How to Keep Your Top IT Talent in an Ultra-Competitive Market

How to Keep Your Top IT Talent

In recent years, the tech sector has been plagued by a revolving-door phenomenon. Because IT skills are in such high demand, employees can pick up and go at any time, leaving many hiring teams feeling like they are on a hamster wheel when it comes to hiring talent. Here are some strategies you can implement to help keep your top IT talent in an ultra-competitive market.

 

Invest In Career Development

IT professionals must be on top of shifting trends if they are to remain relevant in their roles. Continuing education isn’t cheap, and investing in career development programs like company-sponsored training and tuition reimbursement shows you care about your employees’ ability to grow. This fosters both loyalty and engagement, while helping you build a deep bench.

 

Embrace Flexibility

If your company is still enforcing a strict 9 to 5 policy, you’re going to lose out on top talent. Tech pros know better than anyone that there are tools available to them that allow them to work effectively from anywhere. Options like flex time, telecommuting days and job shares meet the needs of today’s top talent. As an added bonus, employees with flexible scheduling options are more loyal, more engaged, and more productive.

 

Onboarding Matters

An employee’s first few days, weeks and months on the job will shape their feeling about their position for the long term. If you set up your new IT team members for success from day one, they are much more likely to have a positive feeling about their job after their first year. Create a process that makes them feel supported and prepared to hit the ground running.

 

Give Them Great Tools

IT professionals are familiar with the most cutting-edge tools in the market. If they don’t have access to those tools, they will feel as though the company isn’t really invested in their work. Additionally, relying on outdated platforms and hardware slow things down, and when it comes to technology, you must be agile and nimble in order to remain competitive.

 

Provide Regular Feedback

IT professionals, especially younger workers, want to know how they are doing. Outdated annual review processes do very little to promote engagement or morale, and they are ineffective at changing behaviors or growing skills. Give monthly mini-reviews where managers check in and provide feedback so employees can build on what they are doing well and correct areas for improvement.

 

Retention Starts With The Hiring Process

If you want to retain top IT talent, you must be able to identify candidates who have staying power. This means paying close attention to the way in which you attract and interview candidates, and you must also focus on cultural alignment throughout the hiring process.

 

Building a hiring program that guards against turnover takes a great deal of time and resources. This is where a professional recruiting partner can make all the difference. The IT recruiting experts at CSS are industry leaders with a proven track record of helping clients build lasting teams. Reach out to CSS today to learn more about how we can help you achieve your retention goals through strategic hiring practices.