One of the most hotly debated issues facing technology companies today is whether to buy or to make.
The question doesn’t refer to products, but to people. Employment demands in the IT industry are growing six times faster than the overall job rate, according to a federal government report released in June.
Employers still haven’t agreed on whether it’s better to pay top-dollar to get the perfect skill set to fill an IT position, or to make the investment in training a current employee or not-so-perfectly-matched candidate to fill the position.
Employers on the “buy” side of the debate say the short life cycles of technology products and applications make it nearly impossible to invest time into training. In addition, companies that do invest in training IT skills could be encouraging their competition to steal their employees before the investment has paid off.
One local technology company, The Anderson Group, has found its own solution. While owners A.J. and Barbara Vasaris admit they still almost always have open IT positions, they say they have an easier time finding candidates because they value other skills and attributes — such as culture, personality and business acumen — as highly as tech skills.
The Vasaris’ hiring philosophy is based on personal experience — and success. Neither worked in the technology industry before starting The Anderson Group, which designs and implements computer network systems. Barbara Vasaris started the company in 1987 as a bookkeeping service, and A.J. came to the business with a background in construction project management. Both are self-taught in the areas their company specializes in, fueled by a strong appreciation of how technology can assist in almost any business project.
The Anderson Group has since grown to $2 million in sales and 27 employees. With sales projected at $20 in four years, finding technology candidates will probably continue to be one of the Vasaris’ biggest concerns.
A.J. Vasaris says a candidate who fits the company’s culture is more than 50 percent of the way there.
“We painstakingly go through a process when we hire,” he says. For one, every employee meets the candidate, and the candidate is scored higher on his or her personality than on his or her technology skills.
Vasaris says the scrupulous process reduces turnover. Finding employees who fit into the company’s culture to begin with cuts the risk of employees being lured away by a better offer.
Vasaris adds that any lack of tech skills is made up for through the training the company offers. Not only does The Anderson Group bring in experts for group training, but its facility houses an experimental area, called “the sandbox,” where employees are encouraged to spend time “playing” with the latest in computers and software.
In addition, teaching business skills is just as important as technology skills.
“We’re trying to instill in everyone the business aspect,” he says. He wants every employee to know the answer when a client asks, “What’s the return on my investment?”
[They have to] “understand how to justify spending millions on services and equipment and software,” he says.
There’s one more benefit in not placing a high value on a candidate’s tech skills, Vasaris adds.
“They’re not a bunch of geeks … That’s one competitive advantage.”
Connie Swenson ([email protected]) is editor of SBN.