IT staffing is one of the toughest hiring challenges for any organization. In this issue of Optimal Impact, learn how to find -- and keep -- the IT professionals that will keep your business running.
In an industry that continually shifts and adapts to the latest innovations in technology, successful IT recruiting is as much art as science. If your organization has an internal IT team, you know that great IT professionals are hard to find and retain. IT professionals with superior customer service skills are even harder to find; yet service savvy is a must in order for an IT team to successfully support your organization’s business goals. If you outsource your technology and network management needs, you may not know much at all about IT hiring systems; this article may provide insight as to how your technology partner should be making the hires that will better serve you.
What They Want
Companies are looking for IT candidates with technical competence, service skills, and the mindset to keep their skills relevant to the needs of a changing industry. They are looking for candidates who will easily assimilate to their corporate culture and will stay at the company. According to JDA Professional Services, Inc. (www.jdapsi.com), studies show that 78% of all IT workers will leave their company before their fifth anniversary—taking skills acquired and knowledge gained while at the company. Plus, employee turnover greatly affects the bottom line. According to The Cost of Employee Turnover by William G. Bliss, employee turnover costs can easily reach 150% of the employee’s annual compensation figure. So, what do you do when it’s time to recruit for IT positions? How do you make sure your IT hire is a good fit for your organization? A comprehensive hiring system is critical.
Why is a Comprehensive Recruiting System Necessary and What Should It Include?
A great recruiting system is necessary for a few reasons. First, the IT industry is fairly new when compared to other professional industries. IT doesn’t have the kind of standards of practice that the legal industry, medical industry and accounting industry have in place. First, there is no IT equivalent for the bar exam, medical board certification or CPA designation. There is no competency test that ensures IT professionals are prepared. The “burden of proof,” therefore, rests with the IT professional’s employer. That’s why organizations need a sound way to vet IT candidates. Second, the IT market is booming. The second half of 2008 remains a strong period for IT workers looking for jobs, as 35% of IT companies look to enlarge the number of full-time permanent employees through the end of December––and no other surveyed industry comes close to the growth that IT has planned.1 This means that the competition for good candidates will be fierce, and bad candidates will be flooding the marketplace. Your organization needs to know how to distinguish between the two in this ultra-competitive recruiting environment.
Clearly, a good recruiting system is imperative. And a great one should have the following elements:
- Clearly defined job requirements. What will be required of the candidate on a daily basis? What technical skills are required?
- Complete candidate search. A thorough candidate search should be performed. Being creative and making use of web ads, television, alumni association lists, billboards, and trade journals will help to increase the number of job seekers.
- Comprehensive interview process. This should include multiple interviews with various persons within your organization. You should make sure your interviews help identify technical competence and service skills. Behavioral interviewing techniques could also be employed to get a feel for the candidate’s personality and characteristics.
- Structured Vetting Process: This can take many forms, but must be a consistent, unbiased testing system that is applied fairly across all candidates. It should help determine technical competence, service skills, and possibly other work-related traits such as ethics and teamwork.
- Final steps. Offer the candidate a job, negotiate a salary, check references, and set a start date.
Note that although the number one factor in effective IT hiring and retention is a comprehensive hiring system, there are a few more ways to tip the scales in your favor, including competitive package offerings and an effort to understand how the candidate will fit into your organization’s existing culture.
Icing on the Cake
In addition to a comprehensive recruitment process, there are some things you can do to make your organization even more attractive to the right candidates. One way is to accelerate the hiring-decision procedure to quickly secure strong candidates. Second, companies would do well to review salary levels to ensure compensation packages are on par with industry standards, as lower-paying organizations risk a much higher employee turnover. Third, companies might even consider looking back to the dot-com era to discover some of the more effective recruitment practices, such as signing and retention bonuses or counteroffers. Finally, companies who reinvent or revive their corporate culture may attract more prospective hires, as many job seekers consider an organization’s culture to be as important as their salary.2
Last Word
If you want to attract the IT candidates that will stay with your organization, a solid, comprehensive recruiting system is essential. The IT sector continues to expand and grow, which means increased competition for IT talent. Without the proper recruiting system in place, you could be left at the mercy of your competitors. If you don’t have a good system in place, you can always consider outsourcing your hiring process to a qualified IT placement service that uses industry hiring best practices, such as Optimal’s new SmartRecruitsm offering. By focusing on implementing an objective recruiting process, you can successfully recruit the best and the brightest IT professionals—and be well positioned for success.
If you would like are interested in letting Optimal use their time tested system, SmartRecruitsm, to make the hire for you, please contact Optimal Networks at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Is there a new technology you would like to learn more about? Have a technological question that you think others might have as well? We want to hear from you. Email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and tell us. Your topic may be covered in a future issue of Optimal Impact!
1“IT Hiring Expected to Continue at Healthy Pace” by News Report, Govtech.com (July 16, 2008). http://www.govtech.com/gt/377747.
2“IT Hiring Heats Up” by Katherine Spencer Lee, Information Week (February 1, 2006). http://www.informationweek.com/news/management/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=180201680.
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