I had the pleasure of interviewing Robert Freebairn of Geval6 that is contracting at CME Group in Chicago. He primarily recruits Java Developers and QA Analysts for the largest futures and derivatives exchange in the world. He works remotely out of Utah. He has worked in entertainment, hospitality, sales, customer service, education, food and beverage, solar, and now the financial industry.
His professional recruiting career started in 2006 in higher education. He started corporate recruiting in 2014. His technical recruiting started in 2017. He was a public school teacher and has taught as an adjunct professor in management and HR. He has a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management as well as an MBA.
Thank you so much for joining us!
What motivated you to choose technical recruiting as your professional career?
Robert: Early on in my career I was in sales and then customer service. I also worked in education as a school teacher. Recruiting became a natural fit for me. I liked helping people find work or at least find better work that would help build their careers and help them financially.
I like solving problems and finding great employees for the hiring managers. Tech recruiting is great because it gives me the opportunity to grow my career and find and work with some amazing candidates with valuable skillsets.
What is it that excites you about tech recruiting?
Robert: I like building relationships with my candidates. I would say that most of the candidates I have worked with count me as a friend. I am someone looking out for their career well-being and they know it. I get to learn a lot about the individual and their situation and I try to help them prepare for their interviews. I have recruited as far away as India. I still keep in touch with many candidates that I now call friends, even if I wasn’t able to hire them.
What has been your biggest challenge in tech recruitment?
Robert: Everyone is recruiting for technical roles and so the pipeline of good candidates is not that large. It is a great time to be a tech candidate because so many companies will be interested in them, but it is difficult to put several candidates in front of a hiring manager to compare against others.
Sometimes I might only have one or two viable candidates and the hiring manager will have to choose the best from a smaller pool of candidates.
What do you think is the future of tech recruitment and what state-of-art problems do you think needs to be solved?
Robert: The demand is so high for technical candidates that the salaries have increased dramatically. We need more qualified candidates in technology. Not enough students early on are getting involved in technology even though they are growing up using technology. With schools and institutions building the tech skills that are needed in the workplace for students, the short supply of tech talent could be solved.
I feel recruiters must maintain a personal connection with their candidates, by texting more and using other new technologies of reaching out to skilled candidates that might be on the horizon. It would be nice to have access to more skilled tech candidates. Recruiters can be more prepared for the future by keeping up with the new and emerging technologies. Some technologies that will be in high demand in the future are Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security.
If you had to share, “words of wisdom,” with a tech recruiter who’s about to start their journey in tech recruitment, what would they be?
Robert: Be yourself. Learn to show interest in your candidates. Let them know you want the best for them. Use every tool at your fingertips to become better at your trade. Find a mentor that is doing a great job and try some of their techniques to see if they work for you. Take time with your candidates and try to understand their individual needs.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Robert: I am so busy with recruiting that I only stay active on Linkedin -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertdfreebairnjr/
Thanks for joining us, Robert! Your valuable insights on how to use technology for technical hiring are incomparable. Candidates are the biggest asset and knowing what’s best and providing them with it is the real achievement.
