Becoming a qualified and sought-after HR specialist is quite an ordeal in any sphere, and IT is no exception. As a result, many budding HRs consciously stay away from companies dealing with information systems and technologies, thinking they simply can’t handle the job.
Luckily enough, I have a living, breathing example that can prove their fears unfounded – a friend of mine has recently joined the IT company I work for after 5 years of an HR career in sales. This article is based on our conversation about her successful career move and the peculiarities of managing human resources in IT.
What to Expect from a Job in IT
In general, being an HR in IT is not fundamentally different from any other field. It actually depends on the type of company you’re working for. You need to be aware of what the management expects from the HR department and other divisions of the company. After all, HR strategy is always based on the company’s general vision and values.
Expect a different management system and corporate culture – you wouldn’t be able to rely solely on your previous experience, so roll up your sleeves and prepare for a fair bit of learning. A new company is an opportunity for professional growth based on current challenges and the corporate environment.
When it comes to selection and recruitment, knowing the basics about candidate requirements is vital. You’ll often have to find and analyze the necessary information on your own, so don’t hesitate to ask line managers – they can be of great help. Of course, non-specialists would require more time and effort to immerse themselves into the process, but it’s nothing out of this world – after all, nobody needs you to write endless lines of code.
IT is characterized by rapid changes and a fluctuating market, so you’ll have to deal with staff retention and building internal communications. The task of the HR department is to ensure employee efficiency under the conditions created by the company. Employees are a valuable resource, so your goal is to marry corporate strategy and values.
Adapting to Your New Workplace
If your position is primarily concerned with recruitment, the chances are that you will have no direct contact with all the scary IT stuff. The first month is usually the most difficult, and everyone is prone to mistakes, especially during job interviews. Don’t let it bring you down – remember how you started in your previous company and managed to overcome all those complications. Instead, devote as much of your time as possible to working out the company’s strategy and its business pipeline. This will give you infinite opportunities for career growth in IT – it’s an extremely diverse field that evolves constantly. Remember, your future depends on whether you’re caught up with the latest trends and advancements.
Recruitment in IT
Most IT specialists are motivated by challenging tasks and the opportunity to expand their experience with new projects. Everything else depends on individual goals. For some, working for a large company with a well-known brand is a top priority; someone comes asking for a flexible schedule; others put emphasis on remote work.
Finding good candidates for any position in IT is no mean task. The salaries offered in the IT market create intense competition, and they do not always reflect the professional level of candidates.
Every single IT company operates under an acute shortage of qualified specialists. You will need to dig deep into a good dozen job platforms, the database of the company you work for, and social networks. The referral system is in play, too.
IT companies are often financially dependent on customers, so it is not always possible to offer the salary that a needed specialist asks for. Newbie programmers, fresh from the campus, often come unaware of corporate realia and real-life issues.
HR tackles the problem by helping company trainees evolve into skilled specialists: many IT companies have internal courses, sometimes even corporate academies. As a result, the graduates come back prepared, motivated, and conscious about their goals in the company, which allows them to join the existing projects right off the bat.
Bottom Line
The main takeaway from this article is that your background in HR makes no difference when looking for a job in IT. Of course, the experience of working for a technology-oriented company is an advantage, but it’s more about the flexibility and effort that you put into adapting to a new workplace. It’s a common misconception that IT specialists are akin to spoiled kids, whimsical and capricious – however, the folks you’re about to deal with indeed require a particular approach in order to maintain meaningful and productive cooperation.
