Hiring Developers: 2010 vs. 2025

When I started as a tech recruiter in 2010, it looked very different:

In 2010:

- Hard to find candidates

- Many had no online footprint

- I sourced only in my city for local clients

- LinkedIn wasn’t popular yet

- Contacting the same candidates every 2–3 months

- Ghosting was almost non-existent

- I spent time figuring out where to find candidates and how to approach them

- Recruiters asked candidates about OOP concepts and frameworks

- Interviews were always in the office

- Candidates wrote JavaScript functions on paper in front of the interviewer

In 2025:

- Too many applicants, not too few

- AI helps candidates fill out applications and tailor resumes

- Sourcing is global — from Brazil to Japan

- LinkedIn is a must-have tool for every recruiter

- As a recruiter, you most probably won’t contact the same candidate twice

- Ghosting is normal

- Fake candidates using AI try to pass interviews

- Recruiters mainly try to figure out your motivation and company fit

- Interviews are fully online

- Coding tests replaced everything (and you can even cheat them with AI)

Yeah, it seems like hiring in tech has changed.

Or maybe I changed, too?