The Information Technology (IT) industry is unique in that it's both a growing industry with continuously changing rules and enough reliable standard to make employees easily swapped and adaptable. If you're looking for IT professionals without much computer knowledge of your own, knowing the right skill and competency areas can help you get the supreme geniuses for the positions you want without overpaying for savants in the basic areas of a help desk. Here are a few IT department and Computer Science (CS) hiring concerns to help you find the right workers without overpaying or setting amateurs against overqualified professionals:
Help Desk Staffing Level
The help desk department is the troubleshooting arm of computer-based or computer-enabled businesses and is often the front door of the business when it comes to their technology. These professionals are further divided into customer support for people outside of the business if you're selling a technical product or service, and then internal technical support.
Most of the staff does not need to be steeped in the deep history of computer science and IT engineering. Helpdesk is a place to grow, and the tasks are so straightforward that it would be a mistake not to use daily repair tasks as learning experiences.
The mark of an entry-level IT professional is a basic certification such as the CompTIA A+ certification, the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) certification suite that fits your business, or an Associates degree. You don't get much in the way of help desk performance for going higher, so anyone with more skills should come with leadership skills and/or teaching ability.
Unless you notice something specific in your business with certifications and performance, most professionals don't differentiate between the certifications. Potential staff members will usually renew or quickly take the test for what hiring companies are looking for, and entry level help desk is one of the faster positions to train.
For management, pick between administrators and engineers. Accomplished system administrators, network engineers, or security engineers are often at the helm of a help desk system, and each leadership position has some basis in system administration.
Networking And Security Departments
Does your business need more than one or two people to handle the networking equipment? Is your business in constant, actual (not suspected) threat of hacking? If so, getting a department of at least 4 or 5 professionals for these specific disciplines is a good idea.
If you just have a single router for the business, or you just want to know more about information security, don't go beyond one or two professionals--or at least make sure they're skilled in other IT/CS tasks. Major departments with multiple personnel are only needed if your business has multiple switches and routers, and handles multiple hundreds or more systems connected to the network.
Skills for networking include the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), CompTIA Network+. The entry-level CCENT and CCT from Cisco are considered testing for CCNA. Networking leadership should be at higher levels of these certifications, such as the CCNP (Professional) certification. Cisco has higher expert certifications, which are specific for businesses with multiple locations separated by long distances or highly complex networks.
For security professionals, the CompTIA Security+ is sufficient. Higher certifications such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) require large investments on the part of the technician and a security relevant job, so unless you're handling Department of Defense contracts with security clearances, they're not necessary.
Contact companies like Scion Staffing for more information and assistance.
Share16 June 2017
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