MSP Success April/May | Page 23

Kaseya also partners with universities and colleges worldwide to include RITSM in their curriculum . “ We ’ re trying to get as many people trained as possible to help address this hiring and retention issue ,” he explains .

Miami Dade College in Florida recently deployed its first RITSM course . “ We see the real need for talent with this type of certification , and that ’ s why we created a class that didn ’ t exist before ,” explains Antonio Delgado , vice president of innovation and technology partnerships at Miami Dade . “ We want to help potential employers by creating the pathways and support mechanisms to help companies find our students .”

Apprenticeships are another way to nurture talent in your business . “ An apprenticeship is nothing more than a growth plan followed by mentoring and instruction to get to the next level ,” Kardel says . You can plug into an existing program like CompTIA ’ s Apprenticeships for Tech or use their guidelines to create your own .

Outsourcing

If you ’ re strapped for more experienced workers , you can outsource remote engineers , Kardel suggests . There are a variety of models MSPs can take advantage of , from offshoring and near-shoring ( the worker essentially becomes your employee ) to US-based firms that assign workers to you .

But be wary , cautions Kardel , because it can disrupt the growth ladder in your company . “ I would like to see MSPs grow employees organically because that motivates your team internally ,” she says .

Build An Employment “ Brand ”

Kardel stresses that one of the most important things you can do for both hiring and retention is to develop an employment brand and promote your company ’ s unique culture . Is the best coffee shop in town across the street ? Do you barbecue on the patio ? Do you roam around the office with a snack cart in the afternoons ?

“ I would think a lot about employment branding and telling your story for the people that already work there to remind them how cool it is ,” Kardel explains . “ For people who aren ’ t there yet , tell them the story of what it ’ s like .”

Hold On To Your Stars

Once you ’ ve landed great talent , you want to keep them . Competitive pay and benefits consistently rank high for job seekers . Still , employee experience — like work-life balance and career development — is extremely important , according to CompTIA ’ s Job Seeker Trends report .

Give Employees Growth Plans

Kardel emphasizes that the best thing an employer can do for both hiring and retention efforts is to use growth plans for all employees . Have plans for training or professional development . Not only are you up-skilling your team but you ’ re also attracting employees with growth mindsets .

“ People with growth mindsets are attracted to that kind of thing ,” she says . “ Growth plans can be an effective filter for finding somebody who wants to learn and grow — that ’ s the kind of person you want on your team .”

Have Retention Interviews

Want more ideas on how to make your company more attractive to employees ? Ask your team three to four “ retention interview ” questions such as “ What ’ s working ?”, “ What ’ s confusing ?”, and “ What ’ s wrong ?” The responses you receive will offer valuable insights into employee satisfaction .

Be open-minded with interview feedback , Kardel says . “ Be open to being vulnerable for asking for input . Nobody ’ s perfect . You have to have a continuous improvement mindset that says , ‘ I ’ m creating a better place to work .’”

Invest In Your Team

Hiring and retention aren ’ t simple , but the payoff is significant for those willing to try new approaches . “ Hiring and growing people is the hardest part of any business ,” says Kardel . “ Don ‘ t expect this to be easy . But the investment is like farming — it pays off , but you have to tend the crop of people .”

Allison Troutner is a writer and ghostwriter . With a master ’ s degree in cultural anthropology , Allison bridges the gap between complex technical subjects and the human experience . She has helped authors write Amazon best-sellers and works with nationally ranked universities and B2B companies to create engaging narratives that cultivate a better understanding of how science and technology are intricately intertwined with our lives .