As I’ve said before, MSPs don’t need to employ a team of techs comprised entirely of Michael Jordans to operate profitably. If you subscribe to this notion, you know that the optimal hire isn’t always going to be the most impressively qualified candidate. Most managers can relate to this one: one of your current employees might have average technical skills relative to their Tier and price point, but you still see value in this person because they give you predictable results, they are dependable and demonstrate continual improvement.
Reliable employees often translate into consistency which can afford small companies more stability in daily operations. This predictability is especially beneficial for the MSP industry because hitting SLA response times and project timelines are crucial for operational stability and meeting client expectations. Safe is predictable and predictable mitigates operational setbacks. Plus, safe hires should have a lower price point which can afford your MSP more runway to retain. I am not saying, “go out there and hire subpar talent.” I’m saying rethink the candidate profile you really need in the seat before commencing sampling the candidate pool.
We work with MSPs who will meet internally to reassess primary job requirements every time before they hire so they can create an updated composite of skills based on the current market so they can identify who might fit their role. For example, a composite might tell you that hiring a strong Level 2 who has been working heavily with up-to-date cloud technologies might be equally as qualified/valuable as hiring a Level 2.5 Team Lead possessing less cloud experience but satisfies your need to get a more mature presence on your service desk. A job description is completely different; that’s an outward facing document. The composite tells you what to look for and what to uncover during an interview. Hash that stuff out before interviewing so you can cast a wider net in the beginning and mitigate spinning your wheels trying to hire a candidate profile that might not even exist.
Your MSP and the MSP industry as a whole is constantly evolving, so should your candidate profiles and who you hire.
