How to Close the Widening Skills Gap Quickly

The impact of emerging technology quickly outpacing expertise in the field is not a new idea. The silo walls that once existed are breaking down, creating a critical need for soft and hard skills often found well outside of typical specialties in the technology sector.

The IT industry has been hit hard by this growing “skills gap” – including marketing and salespeople (think of data-driven decision making and automation technology, for example) – resulting in a shortage of talent in the market as well as a disconnect with IT recruiters who fail to keep up with the changing industry skills set.

In addition, because the average recruiting cycle to hire marketing and sales staff is approximately 30 to 45 days (generate from 5 to 10 qualified candidates per position), many IT solution providers miss out on business opportunities that present themselves at a time when there is not adequate personnel to take appropriate steps to capture them.  

With these factors in mind, there are a few things solution providers can do to stay ahead of the curve to attract top talent while minimizing time, money and effort wasted throughout the hiring process.

Given the time required to conduct multiple interviews, screenings, and reach out to references, many companies find that retaining a recruiting firm that specializes in their industry more than pays for itself.  Today, there is highly sophisticated recruitment technology that allows firms to access applicant databases to quickly pull potential candidates from active pools in the most efficient way.  The most successful firms will maintain ongoing contact with applicants they have interviewed and/or placed, and keep up to date records on experience and certifications that may have recently been gained.  Moreover, by creating a sense of community among its successful applicants, the firm has a built-in network to recommend other colleagues that may be excellent candidates themselves.  

IT organizations can also make early inroads into the supply-demand gap by developing programs that identify promising sales and marketing professionals internally and offer them on-going training and opportunities for advancement.

No matter which solution your organization chooses, there can be no doubt that closing the skills gap will be of critical importance for the foreseeable future.  

Want to learn more? Contact us for a free assessment of your firm’s recruiting needs and to learn how TSRM Group may be of assistance.

by Keith Mintzer