Tired of seeing empty chairs where IT team members should be? Having been helping business fill these seats and helping my clients get IT done over the last 20 years, I get it. The IT talent gap is larger than ever and the need for companies to innovate is crucial. In this article I'll share some thoughts on how to shore up your own IT staffing and get those chairs filled.
IT Staffing Challenges in the Cincinnati Corridor
The challenge of getting quality candidates in and around Cincinnati and Dayton is not unique to the area. We all need more candidate options, lower salaries, and higher technical experience. The talent gap is real, and it's impacting us all. Acknowledging that there is an ever-widening gap between what American enterprise needs in IT talent and what is available is the first step in bridging it.
Some tips on bridging your own company's IT talent gap:
- Get involved with regional schools, educational institutions, and technical schools. Get your company's name known among the faculty and students.
- Make retraining and continuing education a part of a long term retainment strategy. Avoid the pitfalls of today's work force where the average worker has over 12 jobs in the course of their first 30 years in the workforce.
- Open your company up to retirees, as well as older and wiser employees. These IT workers can be more reliable, better experienced, and are less likely to job jump.
Connect with Local IT Education Initiatives
Developing high profile tech companies is a hot topic across the country. This has prompted entrepreneurs and business development organizations to push for greater IT vocation development through programming classes and coding boot camps. Here's a few local organizations that are prompting a new way of thinking for you and your company's IT staffing needs:
- University of Cincinnati's School of Information Technology
- The national Girl Develop IT program is alive and working in Cincinnati
- The Software Guild is a for-profit enterprise that is expanding in the US that provides intense coding boot camps. Starting in Akron, Ohio, it is now available in Louisville and Minneapolis with recent additions to online capabilities. It also employs a 90% job fill rate after only 12 weeks!
Support and Participate in Local IT User Groups and Forums
- TechLife Cincinnati
- CincyTech USA
- Cincinnati .Net user group
- JAVA user group for Cincinnati
- Cincinnati Google groups JAVA forum
For more insight and tips, check out this article on the latest IT Staffing Trends
About the Author
Theresa McKinney has over 20 years of experience in multiple technology stacks and repeatedly ranks in the top 5% of sales performers each year. She is dedicated to deliver on promises, ensure consistency, and achieve results. When she isn’t at work, she enjoys rooting for the Cincinnati Reds and attending local concerts on both sides of the river. Connect with Theresa on LinkedIn today.
Or, would you prefer a free lunch? Then request for a free lunch one-on-one with Theresa where she can better understand your business' challenges.
