We breathe new life into the IT job market by directly linking developers and companies. Get rid of the headhunters and recruitment agencies. DefDev goes back to basics.
Recruitment in the IT job market continues to hang in old patterns, as many companies still hire recruitment agencies to find developers. These agencies then use their recruiters to find developers. These recruiters therefore have quite a bit of power in the recruitment process. We find it inefficient and certainly not transparent. This extra, in our view, superfluous link creates noise rather than clarity. Add that to the time developers spend talking to these recruiters. Even if they don't really feel like it.
Moreover, working with an intermediary, freelance developers and companies costs an average of € 18,000 to € 36,000 per year per assignment in margin that they have to pay. Without margin payments, there is more margin for the developer and negotiation room for companies.
In addition, companies pay an average of €15,000 to €30,000 in mediation costs per placement. With us there are no brokerage costs. This gives more room to come to an employment contract. With a DefDev subscription, companies will lose no more than € 2,000 per year. Quite a difference.
Perhaps you are now thinking; how do they know all this for sure? Well, we were that redundant IT recruiter for years.
Due to our work experience within the IT labor market, we saw a growing need for an accessible, transparent and efficient recruitment platform. That's how DefDev was born; a unique recruitment platform that connects developers and companies. So we do it just a little differently. Companies post IT jobs, freelance or permanent, on DefDev. It is also possible to search for suitable developers and contact them directly. Developers can respond to job openings and also contact the company directly. This is all done without intermediaries. Transparent and efficient. This saves time and money.
• DefDev stands for Definitely Developers.
• Launched in January 2020.
• DefDev focuses 100% on the Dutch market.
• 1452 developers have a DefDev account.
• 26 companies have a DefDev subscription.
• We have a LinkedIn Company page and a Group page especially for developers.
Creating a profile for developers on the platform is free and only takes a few minutes. DefDev uses ten multiple choice questions to make a candidate findable and "searchable" for companies on the platform. After registering you can look for a new challenge. Via our platform you can directly contact your potential future work or client and determine the pace yourself until the final employment or assignment acceptance. In addition, you have the salary and rate negotiation in your own hands, the use of the platform is completely free for a developer and there is no intermediation.
Companies can subscribe to DefDev if they are looking for developers. The duration, the number of vacancies and the associated price differs per subscription type. Every company will have its own company page on which vacancies can be posted. The subscription costs are the only costs associated with the use of the platform. An overview of the subscriptions:
- 3 months 3 job slots € 750
- 6 months 10 job slots € 1200, -
- 12 months 30 job slots € 2000
Developers have to deal with headhunters and recruiters almost every day. They feel socially obliged to speak to someone, even when they are not interested. Moreover, it costs the developers an unnecessary amount of time. By not allowing intermediaries on the platform, we want to avoid social pressure and waste of time.
Vacancy websites are aimed at the entire Dutch labor market. In addition to a developer, a chef or a director can also find a new job here. This creates noise during the job search. There are also platforms that are specifically aimed at vacancies for developers, but these are limited to one type of employment: freelancers or a permanent appointment. DefDev is aimed at software developers who are looking for a job in the Netherlands, both in permanent employment and on a freelance basis.
Because no intermediary is involved, there is no (financial) interest for us to link a company and a developer. A client takes out a subscription for three, six or twelve months with us and can employ an unlimited number of developers during that period. They do not pay per appointment, which is common for recruiters and for which the fees are usually very high. Now that a company does not pay per appointment, that financial barrier is being removed. This removes the pressure during the application process and gives both the employer and the candidate peace of mind.
Software developers create a profile and fill in ten questions in the field of availability, type of employment, specializations, programming languages, work experience, region and language. They can then search for a vacancy or employer based on these wishes. But employers can also approach them for open vacancies.
We want DefDev to become the standard in the recruitment process for developers. It should be the standard tool for any company looking for developers in the Netherlands. We have certainly set ambitions in terms of user numbers on the platform, but the first step is for DefDev to catch on.
We are happy to tell you.
