Monthly Archives: April 2011

How to Advance Your IT Recruiting Career

The IT staffing industry is extremely competitive and like everyone else you will want to advance in your IT recruiting career.  There are various ways to do this, but you need to differentiate yourself.  It is not all about the IT recruitment skills that you have or the number of technical recruiting years on the job.  Here are a few tips to getting promoted in the technical staffing industry.

Hard Work:  There’s no substitute.  Ever.  If you’re not working for an IT recruiting firm that rewards hard work, then find another IT staffing agency.  If you work hard, good things will eventually happen.

Confidence: Be confident in all the IT recruiting work you do.  Confidence will show that you know what you are doing and as well as be sure that you are willing to back up your proposals.

Team Guru:  IT recruiters typically work in a team environment.  Be a team player.  When the day comes in which you’re promoted, you will likely be managing multiple IT recruiters Boston.  Therefore you will need to be skilled with motivating a group of people and finding how they can effectively work together.

Using these tips will help you attain that promotion in your IT staffing career.  Leaders have certain traits and in order to be one you will need to work on yours.  So take these tips and help yourself become the leader in your field.

How Social Media Could Affect Your IT Recruiting Job Offer

As a prospective IT recruiter candidate, you will go through the hiring process and be asked certain questions. A hiring manager has a limit to the types of questions being answered. Most of the questions will be around your experience and IT recruiting skills. Very rarely will they ask personal questions about your life.

Since the spread of social media, applicants’ information has become very accessible. These websites are public to a certain extent. You provide your personal information voluntarily and have the right to take down or not participate in these websites.

More and more IT staffing companies over time are using social media to find out more information about the prospective IT recruiters they are hiring based on their social media pages like Facebook and Twitter. They have access to your personal life – your pictures, who your friends are, what activities you partake in and even some of the comments you make to friends or vice versa.

As more hiring managers utilize social media, IT recruiters Boston need to figure out what they want to put on the internet. Remember that whenever you upload pictures, they potentially become public. Therefore, make sure to double check what information you have volunteered to the “public” as companies will be able to see this information.

Keeping One Eye Open in the IT Recruiting Industry

As an IT recruiter, you may already have a great job and be pleased with your technical staffing company.  The problem is that you never what your future holds.  So what should you do even though you are already employed?  Here are a few tips to either secure your position or give you an exit strategy.

You should always keep tabs on how the market is doing in the IT recruiting industry throughout your career.  Over time your technical recruiting position may demand more money.  You may simply have more responsibilities for the same technical recruiting job as someone else who is compensated more.

Keeping tabs on the IT staffing industry will also help you figure out how your IT recruiting company may be doing in the IT staffing industry.  You need to have your finger on the pulse and know when your IT recruiting position is at risk.  It is better to know early on so that you have ample time to start your new job search.  Just because you have a stable technical recruiting does not mean it will always be that way.

Therefore, enjoy your recruiting position but always make sure to have a backup plan in case things go south.  There are always opportunities in the IT staffing industry. You just need to know how to find them.

How to overcome your fear of Public Speaking

As an IT staffing salesperson, you will have to meet with hiring managers of all levels in the information technology industry. From Director-level to VP to CTO, you are constantly making presentations for individuals or groups. If you have a fear of public speaking, you may become anxious or even avoid these types of meetings that could ultimately drive revenue for you and the IT recruiting firm that you work for. This anxiety may also prohibit you from attending networking events or any other social networking function that could produce big returns.

If you find it hard to approach new people or strike up a conversation with fellow IT recruiters, you need to practice speaking with others. A good way to practice is with friends. You can head out with friends and make an attempt to meet a new person every time you go somewhere. This will help you get over the fear of speaking with someone new while having an initial security blanket. Take note of what they say and make an attempt to show a keen interest in what they are talking about.

One other thing you can do is practice what you are going to say during your IT staffing presentation. You do not need to memorize things exactly, but rehearse your pitch and prepare answers to typical question that IT managers may ask. The more prepared you are for a meeting the more confidence you will have. As a salesperson in the IT recruiting industry, public speaking is not only a tool that will help you network, it will ultimately put money in your pocket.

If you plan on advancing in your IT recruitment career, you will eventually be giving presentations and speaking to managers and executives in your technical recruiting company. Therefore, practice your public speaking. It will give you the confidence you need and help you in various aspects of your life.

How to Solve Work-related Problems at IT Staffing Companies

Problems will arise from time to time in any industry including IT staffing.  Of course some issues are smaller than others and may not really affect your IT recruiting job.  However, sometimes you will come across a problem that will affect your IT recruitment job.  Therefore, how should you handle the problems that arise?

First, go right to the source.  Ask the IT recruiter or IT recruiters, to sit down and discuss the matter. If that doesn’t resolve the problem, have a meeting with your boss.  Whether he or she is your IT recruiting manager or the director of the IT staffing office, tell him or her about the problems that you’re facing.  It is better to discuss these when they arise.  Your IT recruiting Boston job could be at risk if it is affecting your productivity.  You may start to lose interest in technical recruiting which in turn will affect your work.

Next discuss how you would like the problem to end.  Let them know the solution you want achieved.  It’s better to get it all out in the open rather than keep it to yourself. Figure out what needs to be done and ask your boss what he/she thinks is the appropriate action to achieve that solution.  Getting an opinion outside of the situation will help get some fresh plan of actions.

Lastly, make sure you to some action as soon as possible.  When a problem affects your incentive to work, then it needs to be solved immediately.  If there seems to be no solution to your problem then it may be time to consider a new IT staffing firm.  Maybe you can even transfer out of the IT recruiting department and get away from the issues you may be dealing with there.

How To Be a Successful IT Job Seeker

As an IT job seeker you may be wondering how some candidates receive so many interviews and ultimately job offers.  In order to get this type of return, you need to put in the effort.  Here are a few tips from our IT recruiters Boston for those of you who want to get ahead.

When you search on IT job boards, apply to as many positions that you see fit. Most importantly, you should take a look at the employers and IT recruiting firms who have jobs posted.  Create a spreadsheet and add the company names so you know whom you’ve sent your resume to as well as whom you should follow back up with for feedback and/or future positions.  In addition, try searching for the applicable hiring manager for the role on Linkedin and send him/her your resume directly.

Our last 3 recommendations from our IT recruiters:

1)      To find the right IT job, you have to put in the time and effort.

2)      To find the right IT job, you have to be aggressive.

3)      To find the right IT job, you have to be organized.

Become an IT Expert

When you are working in the information technology industry, you want to be able to differentiate yourself from others.  IT is becoming more and more competitive as the industry evolves.  So how do you separate yourself from the competition?

First, create and strengthen your reputation.  This starts by always putting your best foot forward and seeing every IT contract assignment through to completion.  You’ll leave a good impression with clients and IT recruiters.

Second, brand market yourself.  Become a subject matter expert in your field.  If you’re an Oracle DBA, then market yourself as the local Oracle DBA expert.  You can brand market yourself by adding certifications, specialty groups and staying current with news and events.

Another way to develop your image as an IT expert is by creating your own blog.  Within this blog you can regularly post your opinions and experience within the information technology industry.  Your experiences may help other IT professionals as well as IT recruiters and IT staffing companies.  From time to time, you as an IT professional can also try doing guest blogs that will expose you to new followers.

By increasing your reputation as an IT expert, it will allow IT recruiters Boston as well as national technical recruiters to recognize your skills as an IT professional.

How to Start Your IT Job Search?

Starting your IT job search may seem like an uphill climb.  There are so many companies and IT recruiters Boston to choose from.  So how do you get over that hurdle and take that first step?

You may want to analyze your current, or most recent, IT job to figure out what it is that you like about it and what you do not like.  Think about the kind of environment you would like to work in.  Depending on the company you work for, the culture can also affect you and your productivity.

Next, contact some IT recruiting companies.   Ask your peers to refer IT recruiters, research the IT staffing companies, then work with the IT headhunters that you feel more comfortable with and ask them to help you narrow down the type of positions that you’re a good fit for.  IT recruiters MA will be able to look at your resume and figure out what kinds of IT jobs that you can apply to.  Once you figure out what you are looking for, start searching job boards such as Monster.

So what are you waiting for?  The first action step must come from you.  Pick up the phone and call an IT recruiter or log on to some of the job boards and begin submitting your resume.  Take action!

Top 5 IT Job Boards on the Market

In today’s age, there are a number of resumes databases that IT recruiters can choose from.  Some are specifically geared towards information technology, while others are more general sites for candidates of all backgrounds to post their resume.  We decided to take this time and rank the top 5 that have worked best for our IT staffing firm:

1:  Monster:  Although a general recruiting site, Monster continues to lead the job boards.  It is the premier place for candidates of all levels, and background, to post their resume.  It’s become such a leader in the industry that it has almost created its own brand marketing.  When you think of online recruiting sites you think of Monster.  Our IT recruiters go to Monster first when conducting searches for IT professionals or want to post an IT job.

2:  CareerBuilder:  While CareerBuilder boasts of owning a larger resume database, it’s a distant second in the eyes of our IT recruiters.  Although still a popular site with candidates, most resumes that our technical recruiters Boston find on CareerBuilder have also posted their resume on Monster.

3:  Dice:  This is the premier technical online recruiting site.  Being an IT recruiting agency, you’d think our technical recruiters would have ranked Dice among the top resume database and IT job posting sites.  The reason our IT recruiters MA listed it third is because of the sheer size of the database (far less overall technical resumes than Monster and CareerBuilder) and the abundance of H1-Visa candidates who blanket this site.

4:  Net-Temps:  Net-Temps is a solid online IT recruiting site if you’re looking for contract resources.  The reason it’s number four on our list is lack of resume volume and the fact that it’s a site for contract resources only.  Being a contract and permanent IT staffing company, our IT recruiter’s source for both consultants and full-time IT job seekers.

5:  HotJobs:  Monster purchased HotJobs recently so we cannot fairly rank this site separately.  Our IT recruiters listed HotJobs so the reader didn’t think we forgot about this once popular site.

In addition, these two sites are becoming increasingly popular.  Although they’re not your classic IT job boards with resume access, for different reasons, these sites are favorites for IT recruiters:

Linkedin:  Our technical recruiters use Linkedin more than any other candidate search site outside of Monster.  It’s not a resume portal, but it does contain the names and sometimes contact information of millions of professionals.  Although they may not be active on the IT job market, it’s a great site to network with information technology professionals.

Indeed:  Indeed didn’t make our IT recruiter’s Top5 list because it does not house resumes. However this site is becoming the premier spot for candidates to search for IT jobs.  Indeed is as efficient and easy as it gets for professionals to search for their next opportunity.  The candidate simply types in their job title or skills and the desired location, then let Indeed do the work.  The site will pull up the related positions from all sites all over the internet.  Yes, indeed, it doesn’t get much easier than that.

Facebook:  How can we speak about networking sites without at least mentioning Facebook.  Although not geared towards sourcing candidates (yet), Facebook still provides IT recruiters with the opportunity to network and even post their positions.

IT Recruiting Professionals Working on the Go

Depending on the career path you chose in the IT staffing industry, you may find yourself always moving.  Your office ends up being anywhere you can sit down with internet access.  So how can you get your work done in a timely fashion while keeping other IT recruiters in the loop?

Here are a few tips to help those mobile IT staffing workers:

Since you are always on the go, you want to make sure that you have everything you need.  In order to keep connected with your emails and send important documents, you need to be able to get Wi-Fi access.  Some IT recruiters Boston choose to pay for wireless internet on their mobile phone.  However, another option is finding free Wi-Fi access or even tethering your cellphone.  Whichever you prefer, this should provide you with the ability to access the internet in most areas.

Additional locations that make great hot spots are coffee shops.  You can relax a bit and have a coffee while you recruit or email with clients.  If you need a quieter location, you may want to try going to a library.  There is usually one in every town and most likely will be emptier during work hours.

Another tool that is essential for technical recruiters on the move is having a portal where you can access files and documents.  One such location is called Dropbox.  If you are always on the go, you do not want to be carrying around flashdrives or external hard drives to store your information safely.  This will allow you to easily save your files online while sending them to your coworkers without much effort.

If you plan on being a mobile technical recruiter, make sure you take a look at all of your options so you don’t miss out on any IT recruiting needs.  You do not want to be stuck in a location without the ability to access the internet or in a place that doesn’t allow you to access your files.