We all know that digital technology skills are in high demand and short supply – in Scotland this is especially true in development, automation and cloud technologies. However, a recent report shows that employers are exacerbating their recruitment challenges due to the mismatch between what these professionals want and what employers provide during the application process.

For a start, employers are underestimating how highly job applicants value online job boards and specialist online tech forums when searching for jobs. Over three-quarters (76%) of digital technology professionals use online job boards (higher than the UK average of 61%) and far in excess of the 49% of employers who prefer to source candidates this way.

The report also shows that 76% of digital professionals use an organisations’ website when searching, but only 45% of employers invest in their websites as part of their recruiting strategy.

43% of digital technology applicants give the application stage a neutral-to-poor rating, largely due to the time it takes to submit an online application – 82% say they are deterred by an application process that takes longer than 15 minutes, yet one-fifth of employers believe their website application takes longer than this.

Then, following submission, nearly one-third of applicants believe that two-to-three days is an acceptable amount of time to hear whether or not they have reached interview stage. However, 67% of employers say they take longer than this.

The digital skills shortage in the UK is showing no signs of going away, so it makes sense for employers to invest more time in making sure that their recruitment channels are optimised. Often, candidates are interviewed and offered on the same day via video interview.

Additionally, when there are agreed timelines the recruitment process is five times more likely to succeed – So keep applicants engaged throughout the whole journey by making sure it’s quick and efficient for them to apply for jobs via a website or online job portal. Then don’t delay in confirming an interview and providing feedback.

By doing so, you’re less likely to miss opportunities and make your recruitment of top tech talent much less challenging.