Finding the Balance of Contacting IT Recruiters
IT recruiters speak with hundreds of candidates each week. Therefore, it’s imperative that information technology professionals keep in touch with their short-list of technical recruiters and their respective IT staffing companies Boston. However, where is the line?
On one hand, you need to make sure you’re the first person a technical recruiter calls when they receive the appropriate position that fits your technical skills. Regardless of how strong of a relationship you might have with the IT recruiter, there are likely dozens of other candidates with the same skill set who think the same. Therefore, finding the balance between staying in touch with technical recruiting firms without being a pest can be difficult.
In our experience, the rule of thumb is no more than one contact (either an email or phone call) is acceptable each week. This provides a refresher for the IT headhunter and gives you the chance to call at the right time in the event the IT staffing firm happens to receive a position that fits your background that very day.
Anything more than one contact per week crosses the line of harrassment. Remember, IT recruiters typically make their living by putting people to work. Therefore, they’re just as motivated to contact you when the right IT jobs open up. However, timing is everything and candidates do fall through the cracks, so be sure to keep in touch.
Selecting the Right IT Recruiting Firm for You
Finding the right IT staffing company can be difficult….especially in an area like Boston where there are so many IT recruiting firms to choose from. To help you find the right technical recruiting company that is right for you, and ultimate an IT recruiter who you can build a relationship with, try the following approach:
1) Cast a wide net: Do a Google search for IT recruiting companies. Consider doing a more targeted search if there is a geographic location you’re looking at such as IT recruiting companies Boston.
2) Look for reviews of each technical staffing firm, then narrow your list down to 8-10 IT recruiting agencies that have the best feedback.
3) Review the websites of the list of IT staffing firms on your short list and narrow it down to your top 3-5 IT recruiting firms.
4) Contact each IT recruiting company and speak with one of their technical recruiters. If you feel comfortable with the person, set up a time to meet in person.
Building a relationship with an IT recruiter is one of the most important components to a successful IT job search. This will ensure he or she calls you first the minute the appropriate technical jobs opens up.
IT Jobs are Heating Up!
Being an IT recruiting company, we’ve been a pretty good barometer on the national technology IT job market. The local IT staffing Boston industry itself has remained steady even in the worst of times. However, as our nation climbs out of one of the worst economic downturns our country has ever seen, IT jobs are becoming more bountiful than the technology candidates themselves.
Among the hottest technical jobs are rightfully the hottest technologies. Microsoft’s .NET and Sun Microsystems’ Java remain the hottest development languages. Oracle continues to dominate the database side, with Sharepoint and Peoplesoft being additional technologies still very much in demand.
Therefore, if you’re an IT consultant or someone looking to break into the information technology world, be sure to follow the latest trends then find the proper training program that meets these demands accordingly.
For additional thoughts or advice, please contact one of our national IT recruiters or IT recruiters Boston today.
What Characteristics Make Up Good IT Recruiters?
I’m often asked the question “what characteristics make up a good IT recruiter.” My honest answer, and immediate response, is always “hard work.” You cannot substitute hard work in the IT staffing industry. The harder (and often longer) technical recruiters work during a day, the more prospective high-tech candidates they reach out to, thus the better the odds of finding that perfect IT consultant for our clients.
In addition to hard work (and dedication – which goes hand in hand), successful IT staffing recruiters are also very organized. Technical recruiters can talk to hundreds of candidates each day. However, if they can’t organize themselves, and find the candidates in the future, what good does it do?
Strong IT recruiters are articulate and well-spoken (especially in the current email age).
Finally, the best IT recruiters Boston treat people the way they would want to be treated in return. Good IT headhunters call back every candidate and keep people updated or give a courtesy call back when someone is waiting for feedback on any number of IT jobs that he or she interviewed for.
Give any one of our technical recruiters a call today and see if we possess these traits!
Coping with Competitive Atmospheres in the Technical Industry
Technical candidates have a range of company atmospheres that best match their personal comfort levels. Some IT pros prefer finance environments, which tend to be fast-paced & high-stress, while others find working at a nonprofit or educational institution more their preference. Regardless of what point on the scale of competition a company lies on, however, what most companies will have in common is some range of competition – between coworkers, between competitors, or simply as a team effort to achieve company goals. How technical candidates cope with stress will determine whether it drives them forward or holds them back. Technical recruiters, who are familar with coping techniques for stress because the nature of their jobs is high on competition, deadlines & unexpected turns of events, are in an ideal position to advise technical candidates entering a potentially stressful work environment on best managing within the atmosphere.
Technical Career Development
Technical candidates can make use of a variety of tools as they seek to map map out a path to career advancement. Technical professional development can happen through membership in a technical organization, through networking with other technical professionals, or through mentorship. Technical recruiting companies can provide key tools to technical candidates to facilitate their potential for success. Among the interview prep services an IT staffing firm can provide to boost a talented technical candidate’s chances of interview success is interviewing role play. Especially for technical positions that involve a phone screen & face-to-face interview stage, a technical recruiter willing to guide a technical candidate through a practice run of each type of interview will have a much higher chance of placing a solid candidate than IT recruiter who preps a technical candidate minimally.
When IT recruiters coach technical candidates for interviews, they should be sure to cover several main topics. Environment is key subject for a technical recruiter to go in-depth on, as a candidate who is technically proficient, but not a culture fit won’t pass final interviewing rounds. Another often overlooked, but significant factor to familiarize a technical candidate with is the company’s organizational structure, and more importantly, the hierarchy structure of the specific company group the technical candidate would be working with. Sample interview questions will also help a technical candidate to formulate answers that are concise & consistent – crucial for a good interviewing “story”. Reviewing common questions such as inquiries about long-term goals will help a candidate respond effortlessly when the real deal comes around. Finally, a little positive encouragement never hurt anyone’s interviewing chances! Letting a candidate know they’re a natural fit for the role (if it’s your genuine opinion) & that they’re in a great position to perform to win during the interview will be a plus for a technical candidate & IT recruiters’ chances of a successful placement.