Hiring managers know how difficult it is to hire great IT talent. Information technology professionals are critical to any organization’s information management strategy, and good IT personnel can be hard to find.
Digital information is critical to every aspect of a company. This information can range from e-commerce websites, online sales and marketing strategies, and CRM software, to sensitive employee and corporate information, like employee records, financials, etc.
Poor hiring can cost a lot of money and time. According to HR software company Paycor “the Department of Labor estimates replacing a bad hire can cost on average, 1/3 their annual salary.”
At Patel Consultants, we specialize in a wide range of IT Staffing Solutions. We have great IT candidates looking for great employers just like you. Are you looking for IT staff? Call us today at 908-964-7575.
I think we would all agree that all companies need to recruit and hire great IT people. But how can we improve the search and hiring process?
In this post, you will learn these five great tips to improve your IT hiring process:
- Focus on Your Brand and the Candidate Experience
- Use an Applicant Tracking System
- Have a Tight Job Description
- Have an Employee Referral Program and Encourage Employees to Apply for Jobs
- Engage Outside Help from a Recruiter
So what is candidate experience, and why is it important?
From online information hub TechTarget:
“Candidate experience reflects a person’s feelings about going through a company’s job application process. In broad terms, candidate experience can boost or decrease an applicant’s opinion of the hiring company for reasons that may have little to do with the actual open position.”
That’s a great definition. Perception is reality from the candidate’s perspective. From your first interaction with a candidate, you need to make them comfortable with your company’s culture, ethos, and brand.
Treat candidates like your best customers; communicate openly with them and respect their time, be courteous and show enthusiasm!
You want every potential candidate to feel excited about joining your team. This is important during all stages of the search. It becomes increasingly important as the process progresses.
Your company will be well-positioned if job seekers at all stages of the search and hiring process perceive your brand, company, and reputation as a respectable and desirable place to work.
Use an applicant tracking system.
Keep in mind that using applicant tracking systems does not necessarily mean buying expensive software. There are several good freeware and open-source options out there.
An ATS will help you document and track all of your recruiting efforts, including sourcing, screening, interviewing, deselection, post-offer, etc. This type of digital tracking will also help hiring managers with organizational items like online database searches, flagging previous applicants, and tracking internal applicants from past searches, etc.
Your staffing agency partner can also potentially provide ATS services for you, as another option.
Have a tight job description and only include must-have qualifications.
You want to ensure that you only hire qualified candidates. It’s especially critical to have a very specific job description of the required skills and credentials for IT jobs. Verification is also important, with skills tests, previous employer verifications, etc.
You also don’t want to freeze out candidates that are hesitant to apply for jobs where they feel they don’t have the “perfect” skillset either, as pointed out in an article by Harvard Business Review.
A network administrator can be worlds apart from a DevOps tech or a coder, for example. You’ll want to narrow your search criteria to save time and increase the efficiency of your search and time-to-hire with a tight job description.
Have an employee referral program and encourage employees to apply for internal IT jobs.
This type of program is a great way for employees to help recruit and hire talented people from within your company’s IT ranks. It’s also a low-cost method to reach outside of your organization through the personal networks of your employees.
Your employees know the company culture and environment better than anyone else. They also have unique and personal insights into what their friends might enjoy about working for your company. An employee referral program can be a great way to increase your applicant pool with qualified candidates.
Engage Outside Help From A Recruiter or Employment Agency
At Patel Consultants, we want our clients to succeed. That’s why we recommend employee referral programs and hiring internal employees, etc.
Our unique business value to our clients is in knowing where to go to find the right IT candidate, with the right IT credentials, and the right cultural fit, at the right time.
Are you a hiring manager or human resources professional with an IT job search, or searches, underway?
There’s a good chance that we already have a candidate who fits your job description and corporate culture.
Contact Patel Consultants Today!
At Patel Consultants, we help clients just like you find that perfect IT candidate every day!
Call us today at 908-964-7575, or get in touch online. Our expert recruiters are waiting for your call.
