Tag Archives: IT staffing companies

Make Time To Practice This Before IT Job Interviews

As you prep for job interviews, here’s one way to give yourself an advantage: practice speaking about a professional achievement in a brief, but comprehensive way.  Here’s how IT staffing firms would recommend you do this.

  1. IT recruiting agencies would suggest you start by identifying some of your major professional achievements. These might be obvious, but they could be things that seem smaller, like putting in extra work to make sure a project was delivered on time for end users.  Make a list for yourself.
  2. Go over the descriptions your IT recruiters gave you for the IT jobs you’ll be interviewing for. Try to pinpoint if any of the achievements on your list will be especially pertinent to these jobs.
  3. Once you’ve selected the best achievements, think about them in terms of three things. Figure out what exactly you did, what the impact was, and if there were any particular groups that benefited (like end users, clients, your team, etc).
  4. Now practice talking about each achievement in these terms. IT recruiting firms would suggest you practice speaking with a friend, family member, or in front of the mirror.  Use a timer and try limiting yourself to 2-4 minutes at most.  The reason IT staffing companies would suggest you limit your time here is that it will keep you from making a few mistakes.  You won’t be able to get too technical (something that technical recruiters have certainly seen ruin interviews), nor will you be able to sound too arrogant or take the interview off track.
  5. When you find an opportune moment in an interview, don’t be afraid to pull this ace out of your pocket. You don’t want to sound rehearsed, but practicing and thinking about how to talk about your professional achievements ahead of time will make you much more succinct and effective!

 

IT Job Interview Prep
Use a timer as you practice speaking about your professional achievements in past IT jobs. Photo credit: Nile via Pixabay.

 

4 Steps to Landing an IT Job that Makes You Happy

As you interview for IT jobs, your top concern is likely whether you are prepared for and/or can succeed at the kind of programming, debugging, troubleshooting, etc that the role requires. While IT recruiters would definitely advise asking questions about the scope of the work the role will require, it’s also important to think about the corporate culture.  Why would IT staffing companies suggest you make this a priority in your decision-making process?  Because if you aren’t happy or don’t fit into the team and company culture, IT recruiting firms can almost guarantee it will be hard for you to really succeed in your role.  IT staffing firms see plenty of talented IT professionals fail at jobs because they can’t get along well with their teams, bosses, or end users and clients.  Here’s how to make sure you land a job where you’re not just a great fit for the work, but also the culture!

  1. Think about what kind of workplaces you’ve succeeded in previously. What made them comfortable for you?  The pace of work?  The communication styles of team members?  Did you have standup meetings?  Did you communicate directly with clients or end users? Take some notes for yourself.
  2. Talk to your technical recruiters. Ask them if the roles you’re interviewing for have these elements to their corporate culture.  Make sure they’re clear on what will and won’t work for you.  Good IT recruiting agencies don’t want to place you in jobs where you’ll have a hard time fitting into the culture.
  3. Research online.  Check out Glassdoor reviews and see what the company says about its own corporate culture on its website or social media accounts.
  4. Come to the interview with questions. If you have specific questions about the corporate culture, you’ll make an even better impression on your interviewer.  If you don’t have any specific questions, more general questions will still help you make a better decision.  Try asking what people enjoy about working at the company.  Ask what people don’t like about working at the company.  Ask about what personal qualities make people successful (or not!) at the company.

 

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You can make sure you land an IT job you’re not only good at, but also happy at! Photo credit: melissajuarez0 via Pixabay.

 

 

This May Be the Most Important Part of Your IT Resume to Update

Often, when IT recruiters and hiring managers are looking over resumes to fill IT jobs, they don’t have the time to really scrutinize them in detail.  If you’re an IT professional who may want to attract technical recruiters to help in your job search, this means you need to make it easy for IT staffing agencies to quickly confirm you’re a great fit for positions.  One surefire way to do this?  Create a thorough, well-formatted ‘Technical Skills’ section at the top of your resume.

IT recruiting firms often see that candidates will update their experience, but may not create–  or just as bad, update–  a section that solely lists their technical skills and certifications. If you leave skills off this section, you might just be losing IT staffing companies’ interest.  Often this is the first part of the resume that IT recruiters will scan.  It will also help to keep and maintain IT staffing agencies’and hiring managers’ interest if you format your technical skills section in a neat, easy-to-read manner.  Complicated or messy diagrams may lead IT recruiting companies to pass on your resume or to miss an important skill.  The last and most important thing to keep in mind is that you should put your technical skills section right at the top of your resume. By making this section the first thing people read, it will help IT recruiting agencies to be able to quickly decide you’re a  good fit for a position.

 

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Update your technical skills section– it could be what gets your IT recruiter’s attention! Photo credit: Stokpic via Pixabay.

 

 

Why Do IT Recruiters Need Your Most Updated Resume?

When you’re searching for new IT jobs, polishing up your resume is important whether you’re working with IT recruiting firms or not.  While it’s obvious that you need to update your own resume when you’re searching on your own, many candidates assume that IT staffing companies will update their resumes for them.  While technical recruiters do go over your resume and lightly edit it, they can’t provide a great portrait of your career if you can’t give them something to work with.

It behooves you to give the best, most polished version of your resume to your IT recruiters because you are the person who knows your career and professional achievements best.  Your IT recruiting agencies will know how to tailor what you give them to entice a hiring manager. Think about the process like cooking.  Your IT recruiting companies might be the chefs, but even the best chefs can’t cook something great if they’re missing half the ingredients for the recipe.

Remember that as the candidate, you’re very invested in the outcome of this process.  If your IT staffing firms can’t send over a great resume for you, you’re not going to land any IT jobs.  So take the time to give them a great, general resume to work from.  It may yield you a great IT job in the end!

 

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Take the time to update that IT resume, it will be worth it in the end! Photo credit: StartupStockPhotos via Pixabay.

 

Don’t Forget To Make This Point in Your IT Job Interviews

There are a lot of ways to prep for your IT job interviews. You probably already spend plenty of time gathering information from your IT recruiters, researching the company online, and practicing your answers with a family member or in front of the mirror. You’ve likely brushed up on technologies your technical recruiters told you to. Here’s one thing your IT staffing firms would suggest you don’t forget: Make sure to blatantly state your interest in the position for your interviewer.

Many technical recruiters find that their candidates assume that just by going to the interview they think they’re expressing interested in IT jobs. This simply isn’t true, though. The purpose of an interview is actually for both employer and candidate to explore whether the position is a good fit. You may hear something at an interview that makes you decide the job is definitely—or definitely not—a great fit for you. Unless you tell your interviewer, they won’t know for sure if you still are interested. Additionally, IT staffing companies also find that employers prefer it when candidates show enthusiasm about the role, work, company, etc. Giving a strong, deliberate statement of interest will achieve this effect.

So how do you make sure you do this well? IT recruiting firms would suggest that you simply give a direct statement, preferably near the end of the interview. You don’t need to gush (and in fact shouldn’t). Instead, being precise and even-keeled in your tone will work best here. Note that after hearing more about the role, you think it would be a great fit for a few particular reasons. Be articulate here and consider trying to name at least one reason that benefits the company, too. Later, when you write the thank you note for your IT recruiting agencies to give on your behalf, make sure to repeat your interest in the role again. Being open about this may just land you the job!

 

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Prepping for your IT job interview is important, but so is showing interest in the role. Photo credit: Unsplash via Pixabay.

 

 

Remember This During Your IT Job Interviews

Have you ever wondered why your interviewers often ask you about your career, even if your IT staffing agencies have already given them copies of your resume?  Here are a couple reasons why your interviewer may need you to walk them through information that’s already on the resumes your IT recruiting firms have provided them with.

  1. They simply don’t remember it. IT recruiters would suggest you not take this personally at all.  Your interviewer may be talking to many candidates.  They may be handling various projects at the same time—in addition to interviewing.  If your interviewer asks you about something that’s already on your resume, your technical recruiters would urge you to answer it pleasantly anyways.  Being rude or condescendingly pointing out that the information is on the resume definitely won’t land you any IT jobs!
  2. Your interviewer may have questions because your resume is full of technical details. Especially in IT, resumes can be long and full of complicated details for various projects.  Don’t be upset if your interviewer needs to ask you something that is already covered on your resume. Your IT staffing companies would urge you to patiently respond to any questions, remembering that your resume might be too long and complicated for them to remember perfectly.
  3. Your interviewer might be less technical, and thus need you to re-word or explain things on your resume. Your IT recruiting agencies may be able to let you know this before the interview, but sometimes they may not.  If your interviewer isn’t as familiar with the technologies you’ve worked with, or possibly isn’t technical at all, they may ask you questions that you’d think your resume can answer.  Again, your IT staffing firms would suggest you answer them patiently and offer to clarify further if needed.  The key here is to make sure you demonstrate an ability to communicate well, even with people who have less experience or understanding of certain technologies.  This can be a moment where you really cement your candidacy!

 

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Your interviewer may have a lot going on before they meet with you that day. Photo credit: cloudhoreca via Pixabay.

 

2 Strong Questions to Ask in IT Job Interviews

If you’ve worked with IT recruiters before to find new IT jobs, you already know that strong questions can be your best assets.  Here are two strong questions that IT staffing agencies would recommend you ask.

Firstly, your IT recruiting firms would suggest that you ask about how the company or team does performance reviews. Since this is the kind of in-depth information that your technical recruiter doesn’t include on the basic job description, it shows that you’re considering the position a bit more deeply.  It also shows that you’re considering how success is measured in this position.  This is the kind of candidate that IT recruiting companies have no problem placing in jobs.  You can show that you’re the kind of candidate who doesn’t just want to land any job; you want to land a job you can succeed in.

Secondly, IT staffing companies would recommend that you ask if the interviewer has any ballpark ideas of what they’d like the person they hire to achieve in the first month or the first quarter.  Sometimes interviewers won’t have any estimates about this, but often in IT your interviewer could have specific ideas of what they’d like done on a project and deadlines.  If you show that you’re already interested in these deadlines and expectations, you can demonstrate that you’re a conscientious employee.  You can also gauge for yourself if you think the company works at a pace that’s compatible with your work style.  If they expect too much to be done too quickly, you’ll know that you should tell your IT staffing firms the role isn’t a good fit for you.

 

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Asking how the company does performance reviews strengthens your candidacy. Photo credit: geralt via Pixabay.

 

Don’t Get Too Technical in Your IT Job Interviews

One question IT recruiters find that you’ll usually be asked in interviews for IT jobs is something along the lines of ‘tell us about your professional achievements.’ Most technical recruiters find that their candidates do well at this question.  It’s not tricky and doesn’t require you to speak candidly about your faults or failures (these are things IT staffing companies find that candidates do have a hard time with).  Here’s one way that IT recruiting firms find that their candidates sometimes run into trouble with this question, though: you give too many (or too few) technical details to your interviewer.

What exactly does this mean?  Unfortunately IT recruiting companies can’t give you a hard rule, but your best bet is to check with your IT staffing agencies and read your audience.  Firstly, before going on the interview, ask your IT recruiting firms to let you know who you’ll be interviewing with and how technical they are.  They may be able to help you gauge how detailed you should get when describing your professional achievements.

In addition to checking with your IT recruiting agencies, you should also read your audience as you interview.  They’ll probably give you hints – either direct or subtle about whether they’re interested in the technical details of past professional successes.  If you can read these hints, especially if they’re subtle, you’ll demonstrate another desirable skill: communication.  The ability to communicate well and read you coworkers, managers, clients, and/or end-users is often prized in IT.  So if your interviewer looks bored as you describe how you debugged some complicated code, take a step back and try to give a less detailed answer.  You may just impress them with your technical skills and your communication skills!

 

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Don’t dive into how elegant your code is until you know your interviewer wants to hear about it! Photo credit: lmonk72 via Pixabay.

 

 

Boost Your Confidence in IT Job Interviews With This Tip

IT recruiters find that many candidates are nervous when they interview for IT jobs.  If you usually feel a little anxious before you go on the interviews your IT staffing companies set you up for, here’s one way to feel more confident: have an anecdote ready that highlights a skill or two listed in the job description.

Here’s how to implement this technique.  Firstly, make sure you get at least a basic job description from your technical recruiters.  Read this over closely and try to pick out something beyond the technical requirements.  Your interviewers know that your IT recruiting firms have already had you brush up on these skills.  What will really impress your interviewer is if you look for the more intangible requirements.  For example, look for statements in the job description that mention the ability to juggle multiple projects at once, or highlight customer service skills.

Now, think about a time you demonstrated these skills.  Craft a short anecdote that you can easily recount (without sounding like you’re reading from a script).  Your IT staffing agencies are very likely to get positive feedback if you can speak directly to the job description and do it in a concrete way.  Your story will demonstrate you have the skills they need.  This helps your interviewers picture you succeeding in the role.  Practice telling this anecdote a few times in the mirror or with a family member or friend.  When you get to the interview, you can feel confident that you have this ace in your back pocket—and your IT recruiting companies may just call you with a job offer!

 

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Check the IT job description for qualities that you can create a powerful anecdote about. Photo credit: janeb13 via Pixabay.

 

Turn Your IT Job Interview Into A Home Run With This Tip

One way IT staffing firms suggest you can strengthen your interview performance is by asking a great question at the end.  IT recruiting companies find that great questions are always helpful in strengthening your candidacy.  However, they’re especially powerful at the end of the interview.  Your interviewer is more likely to remember you well if one of the last things you do is ask a great question.  Here’s a question or two that IT staffing companies would suggest: Who are the successful people in your company or team and what makes them valuable? Conversely, why have other people failed in this role?

There are a few reasons why technical recruiters find that these two questions are effective.  Firstly, asking them shows that you’re thinking deeply about what the company and team need.  Most people ask about the role and the job description.  This question delves into how somebody in this particular role, at this particular company could succeed.  Since sometimes the same role can look very different at different companies, your interviewer will really appreciate these questions.

Your IT recruiting agencies would also urge you to ask these questions because they show that you’re interested in more than just landing the job. When you ask questions like this, you’re suggesting that you want to find a job that’s a good fit—both on your end and for the company.  IT staffing agencies never find that companies just want to get anybody into their open IT jobs quickly.  Hiring managers want somebody who can do the work well and enjoys working in that team.  A bad fit always results in lost money, lost time, and hurts the IT professional, hiring company, and IT recruiting firms.  Nobody wants that.  So next time you really want to establish your candidacy, ask these questions.  They’ll make a big impression on your interviewer and your IT recruiters.

 

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Asking about who succeeds at a company (and why) many get you the IT job. Photo credit: Jerry Kimbrell via Pixabay.