What is market mapping in IT recruitment and what do you need to know about it?

The labor market in Poland is like an ocean - enormous, relying on a number of very complicated mechanisms and not entirely predictable. Companies deciding to open a new branch in our country struggle with a number of problems, but one of the most serious is the limited supply of information. The solution to one of them is market mapping, a service that comprehensively reviews the market for potential candidates, evaluates them and analyzes them in terms of the client's needs. When is it worth opting for it? What benefits does market mapping provide and what else do you need to know about it? We hope this article will dispel many of the myths on the subject.

What is market mapping in IT recruitment?

As we have already mentioned, market mapping is a service aimed at conducting a comprehensive review of the labor market for potential candidates for the position (or positions) opening. When conducting research, an IT recruitment agency should consider people whose skills match the requirements of its client. In order to get a precise and realistic picture of the expectations and characteristics of candidates, data from previous processes, salary reports, surveys and sentiments expressed by the professionals with whom we have had contact are analyzed. The research process itself is often continuous - data aggregated for previous recruitments are taken into account.

Sometimes it happens that market mapping for one recruitment is performed several times. This happens if the process of searching for candidates is significantly extended. Although this is not a frequent occurrence, in the face of rapid market changes, this necessity arises from time to time.

What are the benefits of market mapping?

Thanks to a precise analysis of candidates' expectations, we are able to design the entire recruitment process in such a way that it goes as quickly and efficiently as possible. Based on the data, those responsible for coordinating recruitment are able to create an offer that better meets the expectations of candidates, and as a result, the chance of filling vacancies with specialists whose work will bring real benefits to the entire organization and its clients increases.

Market mapping is particularly important in cases where a company is looking for infrequent specialists with high expectations - in such situations, analysis is essential, as it is impossible to simply estimate a budget based on the salary ranges offered by competitors. Benefits or mode of work are also crucial, as the better they match the requirements of the people you are looking for, the more likely they are to stay with your organization for the long term.

Keep in mind budget considerations as well - recruitment under the RPO model should take as little time as possible to reduce the cost of conducting it. Choosing the right employee benefits and appropriately estimated compensation can also cause the organization ordering the market mapping to reduce spending on the position. Although situations where the estimated budget turns out to be too high are not uncommon, the risk of overestimation is tangible.

When should we conduct market mapping?

Market surveys pay off virtually always, but there are situations in which it is particularly worthwhile to go for them. First of all, market mapping clearly reduces the risk of failure in specialized recruitment - this is especially important when you are searching among several hundred or even dozens people nationwide.

Market mapping is also reasonable when recruiting for a position is new to the company, for example, due to the launch of an office in a new country or expansion of the organization's operations. In such situations, it turns out that schemes developed in the past may simply be ineffective and mismatched to the specifics of the local market.

Although the period of peak inflation is behind us, we are still seeing quite a bit of wage growth, which is not working in our favor. In the long run, market mapping will be much more profitable than hiring a specialist at an excessive wage. On the other hand, too low a salary range will effectively lower the response rate of those who will be contacted by recruiters, which of course will have deplorable consequences. A thorough market analysis protects you from such an event.

Are there situations when it is not worth ordering market mapping?

As a general rule, the decision to outsource market mapping is beneficial virtually always, but keep in mind that it is crucial when recruiting for niche or more relevant positions. If the position to be taken on by the new employee is quite common, and he or she is competing with hundreds of other candidates in the job search, your organization does not need to place as much importance on creating an attractive offer. Keep in mind, however, that a large supply of specialists in a particular area does not yet mean that we will be able to find a person who will fit into the organizational culture. We may also miscalculate the budget for her position, which will increase the risk of a quick reassignment or unnecessarily raise costs.

Who should order a market mapping service?

You already know that many organizations will benefit from ordering a market research service, but as we've already mentioned, there are situations where the gains will be particularly noticeable. Your company should order market mapping if:

• The Polish labor market is new to you or previous recruitments have not been successful;
• Your organization is looking for a person with unique, rare competencies or one with high expectations of the employer (managers, DevOps developers, specialists with years of professional experience);
• You are looking for a person for a newly created position, the specifics of which differ from existing procedures, and you don't know what elements of the offer determine success in recruitment.

It doesn't matter much whether the recruitment is for a multinational corporation or a very small startup - in both cases, data-driven decisions are simply safer. While it's never guaranteed that the recruitment process will be successful and the hired employee will spend many years with the company, market mapping clearly improves the chances of that happening.

Why should I outsource market mapping to itMatch?

Of the many factors influencing the final selection of a company responsible for conducting market mapping, one is particularly important - efficiency. An unreliable, outdated or poorly conducted analysis of candidates' expectations can result in problems with the implementation of the recruitment itself and bring very severe consequences, both financially and in terms of employer branding.

As a recruitment agency, we pride ourselves on our many years of experience and excellent knowledge of the Krakow and Wroclaw IT job market. We have helped hire more than 1,300 people for more than 50 organizations of various specifications, sizes and backgrounds. While conducting analyses of candidates' current expectations, we can rely on the vast historical data we have collected for more than 10 years. It is due to this that 96% of our recruiting efforts have been successful. Don't wait - schedule an interview with our representative today and see for yourself that itMatch is the best partner for your company!