Hiring IBM i talent, balancing technical skills and market availability; key considerations include onsite vs remote/hybrid work models, leadership support, collaborative culture, technology stack choices (legacy RPG vs modern APIs, Python, etc.), modernization plans, training opportunities (e.g., COMMON events), and the mix of project work versus support roles that affect candidate attraction and retention.
Ensuring Your IBM i Shop Has the Talent for a Bright Future
When it comes to hiring IBM i professionals, there are numerous factors to consider.
As a recruiting and consulting firm specializing on the IBM i platform, we've partnered with companies across various industries throughout the United States for the past twenty-five years.
Our goal?
Is to assist IBM i shops in finding, recruiting, attracting, and retaining the most skilled IBM i professionals. These professionals will help support your company's succession planning, modernization, and digital transformation needs now and into the future.
Ultimately, finding the right talent is a balancing act between matching your needs and the availability of that talent in the market.
Key Hiring Considerations
The process of hiring IBM i talent is influenced by a myriad of factors. The candidate's level of skill, their experience, and their compatibility with your current and future tech stack are all crucial elements.
However, it's equally, if not more, important to consider the non-technical aspects of the role.
Will the position be remote, hybrid, or onsite? Does it require travel, and if so, how frequently? While the retiring IBM i developer might have been responsible for legacy RPG applications, what will the role be for the future IBM i developer? Just because the previous developer had certain roles, it does not necessarily mean that the future hire will have the same responsibilities.
The Challenge of Defining Hiring Criteria
While some hiring criteria are straightforward, others may be more nuanced and challenging to define. Ultimately, every requirement in your search will influence the complexity of the hiring process. Some criteria may expand your pool of potential candidates, while others may limit it.
Striking the Balance
The key challenge lies in striking a balance to ensure that you attract the right talent to meet both your current and future needs. To help navigate this process, here are a few things to consider:
- Onsite: If you're a company in a remote area requiring your IT team to be onsite, attracting talent may be more challenging. If you are in a larger metropolitan area, it might be a little easier.
- Remote & Hybrid: By offering either remote or hybrid remote option, this will significantly increase the pool of candidates that will be available to you.
- Leadership: When we conduct a search, we focus on key elements like the leadership team and IT management. It's easier to recruit for leadership that empowers its staff and offers flexibility and growth opportunities, compared to leadership that is less supportive of their staff.
- Co-workers: A highly collaborative, team-oriented, and friendly work atmosphere is much more attractive than one where developers are unwilling to share and collaborate.
- Technology stack: If your IBM i shop is only developing applications in fixed format RPG and exclusively using green screen and not using or looking to use open-source or modern technologies such as APIs, Web services, Python, PHP or others, it may be challenging to attract a younger generation of talent who is typically seeking work in progressive, forward-thinking companies.
- Modernization plans: IBM i shops that plan to modernize in the future have a clear advantage in attracting talent.
- Training opportunities: Organizations that offer training opportunities, such as sending their IBM i developers to COMMON events like PowerUp or participating in local user groups, will have an easier time attracting talent.
- Project work vs support: This goes hand in hand with both modernization and future technology projects. Companies where the focus is on support vs project work might struggle in finding talent.
In summary:
If your hiring requirements are rigid with little room for flexibility, and/or lack opportunities for modernization and advancement, you may either have to rely on luck or face difficulties in finding and retaining talent.
As you embark on your hiring journey, remember that flexibility and balance are key to attracting the right talent to your IBM i shop.
If your organization is looking to find the best IBM i talent, available in the market, feel free to contact us to schedule an introductory call.
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