10 Tips To Attract Top Tech Talent in 2024

As more organizations integrate technology into their day-to-day business operations, engaging qualified tech talent is increasingly important. However, the competition for skilled professionals is high; the best tech workers are becoming more selective regarding what they look for in an employer.

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that computer and information technology occupations will grow faster than the average for all occupations between 2022 and 2032, with an expected 377,500 job openings each year. With tech-related job openings on the rise, attracting skilled tech workers can be daunting and time-consuming. Organizations that take a thoughtful, strategic approach to recruitment can more effectively attract and engage the best tech talent.

If your team has a tech skills gap you need to fill urgently, consider engaging a technical recruiter on Upwork. Skilled technical recruiters are available to help you write job descriptions for technology roles, source and screen candidates, and conduct initial interviews, among other hiring process tasks.

Tips to attract top tech talent:

1. Develop competitive and innovative compensation packages
2. Offer exceptional employee benefits
3. Support flexible work arrangements
4. Prioritize diversity and inclusion
5. Build a strong employer brand
6. Create and promote a tech-centric work environment
7. Utilize strategic networking and recruiting
8. Encourage a collaborative and supportive work culture
9. Provide challenging and impactful projects
10. Foster a culture of continual learning

1. Develop competitive and innovative compensation packages

Offering competitive compensation is essential to stand out from other employers and attract qualified tech workers. A survey of 11,000 employees administered by Boston Consulting Group found that pay is the top factor that would drive respondents to take a new job. However, according to a survey conducted by Dice, 35% of the 6,166 tech professionals responding were dissatisfied with their salaries in 2023, an increase from 30% in 2022.

Conduct market research each year to ensure compensation packages for tech candidates and other positions across your organization remain competitive. Take into consideration factors such as the role and title, required skills and certifications, education level, and the worker’s location when evaluating your compensation packages. Also think of unique ideas that go beyond salary or hourly rates.

In addition to a competitive salary, consider innovative compensation options options such as:

• Signing bonuses
• Profit sharing or equity
• Relocation stipends for in-person roles
• Home office stipends to ensure workers have the technology and other supplies needed to succeed
• Project-based bonuses for completing critical technical projects
• Skill-based bonuses for learning new technical skills or earning certifications
• Retention bonuses for tenure milestones with the company (such as three, five or 10 years)
• Paid sabbaticals after a set period of time with the organization

2. Offer exceptional employee benefits

Compensation is only one part of a comprehensive benefits package. Top-performing workers are eager to work for companies that offer well-rounded employee benefits. According to the Boston Consulting Group survey cited above, benefits and perks comprise the second most likely factor that would drive workers to take a different job.  

Similar to assessing compensation, conduct regular market research to determine whether your organization’s benefits offerings are competitive and can help you stand out from other companies looking to attract tech workers. In addition to standard benefits such as health care, paid time off, and retirement plans, think outside the box to offer unique benefits.

Other benefits, incentives, and perks that have become more common in recent years include:

• Coworking space memberships or stipends
• Financial wellness resources
• Mental health support
• Child care or eldercare reimbursement
• Student loan repayment assistance
• Fitness center stipends
• Pet insurance

3. Support flexible work arrangements

When many organizations had to quickly transition to remote work at the beginning of the pandemic, team members reaped the benefits of increased flexibility and freedom regarding where and when they work. According to a survey of 4,000 knowledge workers conducted by Zoom, 86% of respondents agree that flexible work makes them happier employees. In addition, 70% strongly or somewhat agree that they would consider leaving a job if another company offered a more flexible working environment.

Forward-thinking companies recognize the advantages of continuing to support flexible work arrangements—including improved work-life balance, reduced time spent on commuting, and increased worker engagement and retention.

Some ways your organization can offer flexible work arrangements include:

• Enabling remote work options
• Allowing team members to choose which days to work from the office if your company has a hybrid work policy
• Embracing flexible schedules, rather than requiring team members to work on set hours
• Encouraging workers to unplug, rather than responding to emails or other messages outside their set working hours
• Setting expectations for team members to block time on their calendars as needed to focus on work or handle personal priorities
• Decreasing the total number and length of meetings
• Requiring a set agenda and purpose for each meeting
• Making meetings optional and circulating recordings and meeting notes with workers unable to attend
• Leveraging asynchronous communication, such as emails, direct messages, and shared document comments when possible
• Designating one day of the week to discourage or limit non-urgent meetings

Another way to support flexible work arrangements is by including independent professionals in your talent search, rather than relying only on full-time, in-house workers. According to our 2023 Freelance Forward survey, 38% of the U.S. workforce—64 million individuals—completed independent work in the past year. Engaging independent workers can enable your team to reach a broader talent pool, access more specialized skills, and engage experienced workers who desire increased flexibility in their careers.

4. Prioritize diversity and inclusion

Placing an emphasis on diversity and inclusion can help your organization attract qualified tech workers and support an organization where all backgrounds and perspectives are valued. However, according to a report published by Built In featuring input from 1,112 tech professionals and employers, 51% of tech professionals surveyed believe their company needs to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.

Consider the following strategies to create inclusive hiring practices and promote diversity:

• Leveraging diverse candidate sourcing channels including Diversify Tech, Tech Ladies, Inclusively, Latinas in Tech Recruit, and Black Tech Jobs
• Attending diversity-focused networking and recruiting tech community events, such as Afrotech, Diversity Career Expo, and Women in Tech events
• Sharing success stories from tech workers of diverse backgrounds in employer branding materials
• Writing recruitment materials using inclusive language, such as neutral versus gendered terms
• Leveraging AI recruiting tools and other technology to objectively evaluate all prospective workers
• Including diverse team members in the recruitment and interview processes
• Sharing details about your team’s DEI efforts and being prepared to answer questions during the interview process
• Supporting employee resource groups (ERGs) to help team members connect with one another about shared interests, communities, or identities—such as ethnicity- or culture-based groups, LGBTQIA+, and women

5. Build a strong employer brand

Your organization’s employer brand is the overall perception job seekers and other external audiences have of what working for your company is like. Strong employer branding can excite top technology talent about joining your team, while a negative brand perception may turn away qualified candidates.

A Dice survey found that nearly nine in 10 of the 709 technology professionals responding say employer brand is important when looking for a new job. The following tips can help you build a strong employer brand and increase your likelihood of attracting qualified tech talent.

• Align on and promote a compelling company mission, vision, and values
• Develop an engaging employee value proposition (EVP) that highlights what your company has to offer workers
• On your careers page, share success stories and testimonials from workers in tech roles
• Produce videos featuring tech workers discussing their career success at your organization
• Highlight potential technology career paths and career growth opportunities on your company website
• Apply for local and tech industry-specific best workplace awards
• Promote your employer brand via your company careers page, social media channels, and recruitment materials

6. Create and promote a tech-centric work environment

Access to the latest technology can help tech workers ensure their skills and knowledge remain relevant as in-demand technologies continue to evolve. Cutting-edge technology is also beneficial to businesses because tech solutions can drive productivity and engagement while enabling companies to stay a step ahead of their competitors from an innovation standpoint.

Despite the importance of technology in the workplace, a survey conducted by Freshworks found that 91% of the 6,698 respondents reported being frustrated due to inadequate workplace technology.

Here are some suggested steps your organization can take to build and promote a tech-centric workplace:

• Reading about the latest technology trends
• Integrating cutting-edge technology across departments and business functions
• Highlighting your technology or software stack in job descriptions and recruitment materials for tech roles
• Sharing case studies and client success stories featuring positive business outcomes your technology has driven for customers
• Preparing to answer questions about available technology at your organization during the interview process
• Tracking success metrics related to your technology to determine which solutions are the most cost-effective and efficient
• Collecting worker feedback on available technology and other tools that can help drive business success
• Implementing a standardized, secure policy and process for workers to experiment with new technology solutions  

Your recruitment and talent acquisition process can be an early indicator to potential candidates of whether your organization is forward-thinking and tech savvy. Consider showing tech talent how you integrate technology across the organization by leveraging AI solutions during the hiring process, such as interview scheduling automation tools, candidate-facing chatbots, and video interview screening technology.

7. Utilize strategic recruitment and networking

Attracting qualified tech workers can be challenging and competitive. According to a survey of tech industry leaders administered by Deloitte, nearly 90% of respondents said that recruiting and retaining talent were a moderate or major challenge. Because of this, organizations need to take proactive steps to reach and engage tech workers, rather than wait for talent to apply to open roles.

The best practices below can help your organization take a more proactive and strategic approach to recruitment and networking.

• Encourage employee referrals from existing team members.
• Share open positions across social media sites, including LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok.
• Join tech industry-specific LinkedIn and other social media groups and participate in discussions.
• Leverage sourcing tools and identify other creative ways to source and engage tech workers whose skills align with your open roles.
• Attend in-person and virtual job fairs and other technology industry events relevant to open tech positions.
• Host your own job fair or networking event, either in person or online.
• Partner with coding bootcamps, universities, and other technology-driven educational institutions to share open internship opportunities and entry-level positions.
• Enlist the support of a tech-focused recruitment agency or staffing agency.
• Continually measure the effectiveness of your recruitment efforts to identify improvements over time.

8. Encourage a collaborative and supportive work culture

As more individuals work remotely or in a hybrid work setting, effective collaboration is critical for ensuring teams continue to feel supported and are able to drive business outcomes in the absence of in-person meetings and communication. Collaboration is particularly important for technology-driven projects, which often include complex steps and require frequent updates.

A survey conducted by Corel found that 64% of the 2,027 responding office workers believe that poor collaboration costs at least three hours per week in productivity. Additionally, 78% say leadership could do more to promote collaboration within the organization.

Here are some ways your organization can drive collaboration and encourage a supportive environment:

• Pairing each new hire with a seasoned worker at the company to learn more about the organization as they get started
• Holding quick (10- to 15-minute) daily standup meetings to share project updates and potential roadblocks, a common practice in the Scrum methodology used by many tech workers
• Following the Agile software development approach to break projects into short-term sprints and improve collaboration
• Implementing a process to share essential updates using project management software or a similar technology solution
• Leveraging collaboration tools such as chat platforms, video conferencing software, and shared documents
• Involving multiple departments in projects to encourage cross-team collaboration
• Hosting town hall-style meetings to share company updates across the organization
• Scheduling in-person and virtual team-building activities and celebrations
• Setting aside time for recurring one-on-one meetings between managers and direct reports to answer questions and show support for team members
• Offering opportunities for team community service projects and volunteer days

9. Provide challenging and impactful projects

Offering tech workers—and all team members across the organization—opportunities to work on challenging projects can help individuals improve their existing skills and build new ones through hands-on experience.

In addition to providing challenging day-to-day work, consider offering tech workers the chance to participate in side projects, cross-team collaboration initiatives, hackathons, and other opportunities to stretch and grow their skills. Also highlight project success stories or milestones through your employer brand and during the recruitment process with tech workers.  

Some of the leading organizations around the world encourage team members to set aside time for challenging and innovative projects, including:

• Capital One. In 2012, Capital One launched The Lab, an experimental product and technology team, which operates as an internal startup at the company to generate and develop new ideas. Each year, the team explores close to 50 new projects with the goal of positively impacting customers and making an impact across the financial industry. Some projects that have originated from The Lab include fraud prevention tools, a physical credit card redesign, and virtual card numbers.
• Google. While the program is no longer in use, Google popularized the concept of 20% time in the early 2000s. This management philosophy encouraged employees to spend 80% of their working time on day-to-day work and 20% of time on innovative projects to move the company forward. Dedicated time spent on side projects led to the development of core Google products including Gmail, Google News, and AdSense. ‍
• 3M. Similar to Google’s 20% rule, since 1948, 3M has encouraged their employees to spend 15% of their working time pursuing innovative and challenging projects. Workers coordinate with their managers to ensure day-to-day projects stay on track and also have the opportunity to work on side projects to develop new products, improve internal processes, or form special interest groups.

10. Foster a culture of continual learning

Technology solutions and in-demand skills are constantly evolving, so building and fostering a company culture of continual learning is essential for both tech worker engagement and long-term business relevance.

According to a study featuring more than 700 technology learners and leaders and reported by Pluralsight, nearly half (48%) of tech workers surveyed would consider changing jobs due to a lack of upskilling resources. Despite this, the research also found that only 36% of organizations surveyed allocate dedicated work time to learning.

During the recruitment process for tech workers, highlight the opportunities your team offers for continual learning. Keep in mind, no two workers have the same skill set or learning style, so offering a variety of learning and talent development resources is important.

Consider the following options to encourage continual learning as part of your broader talent management strategy:

• A comprehensive onboarding process for new team members
• Online learning platforms and talent assessments
• Mentorship or coaching opportunities
• Department-level or company-wide professional development sessions
• Lunch-and-learn or other information-sharing opportunities
• Dedicated time each week, month, or quarter to spend on learning
• Guest speakers focused on tech-centric topics
• Stipends for educational events, courses, books, and other resources
• Tuition reimbursement for advanced degrees or certifications

Recruit the best tech talent

While recruiting qualified tech workers can be challenging, implementing the right tools, processes, and best practices can help your organization stand out from other employers and secure the best tech talent quickly and cost-effectively. If you’re looking to expand your resource pool of top tech talent, consider engaging independent workers on Upwork.

Through Talent Marketplace™, access talent with more than 10,000 skills across specialties, including tech-specific skills such as software development, artificial intelligence, machine learning, UX/UI design, and cybersecurity. You can also initiate contract-to-hire working relationships with Upwork’s end-to-end full-time hiring solution. This approach can help your team quickly fill tech skill gaps, engage qualified tech workers for a trial period, and decide whether to move to a full-time relationship.