The COVID pandemic has caused a massive rise in remote work as employers and employees keep safe. The transition to remote work has benefited business as it has boosted productivity and increased employee satisfaction. But it has also come with technical difficulties and an increased risk of cyberattacks.
To meet your businesses changing technology needs, you might be considering adding more employees to your IT team. But, finding the right person is a time-consuming and challenging process. If you don’t choose the right professional, your business could suffer.
To ensure your keeping business’s tech safe and operational, here are seven tips to hiring the right IT professional.
- Understand What You Are Looking For
Before you start attracting candidates, you should identify what type of candidate you need for the role. Determine if you are looking to add additional help to your IT team to make the workload more manageable or if you are looking to add a new skillset and fresh perspective.
Ask yourself questions to make a list of must-haves and nice-to-haves. Determine if you want a local candidate or someone remote. What tech education and skills are necessary to perform job duties? What values and work ethic are you looking for in a candidate?
You should also consider your budget and other benefits that might attract these individuals to your company.
This information will help guide your hiring process and make it flow smoother.
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- Write a Good Job Description
Now that you have determined the skills and role you need filling for your IT team, you need to attract applicants that fit those needs. You can attract high-quality candidates with a well-written job description.
Your job description helps market your company to potential applicants. It might appear on your careers page or a third-party website like Indeed or LinkedIn. In a good job description, you’ll want to introduce candidates to your company, outline what the job entails and what benefits they will receive.
You’ll want your job description to be clear about what you are looking for in a candidate. By talking about your company, including what you do and its mission and values, potential candidates can see if your business is a good fit for them. Building a connection with values and enticing benefits can help set your business apart from competing job opportunities.
Be sure to include a call to action at the end of your job description to motivate job seekers to apply for your position.
- Get Referrals from Employees
Another great resource to find top talent is to ask your employees if they know anyone who could fit the role. They might know former colleagues, classmates, or friends interested in a new position but not actively job searching. As a result, you can increase your applicant pool.
An additional advantage of employee referrals is that you have easy access to a reference for a candidate’s character and work ethic. Current employees can make a trustworthy recommendation since they have a good idea of your company’s needs and workplace culture.
- Skills for the Future
Technology is constantly evolving, so it’s best to hire a candidate with skills in emerging technology if you want to keep up with the latest trends.
Cloud computing, machine learning, user experience design are all in-demand technologies and skills on the rise. An IT professional with knowledge in these areas can help your business leverage new technology to increase efficiency.
Cyber attacks are on the rise in the US. Small businesses account for 43% of cyber attacks because they don’t have the same security measures as large corporations. An IT professional with cyber security skills can help manage your cyber security measures to prevent costly attacks.
- The Right Soft Skills
Tech skills are essential when filling a position, but they shouldn’t be the only thing you look for in a candidate. Often IT workers must work as part of a team, so teamwork is a valuable skill. Good communication should be another must to work with teammates and across departments.
Another trait you should look for is curiosity. A curious candidate will always be looking for new opportunities to learn and improve their work. These types of people can keep your technology up to date and bring new ideas to help your business.
To find a curious candidate, ask them what their interests are and what they love to do. Their response can illustrate the passion that they can bring to the role.
- Have an Interview Plan
To get the most out of interviews, you’ll want to have a plan in place to help you assess candidates. You’ll want to convey how you will be conducting interviews with candidates once you’ve selected them so they know what to expect.
When planning interviews, keep in mind an interview isn’t just about you trying to find the right candidate. Applicants are also determining if they want to work for you.
It’s best to have a script of questions prepared to ask every candidate. Standard questions help ensure the process is consistent and fair. But, also leave room to go off the script to get to know candidates and let them show what makes them the best fit for the role.
You’ll want to go over the position and your company’s work culture, so applicants understand the role. Give interviewees time to ask questions and appropriately address any concerns they might have. Being open can help a candidate decide if the job is also suitable for them.
- Hire an IT Staffing Company
As you can see, it can be a lot of work to attract, sort through and interview candidates. Since it’s such a time-consuming and expensive process, the last thing you want is to choose the wrong candidate. So, hiring a staffing team can help streamline your hiring process and find the best person for the job.
IT staffing companies offer many services to help you find candidates, screen them, and conduct interviews. A staffing company will have local connections and expertise to match qualified candidates to your business. As a result, your business can save time and money.
Hire the Right Person for Your IT Team
Your IT team is essential to your business because if your technology isn’t up and running, you can’t operate your business. Finding the right IT professionals for your team doesn’t have to be a hassle. You can set your business up for growth and success by taking your time to do it right.
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