The race to attract IT talent is on! But if you are a company with a smaller budget, paying an increased salary is not always possible. Plus, with the cost of running a business increasing on what seems like a weekly basis, budget pressures are being seen across the board. But it isn’t all bad news. There are ways that you can still attract IT talent without increasing your salaries.

Here’s our thoughts –

Need to attract IT talent? It isn’t all about pay!

Despite what the news is reporting about IT salaries right now, candidates don’t usually accept a job purely based on salary. Great news for companies on a budget! Each and every business is unique. Whether it’s location, office environment, or team members, identifying what makes you different is key when it comes to attracting talent. And if you don’t know the answer to this question, you can ask your team. Do you currently run a company survey? If not, maybe it’s time you did. You can find out a lot about what makes your company special, why people stay, and sometimes why people are looking to leave.  Why are you losing staff. If indeed you are? You’ll find that it’s not all pay related. Same applies to attracting candidates.

Take a look at your workplace culture

Diverse workplace cultures are key. In fact, Glassdoor report that 3 in 4 job seekers say that diversity is a key consideration when accepting a position. But it’s not just when it comes to attracting IT talent. A recent report states that companies who focus on diversity in the workplace are 36% more likely to have above average financial returns for their industry. But it’s not just improvements in business performance that you will experience. What about the human element? A diverse and inclusive company atmosphere can help you to attract new talent. Additionally, it can help you to retain the team you have.

Benefits are possible for all

We understand that not all businesses can afford the more traditional benefits like healthcare, contributing to pensions etc. There are other ways to be able to offer benefits to your teams. It’s now common practice for many companies to offer flexible, hybrid or remote working. Things like this will still make a difference. Candidates now expect flexibility. Is this something you are offering? There are also lots of other things you can offer. Candidates are very keen to be able to upskill. Whether that be with official on-the-job training, or external training courses. This doesn’t have to be seen as an extra cost. What skills can your company benefit from. Alternatively, what skills do you have in-house that you can pass on to a new starter?

Are your employee reviews preventing you being able to attract IT talent?

With the number of vacancies in the UK at record highs, the power is well and truly in the hands of the candidate. This means that great candidates are receiving multiple offers at the same time. Therefore, they are likely to do their due diligence before choosing which role to accept. When was the last time you looked at your online reviews. Websites like Glassdoor are a great source of information for any prospective candidate. What does your profile say about you. It’s important to respond to any reviews online – both positive and negative. This shows that as an employer you take your employee satisfaction levels seriously. With more 3 in 4 job seekers saying that culture and diversity are important when choosing a new job, is it time that you made some changes?

Use an IT recruiter

Would you like help to recruit the best IT talent? Is it time to engage with a specialist IT recruiter? Partnering with an agency is a great way to help ensure that you are able to attract the best IT talent in the market. Additionally, someone who fits within your budget. There are many benefits to working with a recruiter –

• Advertise your vacancies across a range of job boards
• A strong database of candidates – built over the last 20 years
• Access to all the CV databases of the major job boards
• Proven shortlisting process to identify top talent
• Advice on the market / salaries / benefits etc

If you would like to know more about how partnering with Langley James can help you recruit someone worth recruiting, get in touch with our team today.