Specialized Tech Agencies – Missing the Big Picture
On in Hiring Strategies, Market Analysis, Uncategorized, Working with Recruiters.
I have recently noticed the emergence of a huge number of specialized technical agencies here in Los Angeles. These firms will focus on things like front end development or mobile or Ruby on Rails, etc. Their sell is that they are a niche agency focusing on one part of the technical community and can therefore build stronger relationships with those candidates. But that means that their recruiters only understand a sliver of the technology out there and that is dangerous.
Back when I was a project manager, the first thing I needed to understand was how all the technology interconnected. I didn’t just learn about how my designer could make a slick UI and leave it at that. I needed to know about the web services and how our data was being stored and retrieved, scalability, security, fail-over. In short I needed to understand the BIG picture.
Solid technical recruiters also need to understand that a role doesn’t just end with an understanding of a programming language, but rather that there are tons of moving parts in today’s tech world. We have unique add-on apps and classes and libraries and diverse systems and networks that need to support these platforms. So before going with a focused agency, make sure that there is some breadth in their understanding of who you are and what you need.
Scott MacKinnon
VP of Operations
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