Speed Is Today's Best Talent Acquisition Strategy

Speed is the new watch word in hiring, especially in the tech sector. To secure the most desirable candidate, act fast, or your competition will snatch top talent from your grip.

IT staff remains the second hardest professional group to fill, outpaced only by skilled trades, such as electricians, carpenters, welders, and plumbers. And, research shows that 76.7 percent of software developers are already employed full time.

"Most candidates today have multiple offers on the table," said Phil Mosca, Branch Director, at Elite Technical.
"But there are steps you can take to help secure the candidates you want."

Improve the Odds of Securing Top Candidates

1. Decide your hiring timeline in advance to ensure the right people will be onboard when needed. Provide your staffing agency or internal recruiter with an urgency assessment that aligns with your decision schedule.

2. Confirm your budget allocation in advance. For help determining pay rate, ask your staffing partner for information on fair market rates, or visit sites, such as Salary.com, for insight. Expect pay scales to vary based on talent availability and geographic market.

3. Write very specific position requirements. Make sure job descriptions clearly convey exactly the requirements you need to your internal recruiting team, IT staffing partner and candidates.

4. Check schedules of your interview team in advance. Then, review candidate submittals promptly. Schedule interviews with your top candidates as soon as possible.

5. Establish a Rating System. List criteria that will demonstrate skill, appropriate attitudes, behavior, experience, judgment and cultural fit. Create a checklist for proof of special licensing, training, or security clearances and other requirements for easy reference and standardized comparisons.

6. Organize for success. Streamline the steps in your interview process by trusting your staffing vendor( s) to appropriately screen candidates for you. This is part of the service you pay for. Eliminate time-robbing rounds of interviews by combining your technical and manager interviews into one step. If you require onsite interviews, first conduct the in-depth technical interview by phone or Skype. A staffing agency who can rapidly submit attractive candidates can help you shorten the lengthy search-and-interview process to a two-step interview sequence that can be completed within 5 -10 business days, enabling you to win the talent race.

7. Make a competitive offer. Salaries are rising for competitive skill sets. Be cognizant of current rates for the talent you seek. Make an offer in line with the market. Also, get creative. Companies are again offering signing bonuses, performance-based bonuses and other benefits, such as training, to attract and retain expert talent.

Elite Technical’s IQS Recruiting Process takes the guess work out of candidate selection. Developed over 25 years of experience with IT and Engineering staffing, this process results in candidates with the skills and experience to help companies speed up productivity and profitability.