Despite the recognition and attention that swirls around tech hubs like Silicon Valley, money and innovation in the industry exist all over the country. A recent NerdWallet roundup of the best places for tech jobs found that Huntsville, Alabama, ranked as the second most attractive metro area for tech professionals. That city might not immediately come to mind as the land of corner offices and tech entrepreneurship, but it's been deemed the "heart of the Southern tech scene."
"Huntsville is nicknamed 'Rocket City,' for the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, where there are many tech jobs. Sixty-eight out of every 1,000 jobs in Huntsville are in tech-related fields," explains Susan Adams of Forbes. "Cummings Research Park, a science and business park with hundreds of jobs, is also there. Average salaries are at the lower end of NerdWallet's measure at $92,296 but median rent is the lowest on the list, at $725 a month."
This is to say that companies all over the country can make appealing bids for talent. Studies consistently find that experts in the IS and IT field are willing to relocate to accept a dream job, and many companies assist candidates with the necessary funds to make a big move. Geographically speaking, businesses aren't as limited as they might imagine by the location of their operation.
"Dice.com reports that over the last year, more than 300,000 job seekers have indicated they'd be willing to relocate for the perfect job opportunity," explains CIO Magazine. "But where are those opportunities? While there are some no-brainers on the list (California, for example) there are also some surprises (where's Washington?)."
The Dice survey included states like Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and North Carolina. The benefit of some less-considered tech hotbeds is the quality of life candidates are afforded with their well-above-average salaries. $100,000 per year stretches farther in Huntsville, for example, than it does in San Francisco. This is an important dimension of pitching your opening to talented candidates: remembering that they are people with lives who make personal, financial and family-based decisions about the next step in their careers. Your location might be more of an asset than a hindrance when you consider those factors.
Courting candidates who are willing to relocate allows tech firms to cast a wider applicant net. On this blog, we've discussed the shortfall of qualified tech employees, so investing in relocation and considering applicants around the country allows businesses to choose from a bigger sample of the candidate marketplace.
With the assistance of an experienced staffing firm, companies can seek and contract the most excellent talent on the market. Contact VAR Staffing today to learn more about our record of matching exceptional tech companies with qualified professionals.
