Looking for IT staff in new places

Virtually every organization that produces IT job data concurs: A recent report by Robert Half Technology, an IT staffing firm in Menlo Park, Calif., found that recruiting IT professionals was a huge problem. A survey by the IT Governance Institute found that found that 38% of CIOs were having problems with inadequately skilled staff, while 58% had too few IT staff. And the list goes on.

While it’s always a good idea to maintain a good relationship with an IT recruiting firm and continue to search for qualified IT staff the same way you always have, it’s simply not enough anymore.

One problem is that these methods only help look for tech workers who are actually looking for jobs, but there simply aren’t enough of those, said David Weldon, a research analyst with Aberdeen Group of Boston, Mass.

“It’s especially challenging to find passive job communities, but that can be the key to finding really talented people who bring a lot of value to the table,” he said. “Those people are likely employed somewhere because they are very skilled and in high demand. They are going to be hard to find, and you have to come up with some nontraditional ways to search them out and engage them.”

Before trying other methods, assess the traditional recruiting methods you have used in the past, focusing on you have hired from various sources, how long they have stayed with the company, and how well they have performed on the job. That will give you a good sense of whether to stick with these methods or try something else, Weldon said.

Here are some unorthodox methods of trolling for top-notch IT talent:

• Look inside your company before venturing further outside. “Train your IT department internally to be a recruiting tool for you,” Weldon said. “Explain positions you need to fill, skills you are trying to find in the marketplace, and the challenges you are having in locating talent. Ask them how they would go about connecting with their next employer.”
• Try referral programs. “A lot of the best employees come from referrals, so talk to your employees, friend and family and give them an incentive, such as a bonus,” said Frank Han, a vice president at Robert Half Technology. “Referral programs can be very cost-efficient and effective.”
• Consider former employees who may be in good standing. They have an advantage, because they already know the company and the technology, Han said.
• Find out which national organizations and associations that serve various job types exist in your area and make friends with them. Form a relationship with the leaders of organizations in your area that deal with security or networking professionals, or other types of technology skills you’re seeking. “Word of mouth is powerful,” Weldon said.
• Keep an eye out for events coming to your area that might attract likely candidates.
• Find out what associations and user groups your technologists belong to. “That is their pool of peers of equal talent,” Han said.
• Introduce yourself to the faculty at nearby universities. That’s especially true of universities with strong track records in the particular areas you’re interested in, Weldon said.
• Don’t rule out social networking sites. That’s the way Gen Y workers are likely to search, so get savvy on how to use them to your advantage, Han said.