What do IT professionals want?

A recent article in Computerworld asks the question, starting off on a familiar note:

Turnover, not a big problem for the past several years, may be making a comeback as competition for talent heats up. Baby boomers are starting to retire. IT groups are beginning to hire again. U.S. universities are graduating fewer computer science majors, and offshore opportunities are enabling more foreign-born workers—who used to buck up the U.S. IT workforce—to stay in their home countries. As IT workers once again begin to consider greener pastures, it's more important than ever for managers to know what their employees really want.

It turns out that IT professionals want a lot of different things (other than money), including knowing their contributions are valued, favorable work schedules, professional advancement, and the confidence that they're being listened to.

Over the summer, New Equities conducted a couple of roundtable discussions with small groups of consultants. Here are some of the things that were important to those who participated:

Knowing where the next project is coming from - The central issue that came through loud and clear was the need to have access to a continuous flow of opportunities. One area of focus for New Equities keeping consultants working. Our aim is to be proactive enough to have the next project already teed up and waiting in the wings as the current one is wrapping up.

Training to keep skills current -  Training is often available if it suits the needs of an employer or client, but many felt it was essential to lay out their own professional development program and get the training they need to evolve to the next stage. We are looking for ways to structure meaningful training opportunities that are relevant to each consultant's professional needs.

Soft skills vs hard skills - Most project assignments tend to be based on clearly evident skills and experience. But there are other factors related to the consultant's working style that are important as well: what type of work environment does this consultant enjoy? What management style or team size is preferred? Do you prefer to take a lead role or be a solid team contributor? If we can hit the mark in these areas AND match your skills to the client's needs, we'll be providing a superior (and uncommon) service to both consultants and clients.

Not going it alone - The people who came took real pleasure in being able to meet other local IT consultants in person. One comment we heard was, "You're out there alone so much of the time, so it's nice to know there are people you can call or ask questions of." We were encouraged to create a variety of opportunities (online and in person) for consultants to meet one another and share ideas.

Being listened to and asked for input - We were struck by how infrequently working consultants are asked to give an opinion on a particular issue, or about their likes and dislikes. It was uncommon enough that people remarked on how refreshing it was to be asked for input. In the case of New Equities, it's a no-brainer - the need to find out what consultants think is built into our business model. If we expect to work with consultants long term, we need to know what doesn and doesn't work for them.

Finding out what is on the minds of IT professionals is not an idle excerise:as the "war for talent" heats up,  attracting and retaining top talent and engendering loyalty are becoming increasingly paramount.