In the current environment it can be hard for small firms to compete and recruit good quality IT personnel. However, if approached properly effective IT recruitment is possible even for small firms.
Level the Playing Field
The main problem small firms face at the moment is competing with what larger firms have to offer. Unfortunately, there is a skill shortage in many areas of IT. This means that there is plenty of work for IT personnel, which enables them to command high salaries.
If you want to compete effectively for personnel, you need to be prepared to offer a similar salary. It is sometimes possible to find individuals who prefer working for a small firm, or who want to work nearer their home, so if you are lucky you may find someone who will take a slightly lower salary.
Offer Training
If you cannot compete on the basis of salary try to offer something else. One great way of attracting the right kind of people is to include a package of training as part of the deal. The IT industry is a fast moving one, so people who work in the sector are constantly updating their skill set. If they know you appreciate this and that you will contribute towards the cost of courses and are prepared to free them up for that additional training, they will be drawn towards you rather than a larger firm.
Make sure you appreciate your IT Team
Everyone likes to be appreciated and recognised. However, when working for a large firm it is very easy to get lost in the crowd. This is something many in IT have experienced all too often. As a result, they sometimes prefer to work for a smaller firm. You can play on this wish to be recognised and appreciated by emphasising that they will be working closely with others in your team. If you are planning to expand, it is wise to emphasis this too. IT professionals like to be challenged, and will welcome the chance to be a member of a progressive team.
Advertise in the Right Places
Most important of all is targeting your recruitment efforts. If you advertise your roles, where people with the relevant skills are most likely to see them you will significantly improve your chances of finding the right people. By far the best place to advertise is online job boards. However, it is best to avoid general job boards. This is not where most IT professionals go when they are looking for work. Typically, they visit only the specialist IT job boards. These are run by recruitment agencies who deal only with IT vacancies.
If you are a small business, it is highly unlikely that you will regularly hire IT personnel, so will not be particularly experienced in writing out IT job adverts. Should this be the case it is wise to find a job advert for a role similar to the one you are trying to fill, and use that as a template.
