The IT department has become paramount in any company. Having tech workers such as web developers or data scientists has become more important than ever. All companies need to have an optimized website or mobile app.
However, there’s an incredible tech talent shortage in the industry, making it more difficult to hire tech professionals. Besides, you need to hire a tech worker that knows how to work with your specific project. Here are some handy tools you may consider when hiring tech talent.
Provide Them with the Tools They Need
Tech workers need a variety of different tools to work efficiently. Most of them are trained to find solutions without having these tools, but they can significantly improve their capacity and productivity.
Imagine you’re planning to hire a digital marketer. One of the handiest tools you can provide is social media management tools such as Later or Buffer. These days no one posts content manually; they schedule it in platforms like the ones we just mentioned. Telling them you have everything they need to do their job, they’ll feel more comfortable working at your company.
Learn the Basics of Tech Language
Nobody said you should become a data scientist in a matter of days. However, if you’re trying to hire tech talent, you should understand their language. Before conducting an interview, prepare yourself with useful information about the professional you’re engaging.
This way, you’ll be able to tell whether someone is a good fit or not. If you still don’t feel prepared, you could always find help. It’s better to have someone by your side who understands the subject.
Don’t Run Generic Tests
When it comes to assessing each candidate, you may feel tempted to find a generic test on the Internet to measure their skills. However, this isn’t how tech works. Every tech project is different, so if you’re trying to hire, for example, a software developer, you should test them with the challenges they’ll face in your project.
It’s essential to have some tech professional by your side who can help you understand the results. This way, you’ll be able to decide which candidate is the best match. Once you see the results, not only you’ll be able to tell who has better skills, but also who is the better fit for your particular project.
Experience over a College Degree
These days, there’s a vast number of self-taught developers. Maybe in the past, the only way to break into tech was through a college degree in computer science. However, it’s pretty different today.
With the incredible rise of coding bootcamps and other programs, everybody can learn different coding languages without college. According to a recent StackOverflow survey, at least 90 percent of developers said they’d discovered a coding language outside their formal education.
Therefore, when looking for tech talent, try not to be too strict and consider other candidates that don’t have formal education. Despite their lack of a college degree, they can have other advantages such as excellent skills or experience.
Work-life balance
According to another StackOverflow report, developers look for a job where they have work-life balance. Usually, developers put benefits above salary, but this doesn’t mean that you can offer low compensation. According to CNBC, one of the main reasons people switch to tech careers is good salaries in the industry.
However, tech talent usually chooses to work at companies where they feel comfortable. If you offer work-life balance benefits such as remote work, you’ll attract tech talent.
Career Development
Dice recently released a study where they found a pretty effective motivator among most employers: career development. According to this research, 73 percent of employers used career development as a powerful incentive to retain tech talent. Therefore, when hiring or trying to keep tech talent, offering career development opportunities is always the right choice.
Conclusion
Due to the significant shortage of tech talent, it is challenging to hire IT professionals. However, there are always things that you can use in your favor. If you’re not a techie yourself but you are looking to hire top-notch tech professionals, remember always to offer them career development opportunities.
