Don’t Miss Out On Your Next Excellent Entry Level Hire
As a recruiter and career coach consultant, one topic that comes up often is the years of experience required for entry level jobs. Many job requirements that are posted are causing some confusion, being labeled as entry-level, but requiring two years of IT experience; hardly entry-level hiring in IT. This may be due to old job descriptions being used from years ago, or someone not double-checking this information before posting it. The reality is that there are tremendously talented and capable people who are Upskilling into technology via college degrees, online certifications, and IT boot camps who could be your next great hire. These professionals might be getting missed if the job descriptions do not truly represent what you are targeting.
In my experience, people who bet on themselves are the people you want to bet on as well. During the Pandemic, many people decided to Upskill by learning IT skills and pursuing technology as a career. According to Expert Market Research, the global IT training market size reached a value of about $68 billion in 2020. The market is expected to grow roughly 6.2% during 2022-2027 and is projected to reach a value of approximately $97.6 billion by 2026.* These people have years of valuable life experience in other areas, such as hospitality, manufacturing/production, auto mechanics, and other traditional human-required roles. When they realized they wanted to make a change, they made the choice to take the time (hundreds of hours) and make sacrifices to get education and training to pivot into an IT-related career. Many of these folks are looking for a hand-up, not a handout, and just need a chance. I have personally seen an unwavering loyalty to organizations and hiring managers who gave these new IT professionals a start when they are getting calls from recruiters offering the next job; this in turn helps employers decrease turnover and improve employee retention numbers.
As we’ve seen, it took a lot of risk on the part of these “upskillers” to move into the IT field. They’ve gone through rigorous training and been held to very high standards. When they start their first IT job though, a solid training plan can accelerate their success. Companies that can develop training programs to enhance the skill of their new “upskillers” will have a vast pool of candidates that other companies will not.
I would also suggest you validate the training they received, that the institutes are accredited and respected. Many local and national credible training providers offer Upskilling, but just like anything, it’s best to confirm by doing some research first. Check to see if they have a career services department. You can often meet the people before they graduate by offering a workshop or a lunch and learn. These students quickly remember those companies that engaged with them during their studies.
There are many ways to solve your immediate hiring needs and not blow your budget. We are seeing paid-to-train programs that many state governments will compensate you for bringing this talent on full-time. Check those out. You can also partner with an IT staffing firm to start people out on contract or contract-to-hire engagements. The people who bet on themselves are also open to non-traditional hiring practices and are looking for a “foot-in-the-door” to prove that they are your next great hire.
There is definitely a war for talent within the IT industry. Make sure you keep all of your options open on attracting great talent.
* https://www.expertmarketresearch.com/reports/it-training-market