Why do INSCALE only work with Talent Acquisition of Tech Talents?

INSCALE is not your average recruitment agency. Instead of being a generalist agency, we have a niche focus on the tech industry, and we pride ourselves on understanding the alternative skillset required to work within this industry.

Our Marketing Executive Johanna Sjöblom sat down with Isabel Costa, Head of Talent Acquisition for TaaS at INSCALE, to learn more about how they work with recruitment in the tech industry.

Hanna: Isabel, can you tell us a bit more about what makes TaaS special and how INSCALE helps customers and developers bridge the gap between HR and developers?

Isabel: At INSCALE, we have a good mix between HR and tech to ensure that we have a clear understanding of both the culture of the hiring company and the technical skills required for each role. We place great emphasis on making sure that we find a candidate that fits well into the context and not just have the skills – otherwise, it will not be a good long-term match. Our Talent Acquisition specialists don’t necessarily all have a background as developers themselves, but they all have a lot of experience recruiting these profiles to ensure a high level of understanding of the technical aspects required when hiring developers. We believe that it’s important to have a deep understanding of the roles we’re hiring for, and that’s why we focus so narrowly on developers. No one can be great at everything and there is a big difference in hiring for sales and tech roles, without the knowledge the questions will miss the mark and the conversation will lose its meaningfulness.

Hanna: Why is it so important for INSCALE to have this deep understanding of the roles you’re hiring for?

Isabel: I can’t interview a person in a good way if I don’t understand the role. That’s why we work so narrowly with only developers – that’s where our expertise lies. Sometimes clients wonder why we go so deep in our knowledge gathering and ask extensive questions, but it’s because we need to have a clear understanding of both the culture and the technical skills required. We often hear this is lacking when developers are being recruited and having interviews in general, and it creates an issue.

Hanna: What are some common red flags that developers look for when they’re considering a job description?

Isabel: Many developers are skeptical about being contacted by recruiters because they often feel like they’re not getting relevant questions. They have an aversion to speaking with HR managers and hiring managers due to the abstract nature of the questions and the lack of understanding of what the developer would actually be working with. That’s why, when talking to us as a developer, you should expect a mix of personal questions that are important for us to know who you are as a person and technical questions related to the role and the job. The personal questions are important for us to understand how you fit in the team and to make sure that you would be happy in your new role. We don’t hire developers for tasks, we hire people for roles. So these questions still have to be part of the interview, even if many developers don’t like them.

Hanna: What advice would you give to companies looking to hire developers?

Isabel: I would advise them to work with recruiters that have a deep understanding of the technical skills required for the role. It’s important to work with a recruitment agency that can bridge the gap between HR and tech, and that has experience working with developers. Additionally, it’s important to be transparent about the role and the expectations.