Dispelling the myth - jobs in IT aren't always dull

Lawrence Jones, June 25th 2008, 5:12PM

Whilst perusing the World Wide Web I came across a report by CRAC stating that students think careers in IT are boring. It’s true, there is a certain stigma attached to the computing industry. Everyone thinks we’re geeks, we spend our spare time glued to World of Warcraft and our social skills are non existent.

This stereotype doesn’t exactly exude glamour and it goes a long way to explaining why half of IT employers are currently failing to fill the necessary roles. So, at UKFast, we’re working hard to disprove the theory that jobs in IT are boring and the rewards have been fantastic. We attract plenty of new recruits – over 200 graduates arrived at our latest open day this month – and we’ve picked up some fantastic new talent.

The CRAC Development Director Robin Mellors-Bourne is reported as saying: "Over 60% of non-computing students cited boring work as the main reason they would not join the sector. Employers should be able to counter that kind of perception.”

I agree. It is the responsibility of employers to dispell the myth that jobs in IT are always boring and it pays to take a step back and take a look at what we're achieving to inspire the youth of today and the brains of tomorrow. At UKFast the technology we deal with makes the internet faster on a daily basis. And the internet is the biggest informational source the world has ever seen. How can crossing new frontiers fail to be exciting?

At UKFast our employees look forward to a five star working environment. Team building activities regularly take place at the Snowdon property and employees benefit from a relaxation room with table tennis, pool and video game facilities.

Because we're passionate about what we do, we're happy to invest in people and we offer a fast-paced working environment with fantastic perks, we have no trouble hiring the top IT graduates. I’d encourage others in the industry to do the same. Shout about what your company has to offer and let the world know just how worthwhile and fun a career in IT can be.

Tags: recruitment, ukfast
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The benefits of internal recruitment

Lawrence Jones, April 9th 2008, 11:18AM

I’m extremely personal about the staff I hire because each employee is an important cog in the running of a company. At UKFast I employ on personality and intelligence because I want staff to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

As a company grows it becomes more and more difficult to give the necessary amount of attention to recruiting new staff. But despite the size of the company it is still vitally important to get the right staff so as not to dilute your business’s overall skill sector.

To overcome this problem as the company grows, at UKFast we have hired an internal recruitment and HR manager.

Every day at UKFast we receive phone calls from recruitment consultants offering their services and in most cases that’s as far as our relationship goes. It has always been my opinion that with outside recruitment a business loses some of the personal approach it takes to find and employ the correct candidates.

Only internally can you really know what the role entails, what the culture of the company is and who would fit there. Internal recruiters are also more prolific in understanding the qualifications and skills necessary to fill specific roles.

A company grows using a sustainable competitive advantage, hiring excellent candidates who fit in with the company culture, who are enthusiastic and willing to work hard drives the company towards new heights.

I have found that internally we are able to judge a candidate, not on their qualifications, but on their ability to be trained in certain skills as well as on drive and ambition.

External recruitment has been compared to battery farming, providing bulk CVs with little thought as to the person behind the paper. In terms of poultry farming, internal recruitment is the free range equivalent. Each candidate is given more time and judged on personality, ambition, potential to develop skills as well as their list of qualifications.

Additionally, at UKFast we put weight on psychometric testing. This provides an all-round view of the candidate, especially those who become nervous during the interview process.

There are many ways to make sure you are hiring the right people. But I can stress enough the importance of hiring the correct candidates when growing a company.

Tags: hr, recruitment, ukfast
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