Cloud computing is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world today. According to a recent study by  Research and Markets, the global cloud computing market size is expected to grow from $371.4 billion in 2020 to $832.1 billion by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.5% during the forecast period. The cloud computing industry is experiencing a more urgency-driven growth owing to the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

Being a small or mid-sized enterprise, you will have to adapt to the cloud as remote work and increased efficiency become critical for running your business. You will need to build an in-house team of experienced and skilled cloud computing professionals as quickly as possible. However, cloud and IT infrastructure technology recruitment is different compared to your regular recruitment process. Your HR team needs to be prepared to handle this process without any hiccups.

Here are a few tips that can help you get the most out of your recruitment drive.

1. Soft Skills Are Essential

When it comes to an IT recruitment drive, most companies focus on evaluating technical skills. However, soft skills are as important as technical skills. Soft skills help you convey your thoughts and ideas to others. As a result, they are crucial when dealing with not only clients but also contemporaries. In short, a cloud computing engineer or cloud consultant with excellent soft skills will thrive in your company and help your business thrive as well.

Before your recruitment begins, make a list of soft skills you need based on the openings. For example, for cloud experts working as team leaders and managers, excellent communication is a critical soft skill. It allows them to explain complex issues and keep everyone in the loop, clients and team members alike.

Other valued soft skills include, but are not limited to responsibility, leadership, self-motivation, problem-solving, and decisiveness. Make sure to optimize your cloud and IT infrastructure technology recruitment process to identify these skills.

2. Recruit Talent with Multi-Cloud Experience

Skill shortage is probably the biggest concern for tech companies as finding candidates with multi-cloud skills is often difficult. However, with most businesses opting for a multi-cloud ecosystem, it is critical to building a team of cloud engineers, DevOps, and Site Reliability Engineers (SREs) capable of working on different cloud platforms. According to the 8th Cloud Computing Survey released by the IDG, more than half (55%) of organizations currently use multiple public clouds, with 21% saying they use three or more.

You can focus on hiring candidates with specialization in different cloud platforms like Private Cloud, Hybrid Cloud, Azure Cloud and More. However, hiring someone with the ability to learn new skills quickly can improve your technical recruitment drive considerably. As cloud platforms keep evolving, having a team of experienced quick learners can offer your company a competitive advantage.

Furthermore, make sure the candidates have experience in using tools like Terraform and Ansible because your cloud architecture often spans across platforms. If you are using enterprise-level tools, make sure to find candidates with fitting experience. Experience in working with similar clients, cloud vendors, and organizations of the same size as yours can also prove helpful.

3. Look For The Ability to Deliver at Scale

Speaking of enterprise-level solutions, the candidates should also have the ability to deliver at scale. Scalability is one of the primary reasons most businesses, especially small and mid-sized companies, are attracted to cloud computing. As a result, scalability needs to be the flagship quality of your cloud computing services.

For example, if a client's website can't handle a sudden spike in web traffic, it is probably due to poor architecture that lacks scalability. In other words, you need a team of DevOps engineers that are comfortable working at scale, as and when needed.

You need to optimize your cloud and IT infrastructure technology recruitment process to identify candidates with demonstrated experience in working on architecture at scale. For example, you can include a few questions or even tests that help you gauge how a candidate can monitor and manage architecture at scale.

4. Offer Value and Not Just Higher Pay

Although higher pay is often the foremost incentive when hiring computing experts, going beyond just salary and financial benefits is also a great way to attract talent. Many companies, both small and large, have taken steps beyond monetary benefits to attract talent during the ongoing pandemic.

For example, many people have opted to go with organizations that offer flexible work timings and remote work support. Some companies also helped their employees learn new skills. Millennials and the younger generation also like to work with companies that offer a socially and culturally rich work environment. You will need to think about these factors when optimizing your cloud and IT infrastructure technology recruitment policy.

5. Hire Someone with Excellent Time Management Skills

As you already know, cloud computing involves a complicated environment involving multiple clients and vendors. Dealing with several deadlines, client communication, and project planning is easier said than done. Your cloud computing team will need to plan and organize every activity to improve your efficiency and turnaround time. That's why you are better off hiring candidates with excellent time management and digital communication skills, especially for managerial and team leader positions.

During your cloud and IT infrastructure technology recruitment process, make sure to look for a track record of excellent time management. Try to gauge the scheduling, decision-making, delegation, goal management, and multitasking skills of prospective candidates. You can create a list of questions that can help you measure the time management skills of candidates.

Conclusion

As you can see, cloud and IT infrastructure technology recruitment is not simple, certainly not in these turbulent times. However, as finding the right talent is critical for the success of your business, your recruitment drive can never stop. Hopefully, these five tips will help you find suitable talent quickly and efficiently. Of course, you can also outsource your recruitment function to InfraView. Give us a call on 020 3617 1040 or drop us an email at hello@infraview.co.uk for more information.