In today’s fast moving world, technology seems to be the buzzword. Every sector, industry and every enterprise is seeking fresh talent with sharpness, alacrity and an expertise much better than it’s competitors. With ever increasing demands for technological experts, it is indeed becoming a task to find the right talents for the right industries. The Information Technology field in particular which has taken the world by storm faces this crunch fiercely. There is a tough competition among the hiring companies to hire the best talents in the industry. On the one hand, freshers are enticed with high salaries that seem enormous, and on the other, the experienced staff often walk away with outrageous office perks. So what can the organizations do in order to upgrade their creamy layer of top tech talent?

There are numerous views and strategies of experts who seem to have come up with certain guidelines for recruiting the top talents.

Keeping in touch with tech talent is very essential. In order to achieve this, attending meet ups regularly is a must. Such meetings are often the right places to find smart and interesting personalities that suit the company’s needs. Building relations play a very important part in recruiting talents. Another enticing factor is offering referral incentives to current employees. It is a fact that if the current staff is really happy working with and for the organization, and they feel taken care of then they are sure to refer the best people. Similarly, referral cheques are an added bonus.

Social media and social networking is a boon in the present days to find potential candidates. Instead of looking just at the resume of a prospective candidate, it helps to go beyond and check the candidate’s social media profile like LinkedIn and Twitter. This helps in formation of a relationship too. A requirement posted on a friend’s wall on a social networking site is bound to get reposted or tagged and hence attracts many more applicants. The fact that these sites are free makes it even more helpful. Most people especially in large companies aren’t fully engaged with their jobs or satisfied. So instead of waiting for a talent to seek a company, the company can hire a talent through a professional network like LinkedIn. Finding the one with the right credentials, getting in touch with them through a private message makes the whole job of finding the right talent very interesting. It also becomes a flattering experience for the candidate who is more excited about the interview process rather than someone who has found an opening scouring the internet for jobs. Likewise advertising through a popular medium like You Tube creates an interest and curiosity. A video that incorporates the techies of a company helps the candidates get a fair idea as to how the team functions, the type of people in the team and the company culture.

As and when a need arises, it is important to hire ‘quickly’. It is understandable that the company cannot hire the first candidate that walks in but at the same time, eligible candidates cannot be asked to wait for months together for a response. Also extending certain additional facilities for female staff that are immensely talented widens the chances of hiring the best.

Some companies believe that marketing through the current staff go a long way in influencing recruitment. Sending out current employees to networking events to spread the word about the company, sharing their positive testimonials and having them speak to the candidates in the comfortable space and technical language makes it convenient for a new candidate to walk in confidently. Candidates could be attracted to a company sometimes by showing off a company’s present staff. Also through this, a personal connection with the company gets established even before the candidate actually joins.
Some recruiters strongly believe that professionals often have strong personalities and are used to being sought after rather than seeking out. Hence making contacts in the local communities and tapping the local market enhances the chances of getting the right talents at the right time.

Helping the employees to develop new skills is also critical to attract top talents. Information Technology is one of the industries that move very quickly and it is imperative for the staff to keep themselves updated and relevant.

A few years back, hiring offsite employees with great technological expertise was a difficult task. But these days, advancements like cloud computing and video conferencing have opened doors to hiring remote staff. Hence geographical proximity is no longer a necessity to hire the best talent. The search could be easily expanded far and wide.

Stealing top tech talents from top companies with salaries and perks works but not always. It is always better to let them know that you are genuinely interested in hiring them. If they are unable to join, it makes sense to ask them if they can refer equally strong and committed candidates like common friends, ex-colleagues and so on. This would increase the network too.

While these were a few tips to recruit fresh talent, it is equally important to retain the existing talent. While most companies are busy looking out for new talent, they should not allow the existing employees to slip away because there are other employers constantly enticing bright talents. Promotions and perks for the existing employees would go a long way in retaining the ‘Brand ambassadors’ of the company.