Dear Struggles:
The employment habits of IT professionals are changing, shaped generally by two factors:
-
A smaller supply of available jobs during the past couple years because of recession
-
Outsourcing of many IT positions overseas
Since more people are chasing fewer jobs, on the surface this would appear to make recruiting easier. Many companies, however, recruit only actively employed individuals, viewing unemployed people as “tainted” (we don’t agree with this in many cases).
Many applicants are now risk-averse, preferring to wait until the economy revs back up. Even if they’re unhappy with their current job and pay, they’re scared to leave because if the new job doesn’t work out, they could have a tough time finding another position. Also, starting salaries generally are not sufficient to entice people to leave comfortable positions.
This reluctance affects innovation as well. The high-tech boom of the 1990s resulted in the development of many new technology products and services. Enticing well-qualified veterans to leave established companies for risky startups with huge potential was much easier then than now.
How do you adjust? Your recruiters and hiring managers need to sell the company’s strengths (technology, vision, position in the market, etc.) to potential applicants. That way, you should wind up with quality hires–and most likely longer-term employees–who join your company for intangibles, not just money.
SOURCE: Mike Sweeny, managing director, T. Williams Consulting Inc., Collegeville, Pennsylvania, Nov. 1, 2004.
LEARN MORE: Hiring Sprees Are Here Again.
The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.