How to Find Candidates During a Talent Shortage in the Data Center Industry

Actions that can be taken to build a healthy applicant pool, from the desk of Peter Kazella, data center recruiting advisor / headhunter for over 20 yrs: Scholarships, military programs, technical degrees, trade schools, public speaking, professional organizations, internships, apprenticeships, etc.

As recruiters on the front lines of the data center hiring battlefield, we’ve seen how the perfect storm of industry growth, aging talent, and low awareness is choking candidate flow.

The demand for data center infrastructure is surging; fueled by AI, cryptocurrency, cloud services, and our increasingly digital world. But there's a looming crisis: the workforce simply isn’t keeping pace. According to recent industry data, the global data center sector may need over 300,000 additional workers by 2025. Pkaza, being embedded in this space, we see firsthand how candidate flow is drying up, not due to lack of interest; but lack of awareness, exposure, and guidance.

The Awareness Gap: Why Few Know the Data Center Industry Exists

Despite being a pillar of the modern economy, the data center industry remained largely invisible to the public, until 2025. Most people don’t know what a data center is, let alone that careers are built around their construction, maintenance, and operation. However, this has been a GAME CHANGER in our Industry, AI has finally put the data center industry on the map!

What Can Be Done:

• Public Speaking & Outreach: Industry professionals and recruiters must participate in high school and college career events to spread awareness.
• Professional Organizations: Groups like 7x24 Exchange, Uptime Institute, DCD, Bisnow and AFCOM can amplify outreach by funding educational efforts.
• Social Media Storytelling: Telling real-life stories of data center technicians, engineers, and project managers helps humanize the work and attract younger generations.

Pipeline Development: Early Entry Matters

Previously, most people “stumbled” into data center careers. That’s unsustainable if the goal is to create a robust, long-term workforce. However, this is changing in real-time with the advent of AI.

What Can Be Done:

• Scholarships for Technical Degrees: Companies should invest in scholarships at schools with programs in Electrical, Mechanical, Controls, Construction, Architecture, Civil, MEP / CSA degrees.
• Secondary Education and Certifications: Go after a PE vs a master’s degree as a PE / RA is tangible and more marketable.
• Internships & Apprenticeships: Structured internships in data center facilities operations or engineering can serve as a foot in the door.
• Trade School Partnerships: Collaborate with HVAC, Electrical, and Controls training programs to create employment pipelines from school to data center floor. “If you can build a high school-to-hire pathway in other skilled trades, you can do it for data centers.”
• I’m a big fan of Mike Rowe, as he is one man show pushing for trades to be glamorous!

Military Transition Programs: An Untapped Goldmine

Veterans, especially Navy Nukes, Seabees, Army Prime Power Specialists and Air Force Power Production Specialists, are exceptionally well-suited for data center roles. They’ve worked in high-pressure, mission-critical environments and are comfortable with structure, process, technical systems, and procedures.

What Can Be Done:

• Formal Military On-Ramp Programs: Partner with the Department of Defense’s SkillBridge Program to funnel veterans into data center roles as the DOD will pay for the internship if your firm qualifies with a successful training program. Other notable programs: Hiring Our Heroes and Helmets to Hardhats.
• Educating Employers: Help companies understand how military job codes translate into data center roles like commissioning agents, critical facility engineers or as a field service tech.

Rethinking Qualifications: Skills > Degrees

Many of the best data center professionals didn’t come from a traditional academic path. What matters most is experience and technical aptitude, not a four-year degree.

What Can Be Done:

• Certifications: Promote industry certifications such as BICSI, CompTIA, CMCO, and Uptime Institute ATS/CTS over academic degrees.
• Create Job Ladders for Entry-Level Jobs: Build roles that serve as internal development ladders for career growth (e.g., Junior Data Center Facility Technician → Senior Technician → Facilities Manager).
• Encourage Upskilling: Support internal training programs that allow staff to grow professionally without leaving the organization.

Aligning Employer Expectations

Rigid job descriptions are one of the biggest bottlenecks we encounter in recruiting. Many employers pass over great candidates because they’re looking for unicorns.

What Can Be Done:

• Train Clients to Focus on Skills when hiring: Educate hiring managers on identifying transferable skills from adjacent fields like utilities, telecom, commercial construction, hospitals.
• Be Flexible on Job Requirements: Rewrite job descriptions to allow for increased applications. Make required skills a huge plus especially if there are multiple must have requirements as this will increase applications.
• Strengthen Employer Branding: The best candidates are drawn to culture, opportunity, and mission, not just compensation. Know what sets your job opening and company apart from your competition.

A Recruiter’s Perspective on Hiring in Current Market Conditions for Hiring Managers and HR

Here at Pkaza, we are in a unique position to observe the real-time dynamics of the hiring landscape. We speak with candidates and hiring teams every day, and we see firsthand what drives successful placements and what causes promising opportunities to fall apart. This section shares insights from the field, what candidates expect, where companies are falling short, and how small changes in process and mindset can make a big difference in securing top talent.

Speed Wins

• Data Center Recruiters operate in a high-velocity market. When HR or hiring managers delay interview scheduling, even by 24 hours, it can mean losing top candidates to faster-moving competitors.
• Companies that understand the sense of urgency when hiring are the ones landing the best people.

Compensation Needs a Reality Check

• We’re seeing candidates receiving offers from Companies that are not meeting the mark and are not competitive with the market. Many companies still expect to land top-tier talent with lateral offers or offers that are not enticing and that’s not going to cut it. Creative compensation strategies, such as sign-on bonuses (that have strings attached which help against attrition), extra PTO, work / life balance flexibility, Equity / Stock / RSU’s and performance-based incentives, are becoming must haves.
• Budgets in this market for hiring should be re-evaluated as inflation, limited candidate pool, and aggressive data center projects.

Responding to Recruiters with updates / feedback (don’t be the bottleneck)

• HR plays a pivotal role in the hiring process, but when HR views recruiters as threats rather than allies, it slows everything down. The best outcomes happen when HR and recruiters are partners and work as a unified team with shared urgency and transparency.
• When a recruiter shares a resume, a quick response will put you in the front of the line as we can see that you are committed to filling your open req. Recruiters work where the money is, if we need to track you down, we are more likely to pay more attention to the client that responds quickly.
• When providing feedback on resumes, interviews, etc., the more information that is shared, the easier it is to home-in on the specific needs of the role which can only help fill the job faster.

Candidate Experience Is Everything

• Candidates talk. If they feel ghosted, delayed, or undervalued, it reflects poorly on the brand. Recruiters are often the first impression a candidate has of a company. Empowering the Recruiter to move quickly and communicate clearly is key to maintaining a strong reputation and Solid Company Brand.
• Websites: make sure your company website, social media, etc. has a good look and feel and is updated.

The Market Has Shifted, Have You?

• The hiring landscape has changed dramatically. Candidates are more selective, more informed, and more mobile than ever. Companies that haven’t adapted their processes, expectations, and compensation strategies are already falling behind.

Building the Next Generation

Bridging the talent gap in the data center space requires more than good recruiting; it demands ecosystem-level change and a lot of people rolling up their sleeves and helping. By focusing on awareness, alternative qualifications, and military talent, we can build a candidate pipeline that scales with the infrastructure we rely on every day.

In Conclusion

To wrap things up, tackling the talent shortage in the data center world needs a mix of strategies. We need to spread the word, invest in education and training, and rethink the usual qualifications. Teaming up with industry leaders, schools, and military programs is key to bridging the gap and keeping the data center workforce strong. As we move forward, it's important to adapt to the changing landscape and come up with creative ways to attract and keep top talent. The future of the data center industry depends on all of us working together to create a dynamic and inclusive environment that encourages growth and development.

The future of the of the internet depends on who we can attract to our industry both today and tomorrow!