IT sales staff can't sit still

Having trouble remembering the names of the IT salespeople you deal with? Well, it might be something to do with how long the average IT sales person stays in their role.

IT sales recruitment consultancy Robson Taylor looked at how long their registered candidates had been with their current employer.

More than half (55 per cent) of IT sales staff have been with their present company for two years or more, two-fifths for three years or more and 23 per cent for five years or more, the research reveals.

The average stint is three years.

Kevin Buller, CEO of Robson Taylor, told silicon.com some IT sales staff leave because they do not hit targets but it is difficult to gauge whether the staff are underperforming or being set unrealistic goals by their sales managers.

Is there a skills shortage?

Tell us what you think of the IT workforce in silicon.com's 2007 Skills Survey.

Buller said some candidates are simply "serial job hoppers" who are looking for better wages or a move into a new area of technology.

One in five (19 per cent) had been with their last employer for less than a year, according to the survey.

Buller said: "Sometimes it's a lack of communication between both parties that leads to people leaving."

He added companies need to make sure there is a clear job spec and a two-way flow of information to make sure employers retain and understand their IT sales staff.