Modern technology has simplified everything that could be simplified, and the recruitment process as well. However, here we see a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the technology sector is one of the most dynamic and rapidly developing, on the other hand, it has its own difficulties, some of which are not solved, but only aggravated with the help of technology. In this article, we decided to talk about common problems in hiring both technical and marketing IT specialists.
Lack of Tech and Marketing Talents
The IT sector is growing like mushrooms after the rain, but we have been observing one interesting trend for several years in a row – the industry is in dire need of highly professional personnel. And this is one of the paradoxes of the IT-sphere as such and the first thing that creates problems when hiring specialists.
The market itself created some difficulties in hiring programmers, in particular, IT outsourcing. Custom software manufacturers, on the one hand, help young professionals enter the profession, and on the other, they develop them very locally.
As a result, a beginner quickly reaches the middle level or even senior, and in fact does not possess the necessary skills, because he jumped along the line of professional growth, instead of developing gradually.
The Poorly Organized Hiring Process
Unfortunately, in a number of companies, this is so. The hiring process is very similar to the bureaucratic red tape that modern companies are so eager to get rid of.
It all starts with the selection of candidates, and very often, the HR manager himself does not understand who he is looking for, but we will talk about this in more detail in the next paragraph. This is the starting point because as soon as the HR manager invited a specialist who is obviously not suitable for experience, technical skills or internal values, this means that he has already spent valuable time and company resources.
And then the senseless red tape begins. At the first interview, the candidate is asked to tell about himself, answer questions that are already becoming a sign of bad taste, like Why do you want to work with us or How do you see yourself in ten years, do a test on time, write a code or sell a pen, describe the most difficult tasks he had to face, pass a psychological test, and so on …
This is followed by an interview with the team leader and the magic phrase “We will call you back”. And by the way, many do not even consider it necessary to give feedback in the event of a negative result.
All these repeated actions lead to the fact that the recruiting process becomes ineffective, and the most challenging candidates have not noticed a good vacancy.
Too Much Automation Without a Deep Understanding of Skills and Knowledge
The work of an HR specialist in IT is shrouded in a halo of romance. It is believed that this is a very special hiring process, which is much more complicated than any other. Many newcomers imagine an HR in IT as wizards who simply must know a dozen programming languages and even be able to use them.
In reality, nothing of the kind is required. An HR in IT is the same HR as in any other field. But here it is important to find a middle ground between absolute ignorance of the profession and the desire to master the entire arsenal of the developer.
The hiring process in the IT-sphere is no less complicated than any other, and requires the HR to get acquainted with the basic concepts of the sphere, but not at all programming skills. However, when the manager lacks this understanding, and part of the process is automated, then this automatically deprives HR of a chance to get these skills by working vacancies and suitable resumes manually. And then we see the picture that we described above – a bunch of bureaucratic red tape with an obviously inappropriate candidate.
Constant Attempts to Save on Salaries
On the one hand, it is a natural desire of the employer to get more return from his employees for less money. However, there is an opposite opinion of experts, which says that the more the company invests in employees, the more the company shows how important its employees are, the more prosperous and safer people feel as employees of this company, the more they invest in work and move the company forward faster. And for the IT sector, this is also true.
However, there is a flip side to the coin. Sometimes the hiring process is limited to the fact that the company sets a clear budget framework for the remuneration of a technical or marketing specialist, not realizing that the skills and knowledge that the company wants to get have a much higher price in the market. This becomes the last stumbling block in the process of hiring IT specialists – they realize how much their work costs and do not want to settle for less.
Difficulties with Finding Candidates Who Will Share the Company’s Culture
Steve Letissier, Head of SEO Departement at LinksManagement says that it’s much easier to find a real professional, even despite their lack than just an adequate person. And to find a person who will be professional, adequate and share the values and mission of the company is even more difficult. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. Let’s add here the attempts of some companies to save on wages, and that’s it – the circle has closed. In this case, it becomes impossible to find the right person, and even if he is found, there is nothing that can be offered to him to keep.
Conclusion
As you can see, we can observe a kind of vicious circle. On the one hand, some HR managers lack professional and technical skills to make the hiring process quick and successful. On the other hand, the market is actually experiencing a shortage of specialists, and in the absence of technical understanding on the part of HR, the task becomes even more difficult. And if we add here the candidates’ salary expectations and the company values that they have to share, we get a comprehensive picture of the tests that HR managers must pass on the path to successful hiring.
Marie Barnes is a Marketing Communication Manager and an enthusiastic blogger interested in writing about technology, social media, work, travel, lifestyle, and current affairs. She shares her insights through blogging. Follow her on Medium.
