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In business you are only as good as your employees. In technology, you are only as successful as your technology is. If you are choosing an IT professional for employment, the success of your technology is only as good as your IT professional. This is the hand shaking required when you decide it is time to create an in-house IT department.

If your small business is expanding and it is time to hire an in-house IT professional, you need to know what to look for. In the past it was easy to hire a new employee based on experience. However, with so many contract positions in the IT field it may be difficult to gauge the real knowledge of an IT applicant. Here are 5 tips to consider when choosing a new IT professional for your company.

Skills:

In the past, previous employment was usually the first consideration in choosing an employee.

However, in today’s job market, IT positions can be held at a contract and temporary level. This is due to the ever changing technology market. Therefore, the first consideration should lie within their skills. If they hold the necessary skills to complete the tasks, create new ways of streamlining your current procedures with new technology, and repair your company’s technology, you may want to keep the applicant in the running.

Previous Employment:

If you have an applicant with years of experience in IT spanning over 3 different companies throughout the year, don’t automatically dismiss the applicant. In the past, many companies held IT professionals for years. However, with new gadgets and technology, many companies hire contract employees for launches and roll outs. This creates a market for temporary IT employment on a need by need basis. These contractors are self-employed IT professionals utilizing temp services to find their clients. Therefore their resumes may appear to show a rocky employment history when in fact, they were contracted professionals.

References:

Even with a rocky past, their references should be considered. Be sure to call all the references provided to get a feel for how the applicant would fair in your company. Even if they were contracted employees, their references should remember and recommend them if they performed well, even if only for a short term project.

Location:

In the US, millions of employees have an average commute of 45 minutes or more. This is becoming a standard as local jobs are scarce and larger cities are growing. If you are looking for an IT professional to take care of your technology, consider their location. If they are too far from the site, they may not be able to provide the assistance after hours in case of emergencies.

There are many other ways to determine whether an applicant is right for the position. Many companies are finding their standards of hiring to be complicated by the job market and lack of permanent employment. If you are considering hiring a new IT professional, take a look at their skills and references prior to other factors. You may be denying the best professional for the position.

David Haynes is a writer and career consultant who assists his clients in finding Jobs In IT in a scarce job market.