Where to source top talent?

[ladymuck]

All the best "talent" (god I hate that word) I've worked with was UK or Eastern Europe.
Never any Indians. I don't understand why. I'm sure there are plenty of very good Indian IT people, but they don't seem to work for any of the outsourcers I come across (TCS & WiPro mainly).

I did a project where we needed one day of SAP consultancy from Crap Gemini. They provided a bob for £150. I, and the customer said, "no way. We want top talent. This is a £600,000 project and the main cutover is critical and we will happily pay £2k. They refused and told us how good their Indian staff are."
Long story short. He fooked it up.

They probably refused because they didn't have the resource you were asking for. I just don't understand how they can continually deliver crap day in, day out yet still bag the big contracts. Someone somewhere must be getting a huge stack of kickbacks cos the tulip just doesn't stick.

[Fraidycat]

They probably refused because they didn't have the resource you were asking for. I just don't understand how they can continually deliver crap day in, day out yet still bag the big contracts. Someone somewhere must be getting a huge stack of kickbacks cos the tulip just doesn't stick.

Im my experience companies outsource when the in house team is below average or even just average.

Management has lost faith in the in house team and so looks externally and then falls for the sales pitch.

Why pay locals around 100K each for a poor project delivery when you can pay offshore bods 20K each for the same poor standard

But if you have a proven talented in house team then it makes no sense trying to do things on the cheap with a higher risk of failure.

[CalmEddie]

I am trying to fill 18 engineering roles on my team. We are US based (with a LDN office) and are willing to pay US rates which is incredibly competitive in today's market. We have a number of recruiters working on the roles but are not really seeing many good candidates.

The company is a great company to work for and has won lots of awards for culture and WLB but we can't seem to attract great engineers. Does anyone have any advice on how to attract rockstar talent?

Maybe consider changing your adjectives.

I'm afraid that "Competitive" is bull. Even conceptually it's wrong. Whether it's a race or whatever, the thing about any competition in most people's minds is that the leader is just marginally better than others. Rock stars are not interested in being marginally ahead.

Stating the rate is good. Although I'm not all about the money, any role I've ever enquired about where the rate / salary is not stated in the advert, when I get through to whoever, it's clear they are desperate and needy. And the rate has never been what I would have called "competitive". Or at least it's not competitive for me, it's competitive for them. After 20 years of contracting it has not even once turned out to be productive following any advert which doesn't state the rate.

Agencies will often defend this with the argument that they get 1000s of time-wasters. But they have no way of measuring the top 5% who don't apply, so they think that's effective. My view is that agencies get paid to do that sort of handling and if the agency is lazy then the client isn't very discerning. Again more reasons not to apply.

Re the term Rock Star. Unless your package includes the industry's equivalent of a private jet, maybe avoid saying rock star.

Whenever I need to put a team together with top specialists, we just advertise for the top end rate, and put wording in the job spec which makes it easy for the agents to weed out the chancers.

[NotAllThere]

Re the term Rock Star. Unless your package includes the industry's equivalent of a private jet, maybe avoid saying rock star.

Nicely put. It reminds me of the kinds of BS Dominic Cummings would use.

[perplexed]

"Competitive rates".

Well, if they are so competitive, give them then. "US rates? Who gaf about US rates...

"Awards for culture..."

Well, maybe people see through the bs, style over substance?

"Rockstar talent?"

Rockstar talent have their pick of gigs... something you don't seem to understand. Maybe you're just not attractive to top talent?

[GitMaster69]

I don’t think he’s looking for real, he’s not replied to me

[zonkkk]

I don’t think he’s looking for real, he’s not replied to me

He did say TOP talent!

[baen]

In situations like these, bob's your uncle. Top talent on the cheap.

[Fraidycat]

In situations like these, bob's your uncle. Top talent on the cheap.

90% of the market is cheap these days. Contract rates aren't what they used to be.