Competition for IT talent is fierce. Staffing companies must leave no stone unturned to recruit and redeploy workers with elusive technical skills. Staffing Industry Analysts’ recently released report, Successful IT Recruiting Strategies, addresses the talent shortage in this area and how staffing firms can respond. Our report was compiled through interviews with dozens of recruiters and senior leadership from IT staffing and recruitment firms. It also pulls together relevant findings from other surveys and reports produced by SIA. Key findings include:
- The current economic expansion has fueled outsized growth in IT employment, leading to severe shortages of high-skilled tech workers. The pursuit of more restrictive immigration policies in the US and other Western nations is likely to further constrain the supply of talent.
- Job boards have become less effective channels for sourcing tech talent as the supply has continued to tighten. Reaching out to IT professionals in online communities where they naturally congregate can have better results, as can establishing a presence at tech events in local markets. Building relationships with universities and coding bootcamps is worthy of investigation, but each has its own limitations.
- It is critical to be highly selective when hiring recruiters. They must have both a strong grasp of IT concepts and the personal skills needed to communicate effectively with IT professionals. They will also need to have the right personality type in order to integrate well with the staffing firm’s culture.
- Develop and continually refine your recruiting process, integrating technology solutions to drive efficiency. Track metrics and benchmark against industry peers, using the data to identify and correct areas of weakness in process or personnel. Provide feedback to client employers in cases where their policies or procedures are negatively impacting their ability to attract talent.
- Candidate experience is central to referral and redeployment activity, which can amplify the effectiveness of a recruiting organization. Make the pre-hire and onboarding processes as painless as possible, and maintain regular contact with resources while the assignment is ongoing. Adoption of the bench model promotes retention, but should be applied selectively due to the inherent risks.
Staffing firms focused on IT and other occupational segments defined by talent shortages can use this report to improve the effectiveness of their sourcing methods and recruiting processes. May this report serve you well in standing out from the pack and attracting workers for difficult-to-fill roles.
