If you’re looking to hire IT talent, you know it’s not simply business as usual. Competition is fierce. The good news is that, as IT recruiters in Houston, Murray Resources can tell you that if you rethink your approach to recruiting, you can uncover hidden technical talent and hire the IT people you need, where and when you need them. Here are a few tips on how to do that:

Ask for Referrals

When you need talented IT professionals, the first place you should start is by asking your existing IT staff for referrals. They’ll likely know people not only looking for jobs, but those with the right technical skill sets and background. You also may want to create a referral program or offer financial incentives if you do end up hiring someone an existing employee refers. Doing so will help you build a pipeline of qualified technical talent when you need to hire.

Create a a Twitter Search

Another question to ask your tech team besides whether they have any colleagues to refer is which Twitter hashtags to look out for when you’re sourcing candidates. Once you create a list, set up accounts with social monitoring websites, such as HootSuite, to learn about online conversations using those keywords.

Narrow Your Search

LinkedIn is a great place to start when you’re looking for IT talent. However, you need to go beyond the site in order to be effective with your efforts. One way to do that is by using online collaboration sites to narrow your search. These sites speak to a specific skill set such as Google Code, Working With Rails and Stack Overflow. When you narrow your search, you’ll have a much better chance of uncovering candidates with the skills and experience you need.

Create a Recruiting Program With Local Colleges

Your next best IT hire may still be in college. So don’t overlook these up-and-comers when you’re searching for technical talent. To tap into new college recruits, set up an internship program with your local college or colleges. Also, connect with any IT or computer engineering clubs at the schools so you can get on the radar of the members there and try to forge relationships with them.

Go to Competitions

Find out when technology and programming competitions in your area are and plan to attend. When you do, these contests give you a front and center peak into the IT talent within your community and an opportunity to network with them. To find out about events in your area, look to websites like Meetup.com.

If you need more help uncovering hidden technical talent – so you can build the strongest IT team, give Murray Resources a call. As experienced IT recruiters in Houston, we can give you access to the highest quality talent, whether you need a programmer, project manager, or desktop support personnel. Contact us today to learn more or get started.