Attracting and retaining top tech talent - Part 1

If we know something for sure is that talent matters. It is not by chance that Steve Jobs used to highlight the importance of building teams of top-notch talent. In his words, a small team of A+ players can run circles around a giant team of B and C players. He was right; studies have shown that high performers are 400 percent more productive than average ones, and in highly complex occupations —like software development—high performers are an astounding 800 percent more productive.

It was also Steve Jobs who said it doesn't make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do, and once again, he was right. The importance of hiring top-notch talent relies on more than just performance; it’s about the engagement and quality that talented assets can bring to a company. This is why nowadays, talent is highly valued and scarce; therefore, it the difficulty in attracting, retaining, and replacing it.

As the economy and job markets are heating up, we are currently facing what is known as a “war of talent,” aka an increasingly fierce competition to attract and retain employees to fill highly skilled positions. In this sudden need for talent, workers have the upper hand, and companies that prioritize their employees’ happiness and motivation will be the ones to win the battle. But you don’t have to go to battle alone! We have gathered three useful tips to help you in your quest to attract top-notch tech talent.

Focus on your EVP

According to the Harvard Business Review, 41% of employees in the global workforce are considering resigning from their roles, and 36% of those leaving their roles do so without having their next job in place. Therefore, it the importance to focus on your Employee Value Proposition, also known by experts as EVP. Simply put, EVP is the set of assets and benefits you can offer your employees in return for their skills and experience.

Remember that today’s workers not only want to feel invested in their job, but they also want to feel that their employer is as invested and shares their values. On that note, it is crucial for you to have a stronger EVP than your competitors so that you can attract and retain the best talent. Don’t know where to start? Focus on these three assets to make your EVP a game-changer while attracting talent.

Stand out from the crowd. Most employees have four fundamental requests on their wishlist, a great job, a great company, outstanding leaders, and big rewards. Therefore, most companies will base their EVP offers to resemble these needs, which will ultimately make most EVPs resemble and therefore be difficult to catch the eye of job seekers. We recommend you to stand out on one dimension (while not ignoring the others); if a legend leads your company, use that to attract talent, or maybe you can offer great benefits and focus on that. 

Target your audience. Having an overall EVP for the general audience is a great strategy; however, the game changer is creating an attractive EVP to win that 5 percent talent that will deliver 95 percent of the value. For example, if you are trying to attract developers, focus your EVP on offering creative tasks and a rapid career progression.

Be realistic. You should always work on the most attractive EVP you can. However, be sure not to promise things you won’t be able to deliver later on. Employees today won’t base their trust solely on what you promise them; they will research, from social media to reviews on sites such as Glassdoor, how it is to work in your company. If they find out your EVP is unrealistic, they will turn their attention to someone that delivers.

Nearshore

Since talent is so valuable and scarce, you might think companies would know how to find it and where to look for it. Well, think again. As the global tech industry keeps booming, American companies rely on a continuous influx of professionals and the growing number of job demands. On that note, nearshore has become an increasingly common practice for many companies in recent years. By doing it right, nearshoring developers can be a fantastic way for businesses to improve efficiencies and increase their bottom line. 

Nearshore gives you the advantage of accessing larger pools of tech talent, expanding your reach to attract them. For example, turn your eyes to Latin America; the region has become one of the main hubs for tech talent and software development for companies that are looking to find outstanding talent. Due to its ever-increasing number of tech graduates and new developers, LatAm has become the perfect place to look for engineering talent. From proximity to the U.S. to an extended young workforce, hiring developers in Latin America has plenty of advantages for your business.

We recommend you start by finding a local partner that is well-established in the region; this will help you spot the best talent right away and save you time and resources. 

Share your Success Stories

It is true what people say, “a good reputation is more valuable than money.” Therefore, if you want to attract talent to your company, it is crucial for you to build a strong reputation within the industry. A great way to do this is by sharing your employees' success stories inside your company. To do this, you can ask current team members how they have transformed their careers at your company and the valuable assets they have at work. 

Don’t be shy to share on social media, articles, and blogs all the testimonials that could highlight how amazing your company culture is and its outstanding leadership. You should focus on how your organization is invested in its workers and all the learning and development opportunities it offers. Celebrate the tools and technologies that help your employees grow and share how they have moved forward in their careers; remember, your employees are your most valuable resource.

Don’t get left behind in this “war of talent” follow these tips, and you will be on the other side of the staffing game. We know it might sound kind of daunting, so we are here to help! Contact us and learn more about our IT staffing solutions. We will be more than happy to introduce you to how you can build your ideal software development team and boost your product’s growth.