Ukrainian Recruitment Candidate Challenges 2023 Explained

Recruitment in the Ukrainian tech segment underwent significant candidate challenges during the pandemic and the full-scale invasion. However, the more things change, the more they stay the same. That is how things turn out for recruitment in early 2023.

• On the one hand, the challenges are more or less the same as they always were.
• On the other hand, the context of recruitment challenges has changed immensely. Because of that, dealing with candidate challenges requires figuring out new solutions.

That’s where Ukrainian IT recruitment currently stands. 

• If you are interested in Talando Market Research and Salary Survey – drop us a line.

Candidate Challenges in the Ukrainian Tech Segment

1 Company’s Financial Stability Concerns

The biggest hurdle Ukrainian tech companies currently face is that they can’t influence the situation they are now in. You know who to blame for that.

• Ukrainian companies can’t mitigate the risks of rocket strikes and military offensive. 
• Instead, they can adapt to the ever-changing situation and brace for impact during the rough parts.

From the candidate’s point of view, things are simple – candidates need a job that will sustain them for a long time. 

Because of that, the company’s financial stability is one of the critical priorities candidates express interest in upon receiving a job offer.  In recruitment terms, this is one of the candidate challenges.

• According to our December 2022 research, 79% of respondents stated that the company’s financial stability is the top priority upon considering new job offers.
• 61% of the potential candidates hesitate to consider new job opportunities as they are unsure whether the company will be around long-term. 
• Of them, 34% specifically note that they would’ve been interested in similar job opportunities under different circumstances.

Let’s look at more cooperative candidates. Here are several insights: 

• 74% of the candidates will do additional research regarding the company’s financial state. 
• 52% will check the media publications for clues.
• 36% will use their networking to find insights into the company’s financial state.

While it is hard to say whether all respondents will do the things mentioned above upon getting a message regarding job opportunities, it is still a fascinating change from previous years. 

Our December 2021 Survey asked respondents what they prioritize upon getting a job offer. Here’s how the priorities were in 2021:

• 71% salary increase;
• 63% interest in the project;
• 50% relevant tech stack;
• 46% work-life balance;
• 38% company’s financial stability;

2 War-related Candidate Burnout

Candidate Burnout has been a candidate challenge ever since the pandemic started. The immense demand growth for tech specialists supercharged the recruitment effort. 

• As a result, pretty much any potential candidate of note has been bombarded with messages regarding all sorts of job opportunities. 
• After a while, it led to tech specialists growing increasingly tired of the overwhelming amount of communication. 
• Consequently, they simply shut off and stopped responding altogether, wanting to take a break from the neverending cycle of consideration.

Candidate burnout combined with inefficient recruitment communication is a deadly combination that wastes many high-profile hiring opportunities. But that’s beside the point. And we have an article about it.

2022 brought in a new version of candidate burnout – this time, it is war-related burnout. Unlike regular burnout, there is not much recruiters can do with war-related burnout, as it gets everyone every now and then. 

• However, the chances of candidate burnout now must be fully considered upon conducting the metrics assessment of the recruitment process.
• In addition, war-related burnout mitigation is one of the things companies need to keep in mind upon handling employee wellness.

Here are several insights from our December 2022 research:

• 68% of the respondents experienced war-related burnout;
• 43% stated that burnout prevented them from considering new job opportunities;
• 35% indicated that their employers assist them in handling burnout;   

3 Company’s Employer Brand Became a Major Factor

Employer branding has been thriving as a service ever since the pandemic started. But even then, it was hardly ever taken seriously, as companies only remembered about it when they got into hot water for something.  

• Otherwise, the employer’s brand was treated as a gimmick, especially in outsourcing. In contrast, startup companies usually take it very seriously.

Despite that, employer branding has been slowly but surely growing in candidate priorities, and now it is becoming a legitimate candidate challenge.

Things have changed dramatically with the full-scale invasion in 2022. In a way, the russo-Ukrainian war topic dominates the employer branding perception of both Ukrainian and European companies. 

Here are some insights from our December 2022 candidate survey:

• 91% – will not consider positions from companies with offices in russia or belarus. 
• 69% – will look closely at the company’s public activity in recent months.
• 73% – will specifically ask the recruiter about the company’s official stance regarding war.
• 64% – would be interested to know whether the company participates in the volunteer efforts and UAF financial support.
• 51% – will investigate whether the company laid off employees in the early months of the war.

In addition to that, there are several general insights:

• 69% are more likely to consider a job opportunity from a company with a well-established employer’s brand.
• 25% stated that the company’s employer brand is less prioritized than salary, technologies, and projects. 

4 Candidate Nurturing 

It’s not like candidate nurturing has ever been a walk in the park. The demand growth during 2020 and 2021 made it a considerable candidate challenge, and then war threw in a couple more hoops. 

However, in one way or another, candidate nurturing has always been a matter of technique and insight. That’s what differentiates a recruitment professional from an amateur. 

Here’s how things have changed during 2022:

• Candidates are less active on social media and are slower to respond via messenger and email. 
• The initial job opportunity pitch needs to give the candidate the gist from the get-go. In other words, the recruiter needs to clearly communicate to the candidate the answer to the question, “what’s in for me?”. 
• This situation means avoiding cookie-cutter pitches and tying the pitch to the candidate’s expertise, experience, and interests.
• The overall communication needs to maintain regularity. If there’s a pause over a week, the candidate will likely lose interest in the position. 
• Recruiters must keep the candidate informed regarding the current state of affairs in the recruitment process. Small talk and general updates will help keep the contact warm if there’s no actual news.

What’s next?

In one way or another, the current candidate-related challenges will improve Ukrainian recruitment in the long term. Eventually, this experience will serve as a foundation for a new quality level of recruitment culture. But as of now, these are mere aspirations.

The reality is that recruitment in 2023 Ukraine is hard, and it won’t get any easier soon. But we can analyze what’s happening and figure out how to get the job done despite the circumstances.

Our next article will explore candidate motivation regarding keeping or changing jobs in early 2023.