Tag Archives: IT recruiter

Should H-1B Visas be used by IT Staffing Firms?

According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, IT staffing firms are not considered “U.S employers,” so attempts to petition for them have been rejected.  TechServe Alliance along with the American Staffing Association and some other entities are suing the Federal Government in an attempt to establish that IT staffing companies are lawful businesses, and thus should be allowed to petition for H-1B Visas.

There are countless IT jobs that IT staffing agencies are providing candidates for.  Sometimes these candidates are extremely well qualified but their legal status prohibits them from accepting a job unless the client can offer sponsorship.  Many argue that foreigners are taking IT jobs that Americans can be doing.  Although that may be true in some cases, an employer is not going to hire someone just because they are from another country.  They hire them because their qualifications fit the IT job perfectly.  Providing sponsorships to employees costs them thousands of dollars, so choosing a foreign employee is not always in their best interest.

In the case of IT staffing companies, they should be given the opportunity to present a client without having to worry whether the candidate will be able to work.  The USCIS argues that there isn’t an “employer-employee relationship.” This IT recruiter thinks differently.  As an IT recruiting company, you have to stay on top of the employee and make sure they pay them and are showing up to work.  The IT recruiter tells the candidate that they are hired, but they also find the candidate.  IT recruiting companies are constantly finding IT jobs for Americans in the US, and therefore should be considered a US employer.

IT Staffing – a Very Competitive Industry

The world of IT staffing is a highly competitive industry. IT recruiting agencies race to the best candidates and are constantly battling for the very best high-tech resources.  It often comes down to which IT recruiter calls or emails the respective candidate first.  Because of that, the most successful IT recruiters typically start their day early and end pretty late (and checking their Blackberrys in between).

One of the misconceptions that both candidates and clients have with IT recruiting firms is that they have a “bench” full of resources who are ready to go.  Although IT recruiters are on the phones with prospective candidates all day long, this is actually a reactive industry.  Because there are so many different technologies and nuances to each skill set, IT staffing firms typically receive a requirement before they begin their search for candidates.  Once they have the detailed IT job specs, then the IT recruiting agency will jump on an immediate search.

Communication is critical in any successful IT job placement.  Candidates must be honest with IT recruiters, and in return, the IT recruiters must be honest with the candidates.  If he/she has already applied for the position at hand, then that must be made clear.  If the candidate does not fit the requirements or ultimately will not be submitted for the IT job, then that must also be communicated.  Open, honest dialogue is important to every successful IT job placement.

Similarly, clients and IT staffing agencies need to have the same relationship.  IT recruiting firms need to communicate whether the candidates they submit are close to accepting any other offers.  Therefore, the client knows how quick they need to move.  By managing the “client’s expectations,” there is no excuse if they lose the candidate to another opportunity because they dragged their feet.  Likewise, clients need to “manage the expectations” of the IT recruiting firm when they call out an IT job order.  They need to communicate how quick they’re looking to interview, and subsequently hire, the resource.  By doing this, the IT recruiter can properly work with candidates to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Software Replacing Skilled Employees

The world of technology is an ever-changing and evolving industry.  As it stands, IT recruiters need to find highly skilled individuals to compete with other candidates.  However, the problem now is that these people are now being replaced by automated software.

A few days ago Hewlett-Packard Co. announced that they would be cutting around 9,000 employees from their technology-services division in addition to 25,000 workers they had already planned to cut.  According to the article in the Wall Street Journal, “services providers have been trying to automate their offerings, replacing high-cost workers with software that performs certain functions automatically”.  By automating their processes, they will decrease their expenses and eventually generate around “$700 million in annual savings”.

But does this mean that skilled workers in the technology industry will not be needed as much in the future? Should we start considering other career paths? This IT recruiter does not believe that all work can be completely automated.  Someone will still need to oversee the process and make sure there aren’t any errors in the program. There may be fewer jobs available in the future due to the automation, but in the end, companies will always have IT jobs available.