The Tech Talent Toolkit: How to attract and nurture a digital team in government

By: Keith Wilson

Let’s be honest: hiring and retaining tech talent is difficult. It is especially challenging for governments because factors including salary, work flexibility, and development opportunities are often out of sync (or perceived to be) with tech job seeker expectations. To address these challenges and help governments hire more effectively, U.S. Digital Response (USDR) has actively engaged government organizations at the state, county, and city levels to optimize their talent practices and build digital capacity — and we’ve learned some things.

Today, we’re releasing The Talent Toolkit, a culmination of these efforts, bringing together lessons learned, government talent expertise, and industry best practices into one comprehensive resource.

Why We Developed the Talent Toolkit

Government organizations face unique hiring needs, particularly when it comes to tech talent. Traditional hiring practices in the public sector often don’t align well with the expectations and experiences of tech professionals. While there are many resources on general hiring and talent best practices, none are tailored to government tech hiring or freely available. The Talent Toolkit aims to fill this gap, providing government leaders and hiring managers with best practices, practical examples, and downloadable templates to attract and nurture technologists, including product managers, designers, and software engineers.

This toolkit is also part of our commitment with the White House to double the number of state and local governments USDR supports. We’re proud to contribute to advancing public interest technology across the nation.

How We Developed the Toolkit

The development of the Talent Toolkit was a collaborative effort with Verge Talent Partners, who bring deep expertise in hiring, recruiting, human resources, operations, and strategy. We leveraged our collective experience in supporting digital transformation teams across U.S. federal, state, and city governments, along with widely recognized best practices to create an optimal framework for engaging digital talent. Our focus was to ensure the Toolkit could be adapted to different levels of government, from city to state to federal, and to provide practical examples and templates whenever possible.

The Employee Lifecycle Approach

The Talent Toolkit’s structure is built around the employee lifecycle, a widely accepted framework in the HR industry. This approach considers every stage of an employee’s journey, from attraction to advocacy. The phases of the employee lifecycle are woven throughout the following Toolkit sections, with accompanying strategies and resources:

1. Talent Acquisition: The comprehensive process of attracting, recruiting, interviewing, and hiring a highly skilled and qualified digital service workforce.
2. Total Compensation: Salary, benefits, bonuses, and any other perks that contribute to an employee’s overall earnings and job satisfaction.
3. Onboarding: Best practices for setting up new hires, including those joining from the private sector, for success.
4. Learning & Development: Structured, ongoing efforts to boost employee performance through a mix of educational methods.
5. Culture & Engagement: Common values, beliefs, and behaviors, and how these resonate with employees.
6. Inclusive Practices: Policies and strategies that ensure all employees, regardless of their background, have equal access to opportunities and resources.
7. Working with HR: Collaborating on various aspects of the hiring process, such as defining job requirements, implementing recruitment strategies, screening and interviewing candidates, making final hiring decisions, and onboarding new hires.

What’s Inside the Toolkit

The Talent Toolkit is packed with resources designed to support every stage of the hiring process. Here are some highlights:

• Hiring Sketchpad: A self-guided resource to help you map out and implement the hiring best practices from the Talent Toolkit
• Customizable Resources: Templates and guides for each stage of the employee lifecycle, available in both Google and Microsoft formats.
• Best Practices: Insights and strategies for attracting and retaining tech talent, including those from outside government.
• Tools for Nurturing and Developing Teams: Resources to help you foster a positive and productive work environment.

Who Should Use the Toolkit

The Talent Toolkit is designed for government leaders and hiring managers, with a focus on mid to senior-level tech roles. Whether you’re working at the federal, state, or city level, the toolkit provides valuable insights and practical resources to enhance your hiring practices. It’s particularly useful for those looking to attract and nurture researchers, designers, product managers, and software engineers.

Getting the Most Out of the Toolkit

To maximize the benefits of the Talent Toolkit, consider these tips:

• Customization: Adapt the resources to fit the specific needs of your organization.
• Feedback Features: Utilize the feedback tools within the toolkit to continuously improve your hiring processes.
• Additional Support: Reach out to USDR for personalized assistance and guidance.

Transform government tech hiring today

The Tech Talent Toolkit is your key to transforming government tech hiring and talent practices. This comprehensive resource empowers you with best practices, practical examples, and customizable templates to attract and retain top talent. Explore The Talent Toolkit today and build the digital capacity that your organization needs to thrive.

Looking for more guidance with building your government digital team? Reach out to USDR and we can explore what’s possible with you today.