Big data is here to stay, and with it comes a growing need for talented IT professionals. Jobs for computer and information systems managers are expected to increase 15% by 2020.
While this demand for IT talent might have job-seekers licking their chops, employers should buckle down for a recruiting dog fight. The reason? A rise in jobs means a rise in competition for workers, and only companies that differentiate themselves from the pack stand to attract and retain top IT talent.
Here are a few marketing strategies your company can use to stand out when recruiting IT talent:
Consider Your Company’s Brand Image
First impressions are everything. What impression would an IT candidate get from a simple Google search of your company? A few keystrokes and skimming a webpage could be the difference between reeling in a prospect and completely turning them off.
A bad first impression could mean that IT candidate won’t be around for a second date.
With this in mind, it’s important for companies to proactively market themselves – not just marketing what you do and where you’re hiring, either. Think about what your candidates want – many are looking for quality benefits, a great work-life balance and sense of value for what they’re doing. Aligning your company’s brand with those benefits could be the first step in making an IT professional take a closer look at your company.
Personalize Recruiting Efforts
Their day might revolve around digits and data, but that doesn’t mean your IT candidate wants to feel like a number. In the whirlwind of opportunities for talent in the information and technology industries, prospects will go where they feel most valued and like they’re more than just another worker at another desk. Sure, you can tell your candidates that isn’t the case at your company, but making the effort to show their value to your company will stick in their heads a lot more.
“Our company loves us.”
Use the Interview to Present a Career Lifestyle
As much as the interview is a chance for candidates to sell themselves to your company, it’s also an opportunity for you to sell yourself to the candidate. And you can expect the most talented IT professionals to treat the process more like the latter, not the former. As competition for IT talent rises, this opportunity is all the more precious. Employers can take advantage of it by treating the process as less of a one-time sales pitch and more as an illustration of the professional lifestyle they won’t get anywhere else. No two candidates are the same, and they will respond to different career benefits. By having the foresight to look into worker motivations and values, you can optimize your interviews to become comprehensive marketing experiences that clearly outline what a candidate has to gain from joining your company.
Make sure your candidate knows they won’t be getting a lemon of a job experience.
Is Your Company Ready (to Hire) for Big Data?
Big data isn’t going away, and attracting, engaging and retaining employees to manage it will surely be the talk of the town for a while. But optimizing the way your company markets itself will not only put your company in a position for recruiting IT talent – it will also enhance your human capital management for greater long-term success. Download our whitepaper to learn about how strong brand marketing translates to maximum ROI in your hiring efforts.
