Are you searching for the right IT person to fill a critical position at your company? Here at Market Street Talent, we specialize in helping our partners find the best professionals to join their team. Recently, we offered some friendly advice in a blog on how to make a good hire when you don’t have a tech background. Now, we’re revisiting the topic because we’re seeing some industry trends we’d like to share with you.
The market for tech professionals is still booming, and many experts are predicting that recruiters and hiring managers will have to be competitive to attract the top talent as demand continues to grow. According to a recent survey, in 2014 many tech workers will be seeking higher salaries and better working conditions.
“Among the tech workers who anticipate changing employers in 2014, 68 percent listed more compensation as their reason for leaving. Other factors include improved working conditions (48 percent), more responsibility (35 percent) and the possibility of losing their job (20 percent). The poll, conducted online between Oct. 14 and Nov. 29 last year, surveyed 17,236 tech professionals.” Source: CIO.com.
To help you find your competitive edge, we’ve put together a list of the top job perks that will help you to attract and retain the best IT professionals.
1) Learning and advancement opportunities: Talented coders and developers are naturally curious, ambitious problem solvers. These professionals like a challenge, and will want to learn and do more. A job that includes ongoing career advancement opportunities – either through increasing on the job responsibility, or more traditional professional development periods – will attract candidates that are hungry to excel.
2) Flexible work: More professionals are searching for opportunities to telecommute for at least a part of their working hours. Many are seeking flexibility to strike a better work / life balance. Although you might expect that professionals with families would be driving the trend, according to a recent Forbes article it’s the Millennial generation that’s taking the lead on this issue and want to make working from home the norm – and would choose the opportunity to do so over a higher salary.
3) Meaningful work and a collaborative environment: Much has been written recently about professionals seeking to do work they can feel passionate about. If you can offer the right new hire for your organization an opportunity to feel as though they’re on a team and helping to make decisions about projects that will serve people’s best interests – perhaps by creating products, or providing services, that help people – you might be able to attract candidates that are motivated to join your team for reasons other than just the money.
4) Affordable benefits: Of course, the promise of a higher salary is going to attract candidates. But another way to bring in top talent is to offer an affordable benefits package that allows your employees to offset their health care expenses and have the security of a package for their family.
5) Good working culture, shorter commutes and job stability: We wanted to finish up this list with a few suggestions that will get you thinking about other potential perks that would make your open position more attractive to a candidate. If you want to attract talented professionals, consider working the angles that will make each day less of a grind. What will make a job opportunity stand out? For some candidates, a more laid back environment might be most attractive. For another person, it might be your location that puts your organization in the lead. Flexibility of working hours and environment is also a big perk, such as the ability to log out of work early and make up a few hours on the weekends to accommodate doctor appointments or soccer games.
Finally, if you’re seeking the right IT professional we invite you to get in touch with our team of experts at Market Street Talent. Our staff has the experience and background that will give you the edge in finding and attracting the right candidates. Let us help you find your next great team member!