Information and communication technology (ICT) professionals are one of the most sought-after talent in Malaysia and around the world. Whether it is cybersecurity specialists or full-stack developers, with the digital transformation across all industries, companies are looking to expand their information technology (IT) team or deepen their technology capabilities.
Survey data and insights from the Randstad Malaysia Employer Brand Research captured candidate expectations to help companies improve their talent attraction strategy and perception of the employer brand.
what does tech talent want in an employer?
1 in 2 candidates said they wouldn’t work for a company with a bad reputation – even with a pay increase. This is why investing in employer branding is a tried-and-tested strategy for companies to attract and retain top tier candidates.
To gain a better understanding of ICT professionals and the technology industry, we took a deep dive into tech employees’ new expectations, and what they look for in employers and at the workplace.
what ICT professionals look for in a company.
4 key takeaways for technology hiring managers in recruiting IT professionals
Employers need to create both a short and long-term talent strategy to attract and hire ICT professionals. The game plan would help employers determine their immediate skills demand and plan for their future talent needs.
1. build and promote your diversity agenda
Many technology companies, particularly global IT firms, have hired a diversity team to drive change in their organisations. They are responsible for attracting more people of different ethnicities and genders to join the world of technology.
It is critical for companies to develop a workforce diversity strategy to promote their employer brand. According to McKinsey’s 2020 Women in the Workplace study, women want to be able to succeed professionally while balancing key priorities such as family care and parenthood. Companies could also consider creating employee advocacy groups for individuals from diverse backgrounds to share their stories safely and educate others.
This multi-pronged approach can provide more touchpoints and case examples to potential candidates who are attracted to diverse work cultures.
2. be flexible in offering work-life balance support
Everyone has taken a step back last year to reflect on what’s important to them in their lives, and that is to be able to provide a better quality of life for themselves and their loved ones.
Remote work and having a flexible work schedule have allowed employees to spend quality time with their family and friends, and they don’t want to give it up. Since the start of the pandemic, some ICT professionals have gone above and beyond what's expected of them to deliver on new projects and meet tight deadlines. According to our research, 12% of ICT workers in Malaysia worked their bandwidth to complete the projects last year.
Tech companies in Malaysia need to learn from what has happened in the past few months to create new working structures and HR policies to prioritise their employees’ welfare. Instead of going back to the former 9-to-5 structure or expecting employees to work overtime, employers need to speak with their employees and conduct regular pulse surveys to understand how they can better support their staff.
3. promote and align your company’s vision
Only 8% of all ICT professionals surveyed changed employers in 2020. Workers choose to stay with their employers for many reasons, such as having the opportunity to work on revolutionary projects or be a part of a high-performing team. One thing we’ve observed in the study is that ‘attractive salary and benefits’ is hardly the only EVP factor that drives workers to make a life-changing career decision.
Hence, companies must build meaningful relationships with their workforce as well as understand what motivates their employees and align them with the company’s growth vision. Organisations that have an exciting growth vision to change the world of technology and can align their employees to meet the same goals are more likely to have a larger number of candidates to choose from.
4. have a strong social media presence
The 2021 Randstad Employer Brand Research revealed that more and more job seekers are using digital channels such as LinkedIn, Google and social networking sites to search for jobs. These IT candidates are also interested to find out more about the company’s latest technology and read employee reviews on Glassdoor and Facebook to understand if the organisational culture fits their personality and working styles,
Successful companies usually have a strong brand image. HR teams should work closely with their marketing team to boost their online brand and social presence as well as find out what are the social media platforms that are commonly used by the target market to develop dynamic and relevant content in fulfiling their target audience.
download the digital copy of the 2021 employer brand research - ICT sector.
let us help you find your top-notch tech talent
In an ultra-competitive market, finding great ICT talent is challenging, but it’s not impossible. The great news is, with an effective tech recruiting strategy and access to an extensive network of talented candidates, our specialised IT recruitment consultants are always up for a challenge.
We help companies from start-ups to global multinational companies find tech talent such as software engineers, data analysts, developers, cloud infrastructure, project managers, testers and more. Connect with our consultants and let us know how we can help you drive your future workforce.