Recruiting myths in IT

Or we need someone that will have to hit the ground running.

Recruiting is more an art than a science, for IT roles is more similar to a wizardry.

There are mainly three kinds of companies in the IT market:

1) The ones that want, to pay less, for a specific role.

2) The ones that, could pay more, but want a clone of an existing employee.

3) The startups, that can pay something, but are looking for a Unicorn every time.

The ones that want, to pay less, for a specific role.

In IT there is always skill shortage of a particular skill, IT people evolve/change their skill every one year or so.

A company have a need in a well-defined area I.E. Sap, they are overworked or someone have left.

The idea is very simple we had payed Jason 45k until he left; we have to find another one that will cost at worst 40k.

The simple question is “if Jason has left and have been in the company for three years” for what reason you could dare to find someone else that will cost less?

The logic is simple: the market is down and we do not have money, unfortunately, it will not work like that and then we have another talk about skill shortage.

The ones that, could pay more, but want a clone of an existing employee.

Let us start with a simple assumption CLONES does not exist, yet at least.

Two companies in the same building, on the same level, doing the same thing, will work differently; is a fact not an affirmation.

For what strange reason two employees have to exist, that are the clone of each other.

Therefore, if you have to get another Mark, because the original Mark is not available, you have to concentrate on the big picture not on small details.

The company employee, called Mark, have a great experience on our custom software for order processing, I will tell you a secret: your custom software is custom, your company is the only one using it, you cannot find anyone that could have ten years of experience on it.

The funny part, on these searches, is that the company is not willing to give away any piece on its “marvelous” yet “imaginary” job description. How it ends usually? The company take a consultant, pay him more than Mark, Mark get to know it, Mark became angry and quit, the consultant will never do a work like the Mark’s one.

The startups, that can pay something, but are looking for a Unicorn every time

Some companies want clones, some other companies want unicorns. The unicorn employee is someone that not exist in the market or not exist at the money offered or in that time of History.

The typical request is somebody that have ten years of experience in a technology that is five years old.

Or the more common : I want certification in PMP and 20 years of experience and 20 years of experience using Agile with a certification in a “custom detailed environment”.

I will debunk another myth “such people doesn’t exists and if they will exists will not work for a startup”