In the cut-throat IT hiring field, in a world where geography no longer matters and remote working has become the norm, recruiting sought-after candidates has become more competitive than ever. Your recruitment strategy could be the decisive factor in securing top-tier talent. So how does yours measure up? And what are the ‘secrets for success’?
The world of work has changed dramatically over the past two years. COVID, safe distancing and remote working forced businesses all over the world to up-tech their operations to stay viable. I.T. is now an integral part of virtually every business activity.
But there is a worldwide shortage of IT talent in a globalised marketplace.A time when you simply posted a job on a noticeboard and waited for a slew of applications is now long gone. Along with all the changes above, IT recruitment has evolved rapidly and you need to be both savvy and strategic in order to secure the right candidates.
A global IT Recruitment Strategy?
You need one. A comprehensive recruitment strategy that takes into account a broad range of factors, including your industry sector, your company brand and profile, your ideal candidate profile, geography, insource vs outsource, compliance and regulatory requirements, and more.
Ideally, your strategy will incorporate around seven pillars of success to be truly effective, and these might include:
Do your research
The more planning and research you can undertake before starting active recruitment, the more cost effective your hiring processes will provide. For example, you’ll want to plan ahead to ensure that your foreign recruitment process complements your company’s staffing objectives.
Build a recruitment network
In competitive fields like IT, sometimes the best candidates are not found within one’s own country. Moreover, with COVID employers are now experiencing a talent shortage for critical IT roles across all industries.
That’s why a global recruitment approach can help you spot the right talent and find the best individuals for your business. Interviews and even onboarding can be conducted online and remote working is now the norm in IT. Plus of course you can partner with specialist recruitment firms to help source suitable candidates.
Other ways to widen your candidate recruitment net include:
Expand Your Social Media Presence
No matter what sector you’re in, social media can help you connect directly with interested potential applicants. They can also give you a platform to showcase your company’s brand and culture.
Solicit Employee Referrals
Your employees know better than anyone what it takes to succeed in your company. Consider giving them a say in finding the right candidate by welcoming — and incentivizing — employee referrals.
Attend Networking Events
Industry meet-ups and conventions are a great opportunity to network with talent in your industry. Many of these events are now digital, allowing you to join industry meet-ups around the world without leaving home.
In addition, think about reaching out to past candidates or ex-employees for referrals. They will know your company and may know someone who is the right fit.
Enhance and market your EB (Employer Brand) to turbo-charge recruitment
Why should candidates want to join your company? What makes you an employer of choice?
Building your brand as an employer will help you stand out to IT talent. Having a stand-out E.B. can make a critical difference to your recruitment success and bottom line by increasing the number of quality applicants keen to work for your company, reducing your costs per recruitment and helping to differentiate your company from your also-ran competitors.
But how do you create a great E.B. in the IT recruitment sphere? Think about reframing it to include items that will be of bedrock importance to workers in tomorrow’s business world. For example, working remotely, working from home, health and wellness initiatives and your level of digitisation will become increasingly significant in the years to come.
Analyse and understand all the attributes of the right IT candidates
After you’ve completed your research and strategized your recruitment objectives, you might find it useful to focus your desired candidate traits into a few key areas:
Skills: What skills would your ideal applicant possess? This person may possess advanced coding abilities, multilingual proficiency, the ability to speak clearly and effectively, or a knack for bringing disparate people together.
Mindset: In recruitment, mindset is sometimes equally as vital as skill sets. Your organization may decide that a growth-oriented mindset, independence, or a collaborative approach are more important employee attributes than certain talents.
Experience: You should also consider whether your company requires highly experienced individuals or is prepared to invest in new hires who are just starting out. A few years of experience are required in some roles, while others allow for greater on-the-job development.
Make diversity and inclusion a priority in IT recruitment
You can enhance your EB by prioritizing inclusive and equitable hiring practices. When seeing new candidates, consider the diversity of your current teams in all aspects, like gender, race, ethnicity, abilities/disabilities, and age.
Increasing your team’s diversity will improve your business by allowing you to access broader ideas, viewpoints, and problem-solving strategies. Plus, businesses with diverse workforces tend to perform better.
Compliantly hire IT workers
After sourcing an ideal global candidate, you need to do your research to determine how to compliantly hire and classify them. Classifications typically include a regular, full-time employee, part-time employee, or an independent contractor or freelancer.
If the worker is as an independent contractor, be aware of the misclassification risks. The penalties for misclassification vary from country to country and companies face massive fines for non-compliance.
In addition to classification, your company must decide how to compliantly hire foreign workers. There are a few ways to compliantly hire overseas. These options include establishing a legal entity, registering as a Non-Resident Employer, or partnering with an international workforce management company like CXC to register an Employer of Record.
There are pros and cons to each hiring option, so do take the time to seek professional advice before making a decision.
CXC has been providing and supporting organisations with recruitment, immigration, tax, advisory and administrative services for over 30 years. With offices and services extending to over 50 countries, CXC has the resources and scale to help you with workforce management and recruitment all over the world. Why not contact us today to find out more?
