“People are not your most important asset. The right people are.”
(Jim Collins, Good to Great)
Software and technology have become crucial for most business operations in most industries. Tech and non-tech companies are both vying for the same highly sought after candidates. As technologies and innovations continue to accelerate, the competition to hire the best IT professionals intensifies.
Who gets the prize? How do you compete? What techniques can win you the top talents?
Know what you’re looking for
In any case, do you know exactly what your organisation needs right now? Everyone usually starts with a job description and candidate qualifications. Define both what you need (essential) and what you want (highly preferable).
Explore what others think
Discuss with people who will be supervising the person you will hire. Ask questions like:
- Which qualifications are non-negotiable?
- What primary traits and values are most desirable?
- Is there anything unique you would want the person to have?
Get ideas from other colleagues and those within your professional network. Pick the brains of people from other industries and those who have different perspectives.
Know what others are looking for
According to CIO magazine, the following tech jobs will be most in-demand in 2023:
- Systems security manager
- Network security engineer
- DevOps engineer
- Software engineer
- Software developer
- Database developer
- Cloud engineer
- Network administrator
- Front-end developer
- Help desk and desktop support professional
If what you need is on the list, then brace for tough competition.
Know what they’re looking for
Seeking the right IT staff is also about attracting the top talents out there. If your company can offer what they are looking for, they will come to you.
Inclusion
For example, Harvard Business Review (HBR) says the most talented tech candidates are attracted to companies with a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Opening up your company to a wider choice of talents becomes an advantage both ways.
Transparency
IT talents are also looking for transparency and accountability among senior management. They want managers who are accessible, visible, and able to directly engage with staff. This is important also because they want to know how their work contributes to the organisation.
Talent Development
HBR also discovered that many tech professionals seek companies that value high-quality coaching and talent development. Younger generation workers also wish for employers who will welcome their capabilities even when they lack the experience.
Take steps to make adjustments
An organisation looking to attract the right IT staff must thus strive to excel in the above areas. It will surely not happen overnight but taking it one step at a time in the right direction will take you there. You might even want to make a project out of it. Take a look at your company culture and see where you would take it in order to attract the right employees.
Be creative: Search wider, farther, and deeper
Candidates do not stop looking for the best opportunities that match what they look for. Companies should as well be willing to dig through more than just a handful of resumes.
Never settle for good enough. Keep looking for the right person who best fits the bill. Use social media to find suitable candidates. Be proactive by reaching out to prospects instead of simply waiting for applications.
Job ads are your first chance at attracting the person you seek. Create attractive job ads that highlight what you feel your target talents are after. You can also offer referral incentives not just for your employees but also for third party recruiters and talent acquisition people.
Also try asking yourself: Where can we find top IT staff that nobody else looks into? Then leap right into it.
Do recruitment data analytics, then optimise
Do you ever monitor your entire recruitment process? Do you know:
- How many applications you get before you hire “the one”?
- Which talent sources brought you the best people?
- Where do your target talents usually come from?
Ask your recruitment staff to analyse your recruitment data and then optimise your process accordingly.
How are others doing it?
Which companies have the best personnel? What are they doing that your company is not doing? How much are they paying their IT personnel? (This Salary Trends Guide 2022/23 has salary benchmarks to help you.)
Get insights about how your top competitors are getting their IT staff. Now, don’t dash off to do something illegal. You don’t have to snoop around their recruitment offices to get answers. There are a lot of publicly available information out there. Read articles, browse their social media posts, view their job ads, observe how things happen at job fairs, and look at reviews.
Be smart: Get help
Company leaders know when to turn to experts when something is outside their own best abilities. There are companies that specialise in IT staff headhunting for roles like:
- IT Specialists
- IT Helpdesk / Support
- Developers and Programmers
- Cyber Security Analysts
- QA Engineers
- Solution Architects
- Networking / Infrastructure Staff
One such expert for IT recruitment in Sydney is Needus. We have been in IT recruitment and consulting for more than ten years. If you want to explore this avenue to find the right talents, contact us at: https://needus.com.au/contact.
Step out of the box
A fierce war for the best IT talents is raging. This is not the time to play it safe. Think outside the box, get creative, and be aggressive if you want to win the war. Plan and execute your recruiting strategies well and, as entrepreneur and author Ankur Warikoo put it: Do epic sh*t.