5 Ways to Attract Top Tech Talent, According to Business Leaders

talented technician still in high demandapart from Job loss at big tech companies Threats to job security continue to grow Driven by generative AI and automation.

Despite the tough times, smart business leaders know that knowledgeable IT professionals are key to unlocking the benefits of digital transformation and long-term growth.

So what’s the secret to attracting the best tech talent? Five business leaders offer signature sauces.

1. Have a strategy

Rob Mills, chief technology officer at Tractor Supply, says his organization has three key strategies to ensure it has the talent it needs.

First, Mills said the company “hires diligently” and ensures that the most motivated and best performing staff are given the opportunity to develop and grow.

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“A big part of that effort is our commitment to our team members. It’s not just about learning the business, it’s about how we invest in our team members and grow them within the company.”

Mills says another key factor in attracting talent to Tractor Supply is its long-term vision, both in terms of technology and the people who make the most of it.

“Digital is a big area we are investing in – data, AI, analytics.

Finally, Mills believes that the company can tap into its supply of promising talent, both by building relationships with major universities such as MIT and by attracting untapped talent from local communities such as high schools and community colleges. We make sure to ensure that.

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“We are influencing their curriculum, offering internships, sponsorships, externships and tuition reimbursement,” he says. “Our aim is to help find and develop talent. We attract the brightest and brightest from sources in our local community.”

2. Identify opportunities

Lisa Henegan, global chief digital officer at consultancy KPMG, says a company’s ability to attract talent is directly related to opportunities to learn new things.

“If you look at KPMG, our real strength is that we are at the heart of solving business problems,” she says. “We are a global company that can take on new challenges.”

Henegan said KPMG offers candidates a wide range of practice areas, from audit to tax to consulting. The company is competing with tech giants for digital talent, and it won’t be easy to win.

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The key to success is demonstrating how working for a company like KPMG, which has broad interests across the economy, gives professionals the opportunity to learn how to address big business challenges.

“I show people that they have the opportunity to experience new things, expand their skills in areas they may not have necessarily considered, get closer to clients, sectors, functional issues and get creative,” she said. says.

“For me, the opportunity for engineers at KPMG is to tackle business problems. But don’t get me wrong, this is a very challenging market. It has to create excitement.”

3. Clarify your values

Danny Gonzalez, chief digital innovation officer at London North Eastern Railway (LNER), said a focus on values ​​can show people what a company wants from its employees. , says he also understands why candidates would love the opportunity to work for you.

“At LNER, values ​​are cultivated through a collaborative process,” he says. “These were created by the team that does the business, not management.”

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Gonzalez says one of his key values ​​is to be bold. “It’s about having the courage to take risks within a certain margin of safety. When it comes to what we do as a business, it’s good for us and it’s all about imagining the future. ”

Two other values ​​are important, Gonzalez says. One is to “bring passion”. High-techHe says that in areas like innovation, the ability to grapple with new challenges is key.

Another key value, perhaps Gonzales says he likes best, is “it’s mine.”

“The people at LNER can really own what they do,” he says. “They focus on what we do, have the autonomy to do it, and really own it all the way to delivery.”

4. Get people excited

Simon List, chief information technology officer at the Pension Protection Fund, goes out of his way to show potential candidates that being part of an organization means working on important projects. increase.

“It’s about showing people what we’re aiming for and the journey we’re taking as an organization,” he says. “I think technologists want to know that they are part of a business transformation, rather than just dealing with operational elements.”

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Liste says he has pushed the show-and-tell ethos a lot.

“When we engage with potential candidates, we talk about our values, our strategic plans, what we are working on, and how technology will directly transform our services. It shows how our IT organization influences the direction we take as a business,” he says.

“It’s not an operational activity, it’s an exciting job. They understand the value that technology and digital bring and the impact we’ve already had.”

5. Cast across the net

Neil Poulton, head of development at the BCP Council, says public sector organizations are taking a variety of strategies because funding is tighter than blue chip companies.

“We have an apprenticeship system,” he says. “We accept apprentices and develop their skills through on-the-job training.”

Poulton sometimes seeks out potential tech talent within the industry. And it’s the strategy that helped him find the money, including people from different parts of the organization, including the rapidly-advancing use of Microsoft technology in Congress right now. It also includes those who are active as promoters of

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“He was really good at Power Apps,” says Poulton. “He’s worked his way up, worked in our mailroom, and now has a job in IT. He was someone we didn’t even know we had.”

External recruitment can also play an important role. And, once again, people who join the company are trained and upskilled in the field.

“We have successfully hired two Power Platform developers,” says Poulton. “They have raw skills that we can train rather than go to market and buy people we can’t afford.”