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November 16, 1998


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Dig Deeper For IT Talent

Technical talent is sometimes hard to quantify-but if somebody's got it, he or she can master all kinds of technology

By Cheryl Currid

When it comes to hiring new people for your IT department, are you hit with the capabilities crunch? Does your company place ads and select candidates based on artificial credentials rather than capability? If so, you might end up with a dual problem--an overpriced payroll and underperforming staff.

It's no surprise that companies find it difficult to attract and retain top IT talent. It's a seller's market, with high-tech skills demanding high starting salaries and bonuses. With more jobs now demanding new skills, you can expect to pay a premium for people experienced in Web design, database administration, and SAP installations.

People who possess hot skills can easily fall prey to loyalty amnesia. I've seen generous salary offers, sometimes 30% to 50% above what people are making in the jobs they currently hold.

But here's the rub: The hiring process at most companies is flawed. To get the needed starting salaries, IT managers end up playing a point game with human resource specialists. In the end, the points needed for a hire add up to an impossible mix of skills.

Consider the case of IT director "Todd Bennett," the mythical representation of several IT chiefs I know. Todd's strapped to the wall with Y2K projects and a growing number of enhancement projects. He's understaffed. Company managers know he's understaffed. He needs to find qualified help for several positions, and he's got the money.

He's been working with his human resources department for months. The HR staffers follow the rules. They place want ads each week--but before Todd ever sees the responses, candidates are squeezed through the "hiring filter," which requires a college degree and a set number of years of experience.

One of the open positions, for a Web designer, requires experience in the field for seven years. Since the Web has been commercially popular for only four years, finding acceptable candidates with seven years experience may prove extremely difficult.

For several positions, Todd recently hired a few people. The hiring decision was based on their credentials. But within days of hiring them, he was struck by their lack of real-world knowledge. Now he has a new problem: getting rid of the certified but incompetent workers.

Todd never saw the resumés of people who are technically qualified but lack a degree or string of certifications such as Certified NetWare Engineer, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, or other engineering seals of approval.

Is Todd missing much? I think he is. Unlike skills in some technical fields, computer acumen isn't always a product of formal education. It is a product of experience, or a curious ability to solve nonlinear problems.

Technical talent is a hard-to-see skill during an interview. It never shows up as a degree. But if somebody's got it, he or she can master all kinds of leading-edge technology.

Certifications, by contrast, define only the ability to memorize facts for a limited area and get them right for a test. For example, the Novell or Microsoft certifications, as good as they are, don't necessarily turn out good network specialists.

Most brand-based network certification tests do not review knowledge of networking below ISO layer 3. But in real life, if you encounter those problems, the company network doesn't work. It's not going to stay up based on the certifications listed on your employees' resumés.

So, what to do about today's hiring dilemma? It may be time to open up the hiring standards and dig a little deeper into people's capability to learn. You might end up with employees better suited to your particular needs, and earn their loyalty for having taken a chance on them. You have everything to gain, and can build a stronger team in the process.

Cheryl Currid is president of Currid & Co., a technology consulting firm in Houston. She can be contacted at cheryl@currid.com.


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