Ted White: Niche Recruiting in the MSP Space

In this episode, Sarah Tenisi speaks with Ted White, CEO at Vertical Talent Solutions, a recruiting firm focused on finding great technical talent for MSPs (Managed Service Providers).

Listen in as Ted dives deep into technical recruiting and what makes finding great IT talent for MSPs different from finding individual IT talent for companies. He discusses the value of hiring a generalist as compared to specialists due to the multifaceted nature of the MSP space.

He talks about the traits of the best MSP professionals and how those in the IT space can have an edge when making the transition into MSPs.

Ted gives his thoughts on the current hiring landscape in a post-Covid world, why he exclusively selects candidates with prior MSP experience currently, and why mass layoffs do not automatically translate into a bigger pool of qualified candidates.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [01:46] Why does finding a candidate with MSP experience matter?

●      [05:31] Hiring innate troubleshooters

●      [08:10] Why IT professionals would want to work in an MSP

●      [14:38] How a candidate can have an edge in the MSP space

●      [18:43] Why Ted decided on exclusively recruiting MSP talent for MSPs

●      [24:19] Vetting MSPs and candidates

●      [28:59] Making phone interviews more efficient and effective

●      [32:45] The current state of the post-Covid hiring landscape

●      [35:43] Why mass layoffs do not equal more available talent

Key quotes:

●      “For people that like technology, an MSP is the way to go.”

●      “We don’t need to be in such a rush to be the first to make an offer to a candidate. Never make an offer to somebody who’s not ready to accept.”