In today’s market, technical leaders sometimes have two (if not more) full-time jobs. They must manage their teams, keep projects on track, and maintain all other day-to-day responsibilities. They also must attract, hire, and recruit top talent. Making these strategic hires when done right can help a manager keep her team on track to hit a company deadline. When done wrong, hiring can waste managers’ time sifting through unqualified or uninterested candidates.
Not long ago, a local Portland Chief Technology Officer (CTO) faced this obstacle when her team was responsible for a high-profile software project. This critical path deliverable was required for the company to achieve its goals for the year. The board and CEO of the company expected timely and reliable results.
To execute on this project her team needed a skilled Software Architect to join the project. After asking herself, “How do I choose a software architect? And what should a software architect do?” she began combing through resumes.
COMMON HIRING CHALLENGES
She faced challenges that many hiring managers struggle within this talent market:
- Understanding the needs of the team and the project
- Researching the key skill sets needed to be successful
- Writing an accurate and attractive job description
- Keeping timely communication with candidates
- Asking the right interview questions
- Responsibly weeding out unqualified candidates
- Pursuing top talent from competitors
- Thoroughly vetting candidates
- Making competitive and timely offers to applicants
Like other technical managers, her focus on the interviewing and hiring process caused her other work to suffer. To keep her project and her team on track she began working weekends and evenings.
USING YOUR NETWORK
When she reached out to her network of CTOs and tech leaders about these common challenges, they referred her to ProFocus.
After meeting with ProFocus team members to address these key challenges in the hiring process she introduced ProFocus to her team, the work environment, and the project details. This deep dive into the company culture and project requirements helps to consult companies efficiently provide services and helps avoid wasted time.
Using their established network of technology professionals, ProFocus was able to compare skillsets from their current clients, quickly write a compelling job description and reach out to top talent in the area. This efficiency was applauded by candidates that were tired of the slow hiring process and lack of communication from overwhelmed managers.
ONE INTRODUCTION
As the ProFocus team narrowed in their search, the CTO was able to focus on her project and her team. ProFocus worked to find several qualified candidates before presenting only their top Software Architect candidate to the CTO. This candidate fit her key requirements:
- The candidate had the right skill set and tech stack.
- The candidate had enterprise-level experience.
- The candidate was within the project’s budget.
- The candidate added to the company culture.
- The candidate was vetted and ready to start immediately.
The CTO and her team completed the high-profile software project on time and with critical improvements thanks to the Software Architect. This short-term contract allowed the company to achieve its critical goals for the year, earning the CTO praise from her team and executives.
“We…have been very pleased with the service, the quality, the professionalism, and the attention to the needs of our business that [the ProFocus] team provide. It is a very personalized approach, and the quality of candidates has been exceptional. If you are looking for a great, local IT staffing firm, I highly recommend ProFocus.”
– CTO at an enterprise corporation headquartered in Portland, OR.
Technical managers and executives can’t always afford to waste time attracting, vetting, interviewing, and hiring the top talent on top of their full-time career. ProFocus partners with companies of all sizes and industries to help leaders overcome the challenges. Connect with our team today to learn more about our experience helping companies in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
