The InformationWeek -- Blogs
CIOs Uncensored

Topics:   CIOs Uncensored : Microsoft : Tech Careers

  • Email this page E-mail this page
  • Print this page Print this page
  • Bookmark and Share
  • icon

Help Wanted: Finding The Perfect IT Person


Posted by Marianne Kolbasuk McGee, Sep 2, 2008 03:03 PM

What do IT staff, mechanics, and laborers all have in common? They're among the 10 hardest job titles to fill nationally this year, according to a new study.

IT talent ranked 9th (behind laborers but ahead of production operators) as the hardest job set to fill, according to a recent survey by staffing firm Manpower of 2,000 U.S. employers ranging from small to large companies.

What makes IT jobs so hard to fill these days?

"Everything is super-specialized, sub-specialized," says Tom Christ, lead IT business development manager for Manpower's Chicago region.

Prospective employers aren't just trying to find hot skills in products or technologies like Microsoft .Net or SharePoint, "they're zeroing in on very specific expertise, knowledge," he says.

"A bank isn't just looking for someone with .Net experience in the banking industry, it's looking for someone with treasury experience, too," he says. And with the economy being tight, employers don't have a lot of leeway in developing bench strength.

"Many companies don't have the manpower or time to wait getting people trained, they're wanting very specialized skills from day one," he says.

Here's the full list of Manpower's "10 Hardest Jobs to Fill"

1. Engineers
2. Machinists/Machine operators (10)*
3. Skilled trades
4. Technicians (4)
5. Sales representatives (1)
6. Accounting and finance staff (8)
7. Mechanics (3)
8. Laborers (9)
9. IT staff
10. Production operators

(*Represents ranking in Manpower's 2007 "10 Hardest Jobs to Fill" list.)

Other hard-to-fill jobs under the general "IT staff" banner include those requiring skills related to GPS, wireless, embedded software engineering, Java development, quality and assurance, and data warehousing, says Christ.

But again, having those skills isn't enough. Vertical industry and, in many cases, specific business unit expertise are what's being sought by many employers, he says.

"Everyone is being pretty selective," he says.

That probably explains why so many employers are supposedly having such a hard time filling those jobs.

What sort of talent is your IT organization having a hard time finding? (And are you being just a wee bit too picky, too?)

« 3G iPhone Tethering Plan In The Works? | Main | Walt Mossberg Posts In-Depth Review Of Google's Chrome »



Sign up now for the weekly InformationWeek Blog Newsletter.


This is a public forum. United Business Media and its affiliates are not responsible for and do not control what is posted herein. United Business Media makes no warranties or guarantees concerning any advice dispensed by its staff members or readers.

Community standards in this comment area do not permit hate language, excessive profanity, or other patently offensive language. Please be aware that all information posted to this comment area becomes the property of United Business Media LLC and may be edited and republished in print or electronic format as outlined in United Business Media's Terms of Service.

Important Note: This comment area is NOT intended for commercial messages or solicitations of business.




InformationWeek Chief Of The Year:
Call For Nominations
Know a dynamic, future-oriented tech chief? We're looking for the most insightful, innovative, forward-thinking business technology leader to honor as our 2008 Chief Of The Year. "Tomorrow's CIO" is the theme of our InformationWeek 500 Conference, and of a recent in-depth InformationWeek Analytics Report based on our extensive survey. The qualities identified with Tomorrow's CIO—equal parts leadership, vision, business savvy, technology expertise--are what we're looking for in our Chief Of The Year.

Candidates must be CIOs, CTOs, or VP-of-IT level executives. Nominations will be accepted now through Oct. 31, 2008.

Please send your nominations to: cjmurphy@techweb.com.



Sign Up For The CIOs Uncensored Newsletter
Every Thursday, Chris Murphy and his fellow analysts explore the business, strategy, and management issues most important to IT leaders.

Sign up for our free, weekly newsletter today!

Newsletter Archives


Global CIO Video



  1. Twitter In Controversial Spotlight Amid Mumbai Attacks
  2. Google Round Up: Evil Layoffs, Chrome Speed Test, Street Views
  3. iPhone 2.2 Images Hit The Web
  4. iPhone Firmware 2.2 Breaking Some Apps
  5. Don't Shut Off Vista UAC, There's A Better Way


  1. Cell Phones More Distracting Than Chatty Passengers
  2. WiMax Future Remains Unclear With Clearwire
  3. Texas Instruments Ranked Top MID Platform Vendor
  4. Alcatel-Lucent Could Dump Mobiles To End Pain
  5. Lenovo Offers Hardware-Based Security In ThinkPad Laptop
  6. Qualcomm Ruling Affirmed, Vacated In Part-U.S. Court

 
 

  Ars Technica
Boing Boing
Channel 9 Forums
CRN Blogs
Dr.Dobb's Portal: Blogs
Engadget
Gizmodo
GrokLaw
  Lifehacker
Schneier on Security
Slashdot
TechCrunch
Techdirt
Techmeme
Valleywag

  SEPTEMBER 2008
AUGUST 2008
JULY 2008
JUNE 2008
MAY 2008
APRIL 2008
MARCH 2008
FEBRUARY 2008
  JANUARY 2008
DECEMBER 2007
NOVEMBER 2007
OCTOBER 2007
SEPTEMBER 2007
AUGUST 2007
JULY 2007
JUNE 2007