How to Retain Top Digital Talent

How to Retain Top Digital Talent

“The war for talent has gone digital”, declared Capgemini in a recent report on the digital talent gap. Digital has permeated all levels and departments of organisational structure, creating a huge demand for digital skills. But of the 4.4 million IT jobs that’ll be created around digital and big data in 2015, there will only be talent to fill a third of them.

Missing digital skills are the main hurdle to digital transformation – so where there are skills, there is stiff competition. Companies have to compete for the best talent, and offer the development, technology and compensation that the best digital talent demands to keep them.

So once you’ve got the best digital talent on your team, you’ll want to keep them! In this article, I’ll share what I have learnt about retaining top digital talent from years at the helm of a top niche large enterprise tech recruitment firm:

Richard’s Top 4 Ways To Retain Digital Talent

In the midst of a national digital skills shortage, recruiting top digital talent is tough. Retaining them can be even tougher. Job-hopping is the new norm in the digital age, and if top talent doesn’t feel like they are rewarded with pay, benefits and personal development, they’ll quickly step sideways in search of greater opportunities.

Here are four ways that you can retain top digital talent once you’ve won the fight to recruit them:

Training and Development

“Give your digital star opportunities to help architect the future.”

AdAge

In spite of the digital skills shortage, and 87% of companies recognising the competitive advantage of digital transformation, only 46% of companies in the UK are investing in digital skills.

One main reason talented people leave a company, that we hear time and time again, is that another organisation offers at clearer path to career progression. Candidates understand that they can’t stand still in a rapidly changing digital landscape, and look to employers to offer a clear road map to advancement from their very first day in the job.

Make sure you offer competitive training opportunities, exposure to new and cutting-edge technologies, the chance to learn from mentors and more experienced colleagues and opportunities for personal development and professional certification.

Promote Your Digital Culture & Credentials

In order to attract top digital talent, you need to stand out. That’s why successful digital employers promote their digital culture and credentials to potential candidates. These organisations position themselves as the digital employer of choice by placing digital at the heart of their culture, building a modern work environment and demonstrating the freedom to challenge and innovate.

Netflix are a fine example of a company that actively promotes its digital credentials by sharing aspects of their culture, design methodologies and even their code with the open source community.

A Progressive, Modern Work Environment

Top digital talent is attracted to stimulating and progressive digital working environments, ‘major digital hubs’ in which they are free to innovate and share with other talented digital professionals. Make sure you use your online channels – YouTube videos, social media, press releases or blog posts - to show candidates what it’s like to work at your firm, too.

Work With Specialist Tech Recruiters

Retaining top digital talent starts with recruitment. If you have been fortunate enough to acquire a top digital or tech professional, other major firms will have their eye on him or her from the very beginning. Candidates will be constantly courting new opportunities and offers, so it’s vital to recognise that all of the above starts on day one.

It’s also important to make the right decision, to find the right candidate that fits well into your organisation. That’s where we can help. We have access to a pool of the best digital and niche large enterprise tech talent in the UK and Europe, and can help match the right person with your vacancy, for the long-term.

Give us a call. We’d love to hear from you.



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