A majority of Canadian enterprise executives feel low-tech methods are still the most effective ways to find IT professionals, according to a recent poll.
The survey, developed by Robert Half Technology, an IT consulting firm, found that 29 per cent of chief information officers (CIOs) polled felt old-fashioned employee referrals were the most effective way to discover skilled IT talent. As well, 25 per cent of respondents preferred hiring a staffing/recruiting firm, and 16 per cent favoured the tried and true classified print advertisement.
The 270 CIOs from Canadian enterprises with more than 100 employees who responded to the poll were asked, “Which of the following is the most effective way to find qualified IT candidates? Their responses, including the ones listed above, were: posting on online job boards (nine per cent); participating in job fairs (nine per cent); posting on company Web site (four per cent); and using another method (three per cent).
An additional five per cent said “don’t know” or did not answer.
Stephen Mill, a regional manager for Robert Half Technology in Toronto, says the poll results underscore the importance of developing and utilizing a professional network.
“Technology managers can make their hiring process more efficient by seeking leads from personal and professional contacts, including internal employees and colleagues,” Mill stated. “Tapping these resources reduces time spent filtering out a large number of unqualified resumes from less-targeted recruiting methods.”
While developed by Robert Half, the poll was conducted by an independent research firm. Details can be found online at http://www.roberthalftechnology.com.