If you think finding qualified IT personnel to staff worldwide operations is difficult, try adding "must have sea legs" to the list of attributes you demand of prospective IT workers.

That's the challenge facing Jack Mencini, manager of shipboard operations at Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Not only must Mencini find IT employees who can manage the cruise line's onboard Windows NT- and Unix-based networked environments, but he must also find professionals who don't mind spending months at sea and living with the same people they work with.

"Many people who come into this think it's going to be a wild time, but it's really a very confined lifestyle," says Mencini.

Of course, the romantic aspects of that lifestyle can be a selling point. And Royal Caribbean has creatively leveraged its non-IT workforce to address some of its global IT needs.

"A lot of our IT workers grew up in the cruise industry in other positions, and they love the lifestyle. They show an acumen for technology. So we work to bring them along for IT positions," says Mencini.

Royal Caribbean's IT workforce of nearly 70 onboard systems managers comprises workers from the U.S., Scotland, Canada, India, England, Greece and Haiti.

Like Royal Caribbean, global businesses everywhere are forced to be creative to fill IT job openings in a market characterized by huge demand, limited supply and cultural challenges.

"IT hiring problems are absolutely not unique to the U.S. but are prevalent in developed economies around the world. There's a revolution on the demand side, but not on the education and training side, to keep up," says Harris Miller, president of the Arlington, Va.-based Information Technology Association of America (ITAA).

Though analysts say demand for IT workers is greatest in North America -- resulting in well-publicized outsourcing deals in countries such as India and Ireland -- shortages are felt the world over.

Meeting the demand for IT workers globally requires more than just competitive compensation packages, though these certainly are a must. Global companies must also boast strong international reputations, attractive corporate cultures, cultural sensitivity, extensive training programs and -- perhaps most important -- challenging IT projects that allow workers to grow in their careers.

While a company's reputation isn't the only factor in attracting IT talent, it's a great starting point, say executives responsible for global hiring.

"We are one of the largest companies in the world, with a strong heritage and a strong future in front of us," says Roger Mitchell, director of human resources for IT at Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford Motor Co., which employs 5,000 IT workers throughout the U.S., U.K., the Asia-Pacific region, South America and other parts of the globe. "The Ford name has a big impact on our ability to hire IT professionals."

Reputation is likewise a point of leverage for Unisys Corp., a Blue Bell, Pa.-based IT services provider with offices in 35 countries.

"IT people have more choices than they've ever had, and with the global economy reasonably strong,

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