When businesses think of the factors that can limit the adoption of emerging technologies, common issues like policies and lack of awareness are among the top assumptions. The truth is that the single largest barrier to adopting technologies is the lack of technical talent. In fact, Gartner surveyed top IT executives and their report found that 64% of executives believe the IT talent shortage is the main barrier to adopting new technologies.
Although the talent shortage is an issue in the IT industry, companies that are hiring full-time or contract IT talent can take several measures to attract and retain the best IT talent. It’s vital to be aware of recruiting and marketing strategies for IT talent to maximize your chances of attracting the best candidates. Some of the best tips for hiring IT talent include:
Expand your candidate pool:
One of the first steps that your business can take to hire the best is to expand your candidate pool. The larger your candidate pool is, the more likely you are to get top IT applicants and hires. You can expand your candidate pool by hiring across the country or offering remote/hybrid work options for your hires. This will set you apart from other employers and attract more candidates.
Improve your culture and benefits
The best IT talent are wanted by all companies, your business has to stand out and be attractive to candidates. The top IT talent care deeply about the culture of a company. In fact, the Society of Human Resource Management found that culture was the top reason why candidates picked one employer over the other. Your company should facilitate an environment in which IT talent can thrive by hiring other top talent and avoiding things like micromanagement and bureaucracy.
Find online communities
The top IT talent often know each other and hang out in online communities where they informally discuss employment, side projects and similar conversations. These communities are often on Reddit, Twitter, GitHub, LinkedIn, Discord and more. The more your recruiting team can get active in these communities, the better you will understand what individuals want and look for in an employer.
Offer referral programs and incentives
Hiring an A player on your IT team can yield your business dividends for years. You can utilize your network and offer referral programs to help hire the best IT talent. By starting a referral program, you will bring organic leads for IT talent to your business. Additionally, it’s a win-win situation for the person who refers the IT professional and your business.
Explore nearshore talent
Contrary to popular belief, the best IT talent is not located in just the United States. There’s an extremely untapped market of IT capacity living near the United States that have experience working with American companies and customers. These IT professionals live in nearshore countries in Central America, Latin America and South America. They have the same competency as American IT talent while being able to work in the same time zone as your company.
