How to attract and retain great IT professionals?

Due to the rapid growth of the IT industry, it’s clear that IT professionals of all kinds are in high demand. With talent pools increasing due to the new generation of candidates entering the workforce, recruitment and HR professionals are continuously asking the question “how can we attract the right IT candidates”. Furthermore, it’s not just about attracting the right candidates but retaining them. Bringing a candidate into the business and exposing them to new learning and training opportunities only to have them leave after a year is a difficult challenge for many business owners who have to reenter the hiring process all over again.

How can we attract and retain great IT professionals?

1. Provide future training and learning opportunities

There are not many industries that require as much technical skill and knowledge as the IT industry. The ability to stay ahead of the times with new technologies and software is not often an easy task. So, working with a company that provides training and learning opportunities to their staff to ensure they are always on top of their game within the industry are recognised as highly attractive from a candidate’s point of view. This continued education can be presented in the format of conferences, webinars, interesting tickets, personal mentoring, group and private training, online courses and more. Making these opportunities apparent in the initial interviews with the candidate will enhance their view of the role from one that they may have considered being temporary to one that they know has the opportunity to become a permanent career move.

2. Show that you care about your employees

There are many ways to show your employees you care and often a little can go a long way to keep your employees feeling happy, comfortable and safe within the workplace. Some specifics for IT professionals are: A future team lead with a technical background. Many IT professionals want the assurance that they will be working with other It professionals that have the similar technical knowledge to themselves. Therefore, increasing the understanding and collaboration within each other’s work.

An opportunity for hybrid working with a potential portion of the week allowing them to work from home. This will promote a healthy work-life balance and is often favoured among the majority of IT professionals.

Working with a smaller, close-knit team is often preferred among the IT professional crowd. (generally no more than ten people per team/project).

When it comes to working environments IT professionals generally prefer to work in bright comfortable environments with an emphasis on the comfort of their chairs, as let’s be honest most IT professionals spend the majority of their day in a seated position.

Team social events are a great way to increase the morale of the whole team allowing them to connect and socialise on a personal level and further build their professional relationships.

When it comes to working environments IT professionals generally prefer to work in bright comfortable environments with an emphasis on the comfort of their chairs, as let’s be honest most IT professionals spend the majority of their day in a seated position.

Team social events are a great way to increase the morale of the whole team allowing them to connect and socialise on a personal level and further build their professional relationships.

3. Automate what can be automated

Most IT professionals are motivated by exciting and challenging projects they can really sink their teeth into. Having continuously simple tasks to complete may decrease their motivation and excitement for the role. Therefore, where there’s room for automation, bring in automation. A recent study found that 85% of respondents said automating IT practices saved their departments 1-8 hours per service request. It’s evident that the ways of working have changed and will continue to do so with IT being at the forefront of an organisation’s success. This, however, translates to routine manual tasks consuming resources whilst limiting your team’s ability to progress in their roles, improve current skills, learn new skills and commonly halts overall progression within your team’s careers, reducing their motivation and increasing their stress levels. Automating even some of these tasks will allow your team to continuously be learning and challenging themselves within the workplace, as earlier stated an attractive feature for any IT professional looking to find their new professional home.

4. Widen your talent pool

Many IT companies and MSPs have highly strict technical requirements for any candidate that they consider. This is completely understandable due to the highly intricate technical work they’ll be doing for their clients. However, this specificity in skills and other requirements necessary for the position can reduce the choice available to your company. One way to widen your talent pool is to offer not only permanent roles but apprenticeship opportunities for the new generation of IT professionals entering the workforce. Having an apprentice whose technical knowledge may not be quite what you’re looking for gives you the opportunity to train the candidate in the skills necessary for a future position within your company. Training with you and your team will also allow the candidate to build relationships with the rest of the team and bring other personable elements to the company while improving and learning new technical skills. Offering apprenticeship opportunities is a great way to retain long-standing team members from the start of their career and support them in their journey of progression.

If you’ve found this blog useful and are looking to find and retain your next IT professional, get in touch today or check out our other blogs for more useful tips here: https://constantrecruitment.co.uk/blog/

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Laura Perez

19:42 01 Mar 23

Constant Recruitment recently helped me secure my new position. Rachel took her time to get to know me as a candidate, asking questions about my experience, skills, and career goals. She provided me with guidance throughout the interview process and kept me updated on the progress of my application, calling and emailing me regularly.I am grateful to Rachel and I will be recommending Constant Recruitment to friends.

Ben McInnes_

11:26 23 Sep 22

My experience with Constant Recruitment was really good, Rachel was very friendly and great at her job. She found me a job only a 5 minute walk from my home, and only took six days from first speaking to her to be offering the job.I would definitely recommend Constant Recruitment and Rachel. Thanks.

Whacko Jacko

16:35 02 Sep 22

The company reached out to me on LinkedIn while I was looking for a new job, and they did not disappoint. My recruiter Rachel was very nice, friendly and supportive with me getting a new job relating to what i wanted to progress in. She had supported me with tips of how to do well in a interview and asked how i got on after the interviews.I am now working in a place that is much better than the one i was previously working at so all i can say is that if you are looking for a new job. Constant Recruitment Ltd is the place to go to.5/5 - Excellent service

Romulo Reis

18:27 01 Sep 22

Constant Recruitment really helped me so much with my job search, Rachel especially was so efficient, helpful and just a great help with any questions I had!She really helped me find the perfect job and helped me along every step of the process. I would definitely recommend their services. I really couldn't have asked for more!Thank you so much for all your help.

Chloe

16:30 19 Jul 22

I would highly recommend Constant Recruitment. Rachel supported me every step of the way, from start to finish. She listened to my requirements for a new job and provided me with regular updates! I had such a pleasant experience and couldn't ask for more!