MightyRecruiterIT Recruiting 101: Sourcing and Assessing Candidates
Employers may have the advantage in the today’s job market, but that doesn’t mean there is going to be a larger availability of qualified candidates who possess both IT and business skills to fill those positions. In order for your business to have its pick of qualified candidates, it needs to step up its IT recruiting strategies. Whether your organization has an IT department on staff on not to help with the assessment and identification of the most qualified professionals, there are other ways you can improve your hiring strategies to attractive the cream of the crop.
Know What Qualities to Search for on the Resume
Ideally you want hybrid employees who are capable of performing a variety of IT and business functions to help improve your organization’s workflow and operations. However, the challenge that many businesses face when recruiting for hybrid talent is not recognizing that their ideal candidates are not necessarily going to know everything about their specification or have much experience. Professionals who have technical skills may not know much about the business side of things, but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn them while they are on the job. Identifying which skills and or experiences you want potential candidates to have can help to alleviate much of the time and expense that goes into recruiting top IT professionals.
When looking through resumes, make sure the ones you are following up on have the skills or experience your organization needs. If their credentials and experience don’t exactly match what you are looking for, assess whether they are comparable which may help to qualify them as well.
Be Thorough During the Interview
The resume is what gives you a brief introduction into candidates and their backgrounds. However, the interview is where you can tailor your questions to get the information you need to determine if they are the right candidates for your organization. Ask questions that are specific. Be clear and direct so there is no confusion later on. Ask questions that require them to verify and elaborate upon their references, resume information and self-proclaimed skills, experiences and credentials.
Validate Relevant IT Skills and Experience
When assessing IT talent, it is vitally important for you to verify any and all IT skills and experience. Some candidates are able to sell themselves really well during an interview, but they may lack the IT skills that are necessary to perform the job. There is a fine line when testing and establishing credibility with IT professionals. On one hand you don’t want to insult their intelligence by asking questions that are too basic. On the other hand, you don’t want to risk having your IT recruiting staff look incompetent if they are not very knowledgeable about the IT profession.
When validating technical skills, it is best to have a tech employee do it. If there isn’t one available, you can always resort to using an independent third party, such an IT recruiting firm or professional from an outside source.
It is also possible for your organization to fake the process. While this is generally not recommended, it can help to weed out some of the lesser qualified candidates. Do an internet search for relevant IT questions to ask candidates. Keep a copy of the answers with you while interviewing potential employees. Be polite and listen for key phrases that can help you to determine whether or not any particular candidate knows his craft.
Stay Connected With Applicants
Just because someone is unqualified for the position you are currently recruiting for doesn’t mean they won’t be qualified for any future openings at your company. Instead of tossing the information of unqualified applicants out in the trash, keep it on file. It’s already challenging enough trying to find and recruit the right professionals that match your current needs. Why not make it easier by creating a pool of candidates to draw from when a need arises for professionals who have certain skills and experiences Stay in touch with these candidates by adding them to an email list so they can be kept abreast of any openings in the future.
While it’s impossible to avoid hiring the wrong candidate occasionally, you can leverage these IT recruiting tips to make sure that you hire attract and hire the best and most qualified professionals more often than not. You can put your organization on the right tracks to beefing up its IT department with professionals who have the experience and skills that are needed to improve your organization’s efficiency as a whole.
For more information on how to improve your IT recruiting strategies, Mighty Recruiter has many information and resources available to help you do so.