Java, cloud, .NET, PHP, Ruby, SQL, No SQL. Those are skills vital to any insurance company seeking to excel in today's digitized markets. It is still possible to find and attract highly qualified tech talent who specialize in these key skills. You just need to be able to immerse yourself in their world.
That's the word from Elizabeth Millard,
Millard provides three tips:
Participate in the tech community: Be a part of local technology events and user group meetings, Millard relates. Even better, sponsor a conference event. The costs of sponsorship will be far lower than running recruiting ads, while making your company's name recognizable as a workplace friendly to techs. To add icing to the cake, send tech staff members to the event.
Make tech jobs more attractive: Technology professionals tend to be fiercely independent, and are not necessarily attracted by salaries alone. They seek the challenges of learning and implementing new forms of technology, and want the discretion to do so. Highlight that in job ads as well—avoid job descriptions that sound limited and too specialized: “If you’re not getting any candidates for an open position, it might be because the definition of that role is too narrow,” Millard says.
Encourage social media interactions: Tech professionals live on social media, and this is the best way to reach them, both before and after they are hired. The idea of social media as a primary communications channel may run counter to some corporate cultures, Millard points out: “Many companies still see social media like Facebook and Twitter as time killers in the office environment, and a major threat to productivity,” she writes. A company with a repressive, anti-social media work environment will also be known—and avoided—across a community. A company that recognizes social media as the fuel of business, on the other hand, will gain a positive reputation across the networks.
Joe McKendrick is an author, consultant, blogger and frequent INN contributor specializing in information technology.
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This blog was exclusively written for Insurance Networking News. It may not be reposted or reused without permission from Insurance Networking News.
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