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The Right Staff

Several times recently, I’ve gotten questions on hiring or on working with consultants. We actually published a small booklet on working with consultants, that includes what you should expect working with individuals or with an agency, Best Practices for the IT Consulting Industry — you can download it here.

However, as this question seems to reoccur with each new budget cycle, I thought this month I’d provide a summary of some key things you can do to increase success regardless of whether you’re looking for staff or consultants:

Create a Detailed Requirement – The more exactly you can describe the particular job, the better. Is this primarily a management or a subordinate role? Do you expect a leader or a follower? Do you have educational requirements and if so, does certain business experience also qualify? What specific tasks will this individual perform? If this is a contract, what are your projected start and end dates? Think about who has been successful doing similar tasks for your company, and try to itemize the attributes that contributed to their success.

Prioritize the Skills You Want – Do you need three years of on-the-job management skills, or will someone with academic credentials and a little business experience qualify? Does the writer need HTML? Or is good writing more important to you than specific tools? What technical skills are essentials, and what skills would be "nice to have?" Prioritizing what’s important to you gives a broader field to search for what matters most. If you list everything without prioritizing, only a few candidates will be eligible and you might miss the perfect match.

Specify How Soon You Can Interview and Hire – If you can’t interview for several weeks, you may lose candidates who are interviewing elsewhere. If you don’t have budget or hiring authority yet, let everyone know up front. Then people can match their timing to yours. Being clear up front about when you can interview and when you can hire makes it easier to find candidates who are available when you want them.

Give Feedback on Resumes – If you receive resumes from an agency that aren’t right, let the recruiter know why. What was missing that you wanted to see, what gave you concern? The more detailed your response, the easier it is to find the right candidate. The more responsive you are—both speedy and clear responses, the more likely you are to stay at the top of the recruiter’s list and get the best they have to offer. If you’re responding directly to candidates, let them know why they are not a fit—aside from being reassuring to the candidate, they may have omitted something on their resume that is key to you, and this gives them a chance to let you know.

Be as Flexible as You Can – Flexibility in hours, telecommuting options, benefits, and salary are all factors candidates consider in accepting an offer. The more flexible you can be, the more attractive your position. Make sure you understand what’s most important to the candidate, and ask for their help to create an offer that works for both of you.

And of course, if you use an agency, they should be a trusted partner, one that understands your needs and guarantees its candidates and its services.

I’m glad people are hiring again! Good luck with your search.