IT Skill Sets of the Future

Renee M. Kenney, CPA, CISA, CIA Deputy Director, Information Technology, Comptroller of Maryland

Maryland Government Digital Summit June 10, 2013

Background
The Comptroller of Maryland (COM) has approximately 140 professional IT positions We provide IT support for the:
COM, including branch operations throughout the State Annapolis Data Center largest state operated data center, 24/7, 364 days a year Register of Wills Offices

We typically have 6-18 vacancies at any given time (4.3% - 12.9%) As you, we face many recruiting challenges

Recruiting Challenges
1. Identifying Qualified Candidates
Diverse skill set requirements Mainframe Programmers (COBOL, DB2, CICS, Install 1) Web Application Developers (.Net, SQL) Business Intelligence/Data Warehouse (Business Objects reporting, data modeling, ETL functions) Desktop/printer/scanner support (1,300 microcomputers, 180 scanners, 815 printers) Server support - 220 physical servers, 43 blade servers & 137 virtual servers); with numerous operating systems (e.g. Microsoft Windows, Oracle 8, IBM DB2, Connect Direct) Annapolis Data Center largest of the 5 State government mainframe data centers, 24/7 364 day support for numerous State agencies (Computer Operators, Disaster Recovery Administration) Mainframe Technical Support DBAs, Capacity Planning, File Transfer Protocols, CICS Security Specialists Portfolio Management and Quality Control Unit (Business & Technical Analysts)

Recruiting Challenges Continued

2. Maryland State Salary Structure in competition with the federal and county government, as well as public industry.

Recruiting Challenges Continued

3. Maryland State IT Job Classification Structure

Limited number of advancement opportunities for IT Professionals without management requirements

Recruiting Challenges Continued

4. State recruitment processes
It can take over 6 months from the request of a Hiring Freeze Exemption to extending a job offer. o Loose candidates to other opportunities

Possible Strategies
There is no silver bullet!

No magic answer

Possible Strategies
1. Investigate Intern Opportunities
We established a relationship with ITT Technical Institute o Visited Career Center and met with ITT Career Counselors o Participated in a job fair We brought on 6 Interns for a semester o Help Desk Coverage & Triage o Desk Top Support o Server Configurations & Physical Set Up No Cost to the Agency Students were professional, eager to learn, responsible

We did not get any direct hires out of the process but we increased awareness of possible opportunities within our agency. Confident that ITT students will consider us when they are starting their professional careers.

Possible Strategies
2. Succession Planning
Deputy Director - Plan for your future Knowledge Transfer o Ensure team leaders are included in your IT management structure

3. Invest in your employees

Appreciative Culture Thank you goes a long way

Possible Strategies
4. Aptitude/Flexibility
Limiting selective qualifications provides you with a larger candidate pool Look for transferable skills o CPA, CISA, CIA Deputy Director ITD o Tax and legal specialist for a .Net developer

Possible Strategies
5. Perks!
Flexible work time Tele-work Training opportunities o Skill Soft o Free or inexpensive one day seminars MD Summit 6 employees!

Possible Strategies
6. Retired Employees Bring them back as Contractors
Historical knowledge Dedicated to the State Flexible

We have been very successful with this strategy

Possible Strategies
7. Perseverance
Recruitment is hard work Track and monitor the status of your vacancies on a daily basis o We keep a spreadsheet of each vacancy and track the dates of each phase
HFE, Submission of Recruitment Package to OHR, Date the posting closed, review of minimum qualifications, scheduling of interviews, etc.

Build a relationship with OHR Most Important o We meet weekly to discuss the status of our vacancies

Questions?

Thank you!