I had the pleasure of interviewing Aneta Bochenek, Senior TA Business Partner of StoneX Poland, a recruiter with RPO, agency, and internal recruitment experience operating mainly in the fintech area, CIPD qualified with great exposure to Employer Branding initiatives and projects.
Thank you so much for joining us!
Aneta: Thank you for inviting me to share my thoughts!
What motivated you to choose technical recruiting as your professional career?
Aneta: At some point in my career, after working as a business recruiter, I realized that I would like to get into technical recruiting. It seemed more interesting, diverse, and challenging at the same time. There is also a great community around it with recruiters sharing knowledge and tips, it’s great to learn and share experiences from professionals operating on the tech scene.
Getting into tech recruitment also made me read many tutorials, and watch YouTube guides on technologies and programming languages which positively contributed to my self-development and expertise. Talking to candidates now is more interesting and fun.
What is it that excites you about tech recruiting?
Aneta: The variety of tasks, the opportunity to meet very interesting people, and the close collaboration with department heads and Technical hiring managers. What I also find exciting is the chance to influence the hiring strategy and commitment of companies to be recognized in their respective markets.
I appreciate and enjoy working with hiring managers who are aware that attending various tech events also plays an important role in recruiting and talent acquisition. It’s also exciting to have the opportunity to learn about very cool applications from people who are working on and developing them.
What has been your biggest challenge in tech recruitment?
Aneta: The biggest challenge for me is to monitor the market in terms of salary trends and ever-changing salary expectations. Candidate expectations are constantly changing while companies are unable to adapt and respond.
The ability to keep up with ever-changing technology can also be a challenge, so being involved in the search and staying in touch with candidates is very important, same as a thorough conversation with hiring managers regarding the projects and products.
What do you think is the future of tech recruitment and what state-of-art problems do you think needs to be solved?
Aneta: Ability to address the needs of applicants during the hiring process. Very often, hiring teams are overworked and don’t have time to provide the best possible candidate experience, which impacts the candidate’s journey. Networking, building a personal brand and constantly communicating with applicants pay off as it allows us to quickly find people for our projects and learn about available teams when they become such. Allowing recruiters to work on a maximum of 8-10 roles can be key to their success, and more importantly, they’ll enjoy their work.
Lastly, I’d say candidates’ expectations towards remote working, work-life balance, and contracts of employment change, organisations should be more agile and understanding so they can accommodate candidates’ needs as well. Management should trust their TA teams more and respect what they bring to the table, as their knowledge comes directly from the candidates and from the market.
We should be more open to the solutions that currently are in offer, that allow hiring people in various countries without even having an entity there. Talent is everywhere and we should be open to using solutions to hire people based in various locations.
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?
Aneta: Be courageous, assertive, and prioritize wisely. Take care of yourself and constantly develop your skills. Attend conferences and follow hiring experts. Be yourself, if you don’t enjoy interacting with applicants, move on. Being authentic, energetic, and having fun when contacting applicants will positively impact your results.
Be brave enough to speak openly with the key decision-makers and Hiring Managers, and do not over-promise and under-deliver. Your words and what you communicate matter a lot to both parties, candidates and Hiring Managers. Always share market insights with the hiring managers and be honest with candidates regarding the company culture and ways of working.
Using your expertise and network to help candidates to secure new positions, spending some extra time reviewing CVs, and advising active applicants on interview tips will position you as the one who cares and will make candidates contact you to recommend their friends and former colleagues.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Aneta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aneta-bochenek-talentspotter
Thanks for joining us, Aneta! Being able to understand candidates’ needs is work half done. And for the rest of the journey, Aneta’s expertise in playing the field will definitely come in handy for the aspiring recruiters.
