If you are struggling to attract candidates for your latest data centre role, you are not alone. We hear this complaint weekly from contractors, consultants and operators across London and the South East. The demand for skilled people has never been higher, yet many data centre jobs in London are sitting open for months with little response.

The issue is rarely that “no one wants to work anymore.” In most cases, the problem sits much closer to home. Below are the real reasons your vacancy is not getting applicants, and what to do about it.

1. You are fishing in the same pond as everyone else

Data centres are no longer a niche sector. Hyperscalers, colocation providers, pharma-backed facilities and critical infrastructure projects are all competing for the same engineers, project managers and site leaders.

Posting a role on a generic job board and hoping the right person stumbles across it is no longer enough. The best candidates are not scrolling ads. They are busy, employed and being approached directly.

If your recruitment strategy relies purely on inbound applications, you are missing most of the market.

2. Your job advert does not reflect reality

Many data centre job descriptions are written as wish lists. Ten technologies. Fifteen responsibilities. Zero context.

Candidates see this and move on. Experienced people want clarity. They want to know:

• What problem they are being hired to solve

• How mature the project is

• Who they will report to

• What success looks like in the first 6 to 12 months

If the advert reads like it was copied from three other roles, it will be ignored just as quickly.

3. You are underselling the project

Data centres are complex, high-value and technically impressive. Yet many vacancies fail to explain why the project is worth joining.

Is it a flagship London facility? A critical expansion? A long-term programme rather than a one-off build? These details matter.

Good candidates do not just choose a salary. They choose projects that move their career forward. If you are not telling that story, someone else will.

4. Salary bands are vague or unrealistic

Transparency matters more than ever. Candidates are comparing offers constantly.

If your salary range is unclear, out of date or “competitive” without explanation, it creates friction. Strong candidates will not waste time guessing.

We regularly see clients lose people not because the money was wrong, but because expectations were not managed early.

5. You are looking for the finished article only

The data centre sector has grown faster than the talent pool. That means waiting for the perfect CV can leave roles unfilled indefinitely.

Some of the strongest hires we have made came from adjacent critical environments. People with transferable experience from pharmaceuticals, hospitals or high-spec commercial projects.

If you only look for candidates who have done the exact same role in the exact same environment, you shrink your options dramatically.

6. You are not moving fast enough

The best candidates do not stay available for long.

Slow feedback, multiple interview stages and unclear decision-making cost hires every week. People assume a lack of interest and accept another offer.

Speed does not mean rushing. It means being decisive, prepared and respectful of a candidate’s time.

7. You are not working with a specialist recruiter

This is the uncomfortable one, but it matters.

Data centre recruitment is not a volume game. It is built on relationships, sector knowledge and trust. Generalist recruiters simply do not have the networks needed to access top talent in this space.

At Michael Taylor Search & Selection, we have been growing our own since 2016. What started in a broom cupboard office on Brick Lane with three laptops has grown into a leading firm supporting London and the South East’s most prestigious engineering projects.

Our mission has never changed. We make long-term placements based on deep industry knowledge and personal networks.

Why our approach works

We work closely with contractors, consultancies, operators and end clients within the data centre and critical environment sector. We also recruit heavily across pharmaceutical plants and hospital projects, which gives us access to a wider, high-quality talent pool.

Because we understand how these sectors overlap, we do not just send CVs. We introduce people who fit the project, the culture and the long-term plan.

We partner with leaders in science and technology to deliver world-class engineering projects. That means we know what good looks like, and we know who can deliver it.

When clients come to us with data centre jobs in London that are not attracting applicants, we fix the underlying problem. Sometimes that is messaging. Sometimes it is market insight. Often it is access to candidates they simply cannot reach on their own.

If your data centre vacancy is not getting applicants, it is not because the market is broken. It is because the approach needs to change.

The right people are out there. They are just not responding to job ads.

If you want honest advice, realistic market insight and access to proven talent across data centres, pharmaceuticals and healthcare projects, speak to Michael Taylor Search & Selection. We have been building these networks for nearly a decade, and we are just getting started.