ENTREPRENEURIAL TOOLBOX
Win The Talent War With Out-Of-The-Box Strategies To Find And Keep Rockstars
If hiring and retention challenges are keeping you awake at night , trying some new approaches may provide the payoff that will help you sleep .
BY ALLISON TROUTNER
Demand for MSP services is at an all-time high , but if you can ’ t get butts in seats to do the work , you can ’ t grow your business . And if your competitors are beating you in the talent war , your customers may go elsewhere .
Finding and keeping talented workers is a challenge keeping many MSP business owners awake at night , according to a recent MSP Success reader survey .
Still , there are many job seekers in the market looking for the right opportunity . Indeed , more than 40 million workers engaged in some job-seeking activity during the past three months , according to the January 2024 Job Seekers Trends report from IT industry organization CompTIA . If you ’ re not finding them , you may be looking in the wrong places .
It ’ s time to explore out-of-the-box approaches to finding and retaining employees . It could determine whether you win or lose in the scramble for talent .
Want To Hire Better Fish ? Find New Ponds
“ If you fish in the same places you ’ ve always fished for talent , you ’ re going to find the same people ,” says Amy Kardel , senior vice president of strategic workforce relationships at CompTIA . But you don ’ t have to travel far to find new ponds ; most are in your own backyard .
Kardel says employee referral programs are among the best ways to find new talent . It works by asking employees to refer candidates . If the candidate is hired and retained for a certain period , the employer rewards the referrer ( usually with money or a gift ).
This has been a successful strategy for IT Voice , a managed IT , security , and cloud services company headquartered in Birmingham , Alabama . CEO Will Slappey says IT Voice gives employees $ 1,000 bonuses for referrals who stay on at least 90 days . “ Last year alone , we had at least five , maybe even 10 new hires from that ,” he says . When you consider the cost of placing job ads and time spent recruiting , he says the reward is well worth it .
The results are better too . “ When someone comes in from referral , your probability of success goes way up ,” Slappey says .
Additionally , tech workforce programs for military veterans — such as NPower and others — may have facilities close to you . Many regional colleges offer pathways to employment for graduates too . Consider hosting openhouse nights at your MSP with classes from local colleges to create a “ bench ” of interested candidates , Kardel adds .
“ Think about who is training talent in your neighborhood . Make yourself a friend there ,” she says .
Tap Into Learning Pathways
Channel vendor programs and internships that train people for IT careers are another source of talent .
For example , Kaseya ’ s Remote IT and Security Management ( RITSM ) certification program offers two pathways for learners to get started in IT or upskill . The program also connects graduates to employers , including Kaseya MSP partners , who can post job openings for RITSM students .
Unlike other online IT courses , RITSM is designed with MSPs in mind . “ We tried to take it a step further and provide the technicians going out into the job market a general understanding of what an IT technician at an MSP will have to do ,” says Xavier Gonzalez , chief communications officer at Kaseya .
22 | MSPSUCCESS . COM