Five Traits to Look For When Hiring an IT Manager for Your Homebuilding Company.

Homebuilders increasingly give a lot of thought to the technology features they put into their homes. Many in the industry, however, are still slow to embrace technology on the back end—in running the business itself.

Fortunately, the lack of technical expertise with the builder can be easily solved with a skilled information technology (IT) director or manager to run the IT show.

That makes the recruitment and hiring of IT managers among the most important tasks that leaders of a homebuilding company undertake. Make no mistake about it—the stakes are high. Some experts have estimated the cost of replacing a bad hire can be as high as 20 times their base salary.

Complicating the hiring picture is the fact that few builders can adequately assess the qualities of an IT manager candidate. After all, information technology is foreign turf, and even the worst candidate probably knows more than the builder does in an interview process.

The result: IT managers are often hired based on bad data or a flawed understanding of the factors required for that candidate to be successful in their new role.

This is a critical position in an industry that historically has not recognized the value that a top-notch technology professional can bring to an organization. That can make the search more difficult, since the number of industry-savvy IT pros is more limited in the homebuilding industry.

Consequently, hiring managers may have to look outside the industry to locate, recruit and hire IT professionals for building companies. The challenge to the hiring manager now increases, since they are at a disadvantage on the technology front, and must now assess the person's contribution to an industry they are not familiar with.

Fortunately, IT professionals with experience working for manufacturers may be well-suited to the needs of builders, since manufacturers and builders usually have similar organizational structures (e.g. production, sales, purchasing, accounting, etc.). With that in mind, here are five traits to look for when hiring an IT professional:

1. Look For Generalist Abilities
Don't be lured into hiring a software-specific specialist. Sure it's tempting if you are running FAST or BuildSoft and they are experts in it. But software changes and good packages go bad.

Your specialist might quickly find themselves in over their head when growth dictates that you change systems or deploy new technology. Most companies are better served by hiring a generalist who can easily learn a system. Keep in mind that a reputable software provider will be able to provide training and support to your new IT Manager.

In addition, an IT manager's knowledge must extend far beyond hardware and software. They should be sensitive to the cultural and organizational impact of implementing new technology, should have people (or so-called "soft" skills), be a good communicator, and be able to avoid conflict.

2. Seek Strategic Technology Insight
Don't hire a technician just to maintain the current system or to merely perform computer repair and software debugging. Hire a forward-thinking technology strategist who views software as a tool to optimize business practices. A technician will tend to take a narrowly-focused view on the system components and capabilities, without insight into how to grow the IT system to accommodate business processes and business expansion.

3. Value Good Mediation Skills
IT executives often have to appease many bosses and departmental needs, and explain why one is prioritized over another. Reassuring the sales team that their services are highly valued, while awarding the lion's share of the IT budget to the purchasing department can take a real diplomat's touch. These situations occur frequently—it's rare that a building company sets aside adequate resources to satisfy all employees.

4. Gather No Gadget-Heads
IT professionals who are enamored with the latest wireless gadgets or the gee-whiz features of new computers and networks are not a good sign. They are the equivalent of a car mechanic more interested in a "tricked out" show car than with providing dependable everyday transportation. A good IT manager appreciates the business processes enabled by technology and provides dependable, baseline support for those processes, without being distracted by cool bleeding-edge technology.

5. Stress the Ability to Simplify Technology
A good IT officer should be able to explain the IT infrastructure and its capabilities to non-technology co-workers. This lets users understand the impact of technology on the business, and enables the IT pro to successfully argue for needed changes. IT professionals must also be able to switch hats and have the ability to speak intelligently to vendors and consultants.

Ted Bellamy is founder of The Daniels Group, Inc., a Denver-based executive search firm that exclusively serves homebuilders and land developers, www.danielsgroupinc.com.