When is it time to hire more IT staff?
Posted January 10th, 2014
The calendar has turned from December to January. Budgets are set, projects are ready to begin. It is now time to get more resources for your IT department.
When it is time to hire more IT staff, you cannot just announce that the “work is not getting done” or that the “team is overworked” or that your manager “needs to hire someone”.
To get the resources you need, you need to exit the IT world and enter the business world.
Think Like an Executive
CEOs and CIOs are bottom line people. They set strategic direction and make decisions that impact not only one department, but many departments. They do not speak the language of programing; they speak the language of business. They do not make IT decisions based on “cool” new technology; they make decisions that provide the greatest value for the entire company. In order to approve your headcount request, they may need to deny another department’s request to “hire someone”. Therefore, when you need more IT talent, you need to show them why hiring a new employee for the IT department makes the most business sense.
You need to make a business case. To build a business case, you need to first understand your problem.
Research the problem
As you research issues and solutions, focus on one metric – return on investment. To receive the approval to hire more people, you have to show that the hiring investment in IT (salary, time, overhead, etc.) will pay back more in return.
To do so, you first should be able to solidly identify the problem. You do this through documentation. Then outline what is wrong with the current staff set-up. What critical projects are being delayed? How? How long are help-desk tickets taking to resolve and close? Then outline how hiring a new employee will solve the issue and provide a positive return on the investment.
Make your case
If your case is well built, it’ll be clear and your executive team will see the benefit of hiring a new person.
If you are turned down, go back to your proposal and take a hard look at your arguments to see if they were as strong and as detailed as they could be. If so, the decision may be due to something that you have no control over. Sometimes, managers will understand everything you say but simply not agree with you, or they will have other more critical priorities, or they simply will not have the money to fund the new employee.
Options
If this happens, you do have options. Staff augmentation services from Bayside can provide you with highly qualified contract professionals you need to cost-effectively manage your departmental highs and lows as well as special projects.
No matter your hiring needs, Bayside Solutions is here to assist you. When you need qualified IT professionals in the Sacramento Area, contact us today!
If you are looking for IT staffing in Sacramento CA, contact us today.
