3 CIO Tips for Hiring Tech Talent in a Challenging Market
3 CIO Tips for Hiring Tech Talent in a Challenging Market
Today’s highly competitive tech hiring market has made it difficult for organizations to attract and retain the specific talent they need to achieve their technology and digital transformation goals.Are you looking to boost your hiring strategy and find out-of-the-box solutions to tech talent recruiting struggles? We spoke with Bruce Otte, CIO of renewable energy company JERA Americas, and Amith Nair, CIO of healthcare company Vituity for their perspective on hiring tech talent in a challenging market.
1. Know when to hire internally, and when to work with a 3rd party
Bruce shared that his decision whether to hire for a role internally or to utilize an external recruiting partner depends on the nature of the role, the criticality of the role, and the availability of his network of partners.He works with several niche partners and offered a few tips when it comes to selecting sources. “People often think that 3rd party services are expensive, and why spend that money when we already have an HR department? But it really depends on how you book the services and how you negotiate. For SAP and data skills I work with one specialized company, and for some other data skills I work with a specialist who sources workers in India. We avoid time and material contracts and always negotiate for a bank of time whether that’s a year, six months, or a set bank of hours. Every skill commands a different rate, and we negotiate for skills.”At Millenilink we are consistently informed that investing in our services for hiring specialized tech talent outweighs the opportunity cost of leaving the position open for an extended period and missing out on revenue generating opportunities.Amith explained that his current hiring focus is on upskilling and internal development. “People aren’t in the office anymore and that impacts opportunities for cross-skilling. So we’re focused on developing our team members, broadening skillsets and providing opportunities for them to be embedded in different lines of business. With human-centric training they can see and understand how operations work and gain a better appreciation of how technology works for our end users. Tech understanding is important, but business acumen ensures our technology functions as a partner that truly improves clinicians’ jobs.”
2. Clarify the seniority level and industry experience a position really requires
Sometimes specific tech skills are needed, and sometimes more general tech skills will work if there’s a demonstrated ability to learn and a thorough understanding of industry-specific issues and how the user base functions.“When we’re hiring, we need tech experience, but clinical experience has become crucial,” Amith revealed. “When developing new technology and systems, we need input from people with healthcare understanding from the start. We need tech that makes people’s job easier instead of more complicated. Tech that works for all generations and doesn’t contribute to burnout because it’s overengineered. I hire for attitude – if you understand the basics, tech skills can be taught, but business acumen ensures we’re creating value for our end users.”And as Bruce noted, sometimes a candidate’s seniority can actually work against your goals. “I haven’t been looking for senior talent specifically, but instead for talent that can grow into senior roles. We’re not a very large company and anyone we hire needs to be willing to jump in, work hard, and get their hands dirty. The trouble we’ve found is that more senior candidates are often used to delegating and feel they’ve moved beyond the level of execution a small team requires.”Millenilink often finds that companies ask for more than is actually required from a tech skills standpoint. We are frequently able to help clients expand their pool of potential candidates by optimizing a job search by updating all written and verbal communication to reflect what is truly non-negotiable and achieve success by marketing the opportunity to those that may have been previously overlooked.
3. Look beyond your own backyard
There’s been a resurgence of hiring outside of the US to keep costs down. As Bruce noted, he works with a specialized recruiter who sources some of his required data skills from India.Amith echoed that approach, “Hiring certain skills has become expensive. The pandemic has caused a bubble and so we’ve changed tack for some of our hiring needs. Our team is remote and dispersed across the country anyway, so we’re moving towards a more global approach to solving our challenges while keeping costs down as we invest in digital and our people. We have a team in Belarus that does software development, and we’re in the process of creating a tech captive of our own in India. When we do hire stateside, it’s with the focus of upskilling our organization with industry experience and candidates who will grow in their career and create a pathway to change.”
Leveraging your relationship with a recruitment agency can help you achieve better business outcomes. If you’re in Canada or the US and looking for a specialized tech industry recruiting partner, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch or send an email to info@millenilink.ca to request a consultation.