How to Get Senior Tech Talent to Actually Reply to Your Job Offers

Ask any CTO or recruiter in Spain: getting senior developers or AI engineers to even answer a message feels harder than training a model from scratch. It’s not that seniors don’t want to move — it’s that, from their side, most offers look exactly the same.

Let’s flip the script.

1. Your message looks like spam

“Hi, I saw your profile and you’re a perfect fit for an exciting opportunity…”

If your first line could be sent to 100 people, seniors will ignore it. Their inbox is full of this.

Do instead:

• Mention something concrete about their profile, project, talk or repo.

• State clearly in 2 lines: stack, salary range, remote policy.

• Explain why this role is different from the 20 others this week.

2. Your job description is a wish list

“Rockstar”, “ninja”, “own everything end-to-end”, “must know 15 tools” — this is how you lose serious people.

Fix it by:

• Defining 3–4 core responsibilities, not 20.

• Being transparent about legacy, tech debt and constraints.

• Explaining what “success after 6–12 months” looks like.

Seniors don’t need perfection. They want clarity and impact.

3. Your process is slow and opaque

Interest dies when:

• There are 5+ interview rounds.

• Feedback disappears.

• Offers take weeks to arrive.

Design a process that respects their time:

• 3 steps max for most roles.

• Clear agenda for every interview.

• Feedback within a few days, even if it’s a “no”.

Speed is a competitive advantage, especially for AI and high-demand roles.

4. You sell tasks, not a mission

“Maintain and improve our platform” doesn’t inspire anyone.

Tell the story instead:

• What problem are you solving in the real world?

• How will this person influence decisions, not just close tickets?

• Where is the product going in the next 18–24 months?

Seniors join missions, then check salary — not the other way around.

5. Make it a two-way conversation

The best hiring processes feel like collaboration, not an exam. Leave space for candidates to challenge ideas, propose alternatives and see how you really work.

Because if you want top talent to reply, interview and finally say “yes”, the process itself has to be a preview of the culture you’re selling.