Summer: The Time To Work on Your IT Recruitment Strategy

When was the last time you had a chance to properly work on your IT recruitment strategy? Summer brings with it a slowdown in activity for most businesses. Employees, clients and external partners out on vacation; ongoing projects are momentarily put on hold. But good news: you will finally have some time to reflect on how things are going and update your route map.

One of the key steps in this process is conducting a thorough review of your department’s talent strategy. Here are some tips on how to best anticipate your personnel needs and build a solid IT talent pipeline for the months ahead.

Take inventory of your team and outline IT recruitment needs

Where are your projects in relation to the objectives set? What skills are missing from your team? What specialists can you foresee you will need for the coming months? Take the time to chat with your staff and other department managers, then define your ideal team and the profiles to target based on your available budget.

Talking with individual team members will also provide you with more insight into their personal and professional needs and goals. Friendly reminder: ensuring that your existing employees are comfortable and have enough room for development is as important as incorporating new talent.

Evaluate potential IT recruitment strategy partners

Summer can also be a good time to prospect recruitment partners and review existing ones for your IT recruitment strategy. It is important that you take the time to do a deep analysis and avoid making choices in a rush. Choosing the right IT recruiting partner is crucial in today’s ultra-competitive talent market.

When meeting with potential recruiters, make sure you touch on all the technical specifications of your projects and provide as much information on your business as possible. Although a good recruiter will have a good base understanding of your industry and needs, the better you communicate, the more productive your relationship will be.

Think also of the kind of professional that you need. If you are looking for mainly freelance technical profiles, for example, you are better off orienting yourself towards a specialized player who knows well the talent market you are targeting.

Take advantage of a less competitive talent market

Okay: many candidates are on vacation. But recruiters too! This means fewer companies competing for top talent.

It is a good idea to start your search in the months of July-August, especially if you are looking for rare or “short-term” profiles. These positions tend to be fewer in number and will require more time.

In the case of freelancers, many independent consultants are looking for assignments to start with the school year (or even before) and are likely to be in active search during the Summer months.

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Plan your onboardings before for the start of the school year

Keep in mind that things quickly pick up the pace at the end of the Summer. The September rush will probably not give you much time to prepare the reception of future members of your team. Take advantage of this in-between period to review your onboarding process as a whole and outline a cohesive standard procedure.

Whether they are permanent or temporary employees, new recruits must be properly introduced to the company and integrated into the team. Do not neglect the transmission of information and the provision of all the necessary equipment, tools and resources.

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