Hiring top tech talent is essential for businesses that want to thrive amidst the tech talent shortage. And to hire top tech talent, you must ensure your company is a desirable place to work. These five strategies offer insights into how to do that.
This year we saw a lot of changes in how we work—and with businesses embracing digital transformation, experts predict it will only get more exciting in 2023. New tech startups are launching every day, while established businesses continue to invest more capital into new technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain. As a result of all this growth and investment, the demand for tech talent has skyrocketed. However, the biggest challenge, as the IMF predicts, is that there may not be enough top tech talent to meet the consumer demand.
This disparity will make it increasingly difficult for businesses and organizations to hire top tech talent and remain competitive in the market. Luckily, there are many strategies you can use to successfully tackle the tech talent shortage head-on and hire top tech talent in the process.
Read on for 2023’s top strategies for hiring top tech talent in this challenging environment.
Retaining top talent
First things first, if you want to hire top tech talent, you got to retain the top talent that you have, and one way is by providing a clear path for career advancement. This can be particularly important for engineers and other technical employees who are often driven by their career goals. If you see a thriving employee at your company, let them know that their hard work and contributions are recognized. You can do this by letting them know they’re in line for a raise or a promotion.
Another thing you can do to retain top talent is to ensure your employees feel appreciated. One way to show your employees you appreciate them is by giving them a work environment that is friendly and supportive through positive encouragement. It might sound simple, but positive encouragement is one of the best things you can do for your employees. If you want to let them know you appreciate their work, you don’t have to give them a large bonus or gift. You could tell them they’ve done a good job when they complete a project.
Invest in your company culture
Another way to attract and retain top tech talent is to invest in your company culture. A strong company culture can help you attract top talent by appealing to candidates' hearts. Candidates who are drawn to the mission and purpose of your company are more likely to become loyal employees.
Letting your employees know they’re a top priority can help you keep high-quality employees and help them feel like they’re part of something special. If you want to invest in your company culture, start by determining what values are most important to your company. Once you know what values are most important to the organization, you’ll be able to incorporate them into your hiring practices, your employee onboarding process, your employee recognition programs, and your day-to-day operations.
Read also: These organizations have the best company culture in the world. See what you can borrow from them
Invest in campus recruitment
For many companies, campus recruitment is a great way to find top tech talent. Working with universities to host on-campus recruitment events can help you find and hire top tech talent who may not otherwise be looking for a job.
One way to host an on-campus event is to host a coding challenge or hackathon. This can be a fun way to engage students while also allowing you to screen them and determine if they have what it takes to be a part of your team. Another way to host an on-campus event is to hold a seminar. You can use this seminar to let students know about the types of careers available in your organization, or explain the type of work your company does.
Develop a skills development program
A skills development program can help you attract new employees by letting potential employees know you’re willing and able to help them develop the skills they need to do their jobs. At the same time, a skills development program can help you retain your current employees.
Letting your employees know you’re invested in helping them grow their careers can help you keep your best employees for longer. One way to develop a skills development program is by partnering with a third-party provider. Skill development providers can offer a variety of courses and programs, such as coding boot camps, webinars, and online training modules, to help you develop your employees’ technical and soft skills.
Leverage co-working spaces and incubators
Another way to find top tech talent is to partner with a co-working space or incubator. If you’re unfamiliar with these types of organizations, they’re places where people with various types of businesses can work, network, and collaborate. While co-working spaces and incubators aren’t technically hiring agencies, they may be able to introduce you to top tech talent that may not otherwise be looking for a job. If you decide to partner with a co-working space or incubator, you should create a clear hiring strategy. You’ll also want to make sure you’re prepared to hire quickly. Many top tech talents may not be actively looking for a job, so you’ll need to move quickly to get them on board.
In summary...
To make it easier to hire top tech talent, it’s important to be a desirable place to work. You can do this in a variety of ways—from investing in your people and your culture to implementing a tech skills development program, and even leveraging co-working spaces and incubators. If you’re a small business owner, it may seem daunting to think about how best to approach the tech talent shortage. But when you break it down, there are a number of strategies you can implement to help you hire top tech talent and retain that talent for the long term.
For instance, if you want to hire top tech talent, think about which skills are most in demand at your company, and then look for candidates who can demonstrate those skills. That said, don't forget to also look for applicants with a passion for the field in which you're hiring top tech talent.
It's also important to remember that IT skills are not the only thing that makes a tech professional great. Great tech professionals have great people skills, as well as a positive attitude, adaptability, and a willingness to learn. To hire top tech talent, you have to find a great match between individual and team. It’s important that both parties are comfortable with the other’s strengths, weaknesses, and the type of environment you’ll be working in. Lastly, it's important to keep your hiring strategy flexible so that you can easily adapt to the job market trends.
