Are your junior developers resigning? We know how to engage junior tech talent long-term
We can see that there is a fear towards investing in junior talent. From what we’ve learned, this fear is not connected to having doubts towards their potential. This is a group whos’ motivation and hunger to learn is unmeasurable and their growth potential has no limits.
It has more to do with fearing that the juniors will use the company as a steppingstone to more exciting new challenges. And with that, the time and investment that the company puts in these individuals will be lost.
Luckily there are many concrete steps an employer can take towards engaging junior talent (and with that all of the company!) to become long-term employees and grow them into more senior roles within their company.
Understand what tech talent want from their employer
Engaging begins with understanding. Understand what it is that young professionals within tech are looking for and what motivates them. Otherwise, the actions to increase engagement will be based on a hunch.
According to our sister company Academic Work’s yearly Young Professional Attraction Index survey, these are the top 10 things that young professionals within tech value when choosing their employer.
Top 10 things young professionals within tech value
Salary & benefits
Work environment, culture & colleagues
Motivating tasks
Flexibility & ability to combine work and free time
Growth opportunities
Leadership
Location
Sustainability
Industry
Employer reputation
And on top of this, have you asked your current employees what they value?
Five concrete ways to engage junior tech talent
Offer versatile and motivating tasks – continuously! Make sure that you, already in the recruitment process, know the candidates desire on how to develop. Is this aligned with what you can offer? Give them room to develop and grow and keep track of their progress through personal development discussions. By doing this, you are showing them that you are in this for the long run.
Invest in culture and work environment. Do you track employee engagement and wellbeing regularly? What do you do when noticing improvement is needed? Fancy things might gain attention in job ads, but an open feedback culture, quality coaching and common activities are much more valuable in the long run. And this group gets that.
Support a good life balance. Life balance means different things for everyone. Whether it’s picking up your kids early, enjoying working later in the evenings or taking a two-month-long study leave. Everything might not seem ideal for you as an employer, but it’s surely a better option than resignation.
Talk about money. Salary and benefits are the most important factors for young professionals within tech. Ensure salary development and communicate about it. Don’t wait for the junior to come to you asking for a raise hoping they won’t realize their value. Trust me, they already know it. It's not about that exact amount, it's the feeling of being fairly paid for the work you do.
Ensure good and consistent support! Tech juniors want to become productive resources for the company as quickly as possible. To achieve this, they need hands-on coaching and consistent support, particularly in the beginning. Nothing slows down learning and decreases motivation like being left all alone with your challenges or feeling like a constant burden to your colleagues.
We can help you grow and engage in-house tech competence
If your current colleagues don’t have the time or soft skills needed to coach junior teammates, we can help. Our experienced consultants are equipped with both high technical competence and the soft skills needed to coach juniors and keep their learning curve steep.
Read more about how we can help your company grow in-house tech competence in the most efficient way >>
//Linnea Englund, Group Recruitment Manager @ Crowd Collective