Let’s be honest: Hiring can be a stressful process. G2 reports that the average corporate job attracts 250 candidates, and each day a role remains open costs a company around $500. While that may sound like a hefty number, there is no shortage of costs that go into hiring. From advertising the position to the time cost of those involved internally, conducting background checks, and much more, it adds up quickly.
We reached out to the Systematic community, the community for business systems leaders, for insight on how to better focus your search to save money, time, and energy when hiring for your Business Technology team.
Here’s what they had to say:
Putting the “Business” in Business Technology
Guy Nadler
Strategic Operations, Business Transformation, and Analytics Leader at Kioxia
“Change management is a major element in any transformation project I am involved in. I find that hires who are not comfortable engaging directly with stakeholders or pushing through resistance end up being frustrated and unhappy. So today, I make sure I hire people who understand the technical side, but also match them well into concrete business processes and business results.”
Kumud Kokal
Senior Director of Enterprise Applications and Insights at StitchFix
“BT = Business + Technology. Understand the business first, then figure out how to enable technology to meet the business needs. Remember in the term Business Technology, business comes first.”
Mudit Agarwal
VP of IT (Go To Market / Customer) at Genesys
“One needs to understand the business before providing technology solutions, and it is essential to have a solid business partnership.”
Carter Busse
CIO at Workato
“I want to hire people who can talk to the business in their language.”
Don’t overlook soft skills
Keith Reedy
Director of Business Systems at Bitsight Technologies
“In a small company like ours, we don’t have the headcount to hire a specialist for every system. So it is important to hire people that are able to think on their feet and pivot from system to system even if they are not 100% comfortable. The ability to take lessons and concepts from one system and apply them to another is very important.”
Mike Flynn
Enterprise Architect at Collibra
“Desire + Initiative > Current Skills. I prioritize a candidate that really demonstrates a strong desire and initiative for learning over one that has the desired skill set. Business technology skills are constantly evolving, so someone that believes in our mission and that is willing to learn is going to be a good fit long term.”
Brian Weinblatt
Director of Internal Solutions at Movable Ink
“As a hiring manager, it is important to focus on someone who thrives in collaborative environments and really wants to understand the challenges the business users are facing day-to-day. Soft skills should be taken just as seriously as technical skills when you are looking to fill some of these systems-focused roles.”
Anthony Trask
Director of Business Systems at OURA
“More important than having skills in the relevant technology/system, I look for people who are excited by experimenting and seeing technology as an opportunity to create something new. I want to find people who challenge the status quo with innovative thinking and who are open to new ideas.
The real gems are the folks who possess competencies such as a broad range of communication skills, lean decision-making, service mindset, and business knowledge. I think technical skills are the easy stuff to learn while experience with designing, implementing, operating, and governing business technology is worth more.”
The power of people
Natasha Irani
Director of Global Business Systems at Hashicorp
“Most of my hires come from my network or my teams/peer network, so keep sharing with them, even if it’s verbally, the profiles you are looking to hire.
If you hire for a role, always stay in touch with the close strong candidate that you would have hired. When another similar role opens up on your growing team, you won’t have to start from scratch!”
Mike Flynn
Enterprise Architect at Collibra
“We are looking for the right people to get on our ‘bus.’ We don’t know exactly where the bus will go and how we will get there, but we want people that we can enjoy the ride with!”
Matthew Treml
Senior Manager of Finance Systems at Yelp
“My main focus on hiring is the people aspect. With a team of BSAs (Business Systems Analysts), I want them in front of the stakeholders as much as possible and to be able to empathize and be personable. My goal is to be a trusted advisor. Technology is second to this, it can be learned, and their work history should showcase this (adaptable, always learning, expanding technical knowledge).”
Want to join the conversation? Join Systematic, the community for business systems professionals, and get tapped into our network of thousands of BT leaders.
