Based on the latest federal data coming out of the Bureau of Labor Statistic, the IT market is Hiring in a robust fashion with the next few years expected to continue at this pace. In particular, software engineer professionals are seeing high demand for their skills, but even the general market is growing at a healthy pace. On the employer side, two thirds of executives expect their challenges in finding qualified help to stay at least the same, if not harder. No surprise that managers who need to fill vacancies to get projects completed are justified in feeling a bit stressed and maybe needing a referral to an employee assistance hotline. They face the following painful trio of hiring challenges: 

• A seller’s market where the help is scarce and demand is high 
• A hiring process that many times doesn’t match the environment (i.e. hire fast but delayed by bureaucracy) 
• Finding the right candidate from the chaff 

Finding Enough Help to Choose From 

No one wants to settle for scraps; it’s a mistake to hire staff who constantly need pushing and monitoring. This situation creates more work, not less for the manager in charge. A Hiring Manager needs a system that can provide him or her quick access to qualified resumes and applications so that he or she can make contact and hire fast.  

TLDR; Obtain quick access to a qualified pool that makes hiring fast and easy. 

A Clear Path From Need to Hire 

Hiring processes are frequently bogged down with paperwork, reviews, minimum qualification checks, and waiting. This is not the way to bring in top talent fast and as a result, many managers can tell the story of the great candidate who got away. A quick hiring process is a cooperative effort where the HR office needs to be on board and ready to help managers, not work against them. That means finding systems that work, finding best practices, and then re-educating the internal workers on what causes delays and what make things work better. One example is the ability to screen candidates and contact them in the same system. A number of outsourcing resource offer this capability now. It beats shuffling through packages of paper applications and makes it easier to bypass ineligible candidates through easily embedded minimum qualifications.  

TLDR; Find staffing solutions that work, enact best practices, reeducate internal workers to delete waste and delays, and outsource to streamline process. 

Solving the Issue of the Wrong Hire – Prevention 

It can be extremely tempting to quickly fill a position to get some work done, but this is how a hiring manager makes the mistake of hiring the wrong person almost every time. The better choice is to avoid the move of desperation and instead keep searching for that perfect fit. Far more money, time and energy is going to be spent on these mistakes than on what it takes to keep looking.  

A good hire is going to meet the criteria of accountability, be flexible with different work demands, have a passion for doing the given work involved, communicate well but also listen well, and hit the right response with a hiring manager’s gut reaction. Much of this is answered through better candidate information and better background research being applied before a hiring decision is made.  

TLDR; Have access to better candidate information and screening practices, as well as an understanding that quality of candidate supersedes time of position unfilled. 

Staffing Solutions Can Work For You 
 

Not all staffing solutions are the same across all recruiting agencies. Within our four practice areas (Information Technology, Accounting & Finance, Corporate Support and Compliance & Legal), our recruitment process is specifically built to allow hiring managers to get to know our candidates and build relationships with them, as well as help them obtain valuable information about applicants' backgrounds. When hiring managers need an extra hand to face challenges in the hiring process, ICS can be that powerful ally. Our strategies encompass selection, review, and hiring process system enhancement, all the big pieces that a hiring manager depends on for success. 

If your hiring process is becoming more of a problem than a resource and advantage, ICS can be the help to get things back on track. Not every problem is rooted in what the market provides. Sometimes a second set of eyes on internal processes can point out easy, reachable changes that produce powerful results. Management should always be looking for better ways to do business, especially when trying to bring in the best talent. Call or contact ICS to find out more.