InformationWeek

That means user companies in Northern California must compete for talent with both dot-coms and powerhouse technology vendors such as Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, and Sun. "Who wants to work for a bank, for example, when you can develop Web software?" says Phyllis Klees, a principal in human capital advisory services for Deloitte & Touche.

At the same time, and for many of the same reasons, the area is a lifestyle challenge for some people, says Victor Janulaitis, president of management-consulting firm Positive Support Review, in Santa Monica, Calif. "San Francisco is simply unattractive for entry-level employees because there's a high cost of living, expensive housing, and terrible commutes," says Janulaitis.

For user companies, that means keeping up with escalating salary trends and sign-on perks, as well as paying attention to quality-of-life issues for workers. In its battle for IT talent, financial-services firm Charles Schwab & Co. is combating some of its San Francisco obstacles on a number of fronts. The company attempts to contrast itself to risky, yet potentially lucrative dot-com employers by playing up its stability as a traditional brick-and-mortar financial-services firm. Schwab also offers a long list of employee perks, including flexible work schedules, telecommuting, and concierge services, says Schwab VP of technical staffing Kristen Hunsaker. Also, as alternatives to telecommuting and commuting from home, Schwab has set up dedicated, remote "hoteling" offices that let workers avoid the commute into downtown San Francisco and work from Schwab offices closer to where they live. Schwab has such offices in Pleasanton, Calif., about 40 miles southeast of San Francisco, and Walnut Creek, east of the city. The offices feature fully furnished facilities and technical support; employees use them "one or two days a week, or a month," says Hunsaker.

While these tactics are helping Schwab to attract and keep IT talent, the company realizes that all its IT personnel needs can't be met in California alone. In addition to its West Coast facilities, Schwab has tech workers in its offices in Akron, Ohio; Boston; Jersey City, N.J.; and Orlando, Fla.

Finding Talent:
Lifestyle, Location, And IT Dot-Coms Fuels Struggle For Talent In Northeast The West Presents Some Lifestyle Challenges	The South Looks Far And Wide For IT Workers Companies Find IT Talent In Out-Of-The-Way Places Demand For Talent Grows In The Midwest

Illustration by Jim Dandy