Tag Archives: IT staffing firms

Tips for Asking ‘Creative’ Questions in a Job Interview

‘Wacky’ questions have been a trend for a while in job interviews—especially in the tech field.  IT recruiting firms find that many candidates have had at least an interview or two where they’ve been asked what color crayon they would be, or how many light bulbs there are in Disney World.  While these questions can certainly be helpful to hiring managers, IT staffing companies find that there are more times when they hurt an interview than help it.  Here’s how to make sure you’re using these kinds of questions effectively when you interview candidates.

1. Don’t ask the question if you don’t know what you’re looking for or if there is no direct relevance to the role.  Technical recruiters find that candidates can tell pretty quickly when a manager is asking a question just because they think they should.  Don’t ask questions just because they showed up on a Googled list of interview questions.  It makes the candidate feel like you’re just making them uncomfortable with an unexpected question for no reason.  Think about what your ideal answers would be.  What should the candidate demonstrate when they answer this question? Take time to consider this before you ask.

2. Don’t ask these questions to purposefully make the candidate squirm or to throw them off.  IT staffing agencies find that some employers will give questions like this just to see how a candidate does under pressure or handles discomfort.  These kinds of questions certainly do, but they will also probably make the candidate want to turn down the job offer.  Good managers don’t intentionally make their employees uncomfortable.  In fact, their job is to support them as they handle difficulty.  If a candidate can tell you’re trying to purposefully throw them off, they’ll see it as a big red flag about your management style. Since it’s much more of a job seeker’s market in the tech field, keep in mind that you’re courting the candidate as much as (if not more than) they’re courting you. Asking them a lot of questions that feel silly or weird can leave a bad taste in their mouth.  If a candidate has the technical experience you need, you don’t want to lose them because you asked them what kind of animal they’d be at the zoo.

3. Don’t assume asking these questions makes you seem like a ‘cooler’ employer.  Many employers ask these kinds of questions because they think it will give candidates the impression that they’re cool, like Google, Uber, and other cool tech employers  who are known for asking some ‘wacky’ interview questions.  If you want to let candidates know you have a cool company culture, there are better ways to do it.  IT recruiting agencies suggest you take time to talk about why your company culture is great.  Share your Glassdoor reviews or have current employees meet with the candidate to share what it’s like working at your company.  These things are all much more enticing to a candidate than answering weird, unexpected interview questions.

4. Look for process, not a right or wrong answer.  The point of many of these questions isn’t to focus on whether the candidate answered exactly what you were expecting.  The point is to get a window into their thought process.  If they can think about solving problems in a way that’s advantageous, or can provide an interesting justification for their answer, take note.  Remember that these kinds of questions can be hard on candidates because they’re so unexpected.  Their answer may not be polished or perfect, but it could still tell you much about how they think.

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weird questions in IT job interviews
What color crayon would your candidate be? It may not matter! Photo credit: Stux via Pixabay.

 

What Does it Mean if My Interviewer Was Disengaged? 

When you go to interviews for IT jobs, you’re likely to be engaged in the process.  You may even be anxious and hyper-focused.  Sometimes IT recruiters find that hiring managers can actually be disengaged or appear completely disinterested in the process.  Does this mean you didn’t land the job? Not necessarily.

IT staffing firms find that there are a lot of reasons that hiring managers might be disengaged during an interview—and many of them don’t have anything to with your candidacy.  One of the main reasons that IT recruiting firms hear managers are disengaged is because they’re busy handling a major issue (possibly even a crisis) that just popped up.  This can especially be the case if you’re interviewing with a high-level manager.  If a crisis pops up at the very last-minute, or even if the hiring manager is really interested in the candidate, they’ll move forward with the job interview regardless.  If you’re feeling less confident in an interview because the hiring manager seems uninterested or keeps checking email, consider this: maybe a hiring manager wants to meet with you so badly he or she will do it even if they’re in the middle of a dealing with a big production issue, a looming release date, or a massive security breach of a their company’s data.

Besides major crises or work demands, a hiring manager could be less engaged in the interview process for another reason: perhaps they’re not a key decision-maker.  Sometimes IT recruiting companies find that an employer will require certain managers to be on the hiring committee, even if they don’t have much influence (or interest) with the decision.  They might seem checked-out during the interview because they actually are. And that means nothing about your candidacy.  A disengaged manager could be simply sitting in on the interview, allowing the rest of the hiring team to drive the process.

So what should you do if your interviewer spends your whole conversation looking at email, or asking very few questions?  Technical recruiters suggest you just let it go and do your best anyways.  Don’t give up on the interview or start doubting yourself.  Focus on the questions asked and building a rapport with the other interviewers (if any).

You might talk to your IT recruiters about it afterwards, and they may have an answer for you.  Perhaps not.  The hiring process can be unpredictable, so you can’t analyze things for signs.  Put your energy towards working with your IT staffing companies until you find the right role for you.  Who knows—you might just have won over that very disengaged interview.

Want to see our open IT jobs?  Follow us on LinkedIn.  We post new jobs daily!

 

IT job interviews
There are a lot of reasons why your interviewer might be checking their phone. Photo credit: rawpixel via Pixabay.

 

Common Questions (and Answers) about References

IT staffing firms find that references can be one of the last things on a candidate’s mind.  Maybe it’s because they’re so far along in the job search process.  Or, maybe it’s because they seem to require the least amount of work.  References just need to be called.  Resumes need to be written and polished, and you need to do extensive prep and study up on relevant technologies for interviews.  Whatever the case, IT recruiting firms find that many candidates and hiring managers have a lot of questions and even misconceptions about references.  Here are some common ones that IT recruiters get:

Do ‘backdoor references’ really happen?   This phenomenon is even more prevalent in the last 5 years or so because of LinkedIn’s growing popularity.  If you’re not familiar with a backdoor reference, this is the basic premise: hiring managers will reach out to any personal contacts they have at your previous employers.  IT staffing agencies find that this can be a problem particularly when you may had a bad experience working at an employer.  Even if you choose not to give anybody there as a reference, backdoor references can reveal the skeletons in your closet.  Backdoor references can be especially common when you’re looking for IT jobs because most people in this field are on LinkedIn.  (In fact, it may say something negative about you as an IT professional if you’re not on LinkedIn or other social media!)

Can managers really be forbidden from acting as a references? Yes, but some will do so anyways. There are companies that have set policies that forbid managers from giving a reference.  The severity of these policies and how strictly they’re enforced varies.  Some managers feel like they have the ability do this without any real consequences, so it could be worth considering this if you’re leaving a company with such a policy.  You don’t want to push too aggressively, but it may be worth asking if the manager would feel comfortable acting as a reference—you never know if they’ll say yes.

Is giving a bad reference illegal?   IT recruiting companies find that some candidates assume that managers will never give them a bad reference.  This is absolutely not true, so it’s important to act with this in mind.  Give only references who will say positive things about you.  Don’t burn any bridges.  Work hard to build good working relationships with coworkers and bosses.  As mentioned before, you never know if hiring managers will reach out for a backdoor reference. The point of a reference is that for employers to get a complete, honest picture of somebody as an employee.  While technical recruiters find that many managers will refrain from outright trashing somebody (just out of basic human decency), they will be honest if they see red flags.

Can I just hand over my references when it’s time?   This is a mistake IT staffing agencies see far too often.  Contact your references and give them a heads-up you’re on the hunt for new IT jobs.  Ask them if they wouldn’t mind acting as a reference for you.  Let them know a bit about the kinds of roles you’re looking for.  You want to treat them with courtesy, respect, and remember to thank them.  Bad references can ruin your candidacy, just as good ones can strengthen it.

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References for jobs
Don’t forget to call your references before you start a job hunt. Photo credit: edar via Pixabay.

 

Is This the Reason You aren’t Landing Tech Jobs?

Have you ever not landed the tech jobs that you interviewed for?  Did you have all the relevant skills and experience, but your IT recruiters said the manager decided to pass on you? Here’s one big reason you might be missing out on jobs: You’re not showing enough passion.  IT staffing firms hear all the time that managers are passing on candidates because they don’t seem excited enough about the role, the company, etc.  Here are two ways you can avoid this in the future:

  1. Show your passion for the work and technologies the role will use. Do you take classes?  Do you go to conferences?  Do you have side projects?  Talk about them.  Technical recruiters find that if candidates can’t demonstrate a deep interest in the work or the relevant technologies, then hiring managers get concerned.  Hiring managers want to make sure they hire somebody who won’t leave in the middle of a project because they get an opportunity to work with a different technology.  They also want to hire somebody who will continue to improve and grow their knowledge so they can help the company continue to improve their products, platforms, work processes, etc.   If you want the IT jobs you’re interviewing for, make sure they know that’s you!
  2. Show your passion for the company. There are a few reasons this will help you land the job.  Firstly, because there is so much poaching in the tech field, managers want to know that you are interested in working for their company.  This is especially true if they have to train you for their environment and invest a time, effort, and money to onboard you.  Managers want to know that you’ll stay for a while.  Even if you’re a contractor, managers still want to know that you’ll stay for the duration of your contract or the project you’re hired to work on.  IT staffing agencies find that if you express a real interest in the company, this will give hiring managers some confidence that you’ll stick around for at least a reasonable amount of time.  That makes you a much more marketable candidate .

 

Want to see our open IT jobs?  Follow us on LinkedIn.  We post new jobs daily!

 

IT job interview mistakes
Are you not showing enough passion in your job interviews? Photo credit: Maklay62 via Pixabay.

 

Tips for Employers on Hiring New Grads

Many employers in the tech space (or companies outside of the tech space that employ IT professionals) eagerly anticipate June and May every year because it’s the best time hire new grads.  New grads can bring a lot to a team.  They have fresh energy, new ideas, and may have exposure to some of the newest technologies.  Another perk of working with new grads is that they’re often a bit easier to ‘mold’.  Because they don’t have much working experience yet, new grads don’t have their own habits and are more open to following their employer’s procedures and corporate culture.  (It’s also worth noting that if you’re worried about hiring a millennial, a lot of the negative stereotypes about them simply aren’t true.  They’re just that: stereotypes!)   If you’re looking to fill some of your open IT jobs with new grads, check out some of these tips below from IT recruiting firms.   This information will help you make the most of graduation season and hopefully help you add some fresh new talent to your team!

1. Get moving ASAP. IT staffing firms suggest you start trying to fill positions meant for new grads as soon as possible.  The tech market is really a job seeker’s market.  (This goes double for particular areas of the country like Boston and San Francisco!)  Some of the top talent might already be working with IT recruiters before they even finish finals, never mind have a diploma in hand!  If you want to land the best talent for your open roles, IT recruiting agencies suggest that you not wait until June, July, etc.   While some students will delay their job search, many of the most accomplished and ambitions ones will want a job before they graduate.  Why not make sure they consider you as their employer?

2. Make an offer they won’t want to refuse. Appealing to new grads isn’t always about money.  There are some things that IT recruiting companies find don’t cost much, but really attract new or recent grads.

  • Firstly, offer telecommuting options and flexible schedules.  It’s understandable that most hiring managers don’t want to offer telecommuting or flexible schedules right off the bat.  However, presenting your hires with the ability to earn these perks over time can be very attractive to new grads.  Even just partial telecommuting options, like occasional work from home days, are big draws.
  • Another way IT staffing agencies suggest you can attract new grads is by offering mentoring and growth opportunities.  New grads want to land jobs now, but they’re also concerned about their futures beyond their first jobs.  New or recent grads want to land jobs in which they’ll have the chance to learn and grow as a professional.  Consider offering an official or unofficial mentoring program, training opportunities, subsidies for continued learning, and/or the chance to grow in the company.  None of these things need to cost much money, but they’ll go a very long way in attracting and keeping fresh new talent.
  • The last tactic that IT staffing companies suggest is to allow for some creativity.  2017’s grads will want to have the opportunity to think creatively at their jobs.  Consider giving your employees chances to do things like hackathons, or just give them the autonomy and room to solve problems creatively themselves.  This kind of perk can be great not only for attracting new grads, but also for the company itself!

Want to see our open IT jobs?  Follow us on LinkedIn.  We post new jobs daily!

Hiring new grads
New grads want to work at places that offer chances to learn and grow as a professional. Photo credit: maura24 via Pixabay.

 

 

Have Gaps on Your Technical Resume? How to Handle Them

People in most fields are uncomfortable with gaps in their resumes.  IT recruiting firms find that if you can handle them correctly, though, these won’t hurt your chances of landing IT jobs.  Here are some of the basics that IT recruiters think you should know about gaps on technical resumes.

1. Small gaps are not a problem. Especially in the tech field, where contracting and project-based work are pretty common, gaps of 3 months or less aren’t a huge deal.  Layoffs happen, contracts end, and interview processes can certainly drag out the time between unemployment to being hired.  IT staffing firms won’t bat an eye at a gap or two between contracts on your resume.

2. A gap beyond 6 months will require more explanation. IT recruiting agencies find that employers will be more concerned with an unemployment gap of 6 months or more.  This is at least in part because there’s such a dearth of qualified IT professionals to fill the open jobs in pretty much all of the US.  The unemployment rate for tech professionals is notoriously low- lower than the national average.  In January, the tech unemployment rate was only 2.9 percent, while the national average was closer to 4.7 percent.  If you’re not getting hired for a job after 6 months, employers wonder if the problem may be you, not the market! If you have a gap like this, make sure to address it your resume.  Give a brief, professional reason why you were unemployed.  Did you take time off to take care of a member of your family, raise a young child?  Have a health issue yourself?  Take time off to go to school?  These are all the kinds of reasons that technical recruiters find will not scare off potential employers. Make sure to note this on your resume!

3. Make the most of your gaps. If you’re unemployed for a longer period of time and are not encumbered by responsibilities to your family, health issues, etc, you should take this time to keep your skills sharp.  Do a side project on your own. Volunteer to do work for a local charity or non-profit.  Get a certification.  Learn a new technical skill.  IT staffing companies find that if you can do things like this with your gap, you’ll be much more appealing to employers.  After all, technologies change at lightning speed.  You want to stay in the game and stay sharp so you’re ready to hit the ground running when you do land a new role!

Want to see our open IT jobs?  Follow us on LinkedIn.  We post new jobs daily!

Gaps on technical resumes
Got gaps shorter than 3 months? Don’t worry about it! Photo credit: Aitoff via Pixabay.

 

Running Late to Job Interviews – Everything You Need to Know

Is it ever ok to run late to interviews? IT recruiters find that the answer here is no, but there are a few notable exceptions.  First, if there’s a serious family or personal emergency, that’s pretty understandable.  Just call your technical recruiters and let them know what’s happening as soon as possible. Giving as much notice as possible will be key here.

Here’s another exception.  You can be late without consequence if you talked with your recruiter about possibly being late when they scheduled the interview.  When the recruiter reaches out to set up the time, you can mention if you think you’ll potentially be late (for a legitimate reason, of course).  Your recruiter may be able to schedule the interview with 5 or 10 minutes of wiggle room for you.

The last exception is if you’re very, very minimally late and you’ve let your recruiter know.  If you think you’ll be less than 5 minutes late, it could be fine.  You just need to reach out to your IT recruiters to give them a heads up.  This isn’t always true, of course.  Some employers have no tolerance for lateness.

Can I say I’m late because of traffic? The short answer is no.  IT recruiting firms find that this doesn’t hold much water with interviewers.  Good candidates will plan for the worst and leave enough time for a terrible traffic jam.  They’ll leave early and maybe even try out a practice run of the commute to the interview.   Even with IT recruiters selling you as a candidate, you still have to make every moment count.  You know that your resume should be polished, your interview answers practiced, and your interview suit ironed.  The same is true for that first impression you make—show up a little early and make it perfect. Your recruiter has already set the stage for you as an ideal candidate.  Don’t ruin that!  And if that doesn’t motivate you, picture losing the IT jobs you want to other candidates.  Why let them land the job because they left 10 minutes earlier than you did?

Well, I’m late to an interview right now.  So what do I do?  Firstly, take a deep breath and focus on controlling what you can control. Call your recruiter and calmly explain what has happened.  Offer to reschedule the interview if they believe it’s necessary.  This will go a long way if you’re super late.  If you’re still going through with the interview, apologize once you get there.  Don’t make your apology over the top.  A simple, calm apology is all that you need here.  Then move forward and give the best interview you can.  Focus on that instead of the fact that you were late.  Letting it knock you off your game will only compound things.  You don’t want to be dinged because you were late and you were nervous or upset in the interview.  Then you’ll really sink your chances of landing the job!

 

late to job interviews
Call your recruiters as soon as you realize that you’re running late to an interview. Photo credit: stevepb via Pixabay.

 

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Why You Shouldn’t Apply to a Company or Job Twice

Sometimes IT recruiters find that candidates may apply more than once to a company.  They might do this because they forget they’ve already applied, because they want to show they’re very interested in the role, or maybe they just really want to work at that company.  Whichever the case, technical recruiters find this doesn’t usually help candidates.  In fact, it will probably ruin their chances of landing IT jobs.  Here’s why IT staffing firms recommend that you don’t apply to a company or job twice.

Don’t apply twice because you like multiple roles. IT staffing agencies find that if you apply to multiple roles, especially ones that are different, you run the risk of looking disorganized and/or that you aren’t particularly passionate about any kind of work.  Firstly, if you apply twice to the same role in a short period of time, you’ll look disorganized or perhaps not detail-oriented.  Since both qualities are usually necessary for IT roles, that’s not going to help your candidacy!

Secondly, especially in the tech field, employers like to see candidates with a passion for a specific kind of work.  When you apply to various kinds of roles, it can seem like you don’t have a clear idea of the kind of work you want to do in your next role.  Submit just one application.  Better yet, reach out to your IT recruiting companies to submit resumes on your behalf.  They may have connections at the company and will make sure your resume gets seen (rather than dropped into the abyss of all other applications).

Don’t apply a second time to a company when your IT staffing companies have submitted you.  Or, warn your technical recruiters that you’ve already applied to a job when they want to submit you to it as well.  Most companies will just cancel out an application if they get it from both the candidate and from IT recruiting firms.  Keep a running list of the jobs you apply to yourself and the jobs your IT recruiters submit you to.  If your recruiters mention a job you’ve already applied to, make sure they know that.  They may be able to strengthen your candidacy by putting a in a good word for you with managers they know.  But IT recruiters can’t do this unless you talk to them about it first!

 

IT job applications
Applying twice could lead to the same result as not applying at all! Photo credit: Geralt via Pixabay.

 

Want to see our open IT jobs?  Follow us on LinkedIn.  We post new jobs daily!

 

Tips for Employers on Glassdoor, Indeed, Vault, etc.

By now, most employers are at least aware that they have a presence on Glassdoor, Indeed, Vault, and other employer review sites.  Many actually take the time to cultivate their spots on these sites, too.  These companies find that it’s absolutely worth it to take time to add pictures, text about the company and its corporate culture, or even encouraging employees to leave reviews.  When your presence on these sites is good, your company can draw more and better applicants.  Especially when you’re searching for tech professionals to fill your open IT jobs, this becomes all the more imperative.  Since it’s such a job seeker’s market for tech professionals, IT recruiters find it’s all the more important for employers to make sure their presence on career websites is stellar.  Here are some tips from IT staffing companies to help employers make sure their online brand will attract great talent.

1. Post pictures on sites that let you.  Having pictures of fun company outings will make a difference when candidates look up your profile.  People will find your company profile more interesting and memorable.  They may also connect better with smiling faces than just a boilerplate text about your company’s mission, culture, etc.  Since IT recruiting firms find that candidates are often getting hit with multiple potential opportunities at once, you’ll want your company to stand out.

2. Get some reviews on your page.  You can’t bribe or pressure employees to leave great reviews on your page.  You can encourage your employees to leave reviews though if you think they’re happy.  Happy employees usually won’t mind spreading the word if they do enjoy their workplace.  (They’d want peers to do the same thing!)  IT staffing firms find that getting lots of great reviews is the best way to counteract bad ones.  You can ‘bury’ negative reviews so that when IT professionals are checking out your company, they see more good than bad.  Remember, the tech talent you’re seeking have plenty of options.  If a company looks like they don’t treat employees well, IT professionals will just tell recruiters to submit them elsewhere.

3. Don’t forget to respond to negative reviews.  When IT professionals are on your site, it’s ok if they do see negative reviews.  What really matters is if you show you care.  Even the best employers have unhappy employees.  What makes them the best is that they take negative feedback and grow from it.  (Terrible employers are the ones who know their employees are unhappy and don’t seem to care!)  So write responses that show you’re listening.  Thank the reviewer for their feedback.  Mention any actions you might be able to take to fix the issue in the future.  Keep the tone calm, cordial, and concerned.

4. Don’t forget to keep your IT recruiting agencies in the loop.  They should know the good and the bad.  Give them links to your Glassdoor, Indeed and Vault pages.  If you’re working to fix things that have inspired bad reviews, talk to them about it.  Your IT staffing agencies can help sell you as an employer in addition to your presence on these sites.

 

IT employers glassdoor
How many 5-star reviews are on your Glassdoor page? Photo credit: zahmetr via Pixabay.

 

Want to see our open IT jobs?  Follow us on LinkedIn.  We post new jobs daily!

 

Why Tech Professionals Shouldn’t Leave Scathing Employer Reviews

There are very few people who have never have a bad boss, a job that’s a terrible fit, or a job that generally makes them unhappy.  Having tough moments in your career is actually helpful—it shows you what you want and don’t want in future jobs, bosses, employers, etc.  With the advent of Glassdoor and other employer review sites, though, IT staffing firms are noticing people who handle these moments in ways that aren’t healthy or positive for their careers: by leaving scathing employer reviews.

Glassdoor, Indeed, Careerbliss, and other career sites were meant for honest reviews of employers.  However, leaving a negative, slanderous review isn’t really in this spirit.  IT recruiters find that it can actually hurt your career a bit, too.  The first problem is that these sites aren’t as anonymous as they seem.  It’s easier for people to figure out who left a review than you think, especially at a small company.  That means you might easily be identified to former coworkers as the person who left a nasty or unprofessional review online.

The next problem is that the tech world isn’t small, but it can be very interconnected.  Because there’s such a dearth of qualified IT professionals, technical recruiters see the same people moving around the industry.  In other words, that boss you worked for on a contract 5 years ago might be hiring for a role your IT recruiting firms submit you to now. If you leave a terrible review that people can link you to, you might be interviewing with them for a role later.  This could very quickly disqualify you from the IT jobs you want.

Another thing to consider is the popularity of ‘back door references.’  Because of LinkedIn and other social networking sites like Github, IT staffing companies find that many people in the tech field are more connected than ever.  That means if you burned a bridge with one employer, you might be getting a reference from them that you didn’t ask for—one that ruins your chances of landing a job with a future employer.

The last reason to hold back on leaving scathing reviews on sites like Glassdoor, Indeed, etc is that you never know if you might be sued.  Though the chances of this are pretty low, some companies have gone after people who left reviews that seriously hurt their business.  Even if these companies don’t win, the process of being sued can be costly and stressful.

For all of these reasons, IT recruiting agencies suggest taking time to cool down before leaving a negative review of an employer.  It’s ok to leave honest reviews.  You just want to focus on leaving constructive criticism and providing perspectives that are helpful to other job seekers.  Leave out names, extreme comments, or outright lies.  Post a review that is constructive, honest, and won’t hurt your future career!

IT job search advice
Think twice before potentially burning any bridges with a terrible review. Photo credit: picjumbo_com via Pixabay.

 

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