How you can ensure IT candidates want to work for you.
We all know top IT talent is in very high demand. Every recruiter in the tech field knows how difficult it is to find qualified candidates. The money and resources spent in attracting and keeping great talent is enormous. You can make it easier by ensuring your company fosters certain traits that make prospective job seekers want to work for you.
1. Make your company a happy place
Okay, the office doesn’t have to be Disney World, but at the same time, it should be a place where employees actually want to be. According to a Forbes article, “One of the most important factors for attracting talent is cultivating an atmosphere that makes your employees happy to come to work.” Let’s face it: many of us spend more hours at at work than anywhere else. Ensure your company has an engaging work environment where people are encouraged and also challenged to succeed.
2. Create a thriving work culture
“Culture “ is a huge buzzword these days, no matter what the field. The best companies know that creating good culture is key to attracting the right employees who will fit in and thrive from day one. It is definitely something job seekers look at, and in some cases, it might be more important than salary. Company culture all starts at the top, from the CEO on down, and encompasses how the business is run, how job performance is rewarded, the company structure and work environment, how a company communicates and engages with employees, and how competitive the company is in the marketplace.
3. Build a great brand
If you build it, they will come. The best companies understand that building a great brand will result in job seekers coming to them. Building a strong company brand means “having a reputation as a good place to work and providing value to your employees rather than only asking for value from them,” according to the same Forbes article. When you’ve created that atmosphere in-house, make sure you then get the message out by being visible on social channels like LinkedIn. It’s also a good idea to be involved in local and regional networking events as well as on college campuses.
4. Have a great website
If you’re looking to attract great IT talent, your website better be great, too. It’s not just loading your site with a lot of fancy bells and whistles, either. It should quickly and succinctly sum up your company and its core beliefs and mission. It should also be easy to navigate. Too many clicks to get to real information and job seekers will be get frustrated and click away. Also make sure the “Careers” page is a true, shining example of your company, with job descriptions that go beyond basic educational requirements or experience. In a survey by Talent Board, 77.3% of job seekers named job descriptions as the most important information in their job hunt, before even salary and benefits. Talk about the kind of people you want working for you, especially the qualities and work ethic that will best fit in your company.
5. Be dedicated to making an impact
So, you’ve created the best website possible. You’ve upped the game on your website and “Careers” page. Don’t stop there. Attracting top IT talent (or any kind of talent) takes more than that. Today’s employees want to know that their work has meaning beyond a paycheck. It’s one of the most important characteristics job seekers want, and yet another survey by TINYPulse found that only 42% of current employees know the mission statement, vision, and cultural values of the company where they work. Be sure to communicate to job seekers the value of your company’s work in a broader sense as well as the personality behind the brand.
It’s not all about you
If you want to attract top IT candidates, you need to take the time to put yourself in you their shoes to better understand how your business looks to them. At Consultis, we take the time to get to know your organization so we can present it in the best light to top job seekers, so you can find a winning, lasting match for your team. To see how we can help you, connect with one our consultants today.