The workforce today looks drastically different than it has in previous years. Covid-19 pandemic aside, technology has slowly been pushing traditional jobs to the wayside and talented tech employees have become high in demand. This has resulted in many hiring competitions between companies over who can find and retain the most talented workers.
Besides the fact that tech workers deal directly with the fields that are guiding the future of work, they are also far more flexible in their day-to-day tasks. After all, there is a reason why big tech companies are reportedly in no rush to bring their employees back to a physical office. There is no one single reason for why tech talent should be hired because the reasoning is so extensive. Identifying top tech talent and hiring them before the competition will become increasingly important to building a workforce that can help your company thrive in the future of work.
Look to Trade Schools and Bootcamps
Two forms of education that are often overlooked are trade schools and bootcamps. These differ from a traditional four-year path in that they offer short-term, but intensive programs that prepare students for a specific field. According to reports, trade school enrollment has risen to about 16 million students per year, which means there’s a surplus of skilled tech workers if you look in the right area.
Thinkful is a fantastic example of such a trade school, as it offers tech-specific courses ranging from full stack development to UX design. While a traditional four-year path is still a popular choice, those who choose to attend a trade school are people who are in the midst of changing careers.
This fact means that they likely have some level of work experience which gives them an edge over potential competition. Bootcamps are similar to trade schools but are typically even shorter and offer courses that train students in a specific skill, rather than career. Regardless, both are smart options when deciding where to find top tech talent.
Connect with College Students at Job Fairs
As mentioned, pursuing a degree from an accredited university or college is still an extremely popular choice among younger individuals. Far too often, however, companies rely on students reaching out to them. Getting an edge on the competition and connecting with students at events such as job fairs is a great way to attract tech talent to your company.
The downside to sourcing tech talent from a source such as a college is that freshly graduated students most likely have little to no experience. With that said, job training is an important aspect of any company and the raw talent of an employee can be sculpted for a specific job.
There are varying levels of college degrees and attracting those pursuing a master’s degree is likely the smartest path. Most students pursuing this degree take night classes and attempt to secure a day job. Reaching out to these students may help attract top talent to your company.
Offer Competitive Salaries
On the topic of retaining talent, money talks and there is no doubt about it. Tech workers are set to become very high in demand and will achieve salaries to match that demand. In fact, studies of the tech industry by PayScale showed that wages within the entire industry grew 2.3 percent year-over-year in the second quarter of 2019.
It’s slowly becoming clear that higher salaries will be demanded by tech workers due to the unique and impactful skills they can bring to the table. For perspective, a programmer’s salary at the beginning level is about $50,000. While they aren’t exactly making millions, that number grows rapidly within just a few short years.
When attempting to attract high levels of tech talent to your company, you need to be prepared to provide a salary that will make an employee stick around. Otherwise, they’ll just turn to one of your competitors who understands the value of their skills and pays more.
Conclusion
No matter what industry your company is in, tech talent will be applicable to your field. Even if it does not seem apparent now, the integration of technology into the workforce will make it so that no industry is untouched. Getting ahead of the curve and hiring talented tech employees now will help you to soar above the competition and have a leg up on the future of work.
ES