Those interested in the tech industry are aware of its massive scope, as it encapsulates a great many areas of focus and companies of different sizes and statures. With that comes a wide variety of recruiting methods. For those considering employers in the tech space, it is important to understand these various methods and to never assume a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
Predictive versus non-predictive recruitment*
- Some tech employers will know the precise size of their Summer 2025 internship class and/or 2025 full-time incoming class in Fall 2024, allowing for an earlier execution of their recruiting process.
- Others will leverage something of a ‘wait and see’ approach, using the Fall semester (and even early Spring semester) to determine internship/full-time class sizes. For these employers, recruitment will be scattered throughout the late Fall and early Spring, as it best meets their needs.
Structured versus non-structured recruitment
- Some tech employers will implement a structured, hands-on approach to recruiting, one that includes a great deal of communication with the applicant, provides (and abides by) specific dates by which you will receive an update regarding your application status, and various resources made available to you throughout the process.
- Others will be, comparatively, much more hands-off (non-structured), with fewer opportunities for direct communication and looser timelines.
*A note on Predictive vs. Structured recruitment: These categories are not mutually exclusive and are based on numerous factors. Generally speaking, ‘big tech’ tends to be both predictive and structured while tech firms just outside of this category will be non-predictive but still structured. Tech startups, contrastingly, can be both non-predictive and non-structured. Set your expectations
It is crucial to understand the recruiting approach of each individual employer you are considering.
- Gain a sense of recent recruiting rhythms for an employer by reviewing its notes in CMS (Employers > employer name > Activities).
- Look at past job/internship listings from an employer in CMS to see when they were actively recruiting in the prior calendar year (Company Name > OCI and Job Listings).
- Check out the Tech Application Requirements Overview document (CMS > Resource Library > 2024-2025 Detailed Application Overviews by Industry), which clarifies recruiting timelines for specific employers, broken down by degree/academic program
