Seven Secrets of Successful IT Hiring
Posted November 20th, 2012
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg once famously said, “A great engineer is worth 100 average engineers”. However, a recent Robert Half survey found that 69% of the IT executives interviewed are having difficulty finding people with the skills they need. Here are seven steps to success that can help you overcome the odds and hire great IT professionals:
1) Be Proactive – The best organizations don’t wait for positions to come open, or for talent to come to them. They utilize a blend of traditional recruiting techniques and targeted social media activity to constantly search for high-caliber IT professionals. When a hire is needed, these companies have already identified and been in contact with top candidates.
2) Prepare Carefully – Crafting an accurate job description is key, but don’t stop with the duties, skills and responsibilities. According to CEO Margaret Heffernan in Inc. magazine, “the how often matters more than the what” – so make sure to consider work style when preparing to hire.
3) Look Inwardly First – The most loyal “new hires” are those who are already working for your organization. You’ve got a tried-and-true professional, already acclimated to the corporate culture, whose value is a known quantity. Bonus: rewarding hard-working employees by promoting from within can be a huge boost to employee retention.
4) Have a Process – A structured interview process based on a standard set of questions and assessments helps keep the interview process efficient, consistent and fair. You can – and should – still reflect your corporate culture in the hiring process, by choosing questions that mirror the organization’s desired values. For example, if you put a premium on creativity, pose “what-if” scenarios instead of administering a multiple-choice evaluation.
5) Speak the Language – IT hiring is more challenging than most areas because of the technical knowledge required. Nothing turns off top talent like speaking with a recruiter who gets the technology wrong. Quick fix: assign an experienced IT person to assist HR.
6) Consider the Culture – Having the right skills means nothing if a new hire doesn’t fit in. Understand your corporate values and tendencies – team player versus individual achievement, freewheeling versus buttoned up, open communication versus need to know – and hire accordingly.
7) Get Professional Help – Organizations that spend more time recruiting earn a 22% higher return for shareholders than their competitors. But not every company has the time or resources to devote to IT hiring. In order to maximize your bottom line, consider engaging a professional staffing agency that specializes in IT recruitment.
The value of recruiting top-quality IT talent cannot be understated. As consultant and former Google executive Paul Russell puts it, “Development can help great people be even better – but if I had a dollar to spend, I’d spend 70 cents getting the right person in the door.” For more advice on how to get the right IT person in your door, contact the specialized recruiting professionals at Bayside Solutions today.
