Recruiting talented IT professionals hasn’t gotten any easier lately. AI is rewriting what tech teams look like, and many companies are hiring for roles that may not exist in twelve months, while overlooking the ones they’ll actually need. Add to that the usual struggle to find candidates who fit and the withdrawal of strong applicants mid-process. It’s no surprise that hiring managers are left burnt out before a role is even filled. 

“AI is changing the landscape, and many organizations are still evaluating what their future workforce will look like,” says Anders Persson, founder and CEO of Comstream, the company behind the tech recruiting platform Jobshark. “In situations of uncertainty, hiring freelancers can be an attractive option.” 

While Jobshark supports both direct hiring and freelancing, Persson notes that more and more companies are gravitating toward freelancing — for access to a bigger talent pool and the ability to scale resources up or down as needed. “We often see temporary assignments evolve into long-term engagements,” he says. 

In the conversation below, Persson shares his take on freelancing as a strategic hiring approach, the skills that matter most for developers working alongside AI, and why human recruiters aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. 

TechTalents Insights: You probably see many companies struggling to attract tech talent. What are the biggest hiring bottlenecks today? 

Anders Persson: It’s a combination of factors. First, many companies define overly detailed requirements and end up ruling out strong candidates who could be a great fit. It’s important to focus on the core skills that are truly required. 

For example, a talented developer may not know a certain JavaScript framework, but if this is not the core skill for the role and they are very experienced in vanilla JavaScript and willing to learn, they can probably be a good fit.  

Second, companies often rely too heavily on job advertising. Some of the best candidates may not be actively looking for a new job, which means someone needs to proactively source and approach them. This part is challenging for many employers because it requires an extensive network and contacting these professionals individually. That’s where a company like Jobshark helps them: we have a network of hundreds of thousands of IT professionals that is always expanding. Our recruiters proactively source and qualify candidates, giving customers access to talent they would rarely reach through traditional job advertising alone. 

Third, speed matters. Long response times, too many interview stages, and unclear processes cause companies to lose great candidates along the way. Skilled IT professionals often have multiple opportunities and won’t wait indefinitely for a decision. 

Finally, there’s the work model. Many tech candidates now expect some degree of remote or hybrid flexibility, and companies that insist on rigid, fully on-site arrangements risk unnecessarily narrowing their talent pool. Offering at least some flexibility can make a real difference in attracting and retaining strong candidates.

TechTalents Insights: Do you see companies becoming more flexible in how they engage talent, whether through permanent hiring or freelancing? 

Anders Persson: Yes, definitely. AI is changing the landscape, and many organizations are still evaluating what their future workforce will look like. In situations of uncertainty, hiring freelancers can be an attractive option. 

At the same time, remote work and better collaboration tools have made freelancing a viable alternative to permanent hiring, not just a solution for temporary projects. Companies can access talent globally rather than being limited to their local market. 

TechTalents Insights: What feedback do you get from customers using the freelancing model? 

Anders Persson: The feedback is generally very positive. The biggest advantage is access to a much larger talent pool, allowing companies to be more selective and find highly skilled specialists. 

Customers also appreciate the flexibility. They can scale resources up or down as needed, and we often see temporary assignments evolve into long-term engagements. 

Plus, they can integrate the freelancers into their own working processes, just like they do with their in-house employees. We differ from some well-known platforms that force collaboration through specific communication channels. 

TechTalents Insights: Which technical and soft skills are becoming more valuable in a developer in the AI era? What are Jobshark’s customers looking for? 

Anders Persson: There is a common perception that AI mainly benefits senior developers and makes junior developers less attractive. I think reality is more nuanced than that. 

What’s becoming increasingly important is the ability to think abstractly, solve problems, and effectively collaborate with AI tools. Developers who can leverage AI to improve productivity and quality have a clear advantage. 

On the soft skills side, adaptability, curiosity, and a willingness to continuously learn are more important than ever. The developers who embrace change tend to stand out. 

TechTalents Insights: Do companies still need human recruiters in the age of AI-powered sourcing tools? 

Anders Persson: Absolutely. AI is a powerful tool, but it still needs human guidance and oversight. 

Recruiting is ultimately about understanding people, assessing motivation, evaluating cultural fit, and building relationships. AI can automate many tasks, but it cannot replace human judgment and experience. 

Recruiters who learn to use AI effectively become significantly more productive. AI frees them to spend more time on high-value activities and interactions with candidates. 

TechTalents Insights: What drove you to build the Jobshark platform? 

Anders Persson: We know how challenging and time-consuming tech recruiting can be, so we wanted to make the process more efficient, transparent, and collaborative. We developed Jobshark to be a collaboration platform between our recruiters and our customers. 

Our customers are often very satisfied with how practical the platform is. They get rid of all the email back-and-forth. Through a single platform, they can manage candidates, schedule interviews, send technical tests, request references, and follow the entire recruitment process. They can also use our AI tools that save them time. 

TechTalents Insights: What’s next for Jobshark? 

Anders Persson: We will launch a completely new user interface during Q3, which will significantly improve the user experience. 

Looking ahead, we will continue adding features that simplify tech recruiting and save time for employers. Many of these enhancements will leverage AI, but our focus remains practical value: helping companies find, evaluate, and hire great IT professionals faster and more efficiently. 

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