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Tag Archives: IT recruiting companies

Avoid These Issues in IT Job Interviews

IT recruiters can often give IT contractors direct feedback on why they don’t get IT jobs, but sometimes the reason is more nebulous.  Technical recruiters may not even hear from the company about these reasons, but sometimes companies will disqualify a candidate for things that are hard or awkward to explain.  While IT staffing firms can prepare you for the basic requirements of IT job interviews, only you can try to prevent yourself from disqualification for one of these reasons.

You were desperate.  If you reek of desperation, interviewers will unfortunately be turned off and question whether you could do a great job.  This is a hard thing for IT recruiting companies to help candidates avoid, but you can do a few things on your own to mitigate coming off as desperate.   Try relaxing and focusing only on the questions at hand.  Make sure to take a breath before you speak and speak slightly slower than you may normally.  Most people speak quickly when they’re nervous.  Lastly, if you’re feeling desperate, try to hold yourself back a bit and really edit what you say or do.  Showing enthusiasm is fine and IT staffing companies certainly want you to look interested in the job.  However, you want to avoid seeming like you think the job is too good for you.  Your interviewer will pick up on this and wonder the same thing!

You weren’t  likeable.  Again, this is hard thing to even begin to qualify, let alone for IT recruiting firms to help you avoid.  But, you can do a few things to make yourself more likeable.  Smile, try to relax, and engage in small talk if your interviewer does.  Hold back any possibly controversial opinions, stories, or speech.  Offending your interviewer is the easiest way to destroy your image as likeable.

You smelled or looked odd.  This seems like a small thing, but it really is important.  IT staffing agencies will likely not be able to tell you that you smell, but this is something to think about before you go to the interview. Make sure to shower and avoid wearing any strong cologne or perfume.  Sometimes people are allergic , or simply don’t like these things.  Wear clothes that are conventional for the industry.  Check in with your IT recruiting agencies if you’re unsure, but usually a simple, conservative suit that fits well will work.  Bright colors or patters aren’t your best bet here.

 

IT Professionals and Ebola In the Workplace

The latest hot news topic- Ebola- has made its way into employment quandaries for IT jobs, IT staffing companies, and IT recruiters.  While it may not seem like a relevant topic for IT recruiting firms and technical recruiters, IT professionals wind up working in all sorts of settings.  These include places like hospitals, airlines, and news publications—all places that have already, or likely will, see a risk of exposure to people actively suffering from the virus.

While Ebola can’t be contracted from casual contact, there are still plenty of questions flying around in industries that may have contact with it.  People are debating the necessity of hazard pay, training, additional safety equipment, insurance, and when it’s acceptable to say no to a potentially dangerous task.  There won’t be any obvious answers to these quandaries for IT recruiting companies any time soon, but the conversation isn’t a bad one to start having.  Whether Ebola becomes a large threat or not in the US, it’s always good for IT staffing agencies to be prepared.

The Best IT Professionals Have These Traits

The IT professionals that IT recruiters love working with, the ones that land IT jobs over and over again, have at least a few traits in common.  Technical recruiters look for great resumes, excellent references, and strong interview skills.  But there are some things that IT staffing firms look for in an IT consultant that are a bit more intangible.  One of the most important things IT recruiting agencies like to find in a candidate is an ability to work well with IT managers.  How can you make sure you’ve got this ability?  Here are some tips.

Firstly, be easy to manage and coach.  IT recruiting companies look for people who make a manager’s job easy.  Take feedback well and be proactive with it.  Think about things from the manager’s, company’s and team’s perspective.  Acting with these things in mind will make your work meet and exceed a manager’s expectations.

Secondly, take up as little of your manager’s time as possible.  Managers are busy and they don’t need employees who require any more of their work day than absolutely necessary.  Keep emails, phone calls, and face-to-face conversations short and to the point (unless it would come off as rude).  Solve as much of your problems on your own as you can.  These are the things that really endear an employee to an IT manager—and to the IT staffing companies they work with.

 

Say This at Your IT Job The Next Time You’re Stumped

In a field like information technology, there are plenty of reasons why IT contractors might have a reason to say “I don’t know” to their IT managers or coworkers at their IT jobs.  Technologies are constantly being updated or new ones are being created and IT consultants can only do their best to stay current with them.  There is a better way to deal with a question you don’t have the answer to, though, a way that will keep your reputation stellar with your employer, IT recruiters, and IT staffing firms.

Next time you’re tempted to say “I don’t know” stop and take a breath.  Think about what you do know that could be useful and proved that info.  Then finish by saying that you’ll look into this matter and get back to the person who asked you the question.  You may even mention that you think you know, but you’d like to confirm the answer first.  The reason this kind of response works better is that it demonstrates a few good qualities about you—qualities that make IT managers, technical recruiters, and IT recruiting companies want to work with you.  Firstly, answers like this demonstrate that you’re willing to be helpful—possibly even if it’s above and beyond your job description.  Secondly, giving a partial response, or showing that you’re able to get one, shows that you’re both competent and resourceful.  Remember this trick the next time you get a tough question—it can turn an ordinary moment into one that reflects well on you.

 

Schools: New Partners in Fixing the IT Consultant Shortage

The information technology industry in the US has had a dearth of talent for a long time.  The story of too many IT jobs and not enough IT consultants to fill them is a familiar one to most companies, IT recruiters, and IT staffing firms in the US.  Some companies are working on new solutions to deal with this problem and to ensure more IT contractors in the future.

Though it’s a long-term investment, some companies are working with educational institutions to sponsor programs that will help graduate young professionals with resumes ready for the IT world.  There are still plenty of sticky issues, like making sure these programs are not only good for the companies, but good for the students.  However, these programs are a good start to dealing with a big problem.  As time goes on, technical recruiters and IT recruiting companies will only have more jobs to fill.  If schools become one more ally in the work of expanding our IT workforce, all the better!

 

New Benefits for IT Professionals

Since IT consultants change IT jobs a bit more frequently than most other professionals, they definitely spend more time comparing benefits.  Recently, a company in the information technology field has started offering a bold, innovative benefit: pre-cation.  What makes pre-cation different from anything IT recruiters, IT staffing firms, and IT contractors have seen before?  It puts more faith into new hires.  42Floors, the company offering this benefit, basically grants a paid vacation before new hires start, so they can be fully recharge and refreshed on their first day of work.

While IT recruiting companies, technical recruiters, and IT professionals may be quick to dismiss this benefit as too good to be true, it’s actually exactly what a benefit should be.  Benefits are meant to make employees happy.  Happy employees are the ones who work hard and contribute the most to their companies. So will pre-cation become more popular?  Only time will tell, but it’s a good lesson to other IT companies: awesome benefits attract and keep awesome employees.

 

Do You Answer This Question Right in IT Job Interviews?

IT contractors may encounter some tough questions in interviews for IT jobs.  One of the toughest questions IT consultants may have to answer isn’t about their resumes and isn’t one that IT recruiters or IT staffing firms are likely to prepare them for.  It is (or is some form of) ‘What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?’ 

While IT staffing agencies and technical recruiters can remind you to study up on relevant technologies or to practice basic interview questions, it’s up to you to practice a good response to questions about your long term goals.  The key to answering this question well is making sure the job you’re interviewing for is a part of it, but not just a stepping stone.  Giving the impression that you’ll be in and out of the company quickly would be a bad way to respond to a question like this.  Practice answering this question with your IT recruiting companies and IT headhunters or perhaps just with a trusted, knowledgeable friend or family member.  If you have a basic answer practiced, you’ll be ready to answer any iteration of this question well.

 

Soft Skills IT Professionals Should Acquire

Having strong resumes in the Information Technology field is obviously imperative to nabbing IT jobs.  However, having some key soft skills carries a surprising amount of weight in the interview process for IT managers and IT recruiters.   While the value of these soft skills is different depending on the IT recruiting companies and jobs, the list of skills below are all worth working on as an IT professional.

Service skills: Working on these skills pay off particularly well in support positions or positions with a lot of client/end user interaction.

1. Flexibility/adaptability
2. Problem-solving skills
3. Positive attitude
4. Customer service

Internal Employee skills: These skills will serve anybody well within the office.  Whether it comes to how managers or co-works view you, these skills will come in handy.

1. Confidence
2. Independence and work ethic
3. Ability to accept and use feedback
4. Creativity
5. Time management
6. Teamwork

 

Keeping Your Speech Professional at Your IT Job

IT professionals tend to work behind the scenes in less formal settings, but even those who do can make missteps in their speech and hurt their professional reputations with their IT recruiters, IT managers, or coworkers.  Below are a few things for IT contractors to avoid and suggestions to improve the way they communicate at their IT jobs.

Speed:  IT consultants who speak at a moderate, even pace, especially during stressful times, will give off the best impressions.  It’s easy to speak too quickly, particularly when you’re nervous or the people around you are nervous.  Maintaining an even pace helps you to stay calm and gives off a calmer air to everyone else.  This calmness can also be very effective in giving people the impression that you are competent and trustworthy because people who feel confident in their abilities to deal with a situation will usually sound pretty even-toned.

Pauses: Obviously resumes full of relevant skills and experience are the best way to demonstrate your competence to IT recruiting companies and managers.  However, a well-timed pause can go a long way to this goal, as well.  If you replace every “um,” “ah,’” “like,” or “you know” with a simple pause, you can increase other’s confidence in you.  People would rather you say nothing as you consider the next thing you’re saying rather than reach for a verbal stall like “um.”  The switch seems small, but it will make a big difference.

Cursing:  The rule of thumb with cursing is to generally avoid it.  There is a big caveat here, though.  A rare and well-timed curse in front of the right people can help you bond a bit with coworkers or possibly clients.  Sometimes it’s helpful for everyone to drop their professional demeanor for a moment and reveal their more human side.  If you think it’s a good time or place to do that, a mild curse can help.  Exercise caution with this tactic, though.

 

Why Taking a Counteroffer in IT isn’t Your Best Bet

Information technology’s shorter, project-driven timelines tend to make it more common for IT professionals to find themselves with counteroffers from their IT jobs.  IT recruiters of course often tend to vehemently argue against taking counteroffers.  There are some solid reasons IT contractors should stop and consider this point of view.

The first reason IT staffing companies tend to recommend that IT consultants not take a counteroffer from their employer is that the outcome may not be particularly rosy.  By indicating that you’re ready to leave, you’ve already demonstrated a breach of loyalty and trust.  This won’t be forgotten, no matter how desperately your employer fights to keep you.  Additionally, your counteroffer will certainly make its way around the office, so you may not only lose fans in your managers, but also your co-workers.  Coworkers may resent your heightened compensation and the way you got it.  Research suggests that over 90% of those who took counteroffers wound up leaving their employer anyways after less than a year.  You may also wind up having to leave of your own accord.  Even if your employer fights to keep you and your coworkers are not upset with you, the floor may fall out from under you when they find a new, more loyal replacement for you.

The second reason IT recruiting companies discourage taking counteroffers is that the change you’re seeking won’t likely come with a counteroffer.  If you’ve been hunting for a new job, chances are that money isn’t your only concern.  If your IT managers truly valued you, they’d respond with money or some other arrangement if you voiced concerns.  Or perhaps you’re looking for growth that simply isn’t possible in your role or company.  You may even simply be seeking a change.  No matter the reasons, both the ones that are obvious to you and are more subconscious, you aren’t likely to find them back at your old employer, even with more money or a promotion.  You started your job search because you couldn’t find something(s) at your current position.  It’s time to go pursue those things elsewhere.