexts, but you will usually need to try several to find a particularly elusive engineer. ZoomInfo This paid service is worth the cash. If someone has been at a company for more than a year, it’s likely their email will be here. Some newer startups/companies have security measures in place that keep employee contact information off places like this, but if you’re sourcing from larger, more established companies, this is helpful. RocketReach If they aren’t on ZoomInfo, try RocketReach, a Chrome extension that helps to locate company and personal contact information. Clearbit Connect This Gmail extension is a lifesaver. Not only does it showcase contextual company information such as location and number of employees when you attempt to email someone, but it also can display related details like a person’s title (in your inbox sidebar). Finally, if this hard-to-find engineer is so well-hidden that none of the above avenues work, I would try to reach out to them on Twitter. Be sure to use your best judgment before sending a message. If they post on a semi-regular basis and have work-related information in their feed, it’s likely they’ll be more receptive to your message. Step 4: Send the right message—and follow up. Say you find an engineer at a SaaS startup who is building a beautiful product and you have their contact information. Now what? Put yourself in their shoes. If you loved what you did, worked hard and felt happy where you were, what would you need to see to dedicate time to talk with a random, non-technical person? Compose a short template with the following:

Two to three points of personalization
The value proposition of your company in one or two sentences
A tangible next step
One or two links to relevant information about your company, such as your company’s Glassdoor profile, a company recruiting video or your company’s dev page

After you send your message, follow up several times over the next few weeks. Remind yourself to hit Reply All to the original message you sent, so that everyone has context regarding the subject matter. Persistent outreach never hurts! For additional tips, check out this Slideshare deck: Good luck!

Share this post on Twitter Share this post on Facebook Share this post on LinkedIn Share this post through email

Celeste Reppond

Blog Home Interview tipsFour Steps to Recruit Elusive Engineers

Four Steps to Recruit Elusive Engineers

Keep Reading

Interview tips

Here’s what to do if your job catfishes you

Interview tips

50 common interview questions and answers for 2026 (The ultimate guide)

Interview tips

5 ways to find your next role (beyond applying online)