From the tech skills gap to a lack of IT professionals in the surrounding area, as a hiring manager, you will face many challenges throughout your journey to find and hire the best talent. One way to attract the perfect employees is with money. After all, who could say no to a healthy salary?
However, businesses just do not have the funds or budgets to raise yearly earning averages, especially for a single, newly hired IT professional who could turn out to be a dud when it comes to productivity and expertise. Of course, executives can make an exception to this rule, but you shouldn’t need to rely on a high salary to get the best tech talent. So, it is your job to create innovative methods for attracting IT professionals.
John Reed, senior executive director at Robert Half Technology, told InformationWeek that “being able to tell your story in the marketplace” is your best bet for inspiring tech pros to join your team. By pointing out exactly why your company is different and highlighting what makes your office an awesome place to work day after day, you stand a greater chance of getting potential employees to accept a job offer, according to Reed.
So, where do you start? Let’s take a look at the journey to attract top tech talent.
Step 1: Demonstrate your worth pre-interview
The second that you post a job listing, the talent attraction process begins. According to Nielsen, “students close to graduating or college-educated, newly working professionals” start learning about employers online before deciding where to apply for jobs. Thirty-four percent of those individuals will check out a company’s website, while 26 percent turn to search engine and another 26 percent visit company career sites.
It goes without saying that you should frequently update and monitor those websites as well as vet popular search engines to see what types of content will appear when a prospective employee is looking for more information. Ensure that all copy is up to date and that the corporate website exemplifies the culture in the office. Furthermore, don’t forget to check out social media channels.
The option to work from home might be more enticing to some than others.
Step 2: Address the corporate culture and perks, forgetting nothing
Now that potential new hires are in the interview room and you’re done putting the pressure on with a slew of questions, it’s the interviewees’ time to ask you what the company is like. Simply put, be honest, but go into depth about what current employees love.
“Have that elevator pitch, that sales pitch, ready to go so they know why they should work for you,” Reed explained.
For example, Silicon Hill News noted that quirky culture and interesting in-office perks are huge in the tech industry. Whether it’s free ice cream every Friday or discounted gym memberships, these little details will separate your company from others that might skimp on providing employees with cool “things.”
However, don’t forget that you’re trying to attract tech talent, so be sure to point out the latest gadgets, software, computers and other technologies that are scattered around the office.
Step 3: Offer unique talent development
Professionals in the IT industry know that if they work too long on one project or technology, their skills in other areas might suffer as a result. To counteract this talent degradation, some tech leaders implemented unique professional development solutions, and you should too.
“The 20% rule means spending one day a week working on a new product or idea.”
ComputerWeekly reported that Google uses a “20 percent rule,” which has become famous among IT pros. According to the source, this requires all employees to spend one day every week working on a new product or idea that must be unrelated to their current job. Alternatively, ComputerWeekly noted that Edinburgh-based travel comparison website Skyscanner created the Skyscanner University, which teaches staff members everything from negotiation skills to how to make sushi. The more unique the talent, the more valuable it will be to a budding IT professional.
Step 4: Ice the cake by highlighting benefits
At the end of the interview, the prospective new hire should be right on the edge of accepting the job, as long as you followed the first three steps. You now need to push them over that limit and get them to commit. How? Highlight some great health care benefits.
Jennifer Cornelius, a data analyst at an insurance firm in Alabama, told The Atlantic that she is “proud of the health benefits package her company offers,” while Silicon Hills News reported that Apple and Facebook allow employees to freeze their eggs under their health care plans. To further highlight the importance of comprehensive benefits packages, ComputerWeekly cited Unum’s Wellbeing Lag research that found 75 percent of IT workers consider those “important.”
You don’t need to prove that your employer is the greatest in the seven kingdoms of Westeros and worthy of the Iron Throne – just make sure you demonstrate the your company is the best culture match and the perfect place to work.