Recruiting within the IT space can be challenging. If you don’t have the right talent pipeline, finding the right talent is a matter of luck. The flood of applicants who can apply to an open IT position doesn’t mean you will find the right professional for long-term success. That’s why industry knowledge is so critical. Here are 5 tips you should know to make sure you are finding and hiring the right IT professionals.
Understand the Role You’re Hiring For
If you write a job description that doesn’t make sense to the talent you’re looking to hire, you’re going to end up with a bad hire. Equally so, if you are hiring for a role that includes too many non-connected responsibilities or skill sets, you’re not setting up your candidates for success. Many businesses make the mistake of looking for unicorns in the IT field. Unicorns are people who have the exact experience and the exact education the manager thinks they need to succeed in their role. But really, the IT industry is full of amazing and talented people who come from all walks of life. And that diversity of experience adds value to their resume. So keep an open mind about what your candidate needs to bring to the table and be realistic with your expectations. Don’t waste your time hunting for unicorns.
Get Input from the Team
Hiring managers are key to the decision-making process, but having input from other team members the new hire would be working with is very helpful. A single person will inevitably make the best decision for themself, but if you want the best decision for the team you have to involve the team. Any professional you hire will need to work with a variety of people, so make sure that the hiring process is equally collaborative. Get a small but experienced team together to make hiring decisions. Try to represent multiple aspects of the company that would be working with the candidate once they are in the role. Listen to the insights of the team and make your decisions with other people’s needs and considerations in mind as well as your own.
Rethink the Job Description
If your job descriptions read like a shopping list of the things you need from your future hire, you are likely missing out on the best talent. High-level IT professionals know their worth. They want to work for a company that knows their worth too. So to show that level of consideration, your job description needs to read like an advertisement. You are offering them an opportunity to work for you and also with you in building their career. Mention things like the team culture and the perks of working for your company. Many IT professionals have multiple options so you need to do your legwork in convincing them that this is the right opportunity for them, even before they send you their resume.
Don’t Make Applying Difficult
Some companies make the mistake of overcomplicating the application process. This adds a barrier to entry that is not going to work to your advantage. IT professionals don’t want to waste their time navigating difficult online applications. They are even more averse to filling out lengthy paperwork in person. By making candidates fill out page after page of redundant information, the likelihood of them bouncing off to find another opportunity with a company that respects their time is high. It’s best to limit the application process to the essentials, like a resume, cover letter, and maybe a few follow-up questions. Get the information you need, but don’t make your candidates jump through unnecessary hoops.
Get Help When You Need It
Employee referrals are amazingly helpful in finding candidates who are a good fit for the team. Your current employees know the work better than anyone, so they are a great resource to help you find the talent to get the job done right. Even more valuable is support from a staffing agency. Many agencies work very hard to build a reliable talent pipeline that gets IT professionals in roles for their clients quickly and efficiently. An agency like ESGI knows the industry better than many hiring managers. We can help you find the right people for whatever IT job you are looking to fill.
For more support getting your team built up fast, connect with the IT staffing pros at ESGI today.
