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What does it take to hire and retain technical talent?

Finding and keeping talented IT employees isn’t easy as IT departments take on more responsibilities.
By Denise Dubie , Network World , 10/11/2007
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IT managers say now more than ever they struggle to find qualified IT employees and to keep key talent on staff, while tasked with delivering ever more services to the business.

The concerns certainly are not new, but they are growing in importance, according to the Society for Information Management (SIM). This week the organization revealed that "Attracting, developing and retaining IT professionals" topped its annual list of IT management concerns, ahead of financial woes related to reducing costs and technology-related worries such as security and privacy. SIM reports that IT managers are experiencing staff turnover rates of less than 10% this year, which is far lower than years past, and that attracting talent worries most because of a dwindling resource pool.

"The challenges with attracting talent stems from a pipeline of qualified candidates that isn't as large as the demand companies are seeing for new people, which is a good thing for our discipline," says Jerry Luftman, SIM's vice president of academic affairs. "It's good news that the amount of resources being demanded from IT are on the rise, but it's happening at the same time a large number of workers are leaving the workforce."

As a result, IT managers say they wrestle often with the challenge of hiring people that fit well into their organization in the hopes they won't lose the talent quickly.


How one manager deals with dwindling IT talent pool.


"I do worry about getting IT talent in house. Ours, and many other [human resources] departments that are not within a technology company, do not set salaries in relevant ranges," says Michael Nix, assistant director of communications technology for IT Services at the Kansas University Hospital Authority in Kansas City, Kan. "It is often a battle with HR to ensure the position is properly classified and compensated. As the market picks up, there is a greater demand and higher salaries, and we are often behind that power curve."

Adding to the hiring challenge is the fact that fewer computer science, information systems and technology graduates are entering the job market while several veteran workers are planning for retirement

Top 10 IT management concerns for 2007
IT managers are taking issue with more than just employee retention, according to the Society for Information Management.

Top IT management concerns
1 Attracting, developing and retaining IT professionals.
2 IT and business alignment.
3 Building business skills in IT.
4 Reduce the cost of doing business.
5 Improve IT quality.
6 Security and privacy.
7 Manage change.
8 IT strategic planning.
9 Making better use of information.
10 Evolving CIO leadership role.
Click to see: Top 10 management concerns

"There is a concern regarding an aging workforce, and the province expects to lose close to one-third of the IT workforce through retirement over the next few years," says Martin Webb, manager of data network operations, Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services, Province of British Columbia, Canada. "With new housing starts on the rise, there has been a large focus on careers within the trades. This has taken away from the emphasis on IT, and the local colleges have seen a drop in enrollment — which has resulted in a reduction of available new talent."

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RE: What does it take to hire and retain technical talent?By Debbie Joy on October 12, 2007, 9:26 amBecause we are an outsourcing company, many of our employees come to us via the outsourcing contract, so they did not choose to join CSC and don't like the feeling...

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IT talent: Skills vs. company cultureBy Steve Moore on October 12, 2007, 9:28 amI think it is a concern in trying to get the right mix of IT skills with someone who will fit into the culture at my company. We can train anyone on the technology...

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Depends on the skillBy Arun DeSouza on October 12, 2007, 9:29 amThere is no “one size fits all answer”. It depends on the IT function. Traditional technical services functions such as Microsoft Systems Engineers, Administrators...

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Why fewer are choosing IT as a careerBy Mike Nix on October 12, 2007, 9:32 amWe have a huge pool of resources that have left IT because of all the roller coaster rides as the Internet bubble burst, and many got tired of the uncertainty. If...

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Fewer IT talent resourcesBy Martin Webb on October 12, 2007, 9:41 amThe net result is a declining skilled workforce and the challenge of bringing on new resources and being able to provide the necessary training and knowledge.

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Incentive to stay with a companyBy Debbie Joy on October 12, 2007, 9:43 amMost technical people are not primarily motivated by dollars, but more by interesting work, recognition of their achievements by both peers and management, and continual...

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