The IT job market is undoubtedly a hot topic right now. Companies’ needs in terms of modern technologies are constantly growing, and developers and IT specialists are red-hot, so everything seems to indicate that the IT industry will continue to be the most attractive sector on the labor market in the near future. So we decided to investigate the matter from the inside and ask the HR Director at JCommerce, Joanna Wistuba, a few questions. First of all, we asked about IT employees themselves, but also about the differences between working in an outsourcing company and a company which operates outside the industry. And finally, a question from the other side of business: when should a company decide to run its own recruiting process, and when would it be better to turn to the service provider for help?

To start off I would like to ask about your evaluation of the IT job market. Is recruiting specialists really such a difficult task nowadays? What are the biggest challenges in this area?

Joanna Wistuba: It is a truism to say how the IT market looks worldwide. The lack of available candidates to fulfil the ever-increasing demand for high-quality professionals leads to increased challenges for HR departments, and the ways to reach potential candidates and retain them in organizations are becoming increasingly sophisticated. It is estimated that there are about 230,000 active developers in Poland, as at least that many have been registered on the portal ‘stackoverflow’ according to data from 2016. At the same time, all reports indicate that Europe is increasingly lacking professionals in this field. 180,000 unfilled vacancies for developers will appear by 2020 in the UK alone. Microsoft warned as far back as 2012 that there will be nearly a million unoccupied posts connected with technology worldwide. And thus comes the biggest challenge for each company looking for programmers: how to reach a potential candidate and convince him to join us when there are several other companies in the queue with a similar offer. This state of affairs also frustrates the candidates themselves, who receive a few proposals a week, if not more. As a result, candidates often do not interact with recruiters at all – in extreme cases they probably would not have time for anything else during the day except fobbing off recruiters. That is why companies are racing to reach candidates in increasingly sophisticated ways.

Expectations of potential empleyees

Which expectations of potential employees are most difficult to meet?

Joanna Wistuba: Of course, there are as many expectations as there are candidates, because everyone is different and places a higher level of importance on different factors. Nevertheless, I would like to point out the two which appear most often statistically: financial considerations and the attractiveness of projects which they work on. This imbalance in demand and supply means that financial expectations are often impossible to meet, especially when it comes to small and medium-sized companies – which indisputably influences the pace of their development. What constitutes the attractiveness of the project is of course highly subjective, as there is no single definition of ‘attractiveness’. However, if I were to attempt a certain generalization, I would say that it is an opportunity to work using the latest technologies, often on so-called greenfield or development projects, not merely on maintenance.

Why would software houses or outsourcing companies be a better choice for an IT professional than a company for which software development is just one area of the business?

Joanna Wistuba: I can’t say that choosing to work for an outsourcing company is always a better option, because of course it isn’t. And knowing that, we also try to conduct recruitment processes very carefully and selectively. When considering joining a company like ours, you first have to consider what your employer expects. If it is a desire to work in a stable and unchanging environment, I would advise you to knock on another door. Although it is worth emphasizing that we also have long-lasting and stable projects, so we are able to meet these expectations, in a sense. On the other hand, candidates who are interested in dynamics, the ability to change projects, and continuous learning, including other technologies, will surely find a place in companies like ours.

In a sense, we combine these two needs: stability and dynamics, because on the one hand you have the same coffee mug, the same friends at work, the same office, and at the same time you can dynamically change projects, the industries for which you work, and even the technology. But dynamics is the dominant element of our business.

What can such outsourcing companies offer, in order to compete with non-specialized companies?

Joanna Wistuba: At present, JCommerce employs 250 specialists who work in various technologies. Having these people also means the knowledge that they share, developing both themselves, colleagues, and the company itself. We have invariably been investing in the development of our employees for many years now, through training, certification and conferences. At the same time, each subsequent project which we work on brings knowledge that stays in the organization and increases this advantage. We are an IT company, so in companies such as ours we are the closest to constant changes in the industry.

You have a lot of experience in working for companies outside the IT industry, including employment agency – what in your view are the biggest differences in the approaches to recruitment in such companies? Can such companies successfully compete for developers?

Joanna Wistuba: These are two completely separate business models. A recruiting agency is merely an intermediary in finding a candidate, almost always basing their choice on rigid guidelines such as experience, education or requirements pertaining to certification or qualifications. Often they do not know the organizational culture of the company they are recruiting for, so it is difficult to match the right candidate to the company. No one in this business model will invest so that a potential candidate will be closer to the profile expected by the client. In JCommerce we take the opposite approach. We look for candidates who suit JCommerce. Despite the fact that we are building teams that work for our customers, it’s important to us that people are tight with each other and like each other, because only then do they work effectively – for the benefit of the customer as well. It is also easier for us to invest in employees because this investment always manifests itself in the form of knowledge that can be used in other projects and stays within the company.

Outsourced vs in-house

If you had to advise a company that was torn between employing an IT specialist and ‘renting’ the services of such a person, what would be the arguments for and against?

Joanna Wistuba: This will depend on the needs of the business each time. If someone cannot afford to get the recruitment process started and wait for several months for the right specialist – of course, with no guarantee that this person will be as good as he claims to be, nor that he will fit into the company and its culture – then cooperation with a company like ours is the best possible solution. We will be able to select from among our specialists those who already have similar projects in their portfolio and are willing to get involved in a similar project. Or they will simply be great specialists and will get involved quickly.

How do you perceive the outsourcing of IT services in today’s business world? Who benefits the most? IT companies? Employees? Customers?

Joanna Wistuba: It’s hard to say who gains the most, but certainly no one loses. Customers have access to specialists without the need to create additional positions, and often they are not able to create the financial, social or project conditions necessary to attract such specialists. Candidates and employees also benefit, because the spectrum of possibilities, as to who they want to work for and under what conditions, is broadened. And of course the IT companies themselves also benefit, but that much is rather obvious.

Thank you.

Joanna Wistuba: Thank you.

Interlocutor:
HR Director

She has 10 years of experience in building and managing HR teams dispersed throughout Poland, running the efficient recruitment of mid-level and senior employees for technical positions in industry, logistics and IT.


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    I hereby agree that JCommerce Sp. z o.o. shall process my personal data (hereinafter ‘personal data’), such as my name, surname, e-mail address, telephone number and company name, for commercial purposes.
    I hereby agree that JCommerce Sp. z o.o. shall process my personal data (hereinafter ‘personal data’), such as my name, surname, e-mail address, telephone number and company name, for marketing purposes.
    I hereby agree that JCommerce Sp. z o.o. shall process my personal data (hereinafter ‘personal data’), such as my name, surname, e-mail address, telephone number and company name, for recruitment purposes.
    I hereby agree that JCommerce Sp. z o.o. shall process my personal data (hereinafter ‘personal data’), such as my name, surname, e-mail address, telephone number and company name, for future recruitment purposes.
    I have been informed by JCommerce Sp. z o.o., 3 Ks. Piotra Sciegiennego St. 40-114 Katowice – the personal data controller – that: - The provision of the aforementioned personal data is voluntary but essential for commercial purposes if I have chosen a request for proposal, or recruitment purposes, if I have chosen the remaining options;
    - I have the right to access the content of my data, including to receive copies of it and correct it, delete it and limit the processing of it, as well as the right to transfer it, the right to object to the processing of it, and the right to withdraw my consent at any time. However, the withdrawal of my consent shall not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out on the basis of the consent in question prior to its withdrawal;
    - A statement of withdrawal of my consent to the processing of personal data should be submitted to the headquarters of JCommerce Sp. z o.o. or sent to the following e-mail address: zgody@jcommerce.pl. The withdrawal of consent to the processing of personal data shall result in the inability to fulfil the aforementioned processing purposes;
    - The personal data provided shall be shared by JCommerce Sp. z o.o. with the company’s authorised employees and individuals collaborating with JC under civil-law contracts, who are involved in the implementation of the purpose of the processing;
    - The data provided shall be processed on the basis of the relevant provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation), ‘GDPR’;
    - Should you have any questions regarding the protection of your personal data, please contact us by e-mail: odo@jcommerce.pl;
    - The personal data provided shall be processed for the purpose for which it was supplied, or until I express my objection in this regard. In the event of filing an objection, JCommerce Sp. z o.o. shall no longer process my personal data for the aforementioned purposes, unless it can demonstrate that there are valid and legally justified grounds overriding my interests, rights and freedoms or my data is necessary to establish, pursue or defend a claim, if any;
    - I have the right to file a complaint to the supervisory authority if I consider that the processing of the aforementioned personal data violates the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation of 27 April 2016.