Recruiting in London
Whether you’re a startup or an established business, you want to find the best people for your team. The following selection of recruitment sites and events cover London, with a focus on the technology sector.
- Crème de la crème: a community of expert freelancers in software engineering, product design and digital marketing is carefully vetted for each project.
- Hired: an algorithmic platform with pre-vetted candidates that lets you post your position, review your matches and connect with potential hires.
- Silicon Milkroundabout: the premier jobs event for companies ready to hire tech talent.
- Specialists Grid: an enterprise technology job marketplace that connects IT suppliers, contractors and freelancers with employers, with a focus on rare skill sets.
- Tech.london: an online platform and guide to the startup community, listing London’s incubators, workspaces, courses, jobs and upcoming events.
- The Dots: a well-respected recruitment site that connects creatives with employers seeking full-time and freelance help.
- Otta: the latest jobs and internships from high-growth companies in London.
- Unicorn Hunt: a job board for startups with many postings from the tech scene in London.
- Work in Startups: find people for your startup, including full-time, part-time and freelance candidates.
Recruiting graduates
The following sites can help you connect with new graduates.
- Advertise a job: post vacancies on the official government website.
- Mountbatten Program: a unique international placement and study programme connecting businesses with ambitious graduates from around the world.
- Prospects: one of the main sites for recruiting graduates fresh out of university.
- Skills London: one of the biggest jobs and careers events for people aged 14-24.
- Student Circus: jobs and internships from employers able to sponsor the Skilled Worker visa.
- The Careers Group: University of London’s careers portal.
Recruiting for digital skills
London is home to a range of specialist digital training organisations that equip people of all ages with high-quality, in-demand skills. Find recent course completers at:
- DigitalGrads: training graduates in practical digital marketing skills.
- Flatiron School: a tech bootcamp teaching coding and software engineering skills.
- General Assembly: expert-led training in coding, data, design, digital marketing and more.
- Le Wagon: a coding bootcamp leading to junior developer status.
- UP School: empowering women through a tech bootcamp, closing the gender gap and promoting workplace diversity.
Unexpected places to find talent
Charities and social enterprises
Recruiting from these organisations can ensure your new hires benefit the community as well as your business.
- Code First Girls: hire future tech leaders through this social enterprise that provides free coding courses for women.
- Rest Less: hire experienced and motivated people aged over 50.
- Hiring former prisoners is proven to reduce reoffending. The government website is a good place to start, while prison education provider Coracle Inside offers access to vacancies from employers who support the recruitment of ex-offenders.
- The Ability People: this social enterprise empowers the skilled disability workforce.
- Consider using Auticon, whose consultants are on the autism spectrum, for B2B services to clients in service sectors.
Specialist agencies
- FDM: recruits, trains and deploys tech workers including graduates, ex-forces and returners to work.
- Life After Professional Sport (LAPS): this organisation sources elite athletes for work experience, one-day-a-week placements or full-time contracts.
- Consider working with a recruitment consultancy such as Equal Approach to ensure an inclusive hiring process and diverse workforce.
Government-funded employment agencies
- Career Transition Partnership (CTP): access a growing ex-military talent pool.
- Jobcentre Plus: connect with local people looking for work.
Returners
- The Return Hub: this agency hosts experienced candidates returning to work in financial services.
- Capability Jane: find staff with more than 10 years’ experience in backgrounds including sales, finance, HR and marketing.
- F1 Recruitment: source specialists in PR, marketing and communications who have taken time out to raise a family or work as a carer.
Professional bodies
Professional bodies are an excellent way to reach experts in particular fields, and many offer specialist recruitment services.
- BCS The Chartered Institute for IT: find apprentices and train up existing staff by becoming a member.
- Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET): search for engineering and tech candidates, and advertise your positions.
- Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD): build a strong HR team with the specialist know-how of this organisation.
- Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM): find courses and qualifications for professional marketers and advertise your marketing vacancies on their job board.
- Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA): the world’s largest professional body of management accountants, offering study resources and a recruitment service.
See a full list of professional bodies in the UK.
Hiring apprentices
Training providers in London can help you recruit, train and manage your apprentices, no matter the size of your company.
Upskilling
From formal training to workshops, mentoring and events, London offers a variety of ways to develop professional skills.
Training and education
- Universities: benefit from executive education, short courses, language training and more at London’s top universities. London Business School also offers a full range of executive education programmes.
- Further and adult education: vocationally focused education for adults in subjects ranging from digital media to accountancy. See London Colleges for a list of FE institutions in London.
- Mayor’s Digital Talent Programme: Londoners aged 18-24 can benefit from free digital training courses and work placements.
- Private training providers: employees can pick up new skills via Findcourses.co.uk or upgrade their digital skills at organisations such as General Assembly, Bayswater College and Le Wagon or online provider Learnerbly.
- English language training: Search for schools at English UK London.
Mentoring, networking and volunteering
London has great access to experienced business mentors to support you and your key staff.
- Mentorsme.co.uk: connects SMEs with vetted business mentors across the UK.
- Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs: offers support and mentoring to new businesses and early-stage startups.
- Association of Business Mentors: the trade organisation for UK business mentors.
- Faculty's fellowship programme: alternatively, welcome a fellow to your business by becoming a host company. Access specialist knowledge, bespoke support and a network of industry talent.
- Connect with like-minded professionals via Meetup, with groups for all industries including Startup Grind and Entrepreneurs in London.
- Team London, set up by the Mayor of London, connects charities and businesses seeking to make a difference to the city.
Employee benefits
Malcolm Lyons, Director at Parallel Employee Benefits, talks about the importance of employee benefits.
Employee benefits play a major role in attracting top talent, and creating the kind of winning workplace culture that makes them want to stick around and perform.
Here's why they matter:
- Complying with the law – workplace pensions are the one benefit you must offer by law. You have to contribute at least 3% of their salary, but, if you can, why not stand out from the crowd by offering even more?
- Health and wellness – happy, healthy employees are more productive and less likely to be off sick. Offer health insurance and wellness programmes to keep your workforce in tip top shape.
- Better performance – benefits are a great way to incentivise and engage your staff beyond performance-linked salary raises and promotions.
- Employee support – from mental health support to fertility or menopause issues, everyone has different needs. Recognising that with relevant benefits lets your employees know that they’re cared for.
- Build a positive culture – by dedicating resources to wellbeing and professional growth, benefits prove to your staff that they’re not just another cog in the machine.
Although we try our best to make sure this information is accurate, we can’t guarantee this is always the case, including that of the third parties we link to. Please take professional advice before making any decisions.
