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Top Strategies to Recruit and Retain IT Talent

Lia Fialho

This week we have a guest post by Artur Meyster the founder of Career Karma. He covers some strategies on how to attract IT talent to your company, with tips on how to retain this talent as well.

Whether you’re trying to hire a data scientist, a Web developer, or a software architect, recruiting tech talent is a challenge. And it’s pretty easy to see why. A shortage of talent has emerged over the years as tech companies have rapidly expanded. That’s why the demand for tech workers has increased. 

However, the supply of fresh tech graduates isn’t enough to cover the demand in these professions. Therefore, companies are struggling to hire qualified tech talent. According to a recent survey conducted by the auditing firm KPMG, 65 percent of interviewers had trouble finding qualified new employees.

Although this tech gap is making it hard for companies to hire new workers, there are strategies you can use in your favor. In this guide, you’ll find some tips that will help you hire skilled employees. 

Take Care of Your Reputation as an Employer

When tech professionals are on a job hunt, they usually research the companies they would like to work for. If these companies don’t have a good reputation, they will go with another option. Your company’s reputation is one of the most important factors when it comes to attracting talent.

It is also possible that your company doesn’t have a reputation at all. This isn’t necessarily bad but it’s crucial that your company start building a brand. You can create a profile on sites like Glassdoor or Indeed where your current and previous employees can leave their comments about your company. These reviews are very valuable. 

Partner With Tech Schools

Partnering with universities could be a great move for your company. These schools can refer you to their most outstanding students. This way, you  are getting direct access to top tech students. Although they don’t have employment experience in the industry yet, they may still be prepared for the job you are offering.

If you’re looking for students with an unconventional education, there are many coding bootcamps that are willing to partner with companies, including Thinkful and General Assembly.

Offer Career Development

Tech workers are life-long learners. They don’t stop after graduation because they must continue learning about the latest tech trends. Therefore, tech professionals usually look for a company that will provide them with career development. This allows them to grow and evolve their skills.

Career development doesn’t have to mean you will put your workers through their master’s degree programs. There are also other less expensive paths.

You could finance a coding bootcamp, offer career guidance, or organize corporate training. By doing this, you’re not only helping your employees, but you’re also helping your company hit its career goals. When your employees develop new skills, they will use them to help boost the company’s performance.

Corporate Culture 

Workplace culture is an essential part of choosing a job. Nobody, regardless of their career background, wants to work at a company with an awful corporate environment. 

Therefore, it’s vital for your company to encourage a peaceful and healthy corporate culture if you want to attract skilled workers. 

Become a Developers’ Heaven

Imagine spending hours in front of the computer and writing thousands of lines of code. This is tedious but it’s a developer’s daily life. What if you could make that easier by providing them the right tools? There are many tools out there for developers, but here are the most common ones:

  1. KeyCode Info: this tool is a handy visualizer for JavaScript code. 
  2. Netlify: Netlify is a great tool for Web developers to deploy and manage their Web projects.
  3. Gist: This is a great app that helps developers share notes, code, and snippets. 

Salary Vs Benefits 

Today, benefits and compensation are no longer the top reason to join a company. Since tech workers usually have a competitive salary, they’re not looking for a company that offers them the same wage. In this case, benefits can become more important than compensation. 

If you offer potential employees benefits like remote working opportunities or career development, you’ll definitely attract quality professionals. 

Test Potential Employees With Challenges They’ll Face at Your Company

If you’re not a techie yourself, it might be hard for you to test potential technical hires. 

Instead, when you interview them, try to have someone with you who understands technical terms. Explain to him or her what your project is about so that they can test potential workers accurately. It’s crucial that you test them with challenges they’ll face on your project.

Consider Offering Career Advancement 

According to a recent survey conducted by LinkedIn, 78 percent of tech employees would stay at a company that offers them career advancement. So, it’s important to keep in mind that your tech employees will want to grow in your company. If you offer them this type of opportunity, they’ll be more likely to stay.

Conclusion

When you think about the effort you’re putting into employees’ skills, you should see it as an investment in your brand. It’s worth the price. Most tech employees are looking for career development, so provide that for them. Give them the tools they need to grow, and they’ll thank you with a great performance. It’s a win-win situation.

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