STEM Recruitment - How companies can evolve their recruitment process

Reportedly 89% of STEM businesses struggle to recruit the right people.

So with this in mind and our re-brand in July 2023 Syntech Technical became Syntech Recruitment Solutions with the aim of becoming even more specialist and to grow our client base in the STEM sector.

Syntech has been in business for over 15 years, but STEM is still a fairly new word in recruitment. For those that don't know - STEM recruitment is the process of hiring talented people with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The concept of STEM recruitment has evolved over time, bringing together different backgrounds and skill sets to create a more comprehensive approach to finding new talent. Originally, most companies focused on recruiting from more traditional fields, such as engineering. However, with the emergence of new technologies and industries, many employers began to recognise the value of hiring from a variety of disciplines. As the demand for highly skilled professionals increased, so did the need for specialised recruiting processes to identify suitable candidates.

The goal for us is to find candidates who have both the technical skills & expertise in their sector as well as the ability to think critically and solve complex problems.

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The STEM market has seen lots of change but there are a things to consider:

1. AI in STEM

The importance of being technologically equipped in STEM continues to rise as AI models gain momentum both inside, and outside of the scientific industries. AI’s role in STEM is set to grow as more businesses make use of its vital ability to navigate uncertainty with rapid and agile data driven solutions. Early exposure to forward-thinking technology can make an organisation stand out from the crowd to candidates and help feed into a powerful talent strategy.

2. Its a candidate market

Recently figures have shown that unemployment it at a low, this often means that there is a shortage of candidates and companies are often targting the same skill sets or individuals. This is great for job seekers but not so great for the employers as it generates a candidate led market.

3. Economy

Words like recession and economic pressure/slowdown don't held recruiters or job seekers! Often this will lead to companies making redundancies, slowing down on recruitment or putting it on hold for a while.

However, while large-scale expansion in some industries is slowing down, specialist professionals across STEM remain essential to business continuity. 
We work with our clients to help them create talent attraction strategies that will help them recruit much needed skillsets, recruitment may have slowed, but the criticality of the right hire has risen.

4. Changing your work environment

Making changes in the company could be a way of making your company stand out or more appealing to job seekers. We don't speak to that many candidates who want fully remote working, but there are still a high percentage of candidates who are looking for a more hybrid work pattern. Things like work patterns, work-life balance, working environment and job satisfaction are the most important to most employees.

So how can companies evolve their recruitment strategy?

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1. Its all in the data.

In today’s talent market, quality matters over quantity. Using data or in-house testing can often give you some good insights as to whether the people your'e talking to are really the right candidates for your business. This is something that working with a recruitment partner can help you with, as we can build the testing or profiling into our recruitment search & selection process.

Getting access to great candidates will rely on your ability to look beyond technical ability through to compatibility to ensure that the person you’re hiring is on track to drive real results in your business.

2. Get a good EVP

Your employee value proposition should be built into your overall recruitment plan and should give a clear and engaging insight into your business and why candidates should join. As well as the benefits your EVP should provide reassurance around job security, give people a sense of work life balance and a great working environment.

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3. Tech Investments

Share your technological investments in your employee value proposition, and lay out clear pathways for new starters whose roles may cross over with innovative technologies like AI to engage with the tech, and advance their skills base. While this is less relevant for executive positions directly, executives and senior hires who see that organisations are not only purchasing technology, but investing in their people to advance their organisation, are more likely to be persuaded to come onboard.

If you would like some further information on the above or how we partner our clients to help them attract sought after talent please email stephen@sytechrecruitment.co.uk or visit our website - www.syntechrecruitment.co.uk