PROVIDENCE – Over two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses continue to identify hiring and staff retention as a top issue. For information technology and enterprise employers, these challenges can be particularly pressing, said Laurie White, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce.
To address issues prevalent in the IT sphere, as well as general hiring woes, the chamber hosted a virtual discussion on Wednesday afternoon with Chris Caccia, director of Enterprise Data & Analytics at IT-focused professional services firm the Maxfield Group.
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To hire and retain the right employees, businesses need to strike a balance between their own needs and their potential employees’ preferences, Caccia said, and also acknowledge changing workforce trends.
While employers have traditionally highlighted long tenures among their employees, for instance, Caccia said, many of today’s job seekers in the IT sphere are more interested in opportunities than decades-long stability.
“You have to look at it in terms of advancement,” Caccia said. “You’re seeing individuals stay with companies for two, maybe three years … individuals are title driven or money driven,” and want advancement opportunities.
For employers who haven’t updated the software or other tools they work with in 15 years, that could spell trouble, Caccia said, as candidates can see this as a sign of stagnancy.
And on this note, a candidate who has “jumped around” between multiple jobs may also not be cause for alarm, Caccia added.
But the top question job seekers bring up with the Maxfield Group is one common across all industries: Is the job remote, hybrid or entirely in-person?
With many employees preferring a remote or hybrid options, Caccia advised companies to remain flexible as long as employees demonstrate productivity.
“If they’re doing their job,” whether that’s within a 9 to 5 timeframe or during less traditional hours, “it comes down to, treat individuals like adults,” Caccia said.
Caccia noted that while he personally prefers working in the office, “knowing I have the flexibility (for remote work) is really life-changing.”
The most pressing complaint that the Maxwell Group has fielded from candidates, meanwhile, is a lack of resume feedback. Job seekers want closure, Caccia said, even if it’s a rejection letter.
“There’s nothing that will put a bad taste in an individual’s mouth like never hearing back,” he added. “A lot of folks say, ‘I applied to that company once or twice, I never heard back, I’ll never apply again.”
By fostering this attitude, Caccia said, employers may be alienating candidates who, while not the right fit for a current open role, could be the ideal candidate for a different position that opens at a later date.
Caccia also encouraged companies to consider proactive hiring, or working with agencies that reach out to employees who would be a good fit for an open position, but aren’t currently job hunting.
“A lot of these folks that we find aren’t actively out on the job boards,” Caccia said, often because, in a small state like Rhode Island, they fear that their current employer will find out about their job search.
Meanwhile, he cautioned employers against pushing too hard to find a “purple squirrel,” a term for a candidate who doesn’t, or rarely, exists due to unrealistic job requirements. And when employers do find the right candidate, they need to move fast before another company scoops up their potential employee.
“With the market the way it is, these folks are flying fast,” Caccia said, “so … your process needs to move quickly and efficiently.”
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
