How to Hire IT Staff: 5 Tips for Recruiting

If you’re thinking about bolstering the IT professionals in your business, here are 5 essential tips teaching you how to hire IT, staff.

As we all know – finding enough qualified candidates is a perpetual staffing challenge – talent shortages persist, and they don’t seem to be getting any better. If your business is struggling to find the best people to create your IT ‘dream team’, here are the five areas you need to consider.

How to Hire IT Staff

#1: Unemployment is Low, Demand is High

The combination of low unemployment for professionals with an IT-centric skillset, along with an increased demand for IT talent, continues as a trend. As a result, trends show that demand continues to outpace supply. To be successful in your IT staffing endeavors, plan to start recruiting before you have a dire need for a new member of your IT team.

#2: Innovation is Key

2020 and beyond, new and innovative approaches to staffing will help recruiters and talent management. The underlying theme will be to “automate whenever possible.” New tools like chatbots and opt-in texting systems to improve candidate engagement and the deployment of AI-powered recruiting tools for more effective sourcing. In the end, creating an automated, self-service experience for candidates will give your company a needed edge in recruiting. The key will be early adoption to stay competitive.

#3: When hiring IT Staff, Location May Not Be So Important Anymore

As technology matures and grows – so does the globalization of business. Today, technology allows millions of professionals to work remotely. Talent can be sourced beyond our backyards regardless of where they live since the proximity to a job location isn’t as much of an issue today.

#4: How to Hire IT Staff to Manage Company Reputation

Just as much as a professional social media presence matters for a job candidate, the company’s social media presence is equally as important. Additionally, company reviews on websites like Glassdoor can have an impact on your staffing efforts. If there are a substantial number of negative reviews from former employees, you may find it difficult to attract talent.

It’s also essential to maintain a consistent presence on social media. Marketing on social media is vital – candidates want to see the company that is recruiting them has a social presence and following.

#5: Contract vs. Permanent

IT staffing by outsourcing or contracting out the work continues to be a trend. As the speed of the market continues to increase, the current trend is to engage with professionals with the experience to fit a specific need via a directed contract over traditional employee hiring practices. Many companies are opting to work with an IT staffing firm to help them find top talent; without the added headache of having to constantly search to keep up with the workload.

The trends listed above are just a few of the trends we’re forecasting for the next year of staffing and should be considered in your staffing strategy for the following year. CRI Advantage can help with your consulting, staffing, and IT project needs – schedule a consultation here.