“I know I’m a big fan of free food and flip flops, as well as hanging out with smart people.” That was how Eric Presley, CareerBuilder CTO, began a discussion about what IT employees want most in an employer. If you missed that — and so much more — on this past week’s Reach, Recruit and Retain IT Talent webinar with Eric and CareerBuilder CDO Hope Gurion, don’t worry: We’ve got you covered. You can listen to the recording here or view the slide presentation here.

Eric and Hope discussed everything from the latest sources in the market to help you find the top IT talent, to ways to make sure your IT department growth is up to speed with your overall company, to building an IT team with a reputation for excellence and keeping your current IT employees engaged and motivated.

A few highlights of how to attract and keep your best IT employees:

•  Companies hiring IT employees today can’t afford to be in the dark about what candidates are expected to get paid & what their competitors are offering.
• As an employer, you must know the top IT employers in various geographical markets in order to be competitive in your strategy.
• Give your IT employees disciplined freedom — don’t box them in. Give them goals to achieve & let them formulate the solution.
• Let your IT employees see the value in their work by tying projects to overall business goals.
• Your IT recruiter can gain an advantage by truly getting to know your IT team and experiencing a “day in the life.”