HR partnership key to combatting IT talent shortage- Valutrics

IT skill set, reconsidered

Indeed, one of Carver’s strategies is to reconsider the skill set required by positions within IT. “It used to be that we were only going to hire people with four-year degrees,” he said. “That’s no longer true.”

Certain entry-level IT positions don’t require computer science expertise, Carver said. He pointed to log file triage, responsive programming and working the help desk as examples. “[Help desk] requires some degree of technical skill,” he said, “but really requires communication skills, coordination skills, an ability to work within a team.”

These nontechnical hires do require training, but the training can come from internships, certificate programs, coding camps and organizations like Year Up, a one-year study and work program for urban youth. “I love computer science and I love computer science majors, but there are more jobs than we can fill right now and there are great candidates that can come from programs like Year Up,” Carver said.

Broadening who gets hired — and how they get hired — has been a win-win for Carver. He has found new avenues to fill entry-level IT positions, and his new hires often receive the kind of training they need for subsequent jobs, he said.