Monthly Archives: September 2015

IT Job Interviews: They’re All About Timing!

When you’re prepping for interviews with your IT recruiters and IT staffing firms, you probably focus on what you’ll want to highlight for your interviewer.  Maybe your technical recruiters and IT recruiting agencies have told you to emphasize your experience with certain technologies or experience serving particular kinds of clients.  However, the successful candidates don’t just get IT jobs based on what they say. It’s also how long they take to say it.

Most IT staffing companies and IT recruiting firms that help their candidates prepare for interviews might not think to mention that keeping your answers succinct is important.  However, if you don’t budget your time well, or your take far too long to answer questions, you’ll definitely make a poor impression on your interviewer (and IT recruiting companies by extension).  Check with your IT staffing agencies about how long the interview is likely to be before you go.  If you know the hiring manager budgeted about an hour to meet with you, pace yourself accordingly.  Taking their time into consideration will make a very good impression!

 

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Ask Your IT Recruiters This Question, Not Your Interviewers

When you’re interviewing for IT jobs, there are questions you should be asking your IT recruiters and IT staffing firms and questions you can ask your interviewers.  Most of the time this difference is pretty obvious—or technical recruiters and IT staffing companies are quick to explain it to IT candidates.  However, there’s one question most IT professionals unfortunately ask their interviewers instead of their IT recruiting agencies: What are typical hours for this role?

This question seems harmless enough to ask interviewers.  It’s certainly something most candidates want to know.  However, IT recruiting firms and IT staffing agencies would much rather you ask them this question.  When you ask an interviewer what the hours are for a role, you may make them wonder if you’re not interested in working hard to succeed.  If you come across as too focused on hours, you could seem as though you’re interested in doing the bare minimum.  It could well make you lose out on the job— and frustrate your IT staffing companies!

 

Focus On The IT Job You’re Interviewing For

Sometimes your IT staffing firms and IT recruiting agencies might submit you for IT jobs that are a stepping stone towards what you actually want to do.  Maybe you need more experience with a certain kind of technology, or perhaps you need to get your foot in the door to great company.  Whatever the reason, there are times it certainly makes sense  to let your IT recruiting companies and IT staffing agencies set you up to interview for jobs a step below what you’d like.  It’s important to remember that while your IT recruiting firms might know that this job is a stepping stone for you, you don’t want to underscore this to your interviewer.

Sometimes interviewers are aware a job will be a stepping stone, and sometimes they’re not.  Even if you’re in the former situation, your IT recruiters and IT staffing companies will still want you to focus on the job you’re actually interviewing for.  A job may be a stepping stone for you, but you’re still being hired for a position the company needs you to excel in.  If you spend the interview focusing on the next role you’d rather occupy, you’ll definitely ruin your chances of getting hired.  Make sure your interviewer knows you are interested in this job and would want to succeed in it.  This will win you the job– whether you’re overqualified for it or not!