Talent is everywhere, but why does it seem so hard to find good talent for your company? What are you doing wrong or what are you not doing at all? It seems that technologically advanced graduates are dime a dozen, but how do you recruit them and retain them at your company? Whether you’re a company working with social media marketing or attempting to create the next Microsoft, this article will explore all that as well as include the top tips when it comes to hiring tech talent.
Start with internships
One of the most pressing problems when it comes to education is that there is no bridge or stepping stone to having a career sans an internship which can sometimes be exploitative. Interns are a great way for a company to fill a position that doesn’t require much experience but requires the knowledge and skills that only a graduate in a certain field is able to achieve. Many companies shy away from collaborating with universities and their placement program because many graduates are only looking to fill their resume or are only interning to complete their degree program. None of these candidates are keen to work on the company and become a part of the business. Very rarely would companies want to take on a newcomer, train them up and have them go on their merry way to another job and repeat the process over and over again. It is time-consuming and quite frankly doesn’t do the company much good in terms of progress. However, one must understand that without this program, there will be no new talent to recruit from. It’s a cycle that forces companies to give back with their time and effort, and students to pay their dues while picking up soft skills on the way. Working together with a university will not ensure that you recruit and retain new employees or budding tech talent but it offers you the opportunity to snap up promising new talent as an early bird. Furthermore, an unpromising intern today could do her rounds and come back with more experience and have more to offer.
Hire fresh graduates
If you aren’t keen on the internship pathway, there is another method to make sure you get the creme de la creme, but this often comes at a high cost. If you aren’t a notable tech company that many people are clamoring to work with, such as Google, Apple, Facebook, etcetera, it might be hard to get students interested because why would they want to waste their honors degree at a small tech company when they could try their hand at any of those aforementioned tech giants? The thing about fresh graduates is that they are all so full of hope and by the time they realize that life isn’t all roses, it might be too late to take up on the university’s offer of a placement at your firm. This is why it’s important to make tiny concessions for the naivete of students. Allow anyone who hasn’t found a job in 12 – 24 months to be granted a placement, even if they haven’t had any prior experience. Understand that the economy is not as it once was, and no experience is just another way of saying they don’t need to unlearn bad habits from a different workplace culture. They are a fresh slate that you can mold. Don’t shy away from the idea that fresh graduates have nothing meaningful to offer. Sometimes, adding a new ingredient might just be what the recipe needs.
Understand that there is a deficit of tech talent
With everyone scrambling over the best in an already limited pool of resources, will only exclude the rest trying to get in. A good leader and employer knows that great talent is often headhunted and can be easily led astray by a better job offer. It’s always better to have loyalty than ingenuity. If you are able to foster your new recruit’s talents and abilities, molding her to suit your companies’ needs, it would be worth ten talented recruits with no real love for your company. Treat your employees the way that makes them want to follow you and not the salary or promise of glory. This is something that is lacking in many industries but humans all want to be appreciated, treasured, and respected. Show your employees that you care and fan the flames of their passion. Put them in a position that they desire, with the responsibilities and freedom to do as they please within a reasonable boundary. By procuring happiness in your company for your employees, you’re ensuring loyalty. However, buy them with bribes and promises without offering them happiness, and there’s always the possibility of someone else raising the stakes.
EDITOR NOTE: This is a promoted post and should not be viewed as an editorial endorsement.