While the U.S. labor market remains soft, IT is booming. Dramatic changes in the marketplace created an extreme demand for top performing IT professionals, especially those with expertise in web-enabled business applications and cloud computer programming.
“Employers are competing fiercely within a limited pool of talent with proven experience in technologies like .NET, data scientist, and Java. At the same time, savvy candidates are looking beyond fair compensation and customized benefit packages. Career-minded, they want interesting, challenging opportunities,” explains Steve Lowy, chairman of Envision, LLC, an IT staffing firm offering contract, right-to-hire, and permanent placement services.
Envision has steered clients and candidates effectively through three decades of booms, bubbles, busts and recoveries. Clientele include Fortune 500 companies and organizations of all sizes, many of which have worked with the company since its founding in 1983. Some consultants have over 15 years of tenure working for Envision.
When companies began to downsize recently, those carefully nurtured long-term relationships contributed to a more than 100 percent growth rate over three years for Envision. The company now has 270 consultants working in the nationwide company.
No one does more to champion it consultants’ careers
Lowy’s approach to recruiting and retaining best-in breed IT consultants reflects the company’s keen understanding of the needs of today’s IT professionals.
“They are finding job security is no longer exclusively associated with job permanency. Security belongs to those on the leading edge. So much work is available with companies working on advanced concepts that contracting consultants have excellent long-term prospects,” says Lowy.
“I have seen Envision from both sides – as a consultant and now as a hiring manager,” says a mid-tier client in St. Louis. “When I hire a technology professional from Envision, I know how well the consulting firm will treat my contractor. That’s very important for me.”
Typically working off site, consultants particularly value a stable and focused work environment. Envision’s Consultant Relations team helps keep employees connected, continuously recognizes performance, encourages tenure and supports consultants as they broaden their own personal brand.
“In this highly charged, fluid marketplace, the employer/contractor relationship is a win-win solution,” adds Lowy. “We give employers access to a pool of talent otherwise unavailable to them. Because the consultants work for us, we bear the burden of testing, rigorous screenings, ‘soft skills’ matching, personnel and benefits issues. We can adjust the number of consultants as projects ramp up or gear down. A six-month-hire option gives both parties time to test the waters, minimizing the large costs of hiring mistakes. The biggest benefit? We allow our clients and our candidates to focus on what they do best.”
Please forward company job requirements or candidate resumes to askus@envision.com
