Oriane · tech hiring signals · last 3 months
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What tech recruiters actually ask for

Code isn't enough anymore. The market wants everything else.

We analyzed 2,000+ videos from tech recruiters and hiring managers over the last three months, then counted what they bring up most. The result flips the classic hierarchy of the "good developer" on its head.

3%
Only 3% of videos name raw technical skill as the deciding factor. Writing code has become the entry ticket, not the argument. source: tech recruiters & hiring managers · TikTok + Instagram
01

What actually comes out of their mouths

% of videos naming the trait

Portfolio, visibility and communication dominate. Raw skill comes last — not because it doesn't matter, but because it's assumed. It's the price of entry, so nobody bothers to say it.

02

The proof, in their own words

real videos · clickable

Each tab is a trait. Each card is a real video from the dataset — the creator's key line, a snippet of the original transcript, the thumbnail, live metrics and a direct link. Thirty examples from recruiters pulling millions of views.

"Your resume is about 10% of what gets you hired. The other 90% is your story, your presence, your network."
— @sammicohentalks · 1.7M views · one of thousands of videos analyzed
03

What the comments say back

12,000+ comments read

We parsed every comment under these videos. Most are chatter, but among those taking a clear stance, a pattern emerges: people largely agree with the new rules, many are actively chasing the tools and tactics recommended — and a real slice is voicing genuine distress about a job market that now demands so much more than skill.

Comments are verbatim from the export, lightly trimmed for length. Sentiment is keyword-classified across every comment on the analyzed videos, then split among those expressing a clear stance.

04

The clash with the "shadow talent"

two worlds
Yesterday · the talent in the shadows
"Be excellent, stay quiet, and they'll find you."

The dev who keeps their head down, ships good code, and waits to be recognized on merit alone. A profile that, in a feed, simply doesn't exist.

versus
Today · the talent in the light
"Show what you build, or stay invisible."

Public portfolio, projects people can see, a presence they own. The same technical level — but legible from the outside.