According to a study by Numeum, nearly 79% of digital companies cite a lack of talent as the main obstacle to their growth. IT service company are obviously among the first to be affected. In an environment where rapid innovation and project complexity demand highly qualified teams, talent recruitment is a strategic issue.
What techniques work to attract and retain the profiles that are vital to the competitiveness of IT service company?
We take stock in this article, with our partner Tool4staffing.
The major challenges in IT service company recruitment
An unprecedented shortage of IT talent
ESNs, formerly known as SSII, specialize in the provision of technological and IT services, ranging from digital strategy consulting to the implementation of complex IT projects. They employ a large number of consultants specializing in cutting-edge areas of expertise such as infrastructure, cloud, ERP, web development, IT security and data, putting their skills to work on their customers’ projects. The problem is that these profiles are extremely penurious!
According to the Institut Montaigne, 85,000 job vacancies in “core” digital professions are currently unfilled. And the shortage is particularly acute in certain specialized fields of expertise: in cybersecurity, for example, 15,000 expert positions are open but unfilled, according to Wavestone.
As a result, companies are engaged in a veritable war for talent, and competition among ESNs is fierce.
Difficulties in attracting and retaining talent
IT service company suffer, despite themselves, from a bad reputation. For many candidates, these companies represent unattractive working environments, with low salaries and a lack of corporate culture. And while IT service company still manage to attract junior, school-leaver talent, they struggle considerably to attract senior profiles. It is essential for them to develop their employer brand to attract candidates.
Retention is also a major challenge for IT service company: the turnover rate is between 17 and 25%. In addition to recruiting to launch new projects and sustain growth, IT service company must constantly recruit to replace employees who have left the company.
Best practices for successful IT service company recruitment
Use the right recruitment strategies and channels
IT service companies need to adopt a proactive approach to recruitment. They can’t just post vacancies and wait for applications to come in. Instead, they need to target passive candidates– those talents who are not actively looking for a new job, but who may be open to new opportunities.
The star technique is sourcing: identifying qualified profiles and inviting them to join the recruitment process.
Co-optation is another powerful strategy. By offering their employees the opportunity to recommend candidates they know (usually in return for a bonus or other benefits). Thanks to cooptation, IT service companies can save precious time on sourcing, and ensure they recruit quality profiles at lower cost. Co-optation is also a very good way of developing your employer brand through your employees.
Finally, IT service companies are also well advised to explore other strategies, such as recruitment events or partnerships with schools, to multiply their talent acquisition channels and reach more potential candidates.
Attracting new talent
In addition to leveraging the right recruitment channels and optimizing their talent sourcing strategies, IT service companies also need to work on their image.
They must pay particular attention to :
- Their employer brand, by cultivating a distinctive identity, offering optimal working conditions, and highlighting their culture and values.
- Their candidate experience, with transparent communication, constructive feedback and a personalized approach.
- Loyalty, by fostering the ongoing development of their employees, creating a positive working environment, and maintaining regular follow-up to strengthen the bond between the company and its talent.
Digital solutions that make IT service company recruitment easier
Even today, many IT service company are content to use digital recruitment tools with limited functionality. Some, for example, stick to the recruitment module of their ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) or HRIS (Human Resources Information System). But these tools are not designed for talent acquisition, and are therefore ill-suited to the task.
Fortunately, there are solutions available to facilitate the complex work of IT service recruiters. They enable you to source, attract, assess and recruit talent more efficiently, while integrating fully with other corporate tools.
With Tool4staffing, for example, IT service companies can optimize their candidate sourcing by automating the sending of contact and follow-up messages. They can also take advantage of their talent pools by obtaining matches thanks to semantic artificial intelligence, and they can improve their candidate experience by setting up a dedicated portal and pre-qualification chatbots.
And of course, with Keycoopt System (a solution integrated with Tool4staffing), IT service companies can digitalize their co-optation program, thanks to a collaborative platform that enables them to animate their talent communities, reinforce their employer brand, and turn their employees into true ambassadors.
By adopting these innovative solutions, IT service companies gain a considerable competitive advantage in the race for specialized talent, and put all the chances on their side to recruit the best profiles!
About Keycoopt
Keycoopt is a collaborative recruitment solution. The solution enables employees to digitalize and manage their co-optation program and Internal Mobility strategy via a white-label platform. It enables employees to: apply, recommend a person in their network, and share job offers on social networks.
