Mobile Recruiting – New Opportunity or A Passing Fad?
In this day in age, everyone has a cellular phone, from your 7 year old brother to your 90-year-old grandmother. Not everyone is using applications on their phones, but most are. IT recruiters, like almost everyone else in this world, are glued to their phones and never leave home without them. So why wouldn’t IT recruiters pursue candidates through cellular phones.
From the perspective of this IT staffing company, most candidates will not always be on a computer especially since everything they need is now available on their phone. So IT recruiting companies should start looking into new possibilities to market themselves in options such as mobile applications. More and more companies in various industries are considering this option. If we’re recruiting in the IT industry, then we should dabble in a few more options in the IT world.
Networking & Remaining Organized
IT staffing is a very fast paced industry. IT recruiters meet and speak with prospective candidates everyday. They tell you about their family, work, and sometimes their hobbies. Business cards and phone numbers are constantly given out. In addition, there are always new companies and technologies that IT recruiters need to keep up with in order to identify the right candidates for the IT jobs. Technical recruiters also need to make sure their candidates have the proper certifications. Now how do you keep up with all of these people?
From IT recruiters to prospective candidates, networking is essential. However, it doesn’t do you any good if you continue to network, yet fail to remain organized or follow up with the people you meet. If the person gives you a business card, make sure you jot down a few notes after they walk away so that when you pick up that card again you’ll know what you discussed when you first met. Another good idea is to keep a list on your computer of all the people you have met. Some examples of information you should note are where and when you met, as well as a few interesting topics you discussed.
So make sure that once you take note of the person and have their contact information, that you send them an email periodically in regards to their industry or a hobby they told you they were interested in. Just by checking in on them every once in awhile without referring to work could eventually land you a job that normally would have been hard to find.
A day in the Life of an IT recruiter
The IT staffing is a very fast-paced, sometimes hectic industry. IT recruiters are speaking to hundreds of prospective candidates each week. Even the very best IT recruiters can find it challenging to ensure they keep all of their candidates organized and within reach. Additionally, in the IT recruiting world, clients typically needed IT contractors “yesterday.” Therefore, when an IT job order gets called in, IT recruiters need to tap into their candidate network immediately and/or begin their IT recruiting process as quickly as possible. Days are hectic and nights can be long depending upon the client’s sense of urgency. Therefore, the IT staffing industry is not for everyone. Those who do not do well under pressure or thrive in a hectic environment, best not enter the IT recruiting world. On the flip side, people who like to be busy and thrive on an ever-changing job, tend to fare very well in the IT staffing industry.
A typical day for an IT recruiter….is anything but typical. They will usually be assigned to one IT job order. As they search the IT staffing agency’s database, and other IT job boards such as Monster, Dice, CareerBuilder, Hot Jobs, they will make dozens (if not hundreds) of calls. Or they will send out countless emails every day. As people respond, the IT recruiter works to communicate with each person via email or phone. As the IT recruiter is taking the time to respond to every person, additional prospective candidates continue to flood in via postings or responses. On many occasions, as these tasks are keeping an IT recruiter busy, he or she may have a handful of internal candidate interviews as well. This adds more work to an already busy day.
As you can see, a day in the life of an IT recruiter is typically hectic. However, for the right person who thrives on the fast-paced, exciting work environment, the IT staffing industry can be extremely rewarding (both in terms of monetarily and intrinsic satisfaction as the IT recruiter is ultimately helping people find work).