The IT recruitment marketplace Huntly is now available to tech in Romania

About 87% of tech executives confirm there is a talent shortage in the IT industry that makes it more difficult for them to hire skilled software developers. This challenge is further amplified by the global recession and rising labor costs. As a result, tech companies are turning to cost-effective alternatives to acquire qualified software engineers, and one of them is referrals.

The IT recruitment marketplace Huntly offers IT companies in Romania to establish their external referral program on the platform, choose a referral bonus for the recruiter ($2-5K), and get more candidate recommendations from Huntly’s network of 150+ experienced IT recruiters. New clients enjoy the added benefit of posting their job openings free of charge and paying a bonus to the recruiter only in the event of a successful hire.

„External referral programs are a valuable tool that IT companies in Romania can leverage during times of economic crisis. This is an alternative solution to hiring freezes, letting IT employers reduce labor expenses and maintain business growth by continuing to expand their teams. Our community of professional IT recruiters is ready to assist all tech companies in Romania in finding suitable candidates at a reduced cost and within a shorter timeframe compared to traditional hiring methods. Another significant advantage of external referrals is that they improve employee retention rates”, says Nadiia Kovalchuk, a leading IT Recruiter from the Huntly team.

5 advantages of setting up an external referral program on Huntly:

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1. Lower costs per hire

External referral programs yield the highest return on investment (ROI) among various sourcing methods. For example, while a traditional recruitment agency charges a fee of 15-20% of the new hire’s first-year salary, Huntly fees amount to just 5-7%, allowing companies to save up to four times on talent acquisition. What is more, employers have the flexibility to choose the bonus amount for the recruiter which usually ranges from $2,000 to $5,000 per hired candidate, depending on the position.

2. Access to high-quality candidates

An external referral program on Huntly stands out in terms of candidate recommendation quality. With a professional network of 150+ IT recruiters, Huntly enables companies to close challenging vacancies that require rare tech stacks. Plus, it’s possible to connect with candidates who are currently off the market as 69% of LinkedIn members are interested in discovering new opportunities even when not seeking a job. IT employers in Romania receive only the best CVs that were carefully pre-screened by the Huntly team, leading to a 10x increase in the pipeline of relevant candidates. In fact, 4 out of 5 candidates referred to by Huntly are invited to an interview, improving the chances of successful hires.

3. Faster recruitment process

Using an external referral program can substantially reduce the time to fill a position. Compared to traditional employee referrals that typically require 29 days to hire a candidate, an external referral program launched via tools like Huntly reduces the average hiring time even more. This makes it the most efficient hiring approach to fill vacancies faster.

4. Increased employee retention

Research shows that referrals have a positive impact on employee retention rates. According to a JobVite study, 46% of employees hired through referrals stayed with the company for at least one year. In contrast, only 33% of individuals hired through career sites achieved the same milestone. This translates into long-term savings in terms of recruitment efforts and resources needed for future hiring. By using an external referral program, companies can reduce turnover and enjoy greater employee loyalty.

5. Access to new locations

External referrals can also support recruitment in new locations where internal referrals might not work. Huntly also hosts tech recruiters from other Eastern European markets, either than Romania. This is an additional advantage for companies considering talent acquisition in offshore locations and looking for local expertise.

Huntly was developed through the cooperation of professional IT recruiters and top Meta software engineers in California. The platform stands out by its user-friendliness and transparent recruitment process for all the parties involved. Global tech companies such as Paessler, ChromaWay, LivePerson, and Dotmatics are using Huntly as a tool for their external referral program to find the best candidates for their teams.