Results

Maintaining stable technology systems is critical to the success of most businesses. The team in charge of IT plays a critical role, and there is plenty of competition out there for top tech talent. If your IT staffing challenges have you reaching for the aspirin bottle, here are five strategies to relieve the pressure.

• Know who you need.

Create a job description for each position you have available. Resist the temptation to recycle old ones. Use them as guides, but remember that technology changes quickly, and requirements for old positions have likely evolved. Initially your job descriptions will help you identify and prioritize must-have skills, streamlining your candidate search. As you begin to interview, the descriptions will also help you recognize the right candidate for each position – and more importantly, the wrong ones.

• Assess internal capabilities. Document staff strengths and weaknesses by doing a skills survey. You’re likely to uncover capabilities you didn’t realize your team had. This analysis may pay for itself if you can expand existing team member’s responsibilities rather than making a new hire. You may also uncover areas of weakness that can be addressed through professional development and training. The survey may also reveal that an outside vendor with specialized skills may be all that’s needed to complete a project.

• Analyze costs. Compare the cost of finding and training an internal resource to the cost of an outsourced solution. Many times the annual retainer of an IT service provider will be less than the salary and benefits paid to a full-time employee. And the service provider is likely to have deeper talent and expertise to apply to your needs so you won’t be out-of-pocket for ongoing training.

• Cross the Border – carefully. Research an offshore solution, and if it offers financial benefits, weigh them against the challenges of working at a distance. Consider cultural differences, time zones and communication patterns – when will you hold that weekly conference call? One strategy for tapping into off-shore savings without sacrificing standard work processes is to work with a domestic company with resources in other countries. Their international connections often bring expertise to the table that would be unaffordable to bring on staff.

• Consider an international hire. Investigate international staffing firms. Not only will they find candidates for your position – they’ll often do all the paperwork, hire the candidate themselves and subcontract the worker to you. This releases your business from cross-currency payroll headaches and immigration issues. Or, if you prefer to hire the candidate directly, some firms have in-house immigration attorneys to assist with the process of obtaining a certificate from the Department of Labor and petitioning Immigration Services for a visa.