We recently teamed up with AWS recruitment specialists Jefferson Frank to deliver a great webinar on attracting and retaining the best AWS talent on the market today. Whether you couldn’t make it on the day or just want a quick recap of what was covered, you’ll find some handy tips right here in our Revolent roundup!
We’ll take a look at everything from actionable recruitment and retention strategies to build your employer brand, to the reasons why people change jobs, diversity, and more. Let’s get started.
Why do talented employees leave?
Before we think about how to find AWS professionals and keep them happy and motivated, we need to find out what moves people in the ecosystem to change jobs in the first place. According to a recent study, 38% of full-time AWS professionals said the main reason for leaving their current role would be down to a lack of salary increases. Beyond that, respondents said they wanted to leave their current position because of the following reasons:
- Lack of career and promotion prospects (37%)
- The need to take on new challenges (32%)
- Lack of exposure to the latest AWS products (28%)
- Lack of leadership and vision (26%)
- Working environment/company culture (22%)
On the contract side of things, that same survey saw a similar sight, with 33% of respondents keen to seek out new challenges, expecting to leave their current role within the next 12 months. The top five reasons for moving here were as follows:
- Need to pursue new challenges (33%)
- Lack of career and promotional prospects (25%)
- Lack of exposure to the latest AWS products (25%)
- No added employee benefits (25%)
- Lack of salary increase (21%)
Before the pandemic, a substantial 40% of contactors expected to still be with their current employer in the coming year, although 32% expected they’d be somewhere new in the same time period.
So what does all of that mean for employers? Well, the great news is that the majority of the areas mentioned here are not only totally within your control as a business, but suggest that it only requires small changes to have a positive effect on your workforce.
The job perks AWS professionals actually want
One great way to supercharge your hiring efforts and increase employee retention rates is by offering attractive benefits packages that really speak to what AWS professionals want today. According to Jefferson Frank’s most recent AWS salary survey, the top 10 perks people look for (but aren’t yet receiving) are:
- Bonuses (32%)
- 13th month pay (28%)
- Certification vouchers (27%)
- 4 weeks or more paid time off (26%)
- Training and development opportunities (25%)
- The ability to attend industry events (24%)
- Education/training allowance (23%)
- Subsidized gym membership/fitness expense (23%)
- Equity shares in the company (22%)
- Free breakfast and/or lunch (22%)
What this wish list of benefits boils down to is that prospective candidates really only want one thing: to be valued as AWS professionals and properly remunerated for their skills and experience. A major part of feeling valued by your employer comes from the training and development opportunities you’re afforded as an employee, and the trust that comes with being able to work flexibly and remotely.
Digging down a little further into which benefits hold the most sway when accepting a job offer, home working, bonuses, and more than four weeks PTO were the top three clinchers, with health insurance, flexible hours, training opportunities, and 13th month pay close behind. The ability to attend industry events, a company retirement plan, and equity shares also made the list, however these were towards the bottom end.
Training and development opportunities
A third of AWS professionals felt dissatisfied with the training and development opportunities offered by their current employer, which is quite high given the importance of continuous training in the fast-moving cloud tech industry. So what do experienced AWS superstars want from a professional development standpoint?
- Long-term professional development plan
- AWS-specific training
- Subsidized AWS certification
- DevOps training
- Security training
- A formalized training plan
- Subsidized tickets for industry events
- Training on new technologies and cloud platforms
- Time during work hours to attend training
You’ll notice here that most of the points on this list suggest a passion for learning more about the technology – and that’s something you’ll see in any true cloud professional today! This kind of eagerness to learn should be celebrated by employers; the more up-to-date knowledge your AWS pros can build, the more you stand to gain.
The great thing about working with our Revols is that we continue funding their professional development, as well as future certifications, for as long as they’re with us. That means they’re always on top of all the latest developments, and can handle any projects with confidence.
On top of that, we also offer training tailored to suit your needs as an employer, meaning your team of Revols will be the best (and most cost-effective) fit for your business.
The impact on diversity and inclusion on hiring
One of the most impactful steps you can take towards opening up your talent pool and holding on to the great AWS professionals you already have is to foster a richer, more diverse workforce. But where to start?
Firstly, take a closer look at your job ads. The language used to talk about the role you’re looking to fill, and the type of candidate you’d like to join your team, could be what makes or breaks your next great hire.
Remember: job ads are often the first impression candidates have of your organization, particularly on any anonymized descriptions posted on job boards. What at first glance seems like a small detail, the effect this could have on your hiring process is huge. Avoid using words like ‘rock star’, ‘ninja’, ‘hierarchy’, or ‘assertive’, for example, because they’re perceived to be more masculine. Terms like ‘collaborative’ or ‘dependable’, however, are viewed as more appealing to female applicants. According to Textio’s fantastic research on gendered language, how we write job vacancies directly impacts the ratio of male to female applicants for a role. And rethinking your job ads serves up tangible results—just look at Atlassian! When they applied Textio’s insights to their own hiring processes, they saw a massive 80% leap in female technical hires— big news for any organization operating in STEM industries.
But changing the way you write ads isn’t enough on its own: real, company-wide change comes with education, and increasing awareness about gender bias and inclusive language. Your D&I initiatives need to be championed from board-level down if they’re to be effective long-term. Give your employees access to the resources they need, offer more L&D hours, and last but certainly not least, lead by example. Recruiting more diverse talent is fantastic, but ensuring that you have an inclusive, safe work environment in place is crucial if those brand-new hires are going to stay on as loyal employees.
Need to hire AWS talent ASAP? Talk to the Revolent team and hire a Revol!