Category: Hiring an IT consultant

IT Decision-makers subcategory

Categories
Hiring an IT consultant IT Decision-makers

4 Keys to Hiring Top Tech and IT Freelancers

4 Keys to Hiring Top Tech and IT Freelancers

Freelance work has become largely democratised and, more and more, companies now rely on independent IT and technology consultants. Hiring top IT freelancers brings many benefits to your team, especially in times of crisis.

But the talent war rages and on in several areas of expertise, with professionals receiving up to dozens of mission proposals a day. 
Here is a series of concrete measures that you should put in place if you want to attract the best IT freelancers out there.  

Propose conditions in line with the reality of the IT freelance market 

Are you looking for a rare profile, with a high level of expertise and many years of experience? Be aware that this type of expert is often in high demand and can, therefore, afford to set higher rates. 

Learn more about the situation of your target talent market: what types of profiles are available? What are the average daily rates? Once conducted this research, you will be able to write a clear job description and propose suitable conditions. 

Keep in mind that compensation is not everything: all the benefits come into play here and can help you gain attractiveness top tech or IT freelancers — especially for long-term assignments (travel expenses, access to the company’s gym, etc…). 

Highlight your project’s strengths

Don’t forget that top-performing freelancers need to be passionate about their job. An IT consultant is not only looking for remuneration. Like permanent employees, they often look for a company that shares their values, with opportunities to learn and grow; a dream project, a friendly and talented team, etc. 

Don’t forget to indicate what you can bring to the table on your end. If a candidate must possess certain qualities and skills to be considered for a mission, you must also specify what you can offer.

It is not a matter of overselling the assignment, but simply of highlighting its strengths to attract the attention of the best candidates: peculiarities of the technical stack, visibility on the projects and possibilities for renewal, location, etc. 

Also, amidst the rise of DevSecOps, IT recruitment needs to adjust. Traditional methods fall short; recruiters must adapt to DevSecOps demands. Here‘s what to consider in recruiting for this era.

Work on your brand 

Your company brand is a critical deciding factor for potential candidates.

Don’t hesitate to collaborate with your company’s HR and Marketing departments to discuss how to best benefit from these communication efforts. 

Keep in mind at the time of the interview that the candidate is not the only one who has to convince. You need to make them want to join your team rather than choose another company. Try as much as possible to be transparent about the context and concrete objectives of the mission. Candidates highly appreciate this openness. 

Focus on retaining talent to hiring top IT freelancers

Hiring the best IT freelancers is not easy. But neither it is to make them want to stay. Take steps to ensure the satisfaction of the IT freelancers you work with and keep track of your missions. 

Implement specific measures to ensure that they are “freelance-friendly”: work on onboarding, regular feedback processes, etc…

Are you looking the best tech talent or tech freelancer and you don’t know how to go about it? Club Freelance is here to help you find the best candidate and support you throughout the recruitment process. 

Click here to submit your request. 

Categories
Hiring an IT consultant IT Decision-makers

Interview Tips: 5 key questions to ask to an IT freelancer during an interview

5 key questions to ask to an IT freelancer during an interview
Asking the right questions is key to ensure you are making the best staffing decision. Discover 5 questions to ask to an IT freelancer during an interview

What are the 5 questions to ask to an IT freelancer during an interview? The way companies approach the selection process for IT consultants might well have changed forever due to COVID-19. CIOs and HR experts have moved IT hiring online, and things seem likely to stay that way from now on. Among the benefits: greater schedule flexibility, agility no need for travel and other expenses, agility. But remote interviewing also has its downsides.

It can be tricky to properly assess things like soft skills and cultural fit when you are not face-to-face with a candidate. Asking the right questions is key to ensure you are making the best staffing decision. Whereas hiring the right IT freelancer will bring great benefits to your projects and team, enlisting the wrong person will only multiply your problems.

These are the 5 questions to ask to an IT freelancer during an interview and that you should always cover.

1# Have you ever worked on a similar project, and if so, for what type of client?

You have a project for which you are looking for a freelance professional. Whether you are looking for a web developer or a SAP expert, the technical nature of the mission requires in-depth know-how from the consultant. Thus, it is first necessary to verify that the candidate has the necessary expertise and experience.

You can first ask them if they have ever been confronted with a similar project, in order to find out more about their experience on this type of mission. Moreover, suggest that they detail their previous gigs, giving details on the technical and organizational context of those projects.

Then, ask them who their previous clients were, whether they were large accounts or smaller companies. If the candidate tells you that they already have one or more similar experience (s), in a company in your sector and with a similar context, this is a real advantage, as they should be operational very quickly.

2# Faced with this or that technical problem, what actions would you put in place?

Freelance experience is important, but to test your candidate’s technical skills, do not hesitate to ask them one or more very concrete questions directly related to your project. How would you resolve this incident? What type of functionality or solution would you develop? Which computer language seems to you the most suited to this situation?

First, asking a hypothetical problem allows you to test the candidate’s ability to solve a problem, as well as to evaluate their technical understanding of your project. This will also give you a good overview of their analytical skills, as well as the interest they have in the area and project.

3# Could you tell me about a difficulty you encountered during a previous project, and how you coped with it?

Don’t forget to check for the essential soft skills in IT. Since your freelance consultant will effectively be a member of your team, evaluating traits like their interpersonal skills will be fundamental.

To assess them, you can ask questions that highlight the candidate’s team spirit and communication skills, as well as their ability to manage conflict and crisis situations. Favour open-ended questions to let the candidate express themselves, revealing their personality.

4# What is your availability? And your rates?

Make sure that the candidate’s expectations correspond with the conditions you propose for the assignment. This is obviously valid for the economic compensation, but also for all others terms of the contract. Is the candidate willing to come work on your premises if the mission requires it? Or will they be able to work remotely, and under what conditions? Will they have to plan trips to other sites? Will their professional expenses be covered? As you can see, there are many finer, concrete points on which you must make sure you agree with your candidate.

Then, in terms of availability, you must ensure that the candidate’s situation is compatible with the calendar aspects of your mission. Ask the candidate for their exact date of availability, and if they have any foreseeable impediments (vacation, for example). Thus, meeting deadlines is a crucial element in any professional relationship. In the case of a long-term assignment, you must ensure that the freelancer will be able to engage for the duration of the project.

5# What kind of projects really fascinate you?

The last of the 5 questions to ask to an IT freelancer during an interview is about what is the difference between a good and an excellent candidate? Passion. A tech freelancer or IT consultant who is genuinely interested in the project they are working on will undoubtedly be more involved and more efficient than a candidate with a “mercenary” profile.

Finally, the question of motivation is a key question which is all too often forgotten by recruiters and hiring companies. And yet it often makes all the difference.

Are you looking for an IT consultant or tech freelancer and you don’t know how to go about it? Club Freelance is here to help you find the best candidate and support you throughout the recruitment process.

Click here to submit your request.

Categories
Hiring an IT consultant IT Decision-makers

Choosing the Right Recruiting Partner for Your IT Needs

right recruitment partner

In the rapidly evolving landscape of IT, hiring and retaining top talent continue to pose challenges for modern enterprises. Also, the ongoing skills deficit, exacerbated by the fast-changing technological terrain, necessitates a strategic edge for IT leaders and HR managers. Therefore, choosing the right recruiting partner remains crucial. Explore our updated tips for selecting the ideal partner to address your current IT talent needs.

Need advice on how to start or develop your consulting business in tech or IT? Join Mindquest and get support from our team of experts.


Choosing the Right Recruiting Partner: The impact of technology

Digital transformation permeates every aspect of modern business, including recruiting and human resources. When assessing a staffing firm, pay attention to how it leverages technology to enhance operations and deliver superior service. In today’s context, it’s essential for an IT staffing firm to embrace technology fully.

Consider advancements in AI tools, which now play a pivotal role in expediting the recruitment process. AI enables swift processing of extensive candidate data, including previous roles, areas of expertise, and preferences. In a field where time is critical, the ability to rapidly match candidate profiles with company requirements is a decisive advantage.

Dedicated Support and Expertise: A Dual Perspective

Most staffing firms traditionally combine client management and candidate identification into a single role. However, the best firms take a dual-perspective approach. One team manages client interactions, gathering position details and requirements, while another team focuses on identifying the right candidate. This separation enhances efficiency, speed, and the overall quality of work. It allows both client management and candidate sourcing to offer more personalized, dedicated support to hiring companies.

In the current landscape, with the increasing complexity of roles and the ongoing talent shortage, the need for dedicated expertise has never been more apparent. Specialized skills required for a position can vary significantly based on the field and seniority. To address this, leading staffing firms structure their teams by specialization, ensuring staff members are proficient in the specific areas of expertise required for a given vacancy.

Innovation through Data and Insights: Adapting to the Current Market

The third piece of the puzzle is data. As it happens in any other industry, quality insights are at the heart of a successful IT hiring strategy. Look for recruiters who know how to make the most of the data they come by with and mine.

Moreover, being in permanent contact with organisations and IT professionals allows the best staffing firms to develop a deep and well-rounded understanding of current industry trends. These firms have a good sense of the challenges and needs driving mid- and long-term goals for clients and candidates. In addition to this, data-savvy recruiters can provide you with a more qualitative level of market intelligence – like the skill requirements and salary for a typical position – from which to derive actionable insights. 

Navigating the Dynamic IT Landscape

In conclusion, the challenges of hiring in IT persist, but the strategies for overcoming them have evolved. Choosing a recruiting partner is more critical than ever, with technology, dedicated support, and data-driven insights at the forefront. As the IT landscape continues to shift, selecting a partner who adapts and innovates ensures your organization secures the top-tier talent needed to thrive in the dynamic IT market.

Explore how Mindquest can be your strategic IT recruiting partner.


Categories
Hiring an IT consultant IT Decision-makers

S/4HANA’s Growing Momentum

S4/HANA momentum

German ERP vendor SAP has kick-started the new decade with renewed strength. After undergoing a series of leadership changes in the past year, the company appears set on re-examining its product and strategy roadmaps based on customer feedback and more realistic self-assessment. Not surprisingly, it is S/4HANA – the new iteration of SAP’s core ERP system — the one leading the charge.

The firm was originally scheduled to discontinue support for its current ECC Business Suite in 2025, hoping the deadline would prompt a critical mass of its customers to transition to S/4HANA. However, after sluggish early adoption rates and mounting stakeholder pressure, the new leadership team decided back in February to give customers a much-needed extension.

Under the new roadmap, SAP ensures first-party support for ECC until 2030 – albeit free, general-access maintenance will be discontinued in 2027. At the same time, the company is future-proofing its customers’ investment in S/4HANA by promising platform support until the end of 2040.  

Although it is still early to tell the extent to which this new policy will impact adoption in the coming months, the measures have been well-received among the community. Additionally, the migration to S/4HANA is only poised to keep gaining momentum as digital transformation initiatives across the globe enter a more mature phase.  

Accelerating S/4HANA adoption

A few factors have been holding up widespread adoption of S/4HANA. First of all, there seems to be a generalised confusion around the benefits and specifics capabilities of S/4HANA. A recent study by Resulting IT revealed that SAP consultants are only marginally more knowledgeable in the platform than their clients.

The insight is pretty telling and suggests that SAP could have failed in its past efforts to communicate with its stakeholders and manage change. Thankfully, that problem has a relatively easy solution. The latest changes in leadership and the extension of ECC support signal the company’s awareness of this issue and increase confidence that it will be addressed.

Understanding S/4HANA is crucial for its adoption. This might sound like an obvious requirement for buying into a new product, but it is especially important in S/4HANA. This is not a simple software update that can be installed over the weekend. The next-generation ERP suite implies a profound redesign in terms of architecture that requires companies to invest a lot of resources and re-evaluate internal processes to carry out the migration. On top of that, existing customers who have already invested a lot of money in ECC customizations will have to start from scratch.

Therefore, it is paramount that the decision to embark on a migration project stems from a solid business case if it wants to succeed. It is never easy to convince entire teams and organisations to change their processes, but trying to do so without strong arguments and a clear roadmap can be dangerous. Moving to S/4HANA is not exclusively an IT call. It requires that business leaders across the organisation are involved in the decision-making and willing to implement changes.

Time will tell how SAP’s renewed focus on S/4HANA translates into client adoption. However, recent announcements make us think the company is on the right track and the S/4HANA will only gain momentum from now on.

Is your company planning to move to S/4HANA but is still not sure when? You might want to hurry things up.

If you are a specialist in SAP technologies but still haven’t gotten your feet wet with S/4HANA, here is why and how you should do it.      

Categories
Hiring an IT consultant IT Decision-makers

The rise of tech freelancers

The rise of tech freelancers
Independent IT workers make up a significant part of the workforce with the rise of tech freelancers. And their numbers are growing exponentially.

Not that long ago, freelancing was a somewhat mysterious concept reserved for a few lucky ones and the creative types. Nowadays, independent workers make up a significant part of the workforce with the rise of tech freelancers. And their numbers are growing exponentially. This is especially true in IT, where skill shortages and the constant need for IT professionals across all industries provide the perfect conditions for a freelance lifestyle.   

We take a look at the factors propelling (and hindering) this transformation.  

A new office environment

This rise in freelancing is in large part due to the generational shift in the workplace.

By the end of 2020, millennials will have caught up with Generation X, with each making up 35% of the world’s labour. At the same time, those born after 1997 (Gen Z) will have established a solid foothold in the workplace with 25% of the total.

A recent survey of more than 7,000 freelancers in over 150 countries revealed that a staggering 70% of independent workers are under the age of 35. Those younger than 25 represent 21% of the total.   

This new workforce configuration is introducing important changes, from corporate culture to salary expectations or how teams operate. Considering that, by 2025, millennials will represent three-quarters of all employees and many of them will be in managerial positions, these new standards will have a big impact on recruitment moving forward. Concepts like flexible schedules, hypermobility and freelancing are becoming more ubiquitous and sought after.

Want to become an IT freelancer/contractor?

>>> Careers in Tech and IT: Towards a Freelancisation of Permanent Positions?

>>> IT Job Hunting Done Well: A Step-by-Step Guide

A freelance-friendly scene

Albeit often accompanied by controversy, the emergence of the so-called gig economy has too contributed to the normalisation of the freelance life. While some tout the benefits of this labour model, such as greater flexibility or financial freedom, others consider it a source of precarious employment. Whereas that could be argued when it comes to very specific sectors, the reality is that tech freelancers generally enjoy an advantageous position in comparison to their in-house counterparts.

Yes. Independent workers must deal with limited social protections, fluctuating activity and internal red tape. However, the average daily rate of tech freelancers fluctuates between €350 and €800 – well above the average rate of salaried employees in most countries. They also express a 4-out-of-5 satisfaction with their lifestyle.

Programming and IT make up 29% of the global freelance workforce, sharing the top three with web and graphic design. The fit between IT and a freelance lifestyle is clear. A highly coveted skillset that is relevant to almost all industries gives IT professionals the flexibility and bargaining power required to go independent. IT contractors are also among the best-paid freelancers.

A new regulatory landscape with the rise of tech freelancers

But freelancing faces some roadblocks too. All around the world, new regulations on temporary employment are being put in place in an effort to avoid precariousness and reduce the disparity between permanent and short-term positions. Nonetheless, some of these well-meaning measures can end up doing more damage than good.

A good example of this problem is the UK’s IR35. Set to kick in on April of this year, this piece of legislation plans to increase employment tax costs for those companies who consider a contractor as an employee in all but name. Although the law is intended to discourage companies from abusing temporary contracts for tax-saving purposes, what it could mean in practice is that companies would steer clear of contractors altogether.

Both the freelance community and businesses are pressing for the legislation to be re-examined.  

🔊 Subscribe to our podcast

Join our community and find your next job or expert in IT