Where are all the great IT candidates?
The question we get asked most often is this
one, “Where are all the great IT candidates?”
The short answer is that research shows an extreme shortage of IT
skilled professionals exists worldwide. The competition for talent has
increased to a fierce level. SourceCon quotes a Robert Half report with these
sobering thoughts.
“The pool of
available candidates continues to shrink, while the demand for technology
experts is climbing. Competition is expected to be particularly fierce for
professionals who can support mobile, big data, cloud, and virtualization
initiatives. Talented candidates with high-demand skills may receive multiple
job offers — and most will be very selective when choosing an opportunity.”
This shortage is causing the cost to rise.
“Salaries
for tech workers in the U.S. will rise almost twice the national average in
2013 — some will increase even more, up to 12 percent — a symptom of how
competitive the competition for talent has become.”
The full article can be found at
Our experience verifies that these market
conditions are true. Every one of our searches is challenging right now.
Many reasons exist for the increased demand
and reduced supply. Rather than exploring all the causes of this shortage, you as
a results oriented manager have a mission to accomplish and you probably want
ideas on how to cope with market. Here are some reasons why positions are going
unfilled.
1.
Hiring managers are holding out for perfect
candidates with a long list of required skills – does that remind you of the
unmarried single person who is still holding out for the perfect marriage
partner?
2.
The salary offered is insufficient for the
market place – why would an employee work for you at less money than they could
command elsewhere?
3.
Managers are reluctant to pay a new employee
more than existing employee with a similar skill set – remind yourself that just
because you found an item on sale last year, can you expect to find the item on
sale today?
4.
Managers may be unduly focused on experience
while neglecting aptitude – if a person has the three golden attributes of
intelligence, hard work, and a positive attitude, then could they master the
skill you are seeking?
Our recruiters at Visionaire have freedom to choose
which jobs to recruit for each day. They tell us that they are eager to work on
searches if the manager is unwilling to be flexible on salary, willing to be
flexible on skills, and has a sense of urgency to interview when a suitable
candidate is found.
If you are hiring manager and you are finding no perfect candidates, then take a fresh look and consider these following options.
If you are hiring manager and you are finding no perfect candidates, then take a fresh look and consider these following options.
1.
Narrow down your list of required skills to
just three major items and move the other skills to a preferred skills category
2.
Consider candidates with fewer skills or less
experience but with the aptitude to master the skills they lack
3.
Increase your salary range to meet the
marketplace if you have to have senior level skills
4.
Consider using contractors to help you meet
strategically important objectives
You might find that your flexibility will
help you to find and grow professionals for your staff and achieve your
business objectives quicker.
