Are you a manager or senior leader in charge of leading a help desk or IT support team? One of the greatest challenges every technology team faces is having the right people for the job. You care about your customer experience and recognize that the people you hire are critical to creating a legendary customer experience. The people you hire greatly impact the customer experience, and you can't afford to go through a revolving door of personnel hoping to find the right candidates.
How do you decide who is worth hiring and whether they would be an asset or a hindrance to your team? Should you be looking for the person with the most experience or the highest quality education or training? What other qualifications should you be considering? Having been in the technology consulting space for more than 30 years, I have a lot of hiring experience. Below is my "holy grail" for hiring IT support.
Top Ten Guidelines for Hiring IT Support People
- Look for motivated and enthusiastic individuals who demonstrate a propensity to serve.
- It's easier to teach proficiency than it is to change attitudes. You can teach someone a skill, but you can't teach a mindset.
- Attitude matters. Hire for attitude and train the technical aspects of the position.
- Emphasize potential over experience (in most cases).
- There should be a documented, repeatable process for hiring IT Support people. Be sure to consult with your HR team to ensure a smooth process.
- Role playing and simulation should be incorporated into the interview process. One of the best ways to understand how your hiring candidate problem-solves is analyzing a simulation during the interview. This tactic can help you better understand the candidate and the way they analyze situations and solutions.
- Adequately communicate job description and expectations. A new hire should not be surprised by tasks or responsibilities after they are hired.
- Understand the candidate's expectations. Ask them what they are looking for in their next job. A great way to see if this person is aligned with your job opening is to get insight as to what their ideal job looks like.
- Emphasize the importance of customer service in the recruiting process. Obsess over the customer experience and make sure that any potential hiring candidates understand your organizational commitment to customer service.
- Recruiting should be an ongoing task regardless of whether or not you have open positions. You never know when you are going to need strong talent in a pinch, and it is better to be prepared.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.