How to Attract – and Retain – Top Candidates in High-Demand Areas of IT

The need for software developers and IT staffing has never been higher, with 2016 looking to be yet another year of high demand for IT talent. Experts estimate growth rates to reach upwards of 6-10 percent industry wide, and certain high demand areas of IT growing as much as 30%, with all signs pointing towards continued growth.

As with any industry, what often helps companies with IT staffing needs save the most money is attracting the right people to their team and making sure they stay put. And while it may seem that keeping talent—particularly in high-demand areas of IT—is more expensive initially, the value and success their work produces outweighs any potential downsides in providing salary increases. Many staffing services also know that hiring and training new people is often more expensive than simply investing in your best minds.

But as most hiring managers can attest to, attracting top candidates in the IT industry requires more than just pricing jobs above market. Moreover, when executives finally bring a team together, they often don’t have any workforce management plans in place to retain their recruits.

Avoid learning things the hard way by creating a recruitment and retention strategy early on. Read the following tips to get started.

1. Treat Recruitment as a Marketing Opportunity

When it comes to talent acquisition, treat it as you would any opportunity to market your company. The best talent, are interviewing your company just as much you’re interviewing them. This means putting your best foot forward, whether it’s with your job postings, the recruitment process, or interview.

A good place to start is your website. You can create a separate ‘Careers’ page on your site, outlining job openings with graphics, company events, and clear and engaging descriptions. But don’t resort to fluff writing, as that will only turn off potential candidates.

2. Offer Relocation Assistance

If you’re looking to fill a critical, high-demand IT position and want to reach out to the best candidates out there, consider offering relocation assistance to sweeten your offer. As many IT professionals aren’t keen on moving across the country to expensive cities (and tech hubs) like San Jose, California or New York, NY, easing their burden can go a long way in showing you’re serious about hiring them.

3. Encourage a Healthy Balance Between Work and Life

More and more hiring managers are realizing that IT rockstars— some of whom are millennials—tend to value flexible working hours and a healthy work/life balance more than high salaries. While paychecks certainly matter, IT professionals are more likely to be attracted to a company with a challenging but relaxing working environment. Be flexible and allow employees to:

• Work from home every now and then
• Pick up their children
• Take sick days to visit the doctor
• ‘Play’ while at work
• Create their own work schedule

Great employees will notice your effort and won’t abuse such privileges.

For more tips and pointers on how to attract and retain the best talent in the IT industry, contact the award-winning staffing specialists at Talon. Call us at 609-924-8900 or fill out our online form below to get started.