IT Recruitment Challenges and How to Successfully Hire the Right Candidate

The rapid advancement of modern technology today has made people reliant on computers, tablets, and smartphones. This has also made a huge impact on companies worldwide. The idea of Information Technology (IT) has elevated the way we live and how we do business as it makes us envision numerous possibilities and projects that can take us to greatness.

However, the development of modern technology also means the rise of IT-related job roles. In this article, we will discuss the challenges of IT recruitment and how to successfully source the ideal candidate for the job.

Rise of IT Roles

The boom in information technology and the industry’s dynamism boost demand for IT-related roles. As more companies recognize the need to shift to digitizing business operations, requirements for IT roles will continue to rise.

According to Outsourcing Journal, the Philippines currently holds 13% global market share for voice-related services, making it one of the top-tier IT-BPM destinations. The country is also improving its capacity to serve non-voice BPM and other IT services to extend accounting and healthcare information services capabilities.

In line with this demand growth for IT jobs, the academic sector acknowledged this increase by adopting more industry-based learning curricula to sustain the supply of IT graduates ready for work.

Challenges of IT Recruitment

Despite the higher demand for IT-related roles and the growing number of IT graduates annually, IT recruitment is one of the most challenging fields to secure qualified candidates.

Due to the high qualifications of IT-related jobs, it takes a longer time when it comes to the recruitment process. Below are some common challenges IT recruiters face in sourcing qualified candidates:

• Client updates. Communication between the client and the recruitment consultant can sometimes be tricky. There are circumstances where there are delays in the processing and the indecision with details are causing delays or for the recruiter to re-strategize and adjust with the client’s requests.
• Sourcing suitable talents. Sometimes clients require a specific set of skills for IT positions. This results in a longer recruitment process and turnaround time in securing a candidate for the role.
• Calibrating with the clients/hiring managers’ requests. When there are candidates shortlisted for the role, the guarantee that one of these talents will secure the role is still unconfirmed. This is based on the assessment of the client or the hiring manager if the candidate passes or fails. If none of the shortlisted candidates pass, this will lead to another round of sourcing with stricter filtering of talents.
• Far From the Area. Since highly technical candidates are lesser compared to those with a generic IT position, there’s a high chance that the candidates reside far away from the location of your office. Therefore, most of the applicants may prefer working from home.
• Enticing potential candidates. The IT industry is a competitive field. This is why being able to step up in order to attract highly qualified talents can be a challenge in terms of offering a competitive compensation package, attractive employee benefits, and a healthy working environment.

Even with the challenges in IT recruitment, it is still an exciting field to work on due to the competitiveness and in-demand nature of the roles. We just need to be patient and learn to work around these difficulties to deliver what our client needs.

How to Successfully Source in IT Recruitment

IT roles are considered hard-to-fill roles due to the complexity of the requirements needed to properly perform. This makes it fulfilling when we are able to provide clients with talents they chose from our roster of candidates. Here are some of the things you need to consider to succeed in attracting and sourcing IT talents as a technical recruiter:

• Offer Competitive Compensation Packages. When hiring IT Talents with highly specialized skills, you must remember that it comes with a price. Checking the market to know the accurate salary and using the compa-ratio formula may help you when it comes to offering and negotiating salary and benefits to the applicants.
• Maintain Proper Communication with the Client and Candidates. Being able to maintain a good relationship with your clients and candidates can lighten and hasten your work process. Since you have consistent communication with your clients, you are updated with their requirements, and you can deliver what they need for specific roles. With the candidates, maintaining professional communication makes them feel valued as you are taking your time to keep them in the loop with what’s happening.
• Explore Several Different Sourcing Strategies. A technical recruiter should be flexible in approaching IT recruitment to easily adapt different strategies in sourcing high-performing talents. This requires critical thinking and observing the candidates’ behavior and needs to persuade them in taking a chance on the new opportunity.
• Trust Yourself. One significant trait of a good technical recruiter is trusting their own capability. To source suitable candidates, you must remember to trust your decisions and abilities.
• Be Patient and Work Hard. Being a recruiter requires hard work and patience since sourcing candidates will take time. Focus is a must in order for applicants to have a successful placement.

The key to winning with IT recruitment is to have the drive, commitment, and passion to successfully find the right candidate when hiring. Furthermore, trusting yourself and your capabilities while being patient and hardworking will make everything worth it in the end.

Attract and Acquire High-Performing IT Talents

The world today revolves around modern technology. However, high-performing IT roles are one of the most challenging posts to secure due to the complex nature of work and the competitiveness of the field. That said, the recruitment process usually takes longer for these types of roles.

If you find sourcing high-caliber talents challenging, you may seek help from recruitment firms to ensure the success of attracting and acquiring the ideal IT Talents for the job.