Tips for hiring the best IT professionals

Professionals within the IT sector have the rare fortune of not being in the job market for too long. In particular, the industry’s best get snapped up quickly, which is a hurdle for anyone looking for an elite hire.

These five tips aim to help you take your hiring process to the next level and hopefully, secure the best IT professional possible.

1. Nail the interview process

Before your potential candidate is sitting in front of you, a lot of preparation needs to occur. It’s advisable to do more than one interview, with differing representatives in each stage of the process (for example, the first interview may be a brief, informal chat with someone from the HR team, followed by a more in-depth second interview with the relevant team lead).

This process requires plenty of collaboration to ensure you’re not doubling up on questions. You should also aim to move candidates through the process as quickly as possible, because, again, they may not be on the job hunt for much longer.

2. Remember hiring is a two-way street

The challenge isn’t just in finding the best of the bunch; it’s also making sure your ‘chosen one’ chooses you, too. For that reason, you need to actively sell the advantages of working for your company. Make sure you’re speaking to them in their voice too, utilising the right kind of language that will get them excited for the opportunity.

3. Put their skills to the test

As much due diligence as you do talking to their references and scouring their resume, you can’t fully know an IT professional’s capabilities without seeing it first-hand. Don’t be afraid to test out their skills as part of one of the final stages of the interview process, without making it too labour intensive.

4. Ensure they have good interpersonal skills

Many people don’t recognise the importance of IT professionals possessing strong interpersonal skills. The fact is, they can be the most tech-savvy human in the world but if they struggle to communicate and collaborate with other members of your company, most of the hard work they do is going to be fruitless.

5. Prepare for them starting their new job

It happens all too often; the dream candidate has been found, they have all the skills you’re looking for and more, but then when you put them into the team, they somehow don’t live up to the vision you had for them. Did you miss something in the interviewing process?

At the end of the day, absolutely everyone is going to have gaps in their knowledge and skillset. That is perfectly fine, but you need to be on the alert for these gaps during the interview process. That way, when it comes time for them to be initiated in the team, you can immediately provide necessary training to improve their weak spots.

This process will help them to continue to grow, and help you get the most from your newly hired IT professional. A Master of IT Management prepares you with the skills needed to lead and manage the strategic business and IT objectives, including the recruitment process.

Learn more about this online degree by speaking to a Student Enrolment Advisor on 1300 863 819.