5 simple ways to get more talent into Tech
- Write clear job descriptions using layman terms
This sounds like a no brainer but I can’t count the amount of times I have tried to decode a job description because of the language used (which is often internal to the company) and this is the same for many people I know. If you clearly describe the skills you are looking for you may get a larger candidate pool.
2. Attend Career fairs for faculties other than Computing & Engineering
Art & Design faculties also have degrees associated with technology such as multimedia programming and visual design. Moreover, if you are looking for data scientists you may want to check faculties such as the Social Sciences where students tend to be well versed in languages such as R.
3. Look closer to home
One thing I have always found amusing is the large request for project managers when many companies have great project managers which they refer to as ‘executive assistants’ or ‘personal assistants’ right under their noses! Assistants are probably the most organised people I have ever met and with a bit of training I am sure they will be perfect for the job. (N.B. I refer to project management roles which manage stakeholders and etc rather than technical project management as it may take a few years of training or experience depending on their background).
4. Hire technologists into HR
You may find that you do have diverse talent applying to your company BUT your HR staff may be rejecting them due to them not meeting your age old criteria such as a Computer Science degree. The benefit of hiring technologists into HR is that they are more likely to discern whether the ‘non standard’ experience of the applicant is transferrable to the role up for offer. Moreover, they can then teach their colleagues on how to do so too so your company does not miss out on talent.
5. Create an INCLUSIVE company culture
I was going to name this one encourage diversity but if your company culture is not inclusive then you will not retain diverse talent. Word of mouth is one of the greatest advertising tools and if your employees speak well of you then you are bound to attract talent.
