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Friday, November 05, 2004
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Tech workers can be recruited in Southern Nevada
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The demand for quality high-tech candidates in Southern Nevada is strong and competition for top technical talent will increase as the economy and employment markets continue to heat up.
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Jo Ca Ho Sear
In our own search practice, we have seen a 42 percent increase in senior-level technical searches over the past quarter. Employers recruiting technical talent to Southern Nevada must be proactive to overcome formidable perception challenges that are unique to this market. While "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas" is an extraordinarily successful advertising campaign for tourism, it does not do wonders to help attract family-oriented candidates for high-level tech jobs. The image of Las Vegas as a 24-hour party town can hurt recruiting efforts on both a regional and national basis.
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The fact is that despite the many obvious advantages to relocating here, the perceived "Sin City" stigma can mean an automatic "no" in the minds of many prospective candidates based solely on the imagery they consistently see on television and print advertising. Piggybacking on the imagery issue is the misconception many outsiders have that the only jobs in Las Vegas are those related to hotels and casinos. True, the hotels are major employers in the economic landscape, but they are far from the "only employers" in the market. The fear of being stranded in a job market dominated by the service sector can be daunting for a high-tech candidate considering relocation.
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How should business owners successfully overcome these perception challenges when recruiting the best and brightest away from other markets? By managing a well thought-out recruiting strategy. Local employers recruiting technical talent must not only remain competitive with other employment markets, they must seek out a strategy that will help them secure the best talent available to meet their goals and objectives. Form a team approach to recruiting. A cohesive and targeted recruiting effort starts and finishes at the top of the "executive food chain." Hiring the best talent available mandates that senior-level managers take ownership of their individual team recruiting efforts. Weekly or monthly meetings should have a discussion period concerning recruiting efforts, including success and failures. Ownership of the process means senior managers must educate their team members in not only interviewing skills, but also "selling skills" that enable mid-level and even junior members of the organization to be advocates for the company. Stock
Develop a strategy to "sell" Southern Nevada. Initiate substantive discussion on the "real" qualityof-life issues here. Take candidates going through the recruitment process to areas outside of the Las Vegas Strip. Dinner at a high-end strip club may be attractive to conventioneers, but it is not necessarily appropriate for a senior-level IT director candidate with three children and a devoted
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wife in California.
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Above all, thoroughly educate candidates about the benefits Las Vegas still retains over other possible employment markets. We do have affordable housing. We have no state income tax. We have low property taxes. All these and more should be readily discussed and documented for prospective candidates.
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More technical jobs are available in the Las Vegas market each day. The opportunities are out there for both candidates and employers. As an employer, understanding your sales proposition to prospective candidates will allow your organization to recruit and secure the highly desirable technical candidates that will make a difference to your bottom line. Consider hiring from outside your industry. Understand and appreciate the fact the skill sets are transferable from industry to industry, especially in the high-tech arena, and perhaps a fresh vision will unearth unseen potential. While at times it may prove comfortable and convenient to hire from within your current industry, often the best candidate for the job comes from outside your "comfort zone" due to deeper talent pools, top tier candidates thriving on challenges and fresh approaches to old problems. William (Bill) A. Werksman is managing partner and principal shareholder in Resource Partners and the owner of 65 proprietary career-related Internet sites. He may be reached at 702-248-1028 or by e-mail, bill@careerinsider.com. Print this story Email this story
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