Trying to fill an IT job opening? Speed up the hiring process

It is not hard for an IT professional to land a great job in the D.C. market right now — great news for career advancement, but not so good for companies competing for IT talent.

“We are finding that the top candidates on the job market right now are able to entertain multiple offers,” Matt Deneroff at staffing firm Robert Half Technology’s D.C. office told WTOP.

With plenty of offers for would-be workers to choose, companies are competing to be the most attractive. Often times, though, that’s just not possible.

A Robert Half survey of IT managers in the Washington area found the top three hurdles to filling their openings are compensation (or just not being able to pay as much as competitors), competition with other, often larger and more desirable companies in the city that recruit all the good candidates and speed to hire.

Small companies can actually use that to their advantage.

“Smaller companies can differentiate themselves by moving quickly from the interview to offer stage,” Deneroff said. “They typically have fewer stakeholders involved in the hiring process so they can move more quickly.”

Getting hired in D.C. takes longer than any other city in the nation, according to a 2017 Glassdoor report — an average of 32 days generally, and an average of 54 days with a defense contractor.

For companies that can’t match on pay, they might want to step up the perks. While salary remains the number one consideration when job seekers choose an employer, perks go a long way too.

“They can offer fun perks and remote work and highlight the benefits of what makes them unique as a small company,” Deneroff said.

Robert Half also suggests companies that don’t think they can be competitive on salary should reconsider what they are offering by staying up to date on what the going rates are for various IT positions.

Robert Half has a free, downloadable job salary guide for both companies and job seekers.