ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS FOR 2024 Learn the Value of Inexperience: Relatedly, even a perfect candidate that checks all the boxes of what you’re looking for and has all the skills you need for a role might not be all it cracks up to be. Our experts said that candidates who already have the skills needed to do their job well can end up being bored in the role quickly and might start looking for new challenges at a different job, sometimes within a year of being hired. If instead you look to hire someone slightly more junior and inexperienced, but talented and driven for the role, not only could you hire at a lower salary, but the person in the role will feel challenged from day one on the job, as well as more ful昀椀lled and happier with the company as they grow into the position and expand their skill set. For Tech Workers Understand Who You Are and the Value You Bring It is true that if you are an “A”-level talent in this market, you can still pretty much pick your salary and working arrangements, within reason. However, those true elite workers are few and far between. For the rest of us, have an honest assessment of where your skills are compared to the rest of your peers. If you set unrealistic expectations for what you’re willing to accept in a new role, not only will you end up being disappointed with whatever role you end up in, but also miss out on great opportunities that were previously dismissed. Top 3 Barriers to Upskilling Source: DevOps Institute "To upskill, gain expe- rience, or start a new 44% 40% 30% role quickly, consider a contract role. Here's why IT contracting is so popular right now. lack of time lack of budget making upskilling a priority Find Ways to Grow: As one of our recruiters said, “In the tech industry, if you’re not learning and growing, you’re falling behind.” It is vital for tech workers looking to take their careers to the next level to 昀椀nd ways to upskill and increase their value. That could be through opportunities your company offers, taking leadership courses or advanced degree classes part-time or taking advantage of all the numerous freely available trainings online. Have a conversation with your manager to see what skills the company is looking for, both in and out of your current role, and try and work towards 昀椀lling that gap. MOTIONRECRUITMENT.COM 20