Who is a researcher

THE CONTENT OF THE ARTICLE:

Who is a researcher

There is a real battle for talent in today's IT industry. According to Statista, most recruiters are having trouble recruiting Full Stack developers, backend teams, and DevOps specialists. As a result, many companies are beginning to realize that classic recruiting is not enough in today's reality. 

 

Against this background, it becomes important to divide the recruiter's duties among several employees, each with their own area of responsibility. What does researcher do?

Researcher Responsibilities

Researcher is an employee who searches for candidates for an existing vacancy using a variety of channels. Their task is to interest the candidate and pass their resume to the recruiter for further work. This employee, as a rule, does not conduct interviews, assess the applicant's competence, and does not make a decision about hiring them. Although, if the company is small, all of the above functions may be entrusted to one specialist, whose position is defined as "recruiter."

What is the Difference between Researcher and Recruiter, Sourcer and HR

The concepts of recruiter, researcher, sourcer and HR specialist are often considered interchangeable. In practice, however, these roles are more often separated to close vacancies effectively. So who is researcher, and what is the difference between them and other HR professionals?

• Researcher is responsible for the early stage of recruitment. They determine the best search channel, contact candidates, and pass on suitable applications to the recruiter. Applicants need to know how to write a resume to interest the researcher and, subsequently, the recruiter.
• Recruiter works directly with the applicant – gives test assignments, checks competencies, and conducts the interview. Their job is to sell the vacancy.
• Sourcer is more of an analyst than a salesperson. They research the candidate market, analyze the recruiting, and assess specialists' needs. In other words, they work on building the company's hiring strategy. Considering how a researcher differs from a sourcer, we can say that the latter has a broader functionality. They can answer such questions as: Does the right pool of specialists exist in the company's area of operation? What is the reputation of your brand in the market? What working conditions and compensation do your competitors offer? The list could go on and on. 
• HR is a specialist who works with employees after they have been hired. Their tasks are to develop the company's corporate culture and help newcomers with adaptation. In a word, the HR specialist has to work on increasing team productivity and employee satisfaction.

As you can see, the answer to whether there is a difference between a recruiter and HR, a researcher, and a sourcer is obvious — these are entirely different positions.

What Researcher Does in IT Company

IT researcher is engaged in the search for technical staff. Their tasks include:

• Handling correspondence with applicants for the position;
• Determining the best channel and scheme for finding employees;
• Keeping track of statistics on the transition of candidates into employees;
• Improving the employer's reputation to ensure the interest of the best talents;
• Compiling a list of applicants.

The specifics of the IT sphere set certain peculiarities of the search for technical candidates:

• Correspondence with candidates is mainly in English. Knowledge of this language at the Upper Intermediate level is a must for an IT specialist. These standards also have to be met by the researcher.
• In the IT field, you cannot be limited to standard search channels – the best developers are often already employed, so finding their resumes on job search platforms is impossible. Profile groups in social networks, official events pages, etc., can help in such cases.
• IT companies put a lot of effort into retaining their best developers. To interest such a specialist, the researcher must try hard to present the potential employer in the best possible light and outline the benefits of accepting the offer.
• To close IT vacancies quickly, it is recommended that the recruiter and researcher collaborate and help each other. This interaction will allow both to understand the task at hand better. The researcher will be able to delve deeper into the job requirements, and the recruiter will understand the specifics of the candidate market.

What Personal and Professional Skills a Researcher Needs for Productive Recruitment 

Let's talk about what a researcher needs to do to perform their job effectively.

Willingness to develop new skills and sharpen old ones

Continuous personal and professional development allows researchers to raise their level and move up the career ladder. Many researchers take the position of Junior Recruiter after just one year and then grow to the level of Middle and Senior Specialist.

Technical knowledge

IT researcher must know the area in which they are looking for talent. Otherwise, how will they be able to assess their competence for the position? In addition, this specialist is the first person the candidate communicates with. Therefore, if the researcher gives the impression of being unprofessional, it can lead to a refusal of cooperation.

Curiosity

Constantly expanding the list of search channels and exploring the most unexpected resources – the researcher's curiosity helps them be more effective.

Persistence

The ability to find the candidate the company needs, even if everyone around says that they don't exist, is the difference between a good researcher and a mediocre one. On the other hand, you may need this quality to persuade a developer to change jobs. Rejected it once? You need to find new arguments and try again. It is the only way to ensure the company has the best staff.

Good organization

The researcher's responsibilities include planning their own time and working with a lot of information (reviewing resumes, building a database of candidates). Therefore, you cannot do without self-organization. 

 

By the way, the researcher's salary depends on knowledge and skills. According to Glassdoor, the average salary of a researcher in the U.S. is $54,327 a year. For Ukraine, this figure is somewhat less – about ₴15,000 per month.

 

Conclusion

Researcher in IT is the first step on the way to finding the ideal candidate. Their professionalism determines how quickly and efficiently the company will be staffed.