Hiring Challenges in IT and How to Combat Them

Hiring is a high-stakes affair. It takes a lot of effort to find the right candidate for your position, and if they don’t work out, that’s time, work, and money essentially wasted. Not only is hiring difficult, but each specific industry introduces its own challenges that could set you back even further.

Information Technology (IT) is one industry that brings its own set of hiring challenges to the table. If you’re aware of these challenges ahead of time, you might just be able to take steps to avoid them and make it easier to fill that empty IT position.

Here are some of the most common hiring challenges in IT, and how to combat them.

Offering Competitive Compensation

The IT job market is favoring employees right now, meaning there is low unemployment and a high number of open positions. This introduces a real hiring challenge, as companies have to work to make their position stand out in some way. While salary will be a definite draw, potential employees will also be looking for other things:

• Competitive benefits packages
• Impressive workplace
• Flexible schedule
• Strong company culture

That’s a lot to ask. However, with so many companies vying for top talent, some of these things are becoming table stakes.

The solution: Do your research. Know your competitors and what they are offering to new employees. Do internal research, too, in order to fill in any gaps in your company culture or work environment. Also, use your research to clearly define the position you need to be filled; this could help you narrow your pool of candidates considerably.

Ever-changing Technology

The growth of IT is what makes it an exciting industry, but it’s growing so fast that it can be hard to keep up with. How are you supposed to hire an IT professional when you aren’t sure what your company’s needs will be in the future? You want employees who can navigate current technology while also learning and growing along with the industry.

The solution: Hire people who are willing to learn and who love the industry. These are the people who will keep up with the latest trends and technologies and will use them to become more efficient employees. In other words, don’t just think about current skills—think about adaptability and willingness to learn.

Increasing Popularity of Freelancing

Because many IT professionals place a high value on flexibility in the workplace (see above), many are deciding they don’t need to work for a company at all, and would rather go out on their own as freelancers. This could potentially limit your pool of qualified candidates, fueling the competitive employment market.

The solution: Work with a staffing agency. Professional staffing agencies (particularly ones with IT experience) can help you find and recruit qualified candidates for all types and levels of positions. They can also help you hire contract workers for one-time projects, which may turn into a long-term solution for both of you. Whatever your IT hiring needs, a staffing agency will make your life much, much easier.

High Turnover Rates

With the job market like it is, employees are almost always looking for a “grass is greener” option. Even recently hired employees could leave your company quickly, resulting in the dreaded “revolving door” situation no one wants to be in.

The solution: Create a company culture that makes your employees want to stay. Read about this in detail in our blog post about building culture to counter the revolving door.

Making smart hires in IT is difficult for these reasons and others. These solutions should put you on the right path toward solving these problems and filling your IT positions quickly.

EDI Staffing has years of experience staffing IT and tech professionals. We can help fill contracts, contract-to-hire, and permanent staffing solutions for companies of all sizes. Contact us today to see what professional staffing could do for your company.