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Stacy Diachenko
Tech expert
With a Master of Arts in Technology for Translation and Interpreting (yes it’s as cool as it sounds!), I’m 100% a technophile and wordsmith. I love making tech stuff sound human, and I constantly stay on top of the latest trends in technology. My goal is to write fun, insightful articles that are always ahead of the curve.
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Welcome to the fast-paced world of San Francisco’s tech industry, where the battle for talent rages hotter than a startup’s pre-IPO hype. As the glittering hub of innovation, San Francisco attracts top tech companies and aspiring tech gurus from across the globe. From the towering skyscrapers of SOMA to the cozy cafes of the Mission, this city breathes technology. However, amidst the excitement and opportunity, lies the harsh reality of hiring in this hyper-competitive environment. With giants like Google, Meta, and Apple casting their long shadows, finding exceptional talent can feel like a never-ending quest through a labyrinth of resumes and coding challenges.
The demand for skilled professionals far outweighs the supply, making the talent market a fierce battlefield where companies must showcase their unique appeal to stand out from the crowd. It’s survival of the fittest in this digital Darwinian playground, and only those armed with the best recruiting strategies can emerge victorious. Thus, I investigated dozens of tech recruiting companies in SF and whittle it down to make the list of top 10. Drum roll please…
After conducting thorough research and analysis on the top hiring companies in San Francisco, it is evident that the tech recruiting landscape in the city is highly competitive. I surfed through lots of resources such as Clutch, GoodFirms, and Glassdoor to make this list. Among the numerous players in the industry, I have closely investigated and compared the performance and unique offerings of the top 10 tech recruiting companies.
Enjoy this snapshot view of the fascinating world of tech recruiting in San Francisco and discover what sets these five companies apart from each other:
Website: turnkeystaffing.comFounded: 2019HQ: Menlo Park
TurnKey specializes in the offshore tech staffing, providing startups and growing tech companies with dedicated offshore teams that integrate seamlessly with the client’s operations.
#2. Alcor: Alcor focuses on executive search and leadership recruitment across various industries.
#3. 80Twenty: 80Twenty offers staffing solutions for various roles, including creative, marketing, and digital positions.
#4. AllstarsIT: AllstarsIT specializes in IT recruitment and talent acquisition services, primarily focusing on software development positions.
#5. Insight Global: Insight Global offers staffing and managed services, catering to a wide range of industries, including IT, finance, and engineering.
#6. Talent Place
#7. DevsData Tech Talent LLC
#8. Remotebase
#9. 121 Silicon Valley, Inc.
#10. Mackin Talent
I looked at four key factors when analyzing the companies. While each recruiting company has its own strengths, TurnKey Staffing excels in providing tailored solutions for offshore software development needs. Overall, TurnKey Staffing differentiates itself with its innovative offshore tech staffing expertise, comprehensive offshore development support, client-centric approach, and commitment to legal and operational compliance. Below is a summary of my findings:
Offshore Development Expertise:
Client-Centric Approach:
Legal and Operational Support:
Pricing and Transparency:
So now that you know who the top players are, let’s go deeper into what’s really driving this hiring market.
To say hiring great developers in San Francisco, despite the abundance of talent in the tech hub, comes with its fair share of challenges, would be an understatement. Here are five common hurdles many companies face when recruiting developers in San Francisco:
The biggest challenge faced by the tech industry and one reason for the software developers shortage is the lack of skilled talents needed to meet consumer demand. According to a report by the IMF, the tech talent shortage will swell to more than 85 million tech workers by 2030, which in turn can potentially translate to lost revenue of over $8 trillion annually. But, when I looked beyond the headlines and further into the statistics that contribute to the tech talent gap, I saw some interesting trends.
A significant portion, more than 41%, of tech workers encounter limited career progression, with flexibility in working hours being a notable concern. Additionally, around 58% of IT workers report suffering from job burnout, highlighting the toll of demanding workloads and high-pressure environments. Furthermore, a staggering 91% of tech employees express a strong desire for more learning and training opportunities provided by their employers, emphasizing the importance of ongoing skill development.
I was not surprised to see that over 80% of tech professionals have expectations of higher compensation for their work, reflecting the market’s increasing value placed on their expertise and the need for competitive remuneration. These numbers turn a spotlight on the various factors that contribute to the tech talent gap and underscore the importance of addressing these concerns to attract and retain skilled tech professionals.
San Francisco’s thriving tech ecosystem attracts numerous companies, ranging from startups to established tech giants, all vying for the same pool of skilled developers. This intense competition makes it challenging for companies to stand out and attract top talent. This means that a company offering a competitive salary and benefits package may still face difficulties in competing with well-known tech companies that have strong employer branding and attractive perks.
San Francisco’s high cost of living presents a significant hurdle for both employers and developers. The exorbitant housing costs, along with the overall high expenses, can make it challenging for companies to offer competitive compensation packages, particularly for startups or smaller companies. Similarly, developers may find it difficult to sustain their desired quality of life with the offered salaries, especially considering the skyrocketing rent prices and living expenses.
The rapidly evolving technology landscape contributes to a skills gap in hiring great developers. New programming languages, frameworks, and emerging technologies constantly emerge, requiring developers to stay up-to-date with the latest trends. This poses challenges for companies looking for developers with specific skill sets. For instance, a company seeking developers with expertise in machine learning or cybersecurity may struggle to find qualified candidates due to the scarcity of professionals with those specialized skills.
San Francisco’s competitive job market and vibrant tech scene can lead to high employee churn rates and challenges in retaining talent. Developers often receive frequent job offers, enticing them to switch companies for better compensation, growth opportunities, or exciting projects. Consequently, companies face difficulties in maintaining a stable and experienced development team, impacting product continuity and long-term success.
To overcome these five challenges, a unique approach is required, and I believe TurnKey’s model could be your solution.
For this part of the post, we’ll need to take a walk down memory lane. Back in the day, prior to the inception of TurnKey Staffing, our founders Sterling Lanier and Boris Glants embarked on their own tech startup adventure with Tonic Health. Faced with the challenge of finding suitable local talent to build their ideal tech team, they sought an alternative solution. Initially, like many others, they experimented with the outsourcing model but found the results unsatisfactory. Determined to find a better way, they decided to take matters into their own hands.
Leveraging Boris’ deep connection with the local culture in Ukraine, they began exploring offshoring as a potential solution. Recognizing the advantages it offered, they saw the potential to reshape the traditional offshoring delivery process. Motivated by their vision, they wholeheartedly embraced the task at hand and set out to revolutionize the model.
Their unwavering commitment and hard work led to the creation of a unique offshore tech staffing approach. This innovative approach aimed to provide startups and growing tech companies with offshore teams that seamlessly integrated as an integral part of the organization. By addressing the gaps in the original delivery process, Sterling and Boris developed a customized system that catered to the specific needs and requirements of companies seeking offshore development teams.
Through their dedication and perseverance, they transformed the offshoring experience into a collaborative and cohesive partnership, enabling startups and growing tech companies to leverage the benefits of offshore talent while maintaining control and integration within their own organizational structure. TurnKey’s model developed by Sterling and Boris at TurnKey Staffing has since become a cornerstone of their mission to provide effective offshore team solutions to fuel the growth and success of tech companies. Want to take a look at what TurnKey’s model can give you as a tech business?
TurnKey takes a proactive approach to address the hiring challenge by implementing comprehensive, multi-tiered recruiting services. Our recruitment gurus focus on identifying and selecting the top 3% of talent who not only possess the required skills but also align perfectly with the client’s goals, values, and product. By doing so, TurnKey ensures that startups are matched with highly skilled professionals who are not only competent but also dedicated to achieving collective success. This meticulous selection process guarantees that the talent provided by TurnKey is of the highest caliber, setting the stage for a successful partnership between startups and exceptional professionals. Thanks in part to our custom hiring approach, our customer base has raised more than $550 million in total of venture capital.
Being able to hire high quality engineering talent quickly is a game changer for any early stage startup. TurnKey has made that possible for us and we are proud that it is one of our company’s strengths.
With our highly effective retention program, we have successfully reduced churn rates by more than 50%, turning retention into a science. At TurnKey, our primary goal is to reverse the industry trend of high turnover by creating an environment where developers feel engaged and valued as an integral part of our clients’ teams. By embedding developers into the client’s product and providing them with meaningful work, we have been able to achieve churn rates below 15%. Our dedicated talent management division focuses on ensuring developer satisfaction, happiness, and long-term commitment to foster their growth and success.
One of our satisfied clients, ResNet, a venture-backed company, partnered with TurnKey to build a dedicated software development team and ensure their long-term retention. Since collaborating with TurnKey, ResNet has accomplished remarkable milestones, including the development of over 800 features and writing more than 300,000 lines of code in just 24 months. The most impressive part is that they have experienced a 0.0% churn rate within their development team. This is a testament to the effectiveness of TurnKey’s localized presence and expertise in offshore development, which have successfully mitigated common challenges while providing top talent at a lower cost. The partnership with TurnKey has made a significant difference for ResNet, enabling them to achieve their goals with a highly engaged and stable development team.
TurnKey’s boots-on-the-ground presence along with decades of experience building and scaling teams, mitigates against most of the cons people typically associate with offshore development (lack of transparency and high churn), while offering most of the pros (similar if not better quality of talent than in the US at a lower cost). That’s made a huge difference for us.
One more happy client is R1 company. Our specialists managed to reduce churn rate up to 45%.
TurnKey is the only offshore firm we've interacted with that really places an emphasis on retention. They seem to be the only ones that understand how important retention is to maintaining strong product development cycles. Our churn rate with TurnKey has been under 5% annually whereas we were at more than 50% with our previous vendor!
When it comes to global hiring, companies often encounter complex legal landscapes and the need to comply with foreign legislation. With our Rest Easy! Promise, we alleviate the legal headaches associated with offshore team building. Clients can confidently focus on their core business while we take full responsibility for all legal matters involved. This includes addressing concerns such as employee misclassification, safeguarding intellectual property, and managing potential legal issues that may arise.
By entrusting TurnKey with the legal complexities, companies can streamline their global hiring process and benefit from an extensive talent pool without the burden of navigating complex legal landscapes on their own. With our commitment to handling legal matters diligently, clients can have peace of mind and concentrate on driving their business forward.
Eliminate High Churn Rates and Experience Stability for Your Software Development Needs.
TurnKey follows a cost-plus model that ensures full transparency in pricing. Our clients pay the actual salary of the developers, along with a TurnKey fee. This fee covers a range of essential services, including recruiting, HR support, cost savings on equipment and remote workplace setup (which is notably more affordable with TurnKey), optimization of local taxes, and ensuring operational compliance.
In order to simplify the process further, we offer easy-to-select bonus plans for clients who wish to provide additional cash incentives or equity plans tied to performance. It’s important to note that TurnKey never takes a portion of these incentive programs, which contributes to our exceptionally high staff retention rates. We believe in fostering an environment where our clients can reward their developers without any interference from our end.
By adopting this approach, TurnKey provides transparent pricing and comprehensive support services, empowering our clients to effectively manage their costs and incentivize their developers while enjoying the benefits of our exceptional staff retention rates.
We are proud of exceptional matchmaking results when it comes to aligning candidates with company culture, project requirements, and needs. We understand that finding the right fit goes beyond technical skills and qualifications. Our comprehensive approach takes into account the unique needs and dynamics of each client organization. Here’s how we ensure successful placements:
TurnKey’s model allows us to easily integrate developers directly into our organization so that they are truly my team. I honestly forget most of the time that they aren’t working in the same building as me.
As I’ve touting the advantages of TurnKey’s model throughout this article, you might be curious about the ideal timing for implementing it. Rest assured, I have you covered. Our CEO, Sterling shares valuable insights on determining the right time to offshore.
TurnKey Offers a Compelling Solution That Delivers Top-Tier Offshore Talent Without Sacrificing Quality or Breaking the Bank.
TurnKey Staffing stands out due to its unique offshore tech staffing approach, expertise in offshore development, and comprehensive support for integrating offshore teams seamlessly.
Each company has its own strengths and specializations. TurnKey Staffing excels in offshore tech staffing, while other companies may focus on executive search, staffing for specific roles, or catering to a wide range of industries.
TurnKey offers a cost-plus model with transparent pricing, a focus on client satisfaction, comprehensive legal and operational support for offshore teams, and a commitment to aligning candidates with the client's goals and values. Additionally, TurnKey ensures top-tier offshore talent without compromising on quality or cost.
TurnKey Staffing provides information for general guidance only and does not offer legal, tax, or accounting advice. We encourage you to consult with professional advisors before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your business or legal rights.
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