Senior executives with combined skills in consulting, business and sales are commanding a premium from the IT vendor market, according to a hiring expert.
Tonic Executive Search director Michael McGrath said the premium could be 15 to 20 per cent higher for a sought-after skill set.
"They (vendors) do that because they are the high margin areas for their business so they are able to drive a much greater margin."
Mr McGrath said while vendors were prepared to offer a premium for in-demand skill sets, they would not compromise on their requirements.
Sydney-based Tonic Executive Search is a boutique search firm that deals with global and local IT services and consulting firms.
In the past, candidates with an 85 per cent skill set "fit" would have been considered good enough.
"Clients are very specific, so unless they find the perfect fit they are reticent to make a hire," Mr McGrath said. "We are just seeing this to be a far more cautious environment."
He said companies wanting to attract top-tier candidates had to ensure they had a strong employment brand.
A growing requirement of leading candidates included an organisation’s culture, values and the amount of flexibility, personal development and training offered to staff, Mr McGrath said.
"They are really looking for a brand that has a very strong culture, strong values and is well perceived by the market."
Mr McGrath said companies with a solid track record and in an area of growth such as mobility, analytics and cloud appealed most to IT candidates.
"Without that brand equity and without a strong hiring manager, organisations will struggle to get the right candidates on board and this is very much the case in the IT space,’’ he said.
