In his recent state of the union address, President Obama discussed the need for the next "Sputnik moment." This referred to the Russians being the first in space with their Sputnik rocket. At that time America was trying to outdo everything the Russians accomplished. President Kennedy laid down the gauntlet of going to the moon within the decade. That call to action spurned an entire industry to take up the challenge. What's amazing is that the exact same level of computing software used to launch Apollo rockets to the moon and back again can now be found in our cell phones. Computers used to take up entire office floors to manage the simplest of computations. Today, we can carry that same power around in an iPad. We've come a long way in the tech industry.

If America really is going to embrace the next "Sputnik challenge" then there is going to be an increased need for tech industry hiring. Translation: if you're a recruiter who specializes in this sector you'll be ahead of the pack. The best way to get a handle on how administration policy will affect jobs in the tech industry is to follow the money. Which company has been awarded federal grants for developing new fuel cell technology? Who just got a big loan to expand operations for solar panel installations? What American business is building wind turbines? All of those examples can be traced directly to new federal grant and loan programs. Understanding where the money is going can help you target the types of recruits that these businesses will be looking for.

You can probably find a lot of this information over at the White House's own website. Bookmarking that site or setting up a Google alert for tech industry news is a great way to stay on top of recent developments. As soon as a company is awarded these kinds of funds, what's the first thing they are going to do? Hire workers!

Just because you are recruiting in the tech industry doesn't mean you need to become an IT expert. However, it will help to understand the basics. There are many fields of study in the technology realm. Computer science, programming, database management and internet technology top the list of areas where you'll find a lot of potential college grads studying. Setting up recruiting opportunities at college job fairs is a perfect proactive approach. If you decide to travel the country or have your own staff go in recruiting road trips then you'll need to insure that the information that is gathered can be properly filed with your recruitment software program.

A solid applicant tracking package should let you customize your own database into whatever format works for you. You could consider that training and education is important to prospective employers. Or it might be that actual hands on experience in the tech industry is what are required for new hires. Either way, your recruiting software needs to let you keep up with the changes in the industry and with your applicants.