Jay Elliot, a former Apple senior vice-president, commented on top IT talent, “I noticed that the dynamic range between what an average person could accomplish and what the best person could accomplish was 50 or 100 to 1”. Given that, you are well advised to go after the cream of the cream … “A small team of A+ players can run circles around a giant team of B and C players.” (Jay Elliot – Leading Apple with Steve Jobs)

That’s a great argument for hiring top people. But where do you find them, and how can you be confident that you’ve made the right choice.

The top IT companies are likely to have good people knocking at their door. For everyone else, there’s a fight for top talent. So it’s essential to present your career opportunities in a positive light.

Attract Great Candidates

Taking a cue from the big names, it’s important to build and communicate your own reputation as an innovative, progressive company with great clients. Talented IT professionals want to work in a stimulating environment, where they can put their skills to best use on projects with cutting edge technologies.

Don’t forget the benefits. With widely reported skills shortages in the US tech sector, top talent is in big demand. You need to have a good benefits package and offer, together with training and career development opportunities.

With the right offer you can attract top talent. However, if you have a specific vacancy, you can save time and effort by working with a firm specializing in IT recruitment. They may have potential candidates already on their books, or they can carry out a search for you to identify candidates.

Use a Specialist Agency

There are two main options. You can work with a recruitment firm that specializes in IT staff, or an IT firm with a staffing division.

IT firms understand what makes a good candidate, because they have experience of hiring and retaining staff for their own operations. Their practical working insight and day-to-day experience of working with IT talent, can provide an important advantage when recommending a candidate for your business.

VTG has a simple philosophy based on that dual experience as an IT firm and staffing agency – If a candidate doesn’t meet our high standards, they certainly won’t meet yours.

To put that philosophy into practical use, VTG believes it’s important to first agree upon goals and profiles with clients, then screen candidates on a number of factors related to those goals.

Trust Stringent Screening Procedures

Candidates should have a broad knowledge of infrastructure and applications. Depending on your current environment and future plans, cloud skills and experience may be important. Technical expertise is a must, but the candidates must also demonstrate flexibility and an ability to work effectively in teams.

Depending on their role, candidates should have good strategic experience, as well as practical day-to-day operational skills and expertise. To support that, they must have up-to-date certification from your system vendors.

Meet the Right Candidates

By dealing with reputable agencies that specialize in the IT sector, you can be confident that their strict screening procedures, will provide you with candidates that meet your high standards and take your business forward.

More Information

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