When IT support was a new career, businesses were forced to source promising workers and train them, working with them as they grow. Today, the tech field is teeming with talented, fully-trained professionals in a variety of specialties.

Hiring IT support staff can be especially challenging, considering workers are expected to rise to some fairly high standards in the course of daily work. But by following these tips, you can ensure you put employees in place who will help your organization thrive.

Understand the Position

One of the biggest mistakes companies make in hiring technology workers is failing to fully understand what the job entails. Prior to beginning the hiring process, take time to thoroughly flesh out the job requirements in order to determine the questions you’ll ask in the interview. If possible, involve someone who is well-versed in the field. If you’re hiring a systems architect, for instance, bring in someone who is experienced in the field and can help advise, even if that person is an outside source who consults on a contract basis. The small short-term expenditure will save your business large sums of money in the long term.

Hire an IT Recruiter

Rather than blasting announcements across multiple job boards and hoping for the best, consider hiring a good IT recruiter to bring candidates to you. IT recruiters specialize in locating and placing the best talent in various technology specialties. For a small fee, they can narrow down candidates to those who are best suited to the job, allowing you to choose from there.

Consider Contract-to-Hire

According to the Center for American Progress, a company spends one-fifth of an employee’s salary replacing him or her. This cost includes severance pay, interviewing and training replacement workers, and lost productivity while the position is vacant. Many companies have chosen to make the switch to contract-to-hire for IT positions. These employees are brought in for a predetermined period of time, usually only months, and assigned to a team. As the end of the contract period nears, the team members weigh in on how they feel the contractor is doing in the position. If the employee is a valued part of the team, the company may choose to either extend the contract or hire the employee full-time.

Hiring the right employees is an important part of any manager’s job. With such great resources now available, businesses can find the best technology workers who will then recommend other industry professionals who can flesh out the team.