Employers urged to snatch up job seekers quickly

Signs of a skills shortage have begun to emerge in the IT jobs market and one recruitment expert has recommended that businesses develop more efficient recruiting processes to help secure the best quality candidates.

Regional director of Hays IT, Peter Noblet, said the turbulent market over the past 12-18 months has made employers picky, with many taking longer to make decisions regarding potential hires.

He said businesses that do not move quickly could lose the opportunity to recruit staff during a skills shortage, particularly in candidate-tight areas, because most are receiving more than one offer.

“If we talk to a candidate and they have an offer through us, we ask them where else they’ve gotten an offer, to manage expectations between client and candidate,” Noblet said. “It used to be that they’d say they have nothing else, but now we’re finding they have one or two more offers in the pipeline.”

Businesses should not move quicker to the detriment of their own processes, Noblet added. Rather, they should ensure their recruitment process is robust.

“Make your recruitment process a priority if you get a good person through the door,” he said. “In most cases, such candidates are not available for long.”

Tips to speed your company’s existing recruitment process:

• Put deadlines and timeliness in place
• Set aside time to undertake necessary interviews and fully inform other necessary staff members of your plans
• Manage the expectations of other hiring managers
• Manage the expectations of job candidates, be transparent about your timeline
• Work with your recruitment company to manage those expectations.

IT job ads decreased slightly in January, down 0.28 per cent, and fell behind the national average, according to the latest results released earlier this month by the Olivier Job Index.

Across the board job ads rose 3.59 per cent according to Olivier, growing faster than the previous two Januaries.

Meanwhile, a recruitment expert has warned job seekers to stop focusing on job security to obtain a more rewarding career.

Recruitment firm Hudson last week released its latest ICT salary guide, which showed recovery in the IT jobs market could begin to take its toll on contract positions.

The 2010 ICT Salary Guide predicted that companies will reduce their contract positions in favour of permanent staff this year.

The guide also revealed ICT projects put on hold during 2009 will pick up again.

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