Mission [Im]Possible: How to Hire the Best IT Talent and Not Go Bankrupt

A focused look. A geeky T-Shirt. Their fingers type with the speed of light. They’re dedicated, and they’ve got the brains to skyrocket your business. They know they’re on your “most wanted” list and you’d do anything to get a hold of them. They’re picky and aware of their worth. They are the rare IT professionals with the analytical skills of geniuses and the stamina of long-distance runners. They’re exactly what you need. There’s only one question left: can you afford them?

Smart and qualified employees make a huge difference when it comes to your company’s success. Whether you’re a startup or an already flourishing enterprise, you sure want to get all the best resources available on the market. But everything has a price, and top-talented specialists aren’t an exception. If you don’t have a money tree (who has though?), hiring even a single perfectly qualified professional might be pretty costly.

So, how do you solve the ultimate dilemma of insufficient funds and the desire to hire outstanding candidates? Don’t let budget cuts become a dealbreaker. Relax. You’re just three minutes away from learning how to employ the most vigorous IT beasts without putting your company into debt jeopardy (P.S. no magic applied).

Top-demanded IT jobs

The first step toward catching the required employees and intriguing them with your offer is to identify their professional value. It’s not a secret that tech jobs comprise lots of various specializations. If you’re looking for experts that occupy the most demanded job positions, you should be ready to face quite a few challenges on the way. Such candidates are confident about their abilities and will agree to accept only a perfectly customized job offer.

Note down the seven most in-demand tech jobs for 2018, according to CIO:

Business intelligence analyst Data scientist Database developer Help/support desk technician Network administrator Data security administrator System administrator

If you’re after the specialists in these fields, you’d have to play a very careful game to lure them into your company. Why? Just like you, they know you need them, and they won’t bend unless they get all the treats they require.

If you’re also curious about the jobs everybody needs but nobody finds, don’t forget to check out this article. Finding specialists for the most demanded jobs is just as hard as for the newest and least developed ones.

The common pitfalls of recruiters

It’s pretty obvious that before setting off on a top-talent hunt, you have to identify the most important qualities your candidates should have. If you set the wrong criteria, you might even miss someone who can suit the job description perfectly. Also, let’s not forget that a lot of even highly talented IT gurus simply don’t know how to write an impressive CV. No, they’re not incompetent or lazy. They just have other important things to do, and instead of bragging about their skills on paper, they’d rather prove them in practice. That’s also why you shouldn’t disqualify candidates only by judging their CVs.

Recruiters are often afraid to open up their minds and apply unconventional hiring methods. To uncover extraordinary talented candidates, you have no other choice but to think differently. Try using an unusual perspective: when everyone looks right, why not looking left or even up?!

Most hiring managers restrict their search to outdated qualifications like an obligatory Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, N years of experience and a myriad of recommendation letters. Let’s be realistic: you’re hiring an IT specialist, not a surgeon. A lot of candidates might not even realize that they’re good for you. Give them a chance to prove it while working on a real task related to the job.

5 tips to spot the right candidate

Work on challenging and engaging projects

Want to hire the best software developers? Get your potential employees interested in your project. In the tech industry, boring jobs repel valuable candidates. Great minds require great projects, so give them what they came for.

Don’t only test their knowledge but their ability to learn and think analytically too

It’s never enough to just know something. We’re talking about IT technologies here, and they’re evolving every minute. That’s why it is more than important to hire candidates who are ready to accept changes, learn non-stop and apply analytical thinking.

Look for the ones with outstanding communication skills

After all, teams cannot reach their goal without their members socializing with each other. Great teamwork brings the best results while antisocial employees tend to drag their teams down and set a negative mood. So, hire talkative people: they’re never afraid to share ideas, discuss pain points as well as listen to others.

Broaden your horizons

Don’t restrict your search to a single geographical area. Think globally. If there’s no perfect candidate in your city, there’s definitely more than one somewhere in the world. If all great companies searched for employees only in their regions, they wouldn’t have succeeded in finding the best ones. Try reaching out to people from other cities and even countries. You’ll be surprised how many of them don’t mind relocating. Here, check out how Crossover manages to hire developers from different parts of the world and wins.

Don’t let nationality, age, sex or political views stop you from considering a certain candidate

We live in a world where people should be treated equally. So, don’t you dare let your prejudices make you jump to unfounded conclusions. If you feel biased toward a candidate, it’s a good idea to ask your colleague for a second opinion.

The challenges of recruiting

There are a lot of talented people out there, but once it’s time to find someone for a senior or managerial position, recruiting becomes a real challenge. Why? The number of highly qualified IT professionals like them is much smaller than that of junior or middle ones. The demand for them is high, and sometimes recruiters simply give up and hire under-qualified staff. Here’s a tip: show your potential candidate that your company needs them, only them and no one else. Don’t be afraid to put a little bit more effort and boost their ego to win them over.

Sure, it’s much easier to hire a great specialist with a bigger budget. But what do you do if the tiny budget doesn’t let you hire as many professionals as you’d want? Remember, investing in employees is always profitable in a long-term perspective. That’s why instead of hiring several average workers, go for one, but an extraordinary one.

Another massive challenge for recruiters is time. Usually, the candidates who are in active job search want to start working ASAP. Others can only start later though you need them right now. Unless a recruiter is in the right place and at the right time, it is quite complicated to catch that perfect potential employee. Plus, all the competition on the market slows the hunting process down.

3 tricks to get the top 1% talent without being in the red

Don’t stick to standard interview questions

Focus on the strengths rather than flaws. Use your creativity and get candidates hooked by being open and genuinely curious about their lives. A lot of people would choose an appealing company environment over an attractive salary. Everyone wants to feel special and have the opportunity for career growth, right?

Why not hire an intern?

You might be amazed at how smart these young IT geeks can be. The young generation has a much more creative perspective on life. Fresh graduates can come up with unusual and innovative approaches to solving problems faster than someone with 20 years of experience. In the end, your company will have a valuable asset with a reasonable salary, and you’d be able to watch them grow and evolve.

Flexibility is the key

Becoming a digital nomad is a dream thousands of tech professionals want to make a reality. Unfortunately, though, not all companies are willing to let their best employees wander around the world while working. Be the company that’s ready to compromise. You might land the most qualified and hard-working employees just because you let them work remotely. Let them enjoy their lives while making your business profit. As they say, work smarter, not harder.

How do you make genius employees stick around?

If only all the worries would stop once you’ve finally hired that diamond of an employee… Instead, you’ll face a new problem: how to keep your employees in the company for as long as possible? Here are some tips from Skelia.

Little perks never hurt nobody

Figuring out the best incentives for your employees is a proven way to make them stick around. How about an annual team-building retreat in another country? Maybe extra bonuses for those who generate unique ideas? A few hours per week to work on a personal side-project? Find out what your employees value most and use it in your favor.

Work isn’t only about money

Sometimes people want to contribute to the company they work at as well as grow professionally and personally. Try implementing a stock shareholding program, let your employees become an actual part of your business. This will give the more enthusiasm to make your (their) company grow.

Don’t let your employees get bored

Try to always keep your employees interested. Let them work on different projects, provide an allowance to attend various conferences and take online courses. Work should be fun, so let your employees play once in a while.

Conclusion

Living in the age of continuous tech innovations isn’t easy, especially for tech business owners and recruiters. Everyone wants to feel proud of having the most qualified professionals on board, but no one wants to go bankrupt because of that. That’s why recruiters have to come up with new approaches and mine perfect candidates like precious stones. For instance, hiring an intern might be one of the best decisions in this case.

There’s nothing impossible. Just add a dash of creativity to your hiring process and sprinkle it with boldness. Outstanding candidates want to be hired by unique companies, so old-fashioned approaches won’t work with them. Offer your potential candidates something more valuable than just money, and they’ll be a part of your team before you know it!

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