Identifying and Attracting Tech Talent
Technology is disrupting every industry in the workforce and the skills required by employees are changing drastically. With that change, potential employees are finding sources to gain those necessary skills. The best course of action for any company is to acquire skilled tech-based workers who can prepare it for the future.
With that in mind, there are a number of sources these workers can be sourced from. However, in today’s day and age, education has been changed by technology as well. Specialized forms of education exist for people beyond their college years. This means that, if sourced from the right areas, companies can acquire highly-skilled tech workers who also have extensive work experience. So, where can these employees be found and how can they be retained?
Bootcamps
As alluded to, the number of specialized education paths are increasing by a large margin. One of the most useful skills that you should look for in a future employee is coding skills. Coders essentially utilize a number of coding languages to write software that tells a computer what to do in a certain situation. With the number of online businesses on the rise, the demand for this skill has been and is only going to increase.
Fortunately, coding has become a skill that anyone can obtain. Through the use of specialized bootcamps, people can graduate with an extensive knowledge of code within a matter of months, or even weeks in some cases. Limiting your recruiting to simply a traditional four-year college or university reduces the number of potentially talented employees you may find.
Trade Schools
The other fantastic option for sourcing employees with extensive tech-based skills is by utilizing trade schools. Mentioned earlier, the number of people pursuing a variety of online degrees in many fields is increasing exponentially. Technology has made knowledge available for anyone who has the desire to learn and opened up doors that were previously locked.
Trade schools are a great place to identify tech talent because their curriculum is specifically centered around one field that is often related to tech. Regardless of what job openings you have, it is more than likely that trade schools have students pursuing that field, or at the very least pursuing the skills needed to enter that field.
Be a socially responsible company
Millennials top performers are hard to retain. In fact, a Gallup study shows that 21% of millennials say they've changed jobs within the past year, which is more than three times the number of non-millennials who report the same. One of the best ways to keep your young top talents is to make sure your values align with their goals.
Millennials want to feel they contribute to a fairer world. They want to feel they are part of something that is making the world better for the future generation. They would accept a lower paycheck if they are working in a company that gives importance to social impact and adopt environmental, social, and corporate governance.
Modernize the Workplace
With employees today, one of the biggest gripes is an unmodern workforce. Shared Space discussed how modern workplaces with flexible and open spaces for employees to wander led them to be much happier. There is a reason that tech companies such as Google refer to their buildings as campuses rather than offices.
Though not always, talented tech-employees are usually younger and more dynamic than their older counterparts. This change in mindset has resulted in different expectations for the workplace and one of those expectations is an office that feels less like an office and more like a creative space.
Millennials value the attention their company is giving to their health and wellbeing. They value workplace wellbeing initiatives such as discounts to fitness centers and achieving a better work-life balance.
Adopting a bleisure travel policy is an efficient way to attract and retain young highly skilled employees. Allowing bleisure travel for sales representatives and tech consultants on the road helps your company stand out in the recruiting process and attracts millennial top talents, who value authentic experiences and the opportunity to develop cultural competencies.
Conclusion
Every aspect of the workforce is going to be disrupted by technology. Whether it be the employees themselves, what offices look like, or the day-to-day tasks, nothing will look the same in a few years.
Preparing your company for this change by acquiring highly skilled tech talent and retaining them through modern workplaces is the best way to set yourself up for a bright future.