Where do great companies find the best tech talent?
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The Startup Magazine were at the 9th Silicon Milkroundabout jobs fair. Silicon Milkroundabout host real world events that connect tech talent with innovative hiring companies. We spoke with talented job seekers and the hiring companies to get a taster of the Silicon Milkroundabout experience.
Companies attend Silicon Milkroundabout for various reasons. One of them is that candidates are vetted before they enter the event. The Silicon Milkroundabout team use a data driven approach that ensures that they let in the candidates that the hiring companies are looking for. Matt Sealy from Uber explains that “at Uber, the bar is high, we ask a lot from the people that we hire. Events like this are useful for plugging us into talent pools.” Both large and small technology companies find Silicon Milkroundabout a great branding exercise, Sharon Keane, Head of Tech Delivery at Zopa highlighted that “we are not a household name. So we need to go out there and tell people what we are doing and why it’s worth joining our team.” Larger companies, like Net-a-Porter also used it as a great opportunity to raise awareness. Rekha, Senior Recruitment Business Partner at Net-a-Porter commented that “this is our first time here and we wanted to make an impact, which is why we have a larger stand than average.”
One thing that was clear was that the event was serving to solve a frustration that both tech talent and the hiring companies have, that behind a computer screen it is difficult to get to know whether or not a person aligns with your values. Alicia, who came to Silicon Milkroundabout in search for a new product opportunity explained that “there are limitations with online interactions. A company website may have a video but having a chat allows you to get an idea about the company culture before you even apply.” Attendees take the event seriously, seeing it as an opportunity to make a positive impression on hiring managers. One attendee reported that he “researched the companies that were attending before the event, picked 10-15 of them, identifying who he wanted to make a connection with an impression on.”
At the event, both companies and the tech talent attending reported that they were finding the event highly enjoyable. Oscar, a young man looking for a full time developer role exclaimed that “this is the most excited that he has been in ages” and that he “was surprised by how many good leads” he got in one afternoon. Rekha commented that “at Net-a-Porter, we have been really busy and it has been amazing to speak to a large quantity of people in such a short period of time!”
Although there were many companies there for the first time, others have been there since the start. Citymapper is one of them. Omid Ashtari, Citymapper General Manager, said “we have been using Silicon Milkroundabout from the start and believe that it is great for the London tech scene. The event sports some of the best London startups and is always buzzing.”
Another company is Badoo. Brad Richards, Talent Manager from Badoo said “we have been to all the Silicon Milkroundabout events and have hired from here. The last hire I can remember is now one of our team leads. This shows the type of quality you can find at Silicon Milkroundabout.”
From helping companies raise awareness to allowing candidates to be more efficient in their job search, Silicon Milkroundabout is incredibly effective at creating an enjoyable environment for hiring companies and tech talent to connect with one another. If you are looking for your next opportunity or for your next great team member, check out www.siliconmilkroundabout.com
