“We need more ServiceNow talent!”
That refrain is common today, from ServiceNow customers building their platform teams, to partners looking for certified consultants, to job boards across the internet. Bringing more talent into the ecosystem is a very hot topic, but how do you find and attract talent? There is no simple answer to that.
When it comes to finding ServiceNow talent, it is not only about the “how,” but also about the “where.” The most obvious department where you would look for talent is probably your IT department. These people may be familiar with scripting, development, and software as a service, but not necessarily have Now Platform experience. You could also watch for talent within your first and second line support agents who are current users of the Now Platform, rather than technical experts.
I went that path myself. In 2016, I was working as an Application Developer for retail software, but had never heard of ServiceNow. The company wanted to grow its internal ServiceNow practice, so they hosted meetings in various offices for people who were working in IT like me. They shared slides around the Now Platform, what it is, and what you can achieve with it, and mentioned that if anyone was interested, there were several “ServiceNow Fundamentals” classes where you could learn more. I took that class, and made an important step in my career, moving from Application Development towards a Technical Consulting Role in the ServiceNow Ecosystem.
In addition to searching for ServiceNow talent in your IT department, you can also look more into process-oriented departments. Perhaps your internal ITSM, HR, or CSM consulting departments are experts on the processes themselves, and those are great potentials sources of talent, too. Sure, they have to learn the Now Platform from scratch, but their platform knowledge does not need to be too deep. Excite them on how their process is implemented in ServiceNow and how much easier their job could potentially be if they started consulting Now Platform users. Let them know about NowLearning and our free on-demand offerings as an appetizer.
Once you have the first people from various departments joining your crew, you can think about establishing a community. That may be biweekly or monthly, onsite, or virtual, simply a place where these new joiners can share experiences with people who are thinking about making the next step in their career as well.
Another approach would be to watch out for talent that neither has ServiceNow experience nor are they employees of yours. One of the greatest experiences I had in my career was teaching at our NextGen Program, “Woman back to Business” which was a cooperation with the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The program enrolled over 20 women who had no IT background into ServiceNow Fundamentals and ITSM Fundamentals, combined with supplemental eLearning and homework over 8 weeks.
By the end of the program, these women achieved their Certified System Administrator certification and were ready to start their journey in the ServiceNow Ecosystem.
There is more to come — we are currently extending the NextGen Program, but you could also think about ways you could incorporate ServiceNow trainings in your own apprenticeship programs, for example.
I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel. What I’m trying to say is that you are surrounded by more talent than you might expect. It’s about perspective and where you look for potential. You are not alone on this journey. If you need any assistance creating example training strategies you’d like to lay out for new joiners depending on their background, you can always reach out to your Services Seller or Training Solution Consultant to design the roadmap together.
