After considering the in-house resources, current and upcoming projects, individual employee capacity constraints, project timelines and deadlines, and other factors, it may be easy to decide additional human capital investment is needed. However, searching for and securing the most appropriate and skilled staff for the position(s) to be filled is not an easy undertaking. It can take much time if done alone, adding to the burden IT managers are already carrying on their shoulders.
There is no need to take on these IT staffing constraints alone. Partnering with an IT staffing company can help overcome the obstacles hindering and/or delaying the ability to bring on the IT staffing resources needed. Just one hour with an IT staffing account executive, to orient them with the company and its needs, is a simple step that can save significant time in the recruiting process. This time helps in achieving the sought-after increased operational efficiencies, so a two-way conversation with an IT staffing account executive should cover the following topics:
- Culture
- Are the people being sourced the right fit for the company?
- Do the best candidates perform well under strict guidelines, or act first and apologize (if necessary) later?
- Are attitude and personality as important as hard “skills”?
- Experience Relevancy
- Are the candidates being provided relevant to the position for which they are needed?
- Are they offering the right level of experience needed to perform the job?
- Competitive Intelligence
- What are the benchmarks for IT salary expectations in a particular industry?
- How do the specific duties and responsibilities of a role add or detract from the wage model?
- What is the current demand for these skills, by other employers, that may be a factor in the supply and demand and time-to-fill equations?
- Strengths and Weaknesses Assessment of the Current Team
- What skill sets already exist within the team? At what level?
- Where is the gap in overall organizational knowledge and performance?
- What is the best mix of capabilities and work styles required, through staff augmentation, to increase the productivity of the entire team?
- Contract, Contract-to-Hire, or Direct Hire
- Is a long-term investment in a permanent hire needed?
- Would a contracted resource be sufficient to fulfill your current staffing deficiency?
Looking for, evaluating, and ultimately deciding on the best candidate for a particular position can be a mind-boggling task. IT managers must effectively deal with many issues in the hiring process before successfully augmenting the existing workforce within the organization. However, irrespective of the issues that may arise, an effort to ensure long-term success is crucial for the benefit of the organization. Hence, if an outside party can help supplement the ability to hire right, that partnership must be materialized, so that a company in need of competent IT staff can receive the best candidates efficiently and effectively, further developing and solidifying the company’s competitive advantage in the industry.
Todd Harootyan
Director – Sales