Looking to fill open tech positions with quality hires quickly? Like many other IT leaders, you may be facing the uphill task of finding skilled candidates for various tech positions. A report on the impact of technology predicts that in 2022, filling tech positions will remain the key challenge for 73 percent of IT leaders. Before we look at how you can fast-track your way to finding the right tech talent, let’s look at the impact of talent shortage.
The impact of the tech talent crisis
The tech talent shortage is much more than a temporary inconvenience for IT leaders and companies. According to a report by Korn Ferry, tech talent shortage could result in a loss of $162 billion in revenues for the U.S. each year. A recent Gartner survey shows tech talent shortages are the top barriers for companies looking to adopt emerging technologies in various IT domains.
The big question facing IT leaders is – how to fast-track the way to finding top tech talent? Here are some smart IT staffing solutions to explore:
Top ways to fast track your way to finding top tech talent
Campus recruitment
With the talent landscape becoming highly competitive, strategic investment in campus recruitment can pay rich dividends. With this, you can reach the candidates who are most open to opportunities and connect with them wherever they are. Some tech organizations are focusing on building links with universities to gain access to super talented graduates. Offering workshops, short-term contracts, training programs, and internships are effective ways to fill tech roles. These programs help develop and train incoming graduates before you make a hiring commitment.
While campus recruitment can be an effective hiring strategy, it is important to fully assess the value of candidates before making long-term hiring decisions. Another factor to keep in mind is that recruiting costs can be higher. For instance, a survey showed that the cost of hiring a graduate from a private university can be as high as $3582.
Explore new geographies
One way to fast-track your search for top tech talent is to look into unconventional areas and geographies. This can mean looking beyond the tech talent hubs in the U.S. and computer science programs with top academic rankings (such as MIT or Carnegie Mellon University). It can also mean looking beyond top universities in other countries.
Many companies are also looking to tap into the global talent pool of freelancers by partnering with an IT staffing agency.
Encourage referrals
Referrals give your employees an opportunity to get rewarded by referring their friends or co-workers. It can also help them feel valued while the hiring process gets faster and more cost-effective.
Some employers leverage social media channels to maximize the reach of employee referral programs with the possibility of reaching out to former classmates, professional associates, and ex co-workers of employees. For instance, at Trustwave, employees can share the open jobs with their followers on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Referrals may not work in all situations, for instance, when there is an urgent need for tech talent. It may also not work for specialized positions.
Leverage job boards
Posting job openings on internal and external job boards is an active sourcing strategy that can help you attract the right candidates. Specialized job boards such as the ones used by an IT staffing agency are useful when you are looking to target the right audience. A specialized IT job board can help you directly reach qualified candidates. While you may receive fewer applications from such niche job boards, they are likely to be more relevant than the applications you receive from mainstream job boards.
Work with an IT staffing agency
Top tech talent acquisition is challenging for companies with limited recruitment and HR capabilities. Given the stiff competition in the field, strategizing your tech recruitment by working with an IT staffing agency is one of the most effective ways to bridge the tech skills gap. Working with an IT recruiting agency also enables you to focus on your core business activities. A reliable IT staffing agency works with you to:
- Acquire the top tech talent from across geographical boundaries.
- Gain access to a diverse talent pool thanks to their extensive database of software developers, cloud computing experts, and other tech resources.
- Cut down the time and cost to hire.
- Create a strong employer brand to hire the best fit.
- Screen the candidates’ ‘hard skills’ and soft skills.
Conclusion
With the ongoing war for tech talent across the globe, short-term solutions may not work when it comes to recruiting tech talent. Apart from a modern approach to hiring, you need to look beyond the conventional sources to hire the best fits that help improve your company’s productivity and brand reputation. Working with an IT recruiting agency helps you enjoy the benefits of customized hiring solutions right from employer branding, screening, and interview scheduling.
