Dive Brief:
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More than 40% of CIOs say salary demands — specifically, an inability to meet them — is the top barrier to securing the best IT job candidates, according to a new survey from Robert Half Technology. Not finding enough qualified applicants and not being viewed as an "employer of choice" were the next largest barriers, at 33% and 21%, respectively.
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More than 40% of CIOs also said the hiring process takes too long. On average, it takes 4.5 weeks to fill a staff-level IT job, according to the survey of over 2,500 tech leaders.
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From the job candidates’ perspective, the slow-moving process is the most aggravating part of the process, which 57% of candidates cited this as the most frustrating component of the job search. Almost 70% of candidates said they willing to wait two weeks to hear from the employer before losing interest, according to a previous report by Robert Half Technology.
Dive Insight:
Not only is it a challenge to retain current staff members, but organizations also struggle to find skilled IT professionals who can help advance the business. Given the shortage of tech talent, companies want to ensure all their recruiting efforts count.
Meeting salary needs is a tough nut to crack for companies on a tight budget, but there are other things that can be done to improve hiring processes. To keep job seekers engaged, Robert Half suggests keeping the process moving by staying in contact with the job seeker and letting them know where things stand and when to expect the next step (assuming there is one).
Listening to what a prospective employee says are his or her biggest perk priorities is also important. Flexible schedules are a leading priority for tech employees, ranking just after competitive pay and benefits, according to a recent study from EY and a June survey from CompTIA .
Remote work options are also high on the list, according to a Stack Overflow developer survey. Wellness and self-care allowances ranked closely behind, according to Tech Republic's round-up of tech employee desires.
