The HR manager’s guide to hiring in the age of digital transformation

DIGITAL transformation has taken industries by storm in recent years and has since pushed HR managers everywhere to re-think hiring and recruitment strategies.

Being aware that success in the digital era requires new kinds of talent, HR managers are facing increasing pressure to fill vacancies in their companies with candidates that have the right mixture of technical and business skills.

Most wanted skills

When planning for digital transformation programs, people with tech skills will always be a priority for recruiters, but candidates’ business and soft skills are going to be the differentiator between applicants.

This is because companies are always looking for talents that will add value to their organizations, and those with business acumen tend to have a distinct advantage over those who don’t.

Among the skills that are most sought after are business analysis and modern IT management.

Furthermore, modern IT professionals are also required to have some experience in project management and possess excellent communications skills as they will engage in interdepartmental collaborative projects as part of their company’s digital transformation agenda.

While the baseline technical skills allow them to develop solutions, business skills will help align the solutions with the company’s business goals.

Fostering business-minded tech professionals

Organizations are now faced with more dilemmas than ever before when it comes picking a strategy to bridge the talent gap.

They are often still deciding if they should hire established candidates from the outside or invest in training to nurture from within the companies.

The correct strategy involves pursuing both methods to varying degrees.

Businesses can’t afford to miss out on the best and brightest talent available in the market, especially when it comes to new roles that weren’t there a few years ago such as data scientists, or cloud network architects.

But at the same time, they should also develop their current crop of talents to stay current with the latest needs.

Technology or IT professionals with potential could be mentored by business leaders so that they can acquire a different set of skills.

Beyond that, companies should also foster a culture of innovation and collaboration by incentivizing them to come up with new ideas and guide them to take on more meaningful projects.

There are plenty of outside consultants and training providers that businesses can engage with to hone the skills of their workforce further.

In conclusion, no certain way will solve the talent gap in the age of digital transformation. Companies have to implement multiple different methods to develop a workforce that not only able to take on the challenges of the digital journey but thrive in it.

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