Community Bank Tactics for Recruiting Tech Superstars

The ubiquity of IT in today’s banking operations has sent community banks scrambling to attract qualified technology talent. 

“It used to be, the youngest person in the bank was the IT person,” recalls Brad Giddens, director of sales for IT solutions provider Integris. “It’s turned into expecting IT to do everything from reset passwords to fix threats to the firewall to ‘we want to do more with data management.’ The jack-of-all-trades IT person is not going to cut it for bankers anymore.” 

Numerous industries are competing for tech talent, however, and those pursuing a high-tech career path may not see banking as a cutting-edge industry. “Banking still isn’t known to a lot of people,” says Mandy Snyder, VP of online training, products and compliance for ICBA. “It’s getting there with fintechs working with banks, but banking isn’t always the glamorous techy job.”

Flexibility can be a key differentiator

Melissa Casey, EVP, chief administrative officer and CFO of $574 million-asset CS Bank in Eureka Springs, Ark., identifies with the challenge of hiring technology specialists. “We’re competing with big corporations that have large, integral IT departments,” she says. “That may look more attractive to some of the younger or more ambitious candidates.”

Increasingly, community banks are responding by offering remote work, either part- or full-time. CS Bank has even taken on a student intern during summer vacations who will work part-time during the fall semester. “Back in the day, who would have thought you could work remotely and stay up to date on your college work?” Casey laughs. “But it makes sense for us.”

For $2 billion-asset Queensborough National Bank & Trust (QNB) in Louisville, Ga., remote work has become commonplace. “We have offices and major parts of the bank in the Augusta and Savannah markets, and we feel very comfortable with remote work,” observes Bill Easterlin, president and CEO. “Someone being in another city or working at home is not an issue for us.” 

A true selling point: work–life balance

Community banks can make being a local bank into an asset for IT prospects. “We’re well-known in all of our markets to cultivate a really good company culture,” Casey says. “We do believe in work-life balance, and we understand that people have families. We’re very willing to work with people, and word has gotten out.”

Giddens agrees that community banks should emphasize, rather than run away from, their local roots. “I think there are still young people that want to work for a company like that. Not every young person wants to work in Silicon Valley,” he points out. 

Santa Cruz County Bank (SCCB) in Santa Cruz, Calif., competes with Silicon Valley and its abundance of tech opportunities. But Jaime Manriquez, EVP and CIO for the $2.8 billion-asset SCCB, says the community bank culture can be a great attraction. 

“I’ve been with SCCB for 21 years, and the flexibility has allowed me to raise my family,” he says. “We have a great family environment and team environment with mentorships.”

Manriquez adds that SCCB uses team interviews to identify candidates who will value their environment. “We put a lot of time and effort into making sure the person is not only technically competent but is a cultural fit,” he says.

Filling the talent pool

Internships can be a great way of forging a relationship with young technical talent. SCCB has two interns from the IT program at nearby Cabrillo College who work for the bank during school breaks. “We are looking to consistently have a couple of interns rotating through so as to build and maintain an ongoing program,” Manriquez says. 

Meanwhile, QNB has developed a relationship with Augusta University over the past several years. The community bank recruits from the school’s cybersecurity program and hires summer interns who handle a variety of tech duties. “That’s been very successful for us,” Easterlin notes. 

Community banks are also cultivating in-house talent. Team members who weren’t hired for their technical skills sometimes find an ability and interest in the job and have successfully transitioned to an IT role. 

At SCCB, a system conversion convinced a new-accounts representative that she had an aptitude for IT. She moved into an IT role and has since been promoted to SVP and director of information security. Subsequently, another new-accounts representative moved into IT and has been promoted to AVP and core systems manager. 

Similarly, CS Bank had success with a loan officer who moved into IT. “We always try to look internally, regardless of the department, before going external,” explains Casey. “The IT staff can see those who pick up easily on programs and will approach them and see if they have an interest.”

Costs versus benefits of the right candidate

Compensation can be a significant recruiting challenge. Depending on the market, qualified IT candidates regularly command six-figure salaries. That’s a stretch for many banks, but SCCB, competing directly with Silicon Valley, has weighed the trade-offs and determined it’s worth it to offer a competitive salary. 

“I very much understand how disruptive turnover is,” says Krista Snelling, SCCB’s president and CEO. “I could pay $25,000 more for a person and have them stick around, or I could scrimp and save and have turnover every two years. We’ve made the decision to have continuity.”

Of course, salary is only half the battle. You also need to find the right fit. Tom Sankovitz, CFO of Keen Bank in Waseca, Minn., recommends that community banks take their time, whenever possible, when adding new IT staff. When the $182 million-asset bank needed to replace a senior IT executive, Sankovitz and a few others divvied up the executive’s responsibilities while looking for a replacement. 

“For two months, I was working 60 hours a week but had the ability to do that and the patience to hire the right person. Wait, be patient, hire the right person,” he advises.

Continuous learning and growth

Bankers and industry observers agree that ongoing professional development is key to retention. “We have three team members who live next to the Apple campus, but they are willing to work for us because of technology and also because we are keen on training,” Manriquez reveals.

“We find that the younger folks that we recruit are eager to learn more,” agrees Easterlin. “We make sure we provide that opportunity for education, making sure they have new things to do and learn. We find that certifications and seminars are a critical component of retention.”

Training and attending conferences can be a “perk” for many employees, and Sankovitz believes that’s the way it should be. “We send tech staff to annual conventions,” he says. “You get contacts, phone numbers and things like that you might use later. And it’s a break. It’s kind of fun. We make that easy and try to encourage it.”

Observers stress, though, that what’s needed is not just an accumulation of certifications. IT staff want a career path, and that’s an area where banks need to level up. “Banks don’t have a growth plan for IT professionals,” Giddens observes. “There’s a growth plan for bankers but not for IT professionals.”

ICBA Education recently introduced a new resource, the Professional Development Planner, that can help (see sidebar, page 17). Jenny Forschen, ICBA Education content and compliance specialist, emphasizes the importance of professional development for job satisfaction and retention. 

“All bank employees want to learn more and want to be confident and perform well,” she says. “Investing in your community bank employees’ knowledge and experience will help them gain confidence, see their future and keep them driving forward.”