IT hiring seems simple: you need capacity, you hire someone. But in practice, all kinds of things go wrong, often through mistakes you could have prevented in advance. Which pitfalls do I see clients walk into time and again?
In this article I share the seven mistakes clients make most often with IT hiring, and how to avoid them. From a vague profile to focusing only on rate. Learn from them, and you hire faster, better and with less hassle.
This blog is for clients: IT managers and hiring managers who hire IT professionals and want to do it better.
I place IT professionals and see up close where hiring goes wrong. No judgement; these mistakes are understandable and common. The point is that you can avoid them.
What are the most common mistakes in IT hiring?
Most mistakes revolve around three things: insufficient preparation, steering on the wrong things, and underestimating what hiring really demands. A vague profile, looking only at rate, starting too late and underestimating onboarding time are the classics. Below I walk through the seven most important.
Mistake 1: a vague or too broad profile
The most common mistake. "We are looking for an IT professional" or "a cloud engineer" is too vague to find a good match. Without a sharp profile, you get candidates who do not quite fit, and the selection costs much more time. An unclear question yields an unclear result.
Define sharply which specific expertise, experience and seniority you seek, and which result the IT professional must deliver. The more precise your question, the better and faster the match. This is also the basis for a DBA-proof assignment, because a defined result steers on an assignment instead of loose capacity.
Mistake 2: steering only on hourly rate
Many clients compare candidates mainly on hourly rate and choose the cheapest. But the hourly rate is only part of the actual cost. A cheap IT professional with a lot of onboarding time, a mismatch or little experience can work out more expensive at the bottom line than a pricier person who delivers immediately.
Look at the total value: experience, speed, suitability and the risk of a mismatch. A slightly higher rate is often more economical than a cheap hire that does not work. Want to know which costs you overlook? Read our blog on the hidden costs of IT hiring.
Mistake 3: starting the search too late
You do not find scarce IT professionals overnight. Yet many clients only start searching when the need is already acute. The result: haste, a smaller choice, and the risk of taking a lesser candidate because you cannot wait.
Start in time, well before you need the capacity. Especially for scarce profiles like cloud and security, starting early pays off, because the search can take months. Those who plan ahead have more choice and a better negotiating position. Want more on this? Read our blog on planning hiring around budget cycles.
Mistake 4: underestimating onboarding time
A new IT professional is not immediately fully productive. They have to learn your systems, processes and context. Many clients forget to factor in that onboarding time, and are then disappointed that someone is not running at full speed from day one.
Account for an onboarding period, especially in a complex environment, and where needed choose someone with experience in comparable situations who runs independently sooner. Good handover and documentation shorten onboarding time. Factor that period into your planning and expectations.
Mistake 5: ignoring or underestimating the Dutch DBA Act
Since 2025, the Dutch DBA Act is actively enforced, but many clients barely consider it. If you hire a freelancer long-term and embedded, without definition, you risk the relationship being seen as disguised employment, with a back-tax assessment as a result.
Steer on a defined result, avoid embedding, and make sure the practice matches the contract. For long-running or risky assignments, the intermediary construction can cover the risk. Want to know how the assessment works? Read our guide to the 9 assessment factors of the Dutch DBA Act.
Mistake 6: not arranging a backup
What if your hired IT professional drops out or leaves? Many clients arrange no backup and are then left with a stalled project. Especially for a critical assignment, dependence on one person without replacement is a big risk.
Ensure a plan B: documentation so knowledge does not sit with one person, and a way to quickly find a replacement. If you work with an intermediary, replacement is often part of the agreement. If you do it yourself, deliberately arrange how you safeguard continuity.
Mistake 7: assessing the match only on technique
An IT professional can be technically strong and still not succeed in your team. Many clients look only at the hard skills and forget the match: communication, collaboration and fit with your organisation. It is precisely that soft side that often determines whether an assignment succeeds.
Besides technique, also assess how someone communicates, whether they ask good questions, and whether their way of working fits you. A good match on both fronts prevents an expensive mismatch. Want to know how to do that? Read our blog on assessing a freelancer in an intake.
Frequently asked questions about mistakes in IT hiring
What is the biggest mistake in IT hiring?
A vague profile, often followed by steering only on rate. Without a sharp question, you get mismatches and the selection costs a lot of time. Define exactly which expertise, experience and result you seek; that is the basis for a good and fast match.
How do I avoid being too expensive?
By steering on total value, not just hourly rate. Count onboarding time, the risk of a mismatch and your own search time. A slightly pricier IT professional who delivers immediately is often more economical than a cheap one who does not fit. Look beyond the price per hour.
When should I start searching?
Earlier than you think. Scarce profiles take months to find via regular channels. Start well before the need is acute, then you have more choice and a better negotiating position. Starting too late leads to haste and concessions.
How do I avoid Dutch DBA Act problems as a client?
Steer on a defined result, avoid embedding the freelancer in your team, and make sure the practice matches the contract. For long-running or risky assignments, the intermediary construction can cover the risk. If in doubt, consult an employment lawyer.
Do I really need to arrange a backup?
For a critical or long-running assignment, yes. Dependence on one person without replacement is a big risk if they drop out. Ensure documentation and a way to replace quickly. With an intermediary, replacement is often part of the agreement.
Conclusion: good hiring starts with preparation
Most mistakes in IT hiring revolve around insufficient preparation, steering on the wrong things, and underestimating what hiring demands. A vague profile, rate focus, starting too late, underestimating onboarding time, ignoring the Dutch DBA Act, no backup, and assessing only on technique. Each one avoidable.
For whom is this most relevant? For clients who hire regularly and want to do it more sharply. For whom less? For those who occasionally hire a fixed, known freelancer.
My advice: invest in the preparation. A sharp profile, a realistic view of costs and time, and attention to compliance and match prevent most problems. Good hiring is not luck, but preparation.
Want to approach your IT hiring more sharply?
Want to spar about how to set up a hire well and avoid these mistakes? Plan a no-obligation call with me. I think along about profile, timing and approach.
Note: regulations around the Dutch DBA Act may change. For current information, consult rijksoverheid.nl or belastingdienst.nl. For complex situations, I advise consulting an employment lawyer or tax advisor.
